"APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ELECTRIC CURRENT"

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention concerns an apparatus for generating electric current with the aid of rotating elements .

The systems and tools to generate power by the rolling motion of a wheel are well known.

BACKGROUND ART

Many of the known systems use small magnetic current generators actuated by suitable gears that allow to reach the angular speeds suitable to obtain specific intensity of electric current.

A first invention regarding such apparatus is described in the patent US 1,210,639 in which the generator is connected to a motorcycle wheel in order to produce electricity for the lights.

This type of system is utilized to provide electric current to small devices that do not require high current intensities, a peculiarity of electronic devices such as cellphone, and others.

To provide electricity, said apparatuses must achieve high angular velocity and this is possible only in the presence of high transmission ratios, also in consideration that in most cases the rotor of generator is very small and it is equipped with knurled or toothed wheel with small diameter.

In the case of cycles and motorcycles, the right transmission ratio is guaranteed by the presence of a very large wheel that belongs to the means of transportation and one very small wheel that belongs to the rotor of generator.

In these cases, even if the means the transportation does not have an high speed, the high transmission ratio ensures an adequate number of revolution to rotor.

About what has been said, it's understandable that such systems are not applicable to small wheels and for low speed, except in the case where it uses a suitable sequence of gears.

This implies that, mounting this kind of systems on a small wheel, as in the case of suitcase, requires to create a very complex system of gear.

To confirm the above, there are the patents

US2013/0271063 and US2006/0032687 that both treat the devices in question mounted on a suitcase.

From the study of above patents it's easily understood that the use of small wheels requires complicated system of toothed wheels. These wheels must be appropriately placed in storage compartments and mechanically connected to the wheel axis .

This implies a total change of the means of transportation structure.

In the case of above patents, the suitcase is considerably transformed to make room for all the components of the invention.

This complicates the production cycle of the suitcase, imposing various supplementary operations to make the final product and also this configurations compromise the capacity of the suitcase

Furthermore, the fact that the mechanical connection between the main wheel and the gears occurs through the axis of rotation of the main wheel, requires the construction of complex systems that avoid to put in communication the inside of the suitcase with the outside just because the main wheel is always external to the suitcase and the transmission axis through the body of the suitcase penetrating the interior to reach the compartment of the gears thereby impairing the seal of the suitcase.

So it will be necessary to implement protective measures but it prejudice the ease of production and cost of the suitcase. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The invention, as specified in the claims, solves these drawbacks, because with the invention is achieved a combined system composed of a sequence of toothed wheels mechanically connected to the surface of the wheel and not to the wheel axis.

The invention also provides that all the components, including the wheel of the means of locomotion, are placed in a single box frame in order to achieve the maximum integration between the components and to minimize space requirements.

According to the invention the apparatus is composed of a frame for the wheel, of a guide wheel and a body to generate current, mechanically connected to the wheel guide due to the force exerted by an elastic component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

The present invention will be better described with the help of drawings which represent only one of the possible embodiments:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the apparatus assembled;

Figure 2 is an exploded isometric view of the apparatus ;

Figure 3 is an isometric view of one of the components of the apparatus and in particular of the hull for the wheel;

Figure 4 is an axonometric view of the assembled current generator body;

Figure 5 is an exploded axonometric view of the current generator body;

Figure 6 is an axonometric view of one of the components of the generator body and in particular of the second toothed wheel;

Figure 7 is an axonometric view of the apparatus mounted on a suitcase;

With reference to the drawings an apparatus for producing electric current is indicated by 1.

Said apparatus 1 comprises :

• a hull wheel 2 comprising:

A lower spray guard compartment 2a adapted to contain, secured and free to rotate around its own center, the guide wheel 3;

an upper compartment 2b combined and superimposed on said lower spray guard compartment 2a, by means of the connection wall 2c of the compartments ,

a closure cap 2e for the open wall 2d of the top compartment 2a, suitable to ensure stable said current generator body 4 within the upper compartment 2a and said closure cap 2e comprising a housing 2f for a pressure button 2g suitable to lift the current generator body and to release the outer cylindrical surface 4f of the second toothed wheel 4e from contact with the tread surface 3a of the guide wheel 3.

• a guide wheel 3 ,

• a current generator body 4 composed of:

a rotating current generator 4c ;

a box frame 4h;

a first toothed wheel 4a placed in integral and concentric position with the rotor 4d of the rotating current generator 4c and

a second toothed wheel 4e mechanically connected to the first toothed wheel 4a being said second toothed wheel 4e composed of an cylindrical upper part 4i free from teeth and of a lower cylindrical portion 41 equipped with teeth and said cylindrical portion 4i joined and superimposed on the said cylindrical part 41 being said cylindrical upper part 4i with a larger diameter than the lower cylindrical portion 41

Said upper compartment 2b is adapted to receive in its interior the current generator body 4, and leaves it free to slide vertically.

Said lower spray guard compartment 2a and said upper compartment 2b are communicating through a slot 2h placed on the connection wall 2c of the two compartments, and said slot 2h is adapted to receive in the middle the accessible portion of the second toothed wheel 4e of the current generator body .

Said current generator body 4 is mechanically connected to the guide wheel 3, by means of the thrust that the spring component 10 exerts on the box frame 4h thus allowing the second toothed wheel 4e to be in contact with the tread surface 3a of the guide wheel 3.

In this way the rolling motion of the guide wheel 3 is transmitted to the second gear 4e and thereby to the first toothed wheel 4a.