THIS ENERGY

The object of this invention is a carpet to recover kinetic energy and a method for utilizing this energy. Outside the carpet, the kinetic energy is changed in the carpet into an air flow and the air flow in directed into an apparatus that gets its motive power from it.

The object of the invention is to utilize the kinetic energy from people to background when they are walking in certain places. From the point of view of the invention advantageous places are such where a number of people advances walking certain quite narrow route repeatedly.

Some advantageous places to use the invention are passageways in the airports, e.g. tubes in the departure and the arrival gates that the people use to get to the planes and from them. In the large airports there are tens of departure gates and they are used day and night. When loading and unloading a typical airplane in the international traf- fic some 200- 400 people move through a tube in two directions in a short time and this can be repeated even in one hour interval in each tube.

The ship terminals, the shopping centers, the offices, the military bases etc are also advantageous places to use the invention. The more peo- ple are constantly moving in certain places the more advantageous it is to utilize the invention in these places.

The method of the invention can also be used with the vehicles on wheels. The carpets according to the invention can be installed on routes where a slight flexibility of the driving base can be accepted. One this kind of situation occurs in the ferry harbors when the cars are moved to ferries and from them with low speed. The carpet according to the invention consists of air cells the volume of which gets smaller when somebody walks or drives on them and a pressure that has been formed in the cells is released through pressure valves into a transfer channel from where the air flow is directed to be utilized. When the pressure that has been directed to each certain air cell is removed substitutive air is taken through the under pressure valves and the volume of the cell is restored. The mentioned process is repeated on each step on the carpet or wheel rolling on the carpet.

No solution that can be compared with the technique of the invention is known. The operation of the air bellows is known in itself but it has not been used to recover energy from walking of the crowds or circulation of the vehicles. So there is no public information about this matter.

It can be considered a big drawback that the crowd walking and the vehicles favorably moving produced kinetic energy has not been learned to recover even when there is quite a lot of it. The energy pro- duction process that has been presented in this document is very envi- ronment friendly and it is so called green energy at its best.

The intention of this invention is to achieve such a carpet to recover ki- netic energy and a method for utilizing this energy that drawbacks of the known technology are avoided. It is characteristic for the invention what has been stated in the characterizing parts of the claims 1 and 9.

One application of the method according to the invention is to direct air flow from a number of carpets that have been connected into tur- bine blades that produces thus caused turbine axe rotation electric power using a generator. When the method according to the invention is compared with the wind energy of the known technology the amounts of energy with the former one are smaller than the later one but when comparing the in- vestments and the maintenance needs relatively they are considerably smaller with the invention and this means that energy production costs per produced energy unit are considerably smaller with the invention.

The method according to the invention is not competing against the wind energy mills but it brings into market a new way to utilize an exist- ing resource, people walking or vehicles on wheels.

The invention is described more closely in the enclosed drawings where fig. 1 , presents a carpet according to the invention directly from side, fig. 2, presents the before mentioned carpet from above, fig. 3, presents a carpet group to be used in a method according to the invention, fig. 4a, presents figure 2 cut A-A zoomed and turned, fig. 4b, presents figure 2 cut B-B zoomed, fig. 5, presents figure 4a place loaded, fig. 6, presents another usage of the invention, fig. 7, presents the before mentioned application loaded, fig. 8, presents a third application of the invention, fig. 9, presents a chart that belongs to a method according to the in- vention, fig. 10, presents a fourth application of the invention.

Following the structure and usage of an advantageous application of the invention is explained referring to the before mentioned figs. In fig. 1 it has been described a carpet 10 according to the invention that has been placed upon a body 100 directly from side and in figure 2 directly from above. Th© carpet 10 is in this example about a motor long and two meters wide so this kind of carpets can be used to cover the as an example before mentioned departure/arrival gate floors. In- side the carpet, there are side by side lengthwise air cells (in the fig. they are only shown partly) where the first ends 1.1 of the cells have been blocked and the second ends 1.2 reach the sidewise transfer channel 2 at the head of the carpet. Between the second end 1 .2 of each cell and the transfer channel 2 there is a over pressure valve 3 that has been installed to open when the pressure in the channel rises over one bar [bar] and to close when it goes down to one bar. Two under pressure valves 4 have been installed to every cell that have been installed to open and let outside air into the cell when the pres- sure gets under one bar and to close when the pressure reaches one bar.

Fig. 3 shows as an example how the carpets 10 and their transfer chan- nels 2 can be joined with a continuation channel 6 and lead the com- mon air flow F of the air flows f of the carpets along the continuation channel to an apparatus utilizing the kinetic energy.

In figs 4a, 4b and 5 has been presented the elastic and bouncy cover 1.3 of the air cell 1 which cover can change its shape by the load K di- rected to it from above and to recover its original shape when the load ceases and when the air flows inside it from the vacuum valve 4. The base 5 consists so that the surface 5.1 does not yield but is of bending material, the bottom layer 5.2 does not yield and the middle layer 5.3 yields and is of bouncy material. When the load K affects the middle layer 5.3 yields essentially as much as the cover of the air cell 3.1 . The first end 2.1 of the transfer channel 2 has been blocked and the second end 2.2 has been led out of the carpet 10 and it continues to the ap- paratus where the air flow created in the carpet 10 is utilized. The before mentioned carpet 10 according to the invention works as follows: The air cell 1 is a round tube and its cover 1.3 is of flexible bouncy material like for instance composite material containing elas- tomer that has a good ability to recover the shape. In fig. 5 there has been shown the situation when somebody steps on the carpet. The weight of the person stepping on the carpet that is the load K makes the surface layer 5.1 to bend down forming a sag but as it retains its thickness s the cover 1 .3 under it compresses and the middle layer 5.3 makes the same. In this example, the inside diameter d of the air cell is 30 mm and the structure of the carpet is made so that the weight of an average weight person (about 75 kg) makes the surface layer of the carpet to bend for about the length of 60 cm so that the deepest place of the sag in its middle is about 20 mm. When the surface layer 5.1 retains its thickness s the upper part of the cover 1.3 changes its shape essentially in the same way as the surface 5.4 of the carpet. The inside volume V of the air cell gets smaller and the air pressure there in- creases. With the values of this example, the volume of the air cell 1 of about a meter decreases momentarily by one press about 30 % and thus the air pressure in the air cell increases up to 1 .4 bar if the over pressure would not be able to flow out. The over pressure valve 3 opens and as the pressure drops near the normal pressure (1 bar) air flows from one air cell to the transfer channel 2 about 0.21 dm ³ (0.07 dm ² x 10 dm x 0.3). The over pressure valve closes when the over pressure has gone into the transfer channel. When under the area of effect of the load K (shoe sole) there are average 2.5 air cells side by side the air flow into the transfer channel of one step mathematically is average about 0.5 dm ³ . As one person steps average 1 .5 times upon a carpet of one meter when passing it and as there are 30 carpets one after an- other so he causes during this distance about 22.5 dm ³ air flow into the transfer channel 2. When the shoe rises from the carpet 10 the flatened bouncy covers 1 .3 tend to retain their former shape and an under pressure is formed in the air cells 1 so that their under pressure valves open and the outside air flows into the air cells and their shape retains their original shape and they retain the normal pressure. The next step on the carpet closes the under pressure valves 4 and because of the over pressure that is formed in the air cells 1.

When in the previous example described from the airport gate to the plane going way is walked during the loading and unloading of one plane by 700 people during an hour the total amount of the air flows f in the transfer channels 2 is about 16 m ³ and the average air flow speed is in the diameter 30 cm tube about 23 km/h that is about 6.3 m/s. In an average airport there are tens of ways leading to the air- planes and many of them are used day and night.

In figs 6 and 7 there has been presented another application of the in- vention. In this applications, the user drives upon the carpet 10 with a vehicle 11 with wheels. The measurements of the air cells (length, cross section surface, covers wall thickness etc.) can be adapted to in which connection the carpet is used. In this case the air cells have been adopted to the direction of the traffic and the carpets have been in- tended to be used in a harbor in the loading ramps of the ferries. The carpets are connected in the body 100, in this case the ramp driving surface and their transfer channels 2 are connected to continuation channel 6 through which the air flows f caused in the carpets are led to be used as the air flow F. As in this example the length of each carpet 10 is a meter and their total length in the driving ramp is 50 m and if in- side the volume V of an air cell of the inside diameter of 40 mm con- tracts average 230 mm broad wheel caused 7 dm broad change of shape to 30 % of its original so one vehicle four wheels rolling over car- pet group cause about 1 .0 m ³ air flow F in the continuation channel 6 (0.13 dm ² x 0.7 x 7 tubes x 4 wheels x 50 carpets). One ferry that trans- ports 200 vehicles, loading and unloading cause according to this cal- culation model 400 m ³ air flow F in the continuation channel 6. If this ac- tion is performed in two hours the average air flow speed in the inside diameter 40 mm continuation channel in during this action about 44 m/s. The cross section of the continuation channel 6 can be extended if necessary to reduce the speed of the air flow F and to reduce to add the speed. In the before mentioned examples, the over pressure valves 3 can be dimensioned so that the air pressure can get even between each air cell 1 and the transfer channel 2 during the by the step/tire caused cover 1 .3 changed shape, so that the flow is so call free. Likewise under pressure valves 4 can be dimensioned so that sufficiently air flows into each air cell 1 to form the normal pressure during the time between two shape changes directed to it.

In fig. 8 there has been presented the carpet 10 as an application of the invention that does not include the body around the air cells. It can be for example a membrane construction where the side by side air cells 1 have been connected to each other by the connect parts 7 be- tween them.

In fig. 9 there has been presented a chart that belongs to the method according to the invention. It shows how the carpets 10 have been put one after each other and the air flows f from the air cells 1 are led to the transfer channel 2 in each carpet and the transfer channels have been connected to the continuation channel 6 where the air flows f form a common air flow F. The air flow F is led to the blades of a turbine T that rotates by its power and rotates the turbine axis. A generator G has been connected to the turbine axis directly or with a gear and thus the rotation movement is transformed into electric energy. In this ex- ample the electric energy is stored in a batery B. Alternatively the elec- tric energy can be taken into use immediately.

The air flow f, F that is acquired with the help of the invention can also be utilized in some other way than what has been presented before.

The cross section area and shape of the air cells 1 , the length and the direction in relation to the people and vehicles moving on the carpets can always be selected to be suitable to the situation. The diagonal oblong air cells 1 in relation to the moving direction can be adopted so that for instance the different vehicle wheels are always upon different air cells so that it is possible to use longer carpets 10 so that the effi- ciency does not suffer. The material of the cover 1 .3 and its wall thickness can be selected so that its elasticity and the load directed to the carpet 10 give the de- sired usage age of the carpet and the air flow amount it produces can be coordinated. Some favorable materials are composite materials that usually consist of one or more elastomers and additives. Elasts are for example rubbers and thermoelasts. The materials to be used in con- nection of the invention are not, however, limited to only these materi- als.

It is advantageous to make the transfer channel 2 in such a way that its cross section does not change essentially during the use of the carpet

10. Small changes in the mentioned cross section during the loads do not however have effect in the usability of the invention. As one appli- cation of the invention the transfer channels can be made lower than the air cells because they are not intended to compress like the air cells. By this we achieve the advantage that the surface 10.4 of the carpet does not feel bulging in relation to the rest of the carpet when stepping on it. The amount of the transfer channels 2 in the carpet 10 can also be more than one and their size can be adopted among oth- er things according to their amount. The transfer channels can also be located in the carpet in many ways.

There can also be more over pressure valves 3 than one in each air cell and their or some of them opening and closing moments can be set to some more than one bar value. It is characteristic for them that they operate automatically and that the air flow only goes to the direction of the transfer channel 2.

There can be one or more under pressure valves 4 in each air cell and their or some of them opening and closing moments can be set to any favorable values. It is characteristic for them that they operate auto- matically and that the air flow goes through them into only one direc- tion, inside the air cells 1 .

The under pressure valves can be situated favorably so that they are protected against dirt, debris, damage etc. In figure 10 there has been described one solution: in the bottom layer 5.2 of the body there are the whole carpet 10 wide air furrows 5.5 and the air inlet of the under pressure valves happens in these protected furrows that are limited to the body 100 and into which the air flows from the sides of the carpet.

The air cells 1 can also be made without a separate cover 1 .3. In this case, air cell size channels are made into the compressing middle layer 5.3 and their circles k (figure 10) change their shape when the load K occurs. In this case, the middle layer 5.3 is made of elastic and bouncy material and it tends to recover its original shape when the load ceases or reduces. The amount of the air cells 1 in the carpet 10 can be any but a favora- ble amount of the air cells side by side can be considered to be at least five air cells. The continuation channel 6 can be dimensioned so that the max air flow F speed there is desired and that it arrives at the turbine T or other usage equipment with a desired speed.

The depth of the compression of the carpet 10 caused by the load K of the step/wheel can be made with the structural details so that the achieved drawback and advantage caused by it are both accepta- ble when considering the end result. For instance in the above carpet that is intended in the way of walking people the max compression could be about 20 mm so that the air cells 1 would operate efficiently and the walking of a relatively short way would not feel too unpleasant.

It should be noticed that even thought in this example it has been kept to one for the invention favorable application example this does by no means mean that the invention application should be limited to only this kind of example; instead, many variations are possible within the idea of invention defined in the claims.