Apparatus and method for converting movements of a vehicle wheel to electricity for charging a battery of the vehicle
AssigneeTowerTech Research Group
InventorsRoger de la Torre, Matthew LaConte
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and its method of operation convert relative movements between a vehicle wheel and a body of the vehicle to electricity that is used to recharge a battery of the vehicle. The apparatus includes a generator provided on the vehicle and a linear motion to rotary motion converter that is connected between a wheel of the vehicle and an armature of the generator. Reciprocating movements of the wheel relative to the vehicle body are converted by the motion converter to rotations of the armature in the generator which produces electricity for recharging the battery of the vehicle.
Claims20
1) An apparatus for converting movements of a wheel of a vehicle relative to a body of the vehicle to electricity for charging a battery of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a generator mounted on the vehicle, the generator having a stator and an armature that is mounted to the stator for rotation of the armature relative to the stator to produce electricity from the generator;
- a battery mounted on the vehicle, the battery being connected in electrical communication with the generator for receiving electricity produced by the generator;
- a wheel related piece operatively connected to the wheel of the vehicle for movement of the wheel related piece in response to movement of the wheel;
- a body related piece operatively connected to the body of the vehicle for movement of the body related piece in response to movement of the body;
- and,
- a motion converter that is operatively connected to the armature and to one of the wheel related piece and the body related piece with the stator being operatively connected to the other of the wheel related piece and the body related piece, the motion converter being operative to convert relative movement between the wheel and the body to rotary movement of the armature relative to the stator.
9) An apparatus for converting movements of a wheel of a vehicle relative to a body of the vehicle to electricity for charging a battery of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a generator mounted on the vehicle, the generator having a stator and an armature that is mounted to the stator for rotation of the armature relative to the stator to produce electricity from the generator;
- a battery mounted on the vehicle, the battery being connected in electrical communication with the generator for receiving electricity produced by the generator;
- a wheel related piece operatively connected to the wheel of the vehicle for movement of the wheel related piece in response to movement of the wheel relative to the body;
- and,
- a means for converting the movement of the wheel related piece to rotation of the armature.
18) A method of converting movements of a wheel of a vehicle relative to a body of the vehicle to electricity and charging a battery of the vehicle, the method comprising:
- providing a generator on the vehicle with the generator having a stator and an armature that is mounted to the stator for rotation of the armature relative to the stator to produce electricity from the generator;
- connecting the generator in electrical communication with the battery to supply the electricity produced by the generator to the battery;
- providing a motion converter on the vehicle, the motion converter being operative to convert reciprocating motion to rotary motion;
- operatively connecting the motion converter to the armature and to one of the wheel and the body and operatively connecting the other of the wheel and body to the stator whereby the motion converter converts reciprocating relative movement between the wheel and body to rotary movement of the armature relative to the stator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.