| US0212977A | 1879-03-04 | |||
| US2629438A | 1953-02-24 | |||
| US1730634A | 1929-10-08 | |||
| US1042660A | 1912-10-29 | |||
| US4715476A | 1987-12-29 | |||
| US4543922A | 1985-10-01 | |||
| US4315562A | 1982-02-16 | |||
| US0471888A | 1892-03-29 | |||
| US1440126A | 1922-12-26 | |||
| SE61527C | ||||
| FR54548E | 1950-05-04 | |||
| FR864973A | 1941-05-09 | |||
| GB134457A | 1919-11-06 | |||
| GB123464A | 1919-02-27 |
| 1. | A driving mechanism, comprising an elongated stretchable bandlike element; a rotatable support arranged so that when one end of the stretchable element is fixed and said rotatable support is rotated in one direction, said stretchable element is wound on said support with stretching, and then when said rotatable support is released said stretchable element compressed and rotates said rotatable support in an opposite direction so that said rotatable support provides a driving force in said opposite direction; and an electric motor operatively connected with said rotatable support for rotating said rotatable support in said one direction and thereby winding said stretchable element on said support with stretching. |
| 2. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongated stretchable element is composed of stretchable rubber. |
| 3. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotatable support is formed as a rotatable drum. |
| 4. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 3, wherein said drum has a central core and two axially spaced walls with an area considerable greater than a crosssection of said core, so as to form axially limiting walls for said stretchable element. |
| 5. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotatable support has axially spaced walls for laterally limiting said stretchable element. |
| 6. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said stretchable element is composed of a ateral which stretches during its winding on said support and compresses when said support is released. |
| 7. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said stretchable element is formed as a onepiece intergral element composed of a material which stretches during its winding on said support and compresses when said support is released. |
| 8. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim l, wherein said means for rotating said rotatable support further includes transmission means connecting said motor with said rotatable support with a predetermined transmission ratio. |
| 9. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1; and further comprising means for guiding said stretchable element during its winding on said rotatable support and unwinding during rotation of said rotatable support in said opposite direction. |
| 10. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 9, wherein said guiding means includes a plurality of guides which are spaced from one another in direction of movement of said stretchable element. |
| 11. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 10, wherein said guides are spaced from one another in two mutually transverse directions. |
| 12. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said stretchable element is composed of a plurality of stretchable members which are spaced from one another in a direction which is transverse to direction of elongation of said stretchable element. |
| 13. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 12; and further comprising guiding means for guiding said stretchable element during its winding on said rotatable support and unwinding from the latter, said guiding means includes a plurality of portions each guiding a respective one of said stretchable members. |
| 14. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 13, wherein said guiding means includes a one piece integral guide provided with a plurality of partitions subdividing said guide into said guiding portions. |
| 15. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 13, wherein said guiding means includes a plurality of one piece integral guides each provided with a plurality of partitions sub¬ dividing each of said guides into said guiding portions. |
| 16. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 9; and further comprising a substantially closed housing accommodating said stretchable element, said rotatable support and said guiding means. |
| 17. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 16, wherein said housing is filled with a medium which reduces friction between said stretchable element, said guiding means and said rotatable support. |
| 18. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 13, wherein said guiding means has a surface facing toward said stretchable element, said surface being formed as a lowfriction surface to reduce friction between said stretchable element and said guiding means. |
| 19. | A driving mechanism as defined in claim 1; and further comprising a transmission provided between said electric motor and said rotatable support for transmitting a rotary movement of said electric motor to said rotatable support. |
| 20. | A vehicle, comprising a body; and an elongated stretchable bandlike element; a rotatable support arranged so that when one end of the stretchable element is fixed and said rotatable support is rotated in one direction, said stretchable element is wound on said support with stretching, and then when said rotatable support is released said stretchable element compressed and rotates said rotatable support in an opposite direction so that said rotatable support provides a driving force in said opposite direction; and an electric motor operatively connected with said rotatable support for rotating said rotatable support in said one direction and thereby winding said stretchable element on said support with stretching. |
| 21. | A vehicle as defined in claim 20; and further comprising means for changing a speed of the vehicle, said speed changing means including means acting on said stretchable element so as to influence its compression and unwinding. |
Driving Mechanism, and Vehicle Therewith
Technical Field
My invention relates to a driving mechanism, in particular for a power vehicle. The invention also relates to a power vehicle provided with such a driving mechanism.
Background Art
Drives or driving mechanisms for power vehicles are known in many various forms. Among mechanical drives, there are drives using spring means. The drive includes a spring or springs which are initially wound to be compressed and then the springs unwind and convert the potential energy accumulated during winding, into kinetic energy of driving an object. While the spring drive uses the accumulated potential energy due to compression of the springs, the finally produced kinetic energy is relatively low and cannot provide for a long driving distance without recharging after a relatively short time. Therefore, a vehicle using such a drive covers only a short distance before the next compression of springs must be performed. Also other drives are known such as for example disclosed in U.S. Patents 212,977, 471,888, 864,973, 1,042,660, 1,440,126, 173,634, 4,315,562, 4,543,922, 4,629,438, 4,715,476, as well as in French patent 54548, Swedish Patent 61527, and British Patent Documents 123464 and 134457. The drives disclosed in these references can be further improved.
Disclosure of the Invention
In accordance with the present invention, I provide a driving mechanism which has an elongated stretchable band-like element; a rotatable support arranged so that when one end of the stretch¬ able element is fixed and the rotatable support is rotated in one direction, the stretchable element is wound on the support with stretching and then when the rotatable support is released the
stretchable element compresses and rotates the rotatable support in an opposite direction so that the rotatable support provides a driving force in the opposite direction, and an electric motor for rotating the rotatable support in the one direction so as to wind the stretchable element on the support with stretching. The stretchable element is composed of stretchable rubber.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, I provide a vehicle which has a body, and the above specified driving mechanism.
When the driving mechanism is designed in accordance with my invention and used in a power vehicle, during winding the stretchable element it accumulates such a potential energy that the finally produced kinetic energy during unwinding provides for a long driving distance without recharging of the driving mechanism. Also, such driving mechanism and power vehicle uses from time to time an electric energy which is usually available and favorable from the environmental protection point of view.
Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a view which schematically shows a driving mechanism in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing schematically a guide element for a stretchable element of the inventive driving mechanism; FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing an auxiliary drive and a transmission of the inventive driving mechanism; FIG. 4 schematically shows a braking system of the invention driving mechanism; and FIG. 5 schematically shows a vehicle provided with the inventive driving mechanism.
Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention
A driving mechanism in accordance with the present invention is identified as a whole with reference numeral 1. It has a rotatable support 2 which can rotate about its axis 3. The rotatable support 2 can be formed as a drum which has a central core 4 of a smaller diameter and two lateral axially spaced discs
5 and 6 which form lateral limiting walls of the drum and have a considerably greater diameter than the core 4.
The driving mechanism further includes a stretchable element 7 which can be formed for example of stretchable rubber, plastic, etc. One end of the stretchable element 7 which is identified as 8 is fixed to a point outside of the rotatable support 2, while the other end 9 is fixed to the rotatable support.
The driving mechanism generally operates in the following manner.
The drum 2 is first rotated in direction of the arrow A to wind the stretchable element 7 on the drum with pre-stretching and the drum is fixed in a respective position. Then when the drum is released, the stretchable element tends to compress and forcedly rotate the rotatable support in an opposite direction B. This rotation is a driving movement which provides a driving force of the driving mechanism.
The driving mechanism is further provided with guiding means 11 which guides the stretchable element during its winding on the drum 2 and unwinding from the latter. The guiding means include a plurality of guides 12 which are spaced from one another in direction of movement of the stretchable element 7. The guides can be offset relative to one another in two opposite directions, to provide a compact construction. The end 8 of the stretchable element 7 can be fixed to one of the guides as shown in the drawings.
The stretchable element 7 can be composed of a plurality of stretchable members 13 which are located adjacent to one another in a transverse direction. In this case, higher stretching can be achieved with accumulating of more potential energy during winding on, since the individual stretchable members can be stretched more than a single wide stretchable element. Then during unwinding, more kinetic energy will be produced. The stretchable members 13 are coextensive and move jointly with each other.
For guiding the stretchable members 13 each guide 12 has a plurality of guiding portions 14 each guiding a respective one of the stretchable members 13. The guiding portions can be formed by partitions 15 provided between the guiding portions on each of the guides 12. The partitions can be formed as ribs, thus performing a double function of separating the guiding portions and reinforcing the guides.
In order to reduce friction, a working surface 16 of each guide can have a reduced friction characteristic, for example it can be polished. Also the partitions as a whole or their portions to be in contact with the stretchable members can also be made with anti-friction characteristic, for example polished.
For rotating the drum 2 in direction of the arrow A and winding the stretchable element 7 on it, a rotary auxiliary drive can be provided. Such a drive can include for example an electric motor 17. A transmission can also be provided between an electric motor 17 and the drum 2, including a worm shaft 18 and a worm gear 19 engageable with the latter. Also a coupling 20 can be provided so as to connect the auxiliary drive with the drum for rotating the drum in the direction A, and disconnect the auxiliary drive from the drum for allowing the rotation of the drum in the direction B. The discs 5 and 6 can be formed as gears of the transmission.
Means can be provided for changing the speed of the driving mechanism, for acceleration, deceleration, braking thereof. This means can include a brake unit which is not shown in detail. The braking unit can be formed for example as a hydraulic brake having a rotatable brake roller 21. The brake roller 21 can be brought in direct contact with the stretchable element 7 in the region of the drum, and when a braking or deceleration is needed, the rotation of the roller 21 can be stopped to apply pressure on the stretchable element 7 and to stop its unwinding movement. For acceleration, the roller 21 is released more or less to allow faster or slower unwinding movement of the stretchable element 7.
For providing a proper rotation of an end element to be rotated by the inventive mechanism, for example the wheels of a vehicle, a transmission 22 can be provided. It can include a plurality of gears with a transmission ratio selected so as to provide a desired speed of rotation of the wheels. Since it is desirable to arrange the drum so that its axis extends in a vertical direction, and so are the axes of the transmission gears, the last stage or the transmission can be a bevel gear unit for converting the rotation of the transmission gear about the vertical axes into the rotation of the wheel of the vehicle about a horizontal axis.
The rotatable member 2, the stretchable element 7 and the guides 11 can be accommodated in a common housing 23. The housing can be filled with a friction reducing medium, for example friction reducing oil, to reduce friction between all parts of the driving mechanism, and also between the convolutions of the stretchable element 7.
When the driving mechanism of the invention is utilized for a car, the housing and the whole driving mechanism can be located at the bottom of the car and occupy its whole bottom area.
The driving mechanism in accordance with the present invention is environmentally clean, efficient and simple.
The foregoing and other advantages of the inventive driving mechanism and vehicle provided therewith are obvious to those skilled in the art of the driving mechanisms and power vehicles.