초록 ▼

A fluid power storage device is provided in which, the prime mover directly or through a slow-down gear train winds up a spring device having a latch attached therein. The spring device can be a spiral spring or simply a rubber band. When the stored up energy is great enough, an adjustable stopper a

A fluid power storage device is provided in which, the prime mover directly or through a slow-down gear train winds up a spring device having a latch attached therein. The spring device can be a spiral spring or simply a rubber band. When the stored up energy is great enough, an adjustable stopper automatically releases the spring device being latched. The spring device in turn, releases the stored energy which then activates a mechanism or drives an electric generator. After a certain amount of energy stored up is released, the latch will automatically be caught by the stopper. Hence the mechanism or the electric generator will be stopped and the fluid power storage device starts to store up energy again for the next release of the spring device.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] A fluid power storage system capable of storing small amounts of fluid energy of nature that acts against a prime mover, said energy being stored in a torsional device coupled at one end thereof to the output end of a motion transmission mechanism powered by said prime mover, the ot

[ I claim:] [1.] A fluid power storage system capable of storing small amounts of fluid energy of nature that acts against a prime mover, said energy being stored in a torsional device coupled at one end thereof to the output end of a motion transmission mechanism powered by said prime mover, the other end of said device being connected to a shaft of an output load, said torsional device comprising at least one of a helical spring, a flat spiral spring, and a rubber band, being forced to wind from an initial state by said motion transmission mechanism in response to said fluid energy even while it varies unpredictably in magnitude of force acting against said prime mover, all of this system being supported by a rigid support structure that holds said prime mover and motion transmission mechanism in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to said shaft of said load, characterized by:a latch mechanism connected to said shaft of said load for preventing rotation of said shaft until said device has accumulated within its storage capacity a certain amount of energy set by said latch mechanism sufficient to rotate said shaft to produce useful work from said load, said latch mechanism comprising:a latch attached to said shaft, and a stopper held in a fixed position relative to said shaft by said rigid support structure to engage said latch, thereby to prevent said shaft from rotating until said torsional device has stored the aforesaid certain amount of energy which is sufficient for said latch to override said stopper, whereupon said shaft is rotated by energy stored in said torsional device while said latch is held clear of said stopper until energy stored in said device is expended sufficiently to cause said shaft rotation to slow down and permit said latch to return to its position parallel to said shaft under the influence of a force so that said latch will again engage said stopper and said torsional device may begin storing energy again.