BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to a power generating device, and more particularly to a power generating device using an external load as a power source.

Description of the Prior Art

As well known to those skilled in the art, conventional power generators use steam power, hydraulic power, solar heat, tidal power, wind force, atomic energy and etc as their power sources. However, the conventional power generators have a problem that they require enormous expense in their equipment. In this regard, it has been required to develop a power generator requiring cheep expense in the equipment. In addition, the conventional power generators, particularly using the steam power and the atomic energy as their power sources, inevitably result in environmental pollution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a power generating device using a weight of vehicle as a power source in which the aforementioned problems can be overcome and which remarkably reduces the cost of equipment and which easily converts the weight of vehicle, such as of an automobile or of a train, into the power.

In order to accomplish the above object, a power generating device using a weight of vehicle as a power source in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises a plate spring upwardly smoothly bent such that it is provided with a desired elasticity, the spring being installed on a road in order to be directly

applied with the weight of vehicle; a pumping tube provided under the plate spring such that it cooperates with the spring, the pumping tube being charged with a hydraulic fluid and having a fluid inlet port and a fluid outlet port, the inlet port having a check valve for prevention of fluid outflow through the inlet port; an actuating cylinder connected to the outlet port of the pumping tube in order to be supplied with the hydraulic fluid, the actuating cylinder being provided at its upper section with a fluid return branch pipe connected to a fluid accumulator; the fluid accumulator connected between the branch pipe of the actuating cylinder and the fluid inlet port of the pumping tube in order to drain the hydraulic fluid from the actuating cylinder to the pumping tube; and an actuating plunger slidably received at its lower section in the actuating cylinder in order to convert the pressure of the hydraulic fluid into a motion, the plunger having a power conversion part at its upper section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objects and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a construction and an operation of a power generating device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the portion A of Fig. 1, showing an inlet port of a pumping tube of the device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 shows a construction and an operation of a power generating device using a weight of vehicle as a power source in accordance with a preferred embodiment of tne

present invention, and Fig. 2 shows in detail the sectional structure of the portion A of Fig. 1. Please note that even though a plurality of power generating devices of this invention are practically installed in series, however, only one device is shown in the accompanying drawings in order for descriptive convenience.

As shown in these drawings, the power generating device includes a driving plate 10 of the plate spring type which is upwardly smoothly bent such that it is provided with a desired elasticity. A pumping tube 20 is provided under the driving plate spring 10 such that it cooperates with the spring 10. This pumping tube 20 is charged with a hydraulic fluid and has an inlet port 52 at a side thereof. The inlet port 52 is provided with a check valve 21 which is hinged to the upper section of the port 52 such that it is opened only when the fluid is introduced into the tube 20. The pumping tube 20 is also provided with an outlet port under the inlet port 52 and communicates with an actuating cylinder 30 connected to its outlet port. The actuating cylinder 30 is provided at its upper section with a fluid return branch pipe 31 which is connected to a fluid accumulator 32 in order to cause the actuating cylinder 30 to communicate with the accumulator 32 and in turn to be connected to the inlet port 52 of the pumping tube 20. An actuating plunger 40 is received in the cylinder 30 such that it slidably linearly moves in the cylinder 30 by the pressurized fluid acting on its lower end in the cylinder 30. This actuating plunger 40 comprises an upper rack part 40a, which is provided with rack, and a lower cylindrical rod part 40b which is closely inserted in the cylinder 30 in order to be linearly reciprocated in the cylinder 30 by the pressurized fluid. The upper rack part 40a of the plunger 40 is engaged with an one way gear 41, such as a rachet wheel capable of one way power transmission. The gear 41 engaged with the rack part 40a is in turn connected to a working system, such as a generator. through a rotating shaft, thus to convert the linear motion

of the rack part 40a of the plunger 40 into a rotational motion. The rotational force caused by the rotational motion of the gear 41 is transmitted to the working system through the rotating shaft in order to be used for generation of effective work.

The fluid accumulator 32 communicating with the actuating cylinder 30 through the fluid return branch pipe 31 comprises a cylinder 32a, a piston 32b received in the cylinder 32a, and an actuating ram 32c connected to the piston 32b. The piston rod of the piston 32b slidably penetrates the upper end of the cylinder 32a such that it vertically reciprocates. This piston rod is integrally formed at its top with the actuating ram 32c having a predetermined weight. The accumulator 32 also includes a fluid outlet port 50 formed at the center lower end of its cylinder 32a. A drain pipe 51 is connected between the fluid outlet port 50 of the accumulator 32 and the inlet port 52 of the pumping tub 20, so that the accumulator 32 communicates with the pumping tube 20.

The above power generating device of this invention is laid under a road or a railroad such that the pumping tube 20 is fixed in its position under the road or the railroad, and the driving plate spring 10 over the pumping tube 20 slightly protrudes from the road surface at its center portion. The center portion of the plate spring 10 protruding from the road surface is elastically pressed down by a weight of vehicle while a vehicle passes over the spring 10, thus to compress the pumping tube 20. Therefore, the pressurized fluid in the pumping tube 20 is forcibly delivered to the cylinder 30 through the outlet port of the tube 20 and acts on the lower end of the actuating plunger 40 in the cylinder 30 in order to linearly move this plunger 40 upwards. The upward linear movement of the plunger 40 rotates the one way gear 41 , engaged with the upper rack part 40a of the plunger 40, as shown at the arrow of Fig. 1. Otherwise stated, the weight of the vehicle directly applied

to the driving plate spring 10 on the road surface makes the pumping tube 20 be compressed and, as a result, causes the pressurized fluid to be delivered to the cylinder 30 from the tube 20. The pressurized fluid introduced into the cylinder 30 makes the actuating plunger 40 to move upwards, and the linear motion of the plunger 40 is converted into the rotational motion of the gear 41 engaged with the upper rack part 40a of the plunger 40. The rotational force of the gear 41 is transmitted to the working system, such as the generator, through the rotating shaft and used for generation of effective work by the system.

On the other hand, the pressurized fluid in the cylinder 30 is introduced into the accumulator 32 through the fluid return branch pipe 31 when the actuating plunger 40 reaches its upper dead point, thus to be accumulated in the cylinder 32a of the accumulator 32. At this time, since the inner pressure of the tube 20 is higher than that of the cylinder 32a as a result of the weight of vehicle still applied to the spring 10, the check valve 21 of the inlet port 52 continues its closed state and the fluid can not be drained to the tube 20. However, when the weight of vehicle is removed from the plate spring 10 as the vehicle passed over the spring 10, the fluid in the accumulator 32 is naturally introduced into the pumping tube 20 through the drain pipe 51 connected between the fluid outlet port 50 of the accumulator 32 and the inlet port 52 of the pumping tub 20. During the introduction of the fluid into the pumping tube 20 from the accumulator 32, the check valve 21 of the inlet port 52 of the tube 20 is opened by the pressure of the fluid in the accumulator 32. At this time, the actuating plunger 40 at its upper dead point descends due to its own weight in order to return to its bottom dead point. During the descending of the actuating plunger 40, the one way gear 41 engaged with the upper rack part 40a of the plunger 40 does not rotate its rotating shaft but is run idle.

Here, the accumulator 32 communicating with the

actuating cylinder 30 through the fluid return branch pipe 31 comprises the cylinder 32a, the piston 32b and the actuating ram 32c connected to the piston 32b and having the predetermined weight as described above. When the pressurized fluid is introduced into the accumulator cylinder 32a from the actuating cylinder 30 through the branch pipe 31 while the vehicle still applies its weight to the plate spring 10 in order to compress the pumping tube 20, it pushes the accumulator piston 32b and the actuating ram 32c upwards. However, when the weight of vehicle applied to the plate spring 10 is removed as the vehicle passed over the spring 10, the piston 32b descends due to the weight of the actuating ram 32c and drains the fluid to the pumping tub 20 through the drain pipe 51. At this time, the check valve 21 of the inlet port 52 is opened by the pressure of the fluid in the accumulator 32.

As described above, the power generating device of the present invention is simply laid under the road or the railroad and uses a weight of vehicle for circulating a pressurized fluid between a pumping tube and an actuating cylinder for generation of effective work. The pressurized fluid supplied to the actuating cylinder generates a linear motion of an actuating plunger which is converted into a rotational motion by an one way gear engaged with the plunger. The rotational force caused by the rotational motion of the gear is transmitted to a working system in order to be used for generation of the effective work. In this regard, the power generating device of this invention simply generates a desired effective work using the weight of vehicle without causing environmental pollution.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modificat ons, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.