High-efficiency energy generator for harnessing mechanical vibration power

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9394876-B2
Application number	US-201213447908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2012
Priority date	Apr 15, 2011
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

An energy generating device utilizing mechanical vibration power is provided. The energy generating device includes a first body for reciprocating according to vibration motions; an anchored second body; a rack coupled to one of the first body and the anchored second body; a gear assembly engaged with the rack and coupled to the other one of the first body and the anchored second body such that the gear assembly drives a generator via a rotational movement in a single direction according to each of upward and downward movement of the rack relative to the gear assembly; and the generator engaged with the gear assembly for receiving the rotational movement output from the gear assembly and outputting a direct current according to the rotational input from the gear assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy generating device utilizing rail deformation in a railway system, the energy generating device comprising:
a rail mount coupled to at least one of a railway track and a railway tie such that the rail mount moves upwardly and downwardly according to a deformation of the railway track caused by passing railway cars;
an anchor mount coupled to a fixed body below the rail mount;
a rack coupled to one of the rail mount and the anchor mount;
a gear assembly engaged with the rack and coupled to the other one of the rail mount and the anchor mount, wherein the gear assembly moves upwardly and downwardly with respect to the rack to generate a rotational movement of an output of the gear assembly in a single direction, the rotational movement in the single direction driving a generator; and
the generator engaged with the gear assembly for receiving the rotational movement output from the gear assembly and outputting a direct current according to the rotational input from the gear assembly.

2. The energy generating device of claim 1 , further comprising: a flywheel engaged with the generator for maintaining the rotational movement output from the gear assembly.

3. The energy generating device of claim 1 ,
wherein the rack includes first rack gears disposed in a first orientation and second rack gears disposed in a second orientation opposite the first orientation,
wherein the gear assembly comprises:
a first pinion engaged with the first rack gears;
a first pinion shaft;
a first roller clutch included within the first pinion and coupled to the first pinion shaft for driving the first pinion shaft when the first pinion rotates in a first direction and disengaging from the first pinion shaft when the first pinion rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
a second pinion engaged with the second rack gears;
a second pinion shaft;
a second roller clutch included within the second pinion and coupled to the second pinion shaft for driving the second pinion shaft when the second pinion rotates in the second direction and disengaging from the second pinion shaft when the second pinion rotates in the first direction; and
a transfer mechanism connecting the first pinion shaft to the second pinion shaft for driving the first pinion shaft in the first direction when the second pinion shaft is driven in the second direction, wherein the generator is driven according to the rotation of the first pinion shaft.

4. The energy generating device of claim 1 ,
wherein the rack includes first rack gears disposed in a first orientation and second rack gears disposed in a second orientation opposite the first orientation,
wherein the gear assembly comprises:
a first pinion engaged with the first rack gears;
a first pinion shaft coupled to the first pinion;
a second pinion engaged with the second rack gears;
a second pinion shaft coupled to the second pinion;
a central shaft;
a central gear coupled to the central shaft;
a first roller clutch coupled to the first pinion shaft and engaged with the central gear, such that the first roller clutch is driven by the first pinion shaft when the first pinion shaft rotates in a first direction and disengages from the first pinion shaft when the first pinion shaft rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
a second roller clutch coupled to the second pinion shaft and engaged with the central gear, such that the second roller clutch is driven by the second pinion shaft when the second pinion shaft rotates in the second direction and disengages from the first pinion shaft when the second pinion shaft rotates in the first direction, wherein the generator is driven according to a rotation of the central shaft.

5. The energy generating device of claim 1 ,
wherein the rack includes first rack gears disposed in a first orientation and second rack gears disposed in a second orientation opposite the first orientation,
wherein the gear assembly comprises:
a first pinion engaged with the first rack gears;
a central shaft;
a first roller clutch included within the first pinion and coupled to the central shaft, for driving the central shaft when the first pinion rotates in a first direction and disengaging from the central shaft when the first pinion rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
a second pinion engaged with the second rack gears; and
a second roller clutch included within the second pinion and coupled to the central shaft, for driving the central shaft in the first direction when the second pinion rotates in the second direction and disengaging from the central shaft when the second pinion rotates in the first direction, wherein the generator is driven according to the rotation of the central shaft.

6. The energy generating device of claim 1 ,
wherein the rack includes first rack gears;
wherein the gear assembly comprises:
a central shaft;
a pinion coupled to the central shaft and engaged with the first rack gears, for driving the central shaft according to a rotation of the pinion;
a first bevel gear disposed in a first orientation;
a first roller clutch included within the first bevel gear and coupled to the central shaft such that the central shaft drives the second roller clutch when the central shaft rotates in the first direction and the first roller clutch disengages from the central shaft when the central shaft rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
a second bevel gear disposed in a second orientation opposite the first orientation; and
a second roller clutch included within the second bevel gear and coupled to the central shaft such that the central shaft drives the second roller clutch when the central shaft rotates in the second direction and the second roller clutch disengages from the central shaft when the central shaft rotates in the first direction;
a central bevel gear coupled to and driven by the first and second bevel gears; and
wherein the generator is driven according to the rotation of the central bevel gear.

7. The energy generating device of claim 1 ,
wherein the rack includes first rack gears;
wherein the gear assembly comprises:
a first pinion engaged with the first rack gears;
a first pinion shaft;
a first roller clutch included within the first pinion, such that the first roller clutch drives the first pinion shaft when the first pinion shaft rotates in a first direction and disengages from the first pinion shaft when the first pinion shaft rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
a second pinion engaged with the first rack gears;
a second pinion shaft;
a second roller clutch included within the second pinion, such that the second roller clutch drives the second pinion shaft when the second pinion shaft rotates in the second direction and disengages from the first pinion shaft rotates in the first direction; and
a transfer mechanism for coupling the first pinion shaft to the second pinion shaft such that the first pinion shaft is driven in the first direction when the second pinion shaft is driven in the second direction; and
wherein the generator is driven according to the rotation of the first pinion shaft.

8. The energy generating device of claim 7 , wherein the generator is directly coupled to the first pinion shaft.

9. The energy generating device of claim 3 , wherein the generator is directly coupled to the first pinion shaft.

10. The energy generating device of claim 3 , wherein the generator is indirectly coupled to the first pinion shaft by at least one of a drive chain and a series of gears.

11. The energy generating device of claim 4 , wherein the generator

Assignees

• Zuo Lei
• Penamalli Gopinath Reddy
• Wang John
• Zheng Rui He
• Lei Xiao Hui
• Lam-Ki Jorge F
• Li Zhongjie
• Lin Teng
• Univ New York State Res Found

Inventors

• Zuo Lei
• Penamalli Gopinath Reddy
• Wang John
• Zheng Rui He
• Lei Xiao Hui
• Lam-Ki Jorge F
• Li Zhongjie
• Lin Teng

Classifications

• F03B13/18 Primary

  where the other member, {i.e. rem} is fixed, at least at one point, with respect to the sea bed or shore · CPC title

• Y02E10/38

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E10/30

  Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient · CPC title