Self-Unwinding Charger With Wound-Spring Power Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current portable chargers require constant user intervention, such as hand-winding or reliance on external power sources, limiting their portability and ability to charge devices independently after being wound.
Innovation Solution
The Unwinding Charger uses automatic watch components, including a winding handle, geared wheels, and a generator to produce electricity when wound, allowing it to charge devices via USB or wireless charging without external power, resembling an automatic watch or wind-up alarm clock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a winding charger is designed to be portable, then it can be carried around, but it requires constant user intervention to wind and cannot charge under its own power after being wound
Solution Approach 1:
The user winds the charger in advance before needing to use it. The winding action stores mechanical energy in the spring mechanism, which then automatically converts to electrical energy later without requiring further user input. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by separating the charging preparation phase from the usage phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The charger serves itself by automatically converting the stored mechanical energy from the wound spring into electrical energy to charge devices. The internal mechanism includes a generator that converts the spring's mechanical energy into electricity, eliminating the need for constant user intervention during the charging process.
2Ease of operation
If a winding charger uses a large handle for winding, then it can be wound effectively, but it becomes too bulky to be considered portable
Solution Approach 1:
The winding handle is designed to nest within or attach to the charger body when not in use. The handle can be folded, retracted, or integrated into the charger's housing, allowing the charger to maintain a compact form factor for portability while still providing an effective winding mechanism when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle transitions from a static, permanently extended position to a dynamic, movable component that can be deployed for winding and then retracted or folded away. This dynamic design allows the handle to provide sufficient leverage for effective winding while minimizing the charger's overall volume when portability is required.
3Productivity
If a solar charger is designed to be effective, then it can charge devices, but it requires a large panel and direct sunlight, making it unsuitable for portable use in poor weather or at night
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the solar-powered system with a mechanically-powered system using a wound spring. Instead of relying on solar panels and sunlight, the charger uses a hand-wound or automatically wound spring mechanism that stores mechanical energy, which is then converted to electrical energy through a generator. This substitution eliminates the dependency on environmental conditions like sunlight and weather.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanically-powered charger can store energy in advance by winding the spring, allowing it to charge devices independently of external environmental conditions. The stored mechanical energy is converted to electricity on demand, providing adaptability to various environments including poor weather and nighttime conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables self-powered charging of smartphones and tablets, providing a portable and independent charging solution that can be used without constant user intervention, even in pockets or poor weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The generator is turned by the geared wheels and gear assembly to produce an electric charge
Implementation Method 2
The charge is created by turning the body handle to wind the mainspring. The wound mainspring is meshed and aligned to then turn an array of geared wheels
Data Source
AI summary
The Unwinding Charger is an apparatus for charging electric devices such as smart phones and tablets. The Unwinding Charger can be wound by a user and can unwind on its own to charge electric devices. The Unwinding Charger can be shaped like a smartphone. The Unwinding Charger includes a USB connection port and a wireless charging feature. The Unwinding Charger includes a body handle attached to a non-protruding axis shaft at the top of the charger which rotates to wind up the charger. The top body handle of the charger allows the user to wind the device more easily with a significant surface area for grip. The top body handle can be made in the likeness of its body counterpart for a streamlined and snag free structure. The Unwinding Charger can offer the new attribute of winding and forgetting to charge other devices on its own having been wound.