Patent Application
20190378435
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of education and demonstration and more specifically relates to a Lenz' law demonstration device.
Scientific laws govern physics and explain much of the happening in the world we live in. Scientific laws and related experiments may have difficult concepts to explain to children and adults alike. One such concept is magnetism. It is helpful to have a visual demonstration to display a law such that it can be more readily understood and applied. A suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat/Pub. No. 4,267,647 to Clarence E. Anderson et al. relates to an apparatus for demonstrating magnetic force. The described invention includes an apparatus for demonstrating magnetic force comprising a plurality of disc-shaped rotors angularly displaced from each other on a common shaft and a number of magnets equispaced along the rims of the rotors. Stationary field magnets encircle the rotors in close proximity to the rotor magnets with like-poles of the rotor magnets and the field magnets facing each other. A high permeance magnetic shield is located in the air gap between each field magnet and the rotor to block opposing magnetic fluxes. Magnetic attraction between the rotor magnets and field magnets tend to rotate the rotor. In one embodiment, the shield at each field magnet is mounted on a pivot and is moved out of the air gap by arms attached to the rotor. The rotor magnets are first attracted to the magnetic shield, and, as a corresponding rotor and field magnet approach each other during rotation of the rotor, one of the arms causes the shield to pivot out of the gap to expose the rotor magnet to the field magnet. This creates a magnetic repulsion “kick” tending to further rotate the rotor. A weighted portion of the shield below the pivot, and an additional set of arms rotating with the rotor, automatically reposition the shield during rotation of the rotor. In another embodiment, stationary magnetic shielding located in the air gap is shaped to block only a portion of each field magnet from the gap. As the rotor is rotated toward the shielding by magnetic attraction, a “flywheel effect” causes the rotor magnet to swing past the shielding into view of the partially exposed field magnet to create the additional kick.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known education and demonstration art, the present disclosure provides a novel Lenz' law demonstration device. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a kid's educational toy that demonstrates magnetics, Lenz' law (which creates a current within the tube by creating a magnetic field that opposes the field of the falling magnetic—making the magnet fall more slowly as opposed to a nonmagnetic drop that would fall at the speed of gravity). A magnet is dropped into a larger diameter copper (or other ferromagnetic material) tube. The magnetic resistance then causes the magnet to drop at a slower speed in the tube therefore creating the appearance of anti-gravity and generating an electrical charge through the resistance.
A Lenz' law demonstration device is disclosed herein. The Lenz' law demonstration device includes a tube having an inner surface; an inner volume; and an outer surface; and a magnet; wherein the magnet travels within the inner volume; the inner surface providing a resistance as the magnet travels and thereby generates an electrical charge via the resistance. As such the Lenz' Law demonstration device is configured to demonstrate direction of current induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field due to induction is such that it creates the magnetic field that opposes the change that produced it. The tube may have transparent ends or other means such that movement of the magnet can be readily viewed by onlookers. Certain embodiments may have connecting tubes and a kit is also disclosed herein for instructional use.
A method of using the Lenz' law demonstration device is also disclosed herein. The method of using Lenz' law demonstration device may comprise the steps of: 1) providing the Lenz' Law demonstration device, the demonstration device comprising: a tube having an inner surface; an inner volume; and an outer surface; connecting-tubes; and a magnet; 2) generating an electrical charge as the magnet travels (downward) within the inner volume; the inner surface providing a resistance; wherein use of the Lenz' Law demonstration device is used to demonstrate principals of magnetism; 3) converting potential energy to kinetic energy by use of the magnet passing through the tube with the resistance, as such the Lenz' Law demonstration device is configured to demonstrate direction of current induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field due to induction is such that it creates the magnetic field that opposes the change that produced it. The method may further comprise the step of: using the connecting-tubes for conducting related experiments to demonstrate scientific laws.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a Lenz' law demonstration device, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to education and demonstration and more particularly to a Lenz' law demonstration device as used to improve the means by which the concept of magnetism can be shown to young and old alike such that the concept can be readily understood.
Generally, a child's educational toy is disclosed herein that demonstrates magnetics, Lenz Law (which creates a current within the tube by creating a magnetic field that opposes the field of the falling magnetic, making the magnet fall more slowly as opposed to a nonmagnetic drop that would fall at the speed of gravity). The present invention demonstrates magnetic fields. The falling of the magnet within the copper tube's resistance can be used to generate an electrical charge. The device demonstrates Lenz's law using magnetic resistance. Different diameter and connecting tubes can be used to create different experiments in alternate embodiments. Further, by making the tube longer or changing the diameter the changes in speed can show the effects of the magnet and resistance. A magnet may for example be dropped into a larger diameter copper (or other ferromagnetic material) tube. The magnetic resistance then causes the magnet to drop at a slower speed in the tube therefore creating the appearance of anti-gravity and generating an electrical charge through the resistance. Kids are always fascinated with magnets, so the present invention provides a suitable display means such that they can understand the concept. This device provides a new way to demonstrate the power of magnetism in a new and entertaining way.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
shown by a negative sign in Faraday's Law of Induction. Use of the Lenz' Law demonstration device 100 is used to demonstrate magnetism when compared side by side with the non-conductive tube in
In certain embodiments the Lenz' Law demonstration device 100 may further comprise connecting-tubes (not shown); wherein the connecting-tubes are useful for conducting related experiments to demonstrate scientific laws. Those with ordinary skill in the art will now appreciate that upon reading this specification and by their understanding the art of principals of magnetism as described herein, methods of display will be understood by those knowledgeable in such art.
Referring now to
In a preferred embodiment of the Lenz' Law demonstration device 100, the demonstration device 100 comprises: a tube 110 having an inner surface 112; an inner volume 114; and an outer surface 116; connecting-tubes; and a magnet 120; wherein the magnet 120 travels within the inner volume 114; the inner surface 112 providing a resistance as the magnet 120 travels and generates an electrical charge via the resistance. In this embodiment the tube 110 comprises copper; wherein the copper tube 110 creates a ‘magnetic drop’ due to the resistance (left side illustration in
According to one embodiment, the Lenz' Law demonstration device 100 may be arranged as a kit. The kit may include magnets 120; tubes 110; tubes with connecting tubes; and scientific instructional material. The instructions may detail functional relationships in relation to the structure of the Lenz' Law demonstration device 100 (such that the Lenz' Law demonstration device 100 can be used, maintained, or the like, in a preferred manner).
It should be noted that step 504 is an optional step and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
