This invention relates to a human-powered device using two levers and a human-powered vehicle provided with the aforementioned device.
Expensive natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas and coal are used for heat, electricity and energy for motion. This is leading to the exhaustion of energy resources, there is continuous discharge into the atmosphere of sulfur compounds and nitrogen compounds that are harmful to human health, and global warming is proceeding to a marked extent due to carbon dioxide for which there is no remedy. As the result, climate change has been brought about, there has been severe storm damage and increased aridity, and sea levels are rising due to polarization into regions of severe rain and melting of glaciers.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Early Disclosure No. Heisei 9-[1997] 71287
Patent Reference 2: International Disclosure No. 2006/001450
Conventional drive devices use petroleum as a fuel and energy source, for which reason the discharged gases bring about severe damage to the human body and the natural environment. Vehicles such as automobiles and steam generating power plants that use petroleum as fuel employ drive mechanisms that discharge carbon dioxide and that cause the most severe damage to the environment, for which reason drive mechanisms that do not use petroleum are necessary.
The object of this invention is to provide a drive device that does not use petroleum as fuel and as an energy source, as well as a human-powered vehicle that is provided with the aforementioned device.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the end of a first lever is affixed to a first lever fulcrum support component to form a fulcrum. In the vicinity of the fulcrum, a point of action is installed that is joined with a connecting component that provides power to a second lever, and, by placing a point of action at the end [of the second lever], the fulcrum is swung to the center. The force that has been generated by the first lever is the power that is provided to the connecting component. A power point that constitutes a toothed member is installed on the other end [of the second lever]; the second lever can cause a rotating roller-shaped fulcrum to be able to undergo sliding movement and the toothed member of the sliding second lever causes a pinion on a first shaft to rotate in a forward or reverse direction. By means of a ratchet mechanism, a gear wheel that rotates in only one direction causes a small pinion on an output shaft to rotate. By this means, the sliding movement due to the lever is converted into rotation and is taken out, and a human-powered drive device using two levers is produced.
By means of solving this problem, the device operates as described below. When the pedal that touches the fulcrum of the first lever is pressed, the first lever slides the fulcrum that is affixed by the first lever fulcrum support to the center. When the foot is taken off the pedal, a repeating force is generated that withdraws and slides the fulcrum to the original position when sliding was begun by means of a first lever withdrawal spring. The force that is generated is amplified and increases the force that is applied to the second lever by the connecting component. The rotating roller fulcrum that is installed close to the toothed member that that serves as the power point of the second lever slides to the center, the pinion of the first shaft is caused to rotate in the forward or reverse direction, but the small pinion of the output shaft is rotated by the output of the gear wheel that rotates in only one direction, by means of the ratchet mechanism that is installed on the same shaft, by which means the sliding movement is converted to rotational movement by the lever.
Further, at the time rapid motion is undertaken after standing still, the greatest force is generated by the action of the lever when the fulcrum position of the rotating roller that is installed in the second lever is closest to the toothed member, which is the power point. Further, when the rotation of the output shaft is accelerated, the fulcrum position of the rotating roller is guided into the fulcrum slide guide rail by the point of action B and the slide is moved. When it is caused to slide, the distance of the power point from the fulcrum is lengthened, by which means the peripheral velocity of sliding at the power point is accelerated, the pinion is caused to rotate rapidly and the number of rotations can be increased. Further, because the second lever slides by applying it to the external periphery of the roller-shaped fulcrum, the fulcrum position, at each time of sliding, is applied to the outside periphery of the roller-shaped fulcrum and moves closer to or further from the power point.
By causing the fulcrum of the second lever to undergo sliding in this way, the speed of the accelerating motion can be changed continuously, the sliding movement due to the levers being converted to rotational motion and being taken out, and a human-powered vehicle using two levers is created.
Accordingly, the following types of utility vehicle or bicycle-drawn cart can be considered.
Because human-powered drive devices using two levers obtained by means of this invention as described above do not make use of petroleum, gas, coal, and nuclear power or electrical energy produced by them, drive devices and human-powered vehicles equipped with them that do not generate discharge gases that harm the human body and the natural environment can be provided.
For this reason, there is no worry over depletion of energy resources and there is no discharge of sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds or carbon dioxide, for which reasons drive devices and human-powered vehicles in which they are incorporated can be provided that do not harm human health, and that do not require energy that leads to increased damage due to storms, that do not bring about polarization into arid and highly rainy regions as a result of global warming, and that do not result in rising sea levels due to global warming.
When this drive device is used for vehicles, the following possibilities apart from alleviating environmental problems can be discerned. One possibility is that because operators of vehicles use a human-powered structure that drives and operates the vehicle, the vehicles operate in accordance with the disposition of the driver and there are few accidents that cause great losses. From the standpoint of convenience, risks due to social problems are further reduced.
The basic principle of the mode of execution is explained below on the basis of
In this way, the sliding movement is converted into rotational movement and is taken out. As shown in
Next, we shall describe motion based on the above-described structure. First, when pedal 1 is pushed so that it touches the point of action of the first lever 2, the fulcrum that is supported by the first lever fulcrum support component 6 slides first lever 2 to the center. When pedal 1 that has been pushed is released, first lever 2 is returned to the position it was when sliding was begun by first withdrawal spring 3 so that pedal 1 can be pressed again.
When this is carried out, a large force is produced at the point of action A of the first lever that joins first lever 2 to connecting component 5; the force is transmitted when connecting component 5 comes into contact with one end of second lever 7, with point of action B being formed and with second lever 7 causing the roller-shaped fulcrum 8 to slide to the center.
By this means, pinion 11 of first shaft 15 moves in the forward or reverse direction, but, by means of ratchet mechanism 12, gear wheel 13, which rotates in only one direction, causes small pinion 14 of output shaft 16 to rotate.
When this series of movements is brought about, the second lever 7 can move freely backwards and forwards, for which reason the toothed member may not be aligned [with pinion 11]. In order to prevent this non-alignment, second lever 7 is not allowed to undergo the same movement. By establishing the connection component withdrawal spring 4 at one end of connection component 5 from first lever 2 with little change in distance, second lever 7 and pinion 11 of the first shaft are constantly alternated.
The function of the roller-shaped fulcrum 8, which is one of the major characteristics of this invention, is as follows.
The roller-shaped fulcrum 8, which forms a single unit with the slide support component, is caused to undergo sliding movement as shown by the arrow relative to the toothed member 10 which is the power point. When it has slid to the closest position, its distance from the power point is shortened and the amplitude of sliding of toothed member 10 is decreased.
Next, sliding motion is effected as shown by the arrow so that the distance from toothed member 10, which is the power point, reaches a maximum length. When the force in pressing pedal 1 is the same, the circumferential velocity at toothed member 10, which is the power point, increases, and the rotation of pinion 11 of first shaft 15 accelerates.
When slide support component 9 is caused to slide along the fulcrum slide guide rail 18 in this way, the roller-shaped fulcrum 8 rotates, with the result that friction resistance decreases and sliding movement is facilitated.
As described above, by joining second lever 7 with the roller-shaped fulcrum 8 into a single lever, there is amplification of the force generated by first lever 2, which plays a role in increasing the amplitude, in sliding the fulcrum and in a continuous change of velocity.
A vehicle for practical use is designed so that the drive device causes motion by installing a platform on which there are two pedals, one on the left and one on the right, that can be pushed and are located on a single base. Three-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles can be considered. With drive devices that are installed independently on the right and left, and when driving is regularly continued, moving parts can be eliminated to a great extent, for which reason, when drive is alternated between left and right, rationally, half the energy is consumed.
Further, in implementation, because the drive mechanism is placed on the inner side, by pushing only the pedal on the outer side, it can be operated at any radius depending on the steering angle.
1 Pedal
2 First Lever
3 First Lever Withdrawal Spring
4 Connection Component Withdrawal Spring
5 Connection Component
6 First Lever Fulcrum Support Component
7 Second Lever
8 Roller-Shaped Fulcrum
9 Slide Support Component
10 Toothed Member
11 Pinion
12 Ratchet Mechanism
13 Gear Wheel
14 Output Shaft Small Pinion
15 First Shaft
16 Output Shaft
17 Roller-Shaped Fulcrum Support Component
18 Fulcrum Slide Guide Rail
19 Plane
A Point of Action of First Lever
B Point of Action of Second Lever
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2009-242144 | Oct 2009 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2010/067789 | 10/8/2010 | WO | 00 | 6/11/2012 |