F ield of Invention:

The invention relates to a power spring generator. More specifically, the invention relates to power spring generator which could charge a device by converting the mechanical energy stored in a wound spring to electrical energy and wherein said power spring generator is computer controlled.

Background of Invention:

Now-a-days the whole world is moving to compact, portable gadgets which are most often powered by a battery. Most favoured choice of batteries is rechargeable batteries, that is, the batteries that need to be recharged once they run out of power. In most circumstances these batteries are charged using an external power source.

Accordingly, numerous inventors have proposed various generator-charger systems which could be used to keep the battery charged. However, the entire repertoire of generator ^" charger is not usually capable of being integrated with the battery. A standalone generator-charger, along with increasing the load to be carried in baggage, also poses a definite risk of being forgotten or lost or stolen. Furthermore, during emergency situations in remote areas, having a reliable source of power to recharge or supplement charge and use a cellular phone or a two-way radio for communication is extremely valuable.

Therefore, the present inventor proposes a novel power spring generator which could be integrated in a device for charging rechargeable batteries or storage batteries or accumulators. The said power spring generator is computer or chip controlled. Summary of Invention:

The invention provides a power spring generator which converts the mechanical energy stored in a wound spring to electrical energy.

In a main aspect the invention provides a power spring generator which is computer and/or chip controlled.

In an aspect, the invention provides a manual winding mechanism for recharging of a rechargeable battery.

In another aspect the invention provides a semi-automatic system for recharging of a rechargeable battery.

In yet another aspect the invention provides a fully automatic system for recharging of a rechargeable battery.

Abbreviations used:

For the purpose of this description, following abbreviations have been used;

SS, unless otherwise expressly specified, denotes Spring State, that is, the state of wi ndi ng/unwi ndi ng of the spri ng enclosed i n a spri ng mechanism X .

SV, unless otherwise expressly specified, denotes Set Value, that is, the minimum allowable state of spring wind below which the spring is required to be wound.

MV, unless otherwise expressly specified, denotes Maximum Value, that is, the maximum allowable state of spring wind or the value at which the spring is completely wound.

BC L , unless otherwise expressly specified, denotes the battery charge level at any given point of time. SV min, unless otherwise expressly specified, denotes the minimum set value allowable for the battery charge level after which the battery needs to be charged.

SV max, unless otherwise expressly specified, denotes the maximum set value allowable for the battery charge level after which no further charging is possible.

Brief Description of Drawings:

F ig. 1 illustrates flowcharts for the method of the charging the battery in accordance with the i nventi on.

F ig. 2 illustrates the power spring generator of the invention in accordance to one of the embodiments of the invention.

F ig. 3 illustrates the power spring generator of the invention in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

F ig. 4 illustrates the flowchart for automatic winding in accordance with the embodi ment of the i nventi on.

F ig. 5 illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention wherein human gesture is used for actuating the spring generator/ watch etc.

Detailed Description of Drawings:

F ig.1 illustrates flowcharts for the charging of a rechargeable battery B, which is in electronic contact with the power spring generator C of the invention. Illustrated therein are three routes for charging the battery B.

Accordingly, route 1 illustrates a manual route for charging of the battery. Accordingly, the spring is wound manually using winding actuator A2. The actuation of A 2 winds the spring incrementally. However, when the actuator A 2 is maintained at the limiting position, it results in complete continuous winding of the spring through electromechanical elements which can be computer and chip controlled or through purely mechanical means. Further, the unwinding of the spring is actuated by recharging actuator A 1. The actuation of A 1 commences the unwinding process through electromechanical elements which can be computer and chip controlled or through purely mechanical means.

Further, route 2 illustrates a semi-automatic route for charging of the battery. Accordingly, the winding and unwinding of the spring is controlled by a mobile app. Said mobile app integrates digital screen of the device with the power spring generator of invention through a digital control interface. In accordance with this route the winding actuator and the recharging actuator are actuated by electronic means through screen of the device.

Route 3 illustrates an automatic route for charging of the battery. Accordingly, the winding and unwinding of the spring is controlled by the device itself without any human intervention. The actuation of the winding and recharging actuators is effected by electronic means which includes computer and chip control.

F ig. 2 illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention wherein a power spring generator C of the invention is not integrated in rechargeable battery B in device D. However, it is in electronic contact with the rechargeable battery B through recharging control module C2 and battery charge sensor S2. The power spring generator C further comprises a winding actuator A 2 and a recharging actuator A 1.

The F ig. 2 further details the components of the power spring generator C . The power spring generator C of the invention comprises of a spring mechanism X which is in functional contact with a rotor Y. The rotor Y could be an armature winding or a magnet. The rotor Y is coupled with stator Z . The stator Z is complementary to the rotor Y . Therefore Z is an armature winding when Y is a magnet or Z is a magnet when the rotor Y is the armature winding. The spring mechanism X is in electronic contact with spring state sensor S1 and a winding control module C 1. The spring state sensor S1 should be in electronic contact with the C 1. C 1 is, additionally, in electronic contact with the spring winding mechanism enclosed in X . the spring state sensor S1 communicates spring status to the winding control module C 1 to manage the winding for the spring.

The power spring generator C of the invention further comprises a battery charge sensor S2 which is in electronic contact with a recharging control module C 2. The battery charge sensor S2 and recharging module C2 are in electronic contact with the wi ndi ng control modul e C 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, wherein the power spring generator C of the invention is integrated with the device D.

Detailed Description of Invention:

Described herein is a power spring generator system C (F igs. 2 and 3), wherein the mechanical energy stored in a wound spring is converted to electrical energy for charging a battery in a portable device.

The embodiments of the invention will now be described while referring to the appended figures.

For the purpose of this invention, terms ^' rechargeable battery _, and ^' battery _, , unless otherwise specified, means a rechargeable battery selected from Nickel- Cadmium battery, Nickel ^" Metal hydride battery, L ithium-ion battery, L ithium- polymer battery or a rechargeable alkaline battery, or any other rechargeable battery or energy storage device available in art. These terms are used interchangeably throughout this description. The charging function includes spring winding and unwinding process. The winding and unwinding of the spring mechanism is driven through electromechanical elements such as sensors, motors and the like which are computer controlled.

In accordance with this invention, the power spring generator C (F ig. 2) comprises a spring mechanism X which creates a mechanical input which is converted into an electrical charge using Faraday s law of induction.

In accordance with this invention the electrical armature or the magnetic field can be located on the rotor Y . Similarly, depending on the rotor Y chosen, the stator Z could be a magnet or an armature coil. When the rotating magnetic field is cut by the stationary coil or when the stationary magnetic field is cut by the rotating coil, electricity is induced in the armature windings which then form the source of electric supply for charging the battery.

The movement of the spring mechanism X , that is, winding and unwinding of the spring (F ig. 1), could be actuated manually, semi-automatically or automatically.

In one embodiment the movement of spring (located in the spring mechanism X ) is manually actuated (1). Accordingly, the mechanism of the invention comprises of a winding actuator A 2, which can either be rotated, like in a simple manual winding watch mechanism. The manual winding system, according to this embodiment, would further comprise another actuator a recharging actuator A 1 which initiates unwinding of the spring thereby initiating recharging of the battery.

In an embodiment wherein the winding actuator A 2 is pressed once rather than manually wound, the winding process is initiated to completion through computer control using electromechanical elements like micro motors. In accordance with above embodiment, once the spring unwinds completely, it has to be manually wound by the user again through winding actuator A 2. Accordingly, the user has to rotate manually (mechanically) or press the actuator A 2 once for winding the mainspring. In accordance with this embodiment, the winding of the mainspring is completed by electronic computer control.

In an embodiment, when A 2 is actuated, a winding control module C 1 receives spring state data from a spring state sensor S1. On receiving the data C 1 checks if the value of spring state SS is greater than or lesser than the minimum allowable spring state value SV .

In case SS is greater than SV, a controlled voltage, as determined by a recharging control module C2, is sent to the battery. Simultaneously, C2 receives data from a battery charge sensor S2 regarding the current battery charge level (BC L ). If the current battery charge level is less than the pre-set minimum value SV min, C2 continues to pass a controlled voltage to the battery B till values of BC L equals maxi mum set val ue of battery voltage SV max.

In case where SS is less than SV, the winding control module C 1 initiates winding of the of the spring till state of wind of spring SS is at least greater than minimum allowable spring state SV, the winding may continue til I SS equals MV, that is, till the spring is completely wound. Once the SS exceeds SV, the charging of the battery continues till SS falls below SV or BC L = SV max, whichever occurs first.

In accordance with the above embodiment, the spring could be wound manually by hand or electronically through mechanical gear systems, micro motors, electronic chips, control cards or combinations thereof.

In accordance with above embodiment, the charging function and spring winding function can be initiated manually by the user through physical actuators which includes but not limited to a stylus, a spring loaded button and a rocker switch. The spring loaded button interacts through the hardware while the stylus interacts through the digital interface.

In another embodiment the charging of the battery takes place semi -automatically (2). Accordingly, the winding and unwinding of the spring in the spring mechanism X is controlled through a gesture on an device screen through an app, for instance, through a battery app or an energy app. Said gesture could be swipe or touch gesture and all types of screen interface interaction tools. In accordance with this embodiment, the digital screen of the device is integrated with the power spring generator of invention through a digital control interface.

In accordance with this embodiment, when the user actuates the app by a swipe or touch gesture, the winding control module C 1 receives spring state data from the spring state sensor S1. On receiving the data C 1 checks if the value of spring state S S i s greater than or I esser than the mi ni mum al I owabl e spri ng state val ue S V .

In case SS is greater than SV, a controlled voltage, as determined by the recharging control module C 2, is sent to the battery. Simultaneously, C2 receives data from the battery charge sensor S2 regarding the current battery charge level (BC L ). If the current battery charge level is less than the pre-set minimum value SV min, C2 continues to pass a controlled voltage to the battery B till values of B C L equals maxi mum set val ue of battery voltage SV max.

In case where SS is less than SV, C 1 initiates winding of the of the spring till state of wind of spring SS is at least greater than minimum allowable spring state SV, the winding may continue till SS equals MV, that is, till spring is completely wound. Once the SS exceeds SV, the charging of the battery continues till SS falls below SV or BC L = SV max whichever occurs first. In accordance with the above embodiment, the spring could be wound electronically through mechanical gear systems, micro motors, electronic chips, control cards or combinations thereof.

In yet another embodiment the charging of the battery takes place automatically (3), that is, without any human intervention. Accordingly, the battery B is constantly monitored by the battery charge sensor S2 to check any drop in battery voltage. As soon as the battery charge level BC L drops below the pre-set minimum charge value SV min, S2 informs the winding control module C 1. On receiving information from S2, C 1 extracts spring state data from the spring state sensor S1 , and checks if the value of spring state SS is greater than or lesser than the mi ni mum al I owabl e spri ng state val ue S V .

In case SS is greater than SV , a controlled voltage, as determined by the recharging control module C 2, is sent to the battery. Simultaneously, C2 receives data from sensor S2 regarding the current battery charge level (BC L ). If the current battery charge level is less than the pre-set minimum value SV min, C2 continues to pass a controlled voltage to the battery B till values of BC L equals maxi mum set val ue of battery voltage SV max.

In case where SS is less than SV, C 1 initiates winding of the of the spring till state of wind of spring SS is at least greater than minimum allowable spring state SV, the winding may continue till SS equal to MV, that is, till spring is completely wound. Once the SS exceeds SV, the charging of the battery continues till SS falls below SV or BC L = SV max whichever occurs first.

In subsequent embodiment the power spring generator of the invention comprises an electronic computer controlled automatic winding/charging mechanism (Fig. 4). Accordingly, if the user chooses to keep automatic computer controlled winding/charging ΌΝ _, the spring state sensor S1 continuously monitors the winding state of the spring SS and BC L sensor S2 continuously monitors BC L . If BC L drops below SV min the recharging process commences through the unwinding spring till BC L = SV max. However, if during the recharging process SS drops below SV , the spring state sensor S1 informs the winding control module C 1 about the state of winding of the spring. C 1 initiates winding of the spring till SS exceeds SV and the charging of the battery which was temporarily stopped commences til I BC L = SV max.

If BC L = SV max and the SS = MV, the spring does not unnecessarily unwind. In an embodiment wherein the automatic winding/charging is set to OF F _, as soon as the SS drops below SV or BC L drops below SV min, whichever occurs first, the user i s prompted to use the wi ndi ng actuator A 2 to wi nd the spri ng manual ly.

In any of the above embodiments, the charging of the battery could be controlled through Internet of T hi ngs or a Voice Command.

In case where the charging of the battery is controlled through Internet of Things, a digital device is in constant seamless communication with the device which comprises the battery, preferably through a wireless communication protocol. When the BC L drops below the pre-set values of SV min, the device communicates its state to the digital device, which preferably is a cell phone. The digital device also receives information about current SS of the spring from the device. The information is then displayed on the screen of the digital device. The user can then initiate the winding or unwinding of the power spring through the mobile app or any other environment.

In case where the charging of the battery is controlled through a voice, the charging of the rechargeable battery is initiated from a smart phone through a voice command to commence the winding/charging operations in the remotely placed electromechanical digital watch. Accordingly, the charging or winding and unwinding process is controlled by a voice command. The voice command can be used directly to communicate with the digital watch or phone to initiate charging and winding. The voice command can be used to communicate with a virtual assistant like a chatbot which is driven by artificial intelligence (A I).

In an embodiment, the power spring generator C of the invention may be separate from the rechargeable battery B and device D (as shown in F ig. 2) or integrated into the device D to form a single unit (as shown in F ig. 3). The device D is portable or fixed device, selected from, but not limited to mechanical watch, a digital watch, a combination of both, a cellular phone, a tablet and also includes all such gadgets which use a rechargeable battery known in the art.

In another embodiment the power spring generator of the invention could be a ^' micro _, or ^' auxiliary _, charger to charge the auxiliary battery, providing only a short duration charge especially for emergencies. Accordingly, the overall size of the unit can be reduced where the unwinding spring charges an auxiliary battery for just a short duration. This is enough to make emergency calls, send messages or photos before the phone dies again. It can be restarted by winding the spring again to generate power for another short duration. The point of this is to reduce the size and weight of the charger so that it can be integrated into the device in question.

In one more embodiment, mechanical input created by actuating the actuator is converted into an electricity supply by a miniature dynamo system which charges a small battery. Accordingly, the mechanical energy created by the actuation of the actuator or crown is converted by a dynamo to induce a direct current which is then transferred to the battery. The actuation charges the battery for a limited time period. The electricity supply stops soon after actuation is stopped. This gives short bursts of energy to power a dead phone or a watch for a limited duration of time.

In another embodiment which may or may not use a spring as energy source, turning the crown repeatedly creates a dynamo like system providing an electricity supply. This can be done while the watch is running or after it has stopped. In other words turning the crown winds the mainspring and charges the battery (used for rewinding the mainspring). In purely digital watches without a mainspring, winding the crown could charge a battery to run the functions of the watch. Accordingly various types of actuators can be used which when operated (rotation, sliding, rocking etc.) would initiate a dynamo type of system providing a short duration electricity supply to charge a small battery. Repeated actuations would charge it fully. Battery level indicator would indicate when to stop actuating.

In one of the embodiments, the electronic or computer controlled winding and unwinding can be used purely for watches as well. Accordingly, every time the watch is nearly completely unwound, a sensor and electronic circuit can initiate a computer controlled rewinding. An auxiliary rechargeable battery can drive this. When the mainspring unwinds, in addition to running the watch functions, it also generates a small electricity supply to charge this auxiliary rechargeable battery. By the time the mainspring is nearing its end cycle, the auxiliary battery is fully charged to drive the electronic rewinding of the mainspring.

In accordance with above embodiment, in case of digital watches the winding can be initiated by the touch or swipe gesture from the digital watch screen. The option of winding the watch with a crown also exists, wherein in addition to the spring winding, the rechargeable battery also gets charged by this manual winding. This means that the unwinding spring also charges the battery in one of its functions. However, this is during running of the watch, whereas manual winding also charges the battery with an independent or integrated system.

In an embodiment wherein the watch is manually wound, the spring starts getting wound and this causes the watch to start running and the auxiliary battery to start charging because one of the functions of the unwinding spring is to charge the battery in addition to driving other watch functions. The mechanical activation could be a feather touch type or flat type press button type.

In one of the embodiments, the power spring generator of the invention is controlled through a digital interface, that is, the winding and unwinding of the power spring is controlled through a digital interface. The said digital interface includes, but is not limited to, a device screen glass or watch faces or watch edges. In accordance with this embodiment the charging function can be initiated from the device digital screen interface using touch/swipe gestures through computer hardware and software control systems. Said digital interface could be on the edge of the watch where physical crown might exist.

In accordance with above embodiment, the gesture control may include a winding motion created by forefinger and thumb (Fig. 5) and also circular winding motions created by forefinger in general direction of device. The gesture is without actually physically touching the device. The gesture can be used wherethe virtual crown C sits on the watch (W) edge/side. It can also be used on the watch caseback or watchface to initiate and control winding.

Further, in accordance with this embodiment, the spring generator of the invention may be actuated by any gesture. The scope includes any gesture to initiate and control winding including a person s gaze.

Further, in accordance with this embodiment the winding could be initiated by a virtual crown which may be located on the edge or the side of the watch.

Further, the digital interface activation could be a feather touch type or flat type press button. In accordance with any of the above embodiments, the fully charged battery is used through a combination of motors and electronic elements to wind the mai nspri ng and to drive the devi ce.

In advantageous embodiments, the invention provides total portability as the power spring generator of the invention can be seamlessly integrated to the device for perpetual charging of the rechargeable battery. At least an auxiliary emergency charge will be available indefinitely, even if the battery runs out. Additionally, there is no question of forgetting the charger as it is already built in the device.

The manner of usage and operation of the present invention should be apparent from the above description.

It is hereby clarified that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed to be within the expertise of those skilled in the art, and all equivalent structural variations and relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification fall within the scope of the invention.

It is further stated that what has been described and illustrated herein are some embodiments of the invention along with some of their variations. The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, which is intended to be defined by the appended claims (and their equivalents) in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated.