Patent Application
20120260753
The present invention is in the area of mechanical devices incorporating rotational motion.
When working with mechanical devices or mechanisms, the ratio of the output force produced by a device to the input force applied to it becomes very important. This ratio is called the mechanical advantage. Everyday routines such as opening doors, or lifting a book with your arm, or prying a shoe off your foot are actions with a mechanical advantage. In practically every aspect of life, work is regularly carried out on a daily basis with a mechanical advantage.
Simple machines such as Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 levers utilize a mechanical advantage to perform work faster and more efficiently. The leverage from these machines is what makes them practical for everyday use and allows us to perform more efficient work in shorter time. It is found in ordinary devices such as tweezers, scissors, paper clips, doors, brooms, nut crackers, hammers, wheelbarrows, crowbars, etc. The list of simple machines with a mechanical advantage is so numerous, it could go on and on. Pulleys and wheels are other types of simple machines that utilize a mechanical advantage in which there is an equilibrium of torques.
However, the common denominator with all of these simple machines, regardless of which class they belong, is that they all have a limited range of motion with their respective mechanical advantage due to the location of the fulcrum, load and effort points. This can best be shown by a simple graph of the distance where the effort is applied to the distance where the load is moved. In all simple machines as described above, a line with a slope would start and stop somewhere on the graph.
Conversely, if a mechanical advantage was incorporated on a rotating shaft, not only would the range of motion for the mechanical advantage increase, it would also have constant leverage throughout the rotation thereby generating a straight horizontal line on a graph. So the mechanical advantage would never decrease. It would be a steady state like d.c. current. New machinery or equipment and devices not yet conceived could take advantage of such leverage for more efficient operation.
Moreover, existing machinery, tools, equipment etc. could be retrofitted to take advantage of such leverage for more efficient operation. Machinery and devices of all types with rotating shafts become more efficient with a mechanical advantage. The uses for such improved efficiency on rotating shafts could be for, but not limited to, gears, wheels, tools, clocks, toys, bicycles, automobiles, RV's, floating crafts, submersibles, boats, ships, submarines, trains, motorcycles, motors, engines, turbines, aircraft systems and all systems that use rotary type devices.
Therefore, what is clearly needed today is an apparatus which incorporates a mechanical advantage on rotating shafts.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus that results in more efficient operation for rotary equipment or devices. The present invention is specifically designed such that a mechanical advantage is sustained during rotary motion.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a unique apparatus is provided to improve output efficiency through a unique design, which incorporates principles of levers through a rotary condition. When a mass of some value is positioned at a pre-determined distance from an axis, the resulting action is a sustained mechanical advantage. The present invention is described in enabling detail below.
The Spoke Assembly 103 is rotatably mounted to the Main Hub Assembly 185. The Spoke Assembly is comprised of at least two supporting spokes 300 upon which the Cantilever Arm Assembly and the Cantilever Hub Assembly rotate. It should be noted here that in some preferred embodiments, only one spoke is required. A single spoke embodiment is illustrated in
In operation, the Cantilever Arm Assembly is positioned such that the resulting distance between the Main Axis and the Weight 155 produces a rotational mechanical advantage. The mechanical advantage can be changed by changing the length of the Cantilever Arm Assembly.
The Spoke Orifice is simply a bored hole through the Hub Support Braces 175, 176. It should be noted that in some preferred embodiments, any type of support such as wall mounting or some other method could work for elevating the apparatus sufficient for clearance for rotation.
It should also be noted here that in some preferred embodiments, a Spoke Assembly may comprised of at least two cooperating spokes which may or may not sandwich the Cantilever Arm Assembly. However, in alternative preferred embodiments, the Spoke Assembly may comprise a Single Spoke Assembly which is rotatably affixed with the Cantilever Arm Assembly or a Spoke Assembly 103 or any number of spoke assemblies.
It will be apparent to the skilled artisan that there are numerous changes that may be made in embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. As such, the invention taught herein by specific examples is limited only by the scope of the claims that follow.
