WO2002081946A1

WO2002081946A1 - Drive apparatus using a principle of lever

Info

Publication number: WO2002081946A1
Application number: PCT/KR2001/001247
Authority: WO
Inventors: In Sub Lee
Original assignee: In Sub Lee
Priority date: 2001-04-06
Filing date: 2001-07-21
Publication date: 2002-10-17
Also published as: KR20010067913A; KR100395847B1

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a drive apparatus using a principle of lever, in which a little force from a manual labor or an electric motor is changed into an increased force with a lever assembly, and this increased force is again converted into a more increased force by means of a speed hanger, and thereby obtaining a required power. The drive apparatus comprises a crank shaft (4) consisting of a plurality of cranks (4); a frame (2) rotatably mounted with a plurality of transmitting shafts (20, 22, 24, 26) and at least one drive shaft (28), including the crank shaft (4); a lever assembly connected to the cranks (4) of the crank shaft (4) by way of a coupling ring on one end and connected to one (20) of the transmitting shafts by way of a plurality of one-way rotating bearings (10-1, 10-2; 10 -1, 10 -2) on the other end; and a speed changer increasing and transmitting a rotating force from the crank shaft (4) via the lever assembly to the at least one drive shaft (28).

Description

DRIVE APPARATUS USING A PRINCIPLE OF LEVER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drive apparatus using a principle of lever, and more particularly to a drive apparatus suitable for obtaining a required power by converting a little force from a manual labor or an electrical motor into an increased force with a lever assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, an engine is made use of to get a required power in various motor vehicles or industrial power machines. In particular, as engines for the motor vehicles recently tend to require a high output and performance, the engines are enlarged in its size as a whole. This results in increasing as a whole not only a volume but also a weight, which engines take in the motor vehicles. A larger capacity of engine, also, is vulnerable to a more consumptive fossil fuel for operation. Therefore, an environmental pollution is accelerated in proportion to a consumption amount of the fossil fuel, and resources would waste to a higher extent than necessary. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a drive apparatus using a principle of lever which can obtain a required power by converting a little force from a manual labor or an electrical motor into an increased force with a lever assembly and by converting the increased force into an more increased force again with a speed changer. In order to accomplish the object as discussed above, the drive apparatus of the present invention comprises; a crank shaft consisting of a plurality of cranks, a frame rotatably mounted with a plurality of transmitting shafts and at least one drive shaft including the crank shaft ; a lever assembly connected to the cranks of the crank shaft by way of a coupling ring on one end and connected to one of the transmitting shafts by way of a plurality of one-way rotating bearings on the other end, and a speed changer increasing and transmitting a rotating force from the crank shaft via the lever assembly to the at least one drive shaft.

Accordingly, the drive apparatus of the present invention can simplify an engine design to render the engine to be cost-effective, and can decrease a consumption amount of fossil fuel not only to prevent an unnecessary waste of resources, but also to lessen an environmental pollution by inhibiting a variety of harmful gases from discharging into atmosphere.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a drive apparatus according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a drive apparatus according to this invention; FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a configuration of a piston-typed lever assembly applied to this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

As shown in Figs 1 and 2 , a preferred embodiment according to the present invention employs a principle of the lever under a measure to obtain a desired torque or rotating speed with use of an increased force into which a little force from a manual labor or a small-sized electric motor is converted. To this end, a frame 2 is provided with a crank shaft 4 which comprises a plurality of cranks 4. A little force generated from the crank shaft 4 is transmitted to a backward of the frame through a lever assembly. On one hand, cylinders 12-1, 12-2; 12 -1, 12 -2 constructed to the lever assembly, respectively, are provided with one-way rotating bearings 10-1, 10-2; 10 -1, 10 -2 on its one end, so that rotation of the crank shaft 4 puts the lever assembly in an up and down motion. This motion of the lever assembly causes a first transmitting shaft 20 to be rotated while the one-way rotating bearings 10-1, 10-2; 10 -1, 10 -2 are rotated in one direction only. A rotating force of the crank shaft 4 input to the transmitting shaft 20 is subsequently transmitted up to a drive shaft 28 via other transmitting shafts 22, 24 and 26, and thereby providing a rotation to the drive shaft 28. The drive shaft 28 is mounted with drive wheels 30 for a travel on its opposite ends with various associated components connected for a desired drive force. The frame 2 also is rotatably provided with a driven shaft 28 to which driven wheels 30 is mounted at a position far away from the drive shaft 28.

In this drive apparatus with use of the lever principle underlying the present invention, the crank shaft 4 ' is comprised of a plurality of cranks 4, some of the cranks 4 are attached to pedals 6 and 6 . In place of the pedals 6 and 6 , these cranks 4 are provided with small -sized electric motors, the drive apparatus of the present invention may make an electric powered drive apparatus. The other cranks 4 of the crank shaft 4 , respectively, are connected to rods 14-1, 14-2; 14 -1, 14 -2 by means of coupling rings 8, 8 ; 9, 9 , in which the rods are constructed to the lever assembly.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the lever assembly applied to the present invention is connected to the crank 4 of the crank shaft 4 by means of the coupling ring 8 on one end, and is connected to the first transmitting shaft 20 by means of the one-way rotating bearing 10-1 on the other end. To be more specifically mentioned, a plurality of oil-less bearings 12 -la is housed in the lever assembly, the lever assembly comprises the cylinder 12-1 and the rod 14-1, in which the cylinder 12-1 is connected to the first transmitting shaft 20 by means of the one-way rotating bearings 10 -1 on one end but freely supported on the other end, and the rod 14-1 is supportably inserted into the cylinder 12-1 by the oil -less bearing 12 -la on one end and operatively connected to the crank 4 by the coupling ring 8 on the other end.

Therefore, when the pedals 6 and 6 are rotated by a manual labor, or when the crank shaft 4 is rotated by an electric motor, the rod 14-1 reciprocates in the cylinder 12-1, and at the same time allows the cylinder 12-1 to be in an up-and-down and swinging motion. Here, the one-way rotating bearing 10-1 functions as a one-way clutch mechanism, in which a power can be transmitted during a rotation in one direction only, but not in the opposite direction. This bearing is no longer illustrated and described in detail because it is well known in the art of the present invention Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 again, the frame 2 is fitted with a speed changer box 40 by means of a bracket 42. In the speed changer box 40 is housed a speed changer which enables a rotation force transmitted from the crank shaft 4 ' via the lever assembly to the first transmitting shaft 20 to convert into an increased rotation force, and then to transmit the increased rotation force to the drive shaft 28.

The speed changer is designed to a train of gears, such as a toothed gearing configuration that a plurality of gears are arranged in engagement with each other, a chain gearing configuration that a plurality of stepped gears are arranged in connection with each other with use of chains, or the like. The toothed gearing configuration is applied to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

For this purpose, to the speed changer box 40 is rotatably mounted the speed changer of first to four transmitting shafts 20, 22, 24 and 26, wherein the first transmitting shaft 20 is fitted with a first gear Gl which rotates in one direction only by a rotation force of the pedals transmitted from the lever assembly by means of the one-way rotating bearings 10-1, 10-2; 10 '-1, 10' -2, the second transmitting shaft 22 is fitted with a second gear G2 which is adapted to receive a rotation force transmitted from the first gear Gl and is coaxially arranged with a third gear G3 , the third transmitting shaft 24 is fitted with a fourth gear G4 which is adapted to receive a rotation force transmitted from the third gear G3 and is coaxially arranged with a fifth gear G5, the fourth transmitting shaft 26 is fitted with a sixth gear G6 which is adapted to receive a rotation force transmitted form the fifth gear G5 and is coaxially arranged with a seventh gear

G7 , the seventh gear G7 transmitting the rotation force form the fifth gear G5 to a drive gear G8 fitted with the drive shaft 28.

Accordingly, as described above, the weak force transmitted from the crank shaft 4 ' by means of the lever assembly and the one-way rotating bearings 10-1, 10-2; 10'- 1, 10 '-2 is primarily enhanced by transmitting the weak force, in turn, to the first gear Gl of the first transmitting shaft 20 and then to the second gear G2 of the second transmitting shaft 22. The primarily enhanced force is secondarily enhanced by subsequently transmitting the force to the third gear G3 of the second transmitting shaft 22 and then to the fourth gear G4 of the third transmitting shaft 24. According to the same principle as the above, the secondarily enhanced force is tertiarily enhanced by transmitting the force to the fifth gear G5 of the third transmitting shaft 24 and then to the sixth gear G6 of the fourth transmitting shaft 26. The tertiarily enhanced force is quartically enhanced by transmitting the force to the seventh gear G7 of the fourth transmitting shaft 26 and then to the drive gear G8 of the drive shaft 28. Consequently, the drive shaft 28 is supplied with a multiplied great force.

Furthermore, the drive and driven shafts 28 and 28 are fitted with a drive and driven wheels 30 and 30 on each their opposite end so that these wheels 30 and 30 are rotated to give a displacement to the frame 2.

Preferably, the crank shaft 4 and a plurality of transmitting shaft 20, 22, 24 and 26, respectively, are rotatably mounted on the frame with their opposite ends supported by means of bearings 32.

According to the drive apparatus of the present invention as illustrated and described, the weak force can be converted into the multiplied great force by means of the speed changer for the required power, based on the principle of the lever. Therefore, advantages are brought about as following:

First, it does not need to make use of a conventional heavy and complicated engine as a power generating machine, so that the drive apparatus can reduce typical costs, such as a traveling cost due to an engine own-weight, a manufacturing cost, a maintaining cost, a repairing cost, or the like.

Second, it is possible to operate the drive apparatus with use of a manual labor or a small-sized electric motor operated with a relatively low power, so that the drive apparatus can greatly decrease a consumption amount of fossil fuel, resulting in saving a transport cost, a material distribution cost, or prevention of a unnecessary waste of resources.

Third, it is possible to be helpful to give an improvement not only to the profiting rate of the economically inferior businessman but also to the prosperities of the physically handicapped persons, due to a more inexpensive manufacturing possibility of the drive apparatus .

Fourth, use is made the less of fossil fuel, such as gasoline, diesel gas oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) , or the like, it is possible to maintain a clean environment by preventing an earth green house effect and decreasing an environmental pollution.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A drive apparatus using a principle of lever, which comprises : a crank shaft with a plurality of cranks; a frame rotatably mounted with a plurality of transmitting shafts and at least one drive shaft, including the crank shaft ; a lever assembly connected to the cranks of the crank shaft by way of a coupling ring on one end and connected to one of the transmitting shafts by way of a plurality of one-way rotating bearings on the other end; and a speed changer increasing and transmitting a rotating force from the crank shaft via the lever assembly to the at least one drive shaft.

2. A drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cranks of the crank shaft is fitted with at least a pair of pedals, the pedals are disposed radially and oppositely to each other.

3. A drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lever assembly comprises; cylinders connected to the one-way rotating bearings on one end with a plurality of oil-less bearings housed in its interior; and rods inserted into the cylinder with their one ends supported by the oil-less bearings and operatively connected to the cranks with their other ends supported by coupling rings.

4. A drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame is securely fitted with a speed changer box by way of a bracket, the speed changer box is rotatably mounted with first to fourth transmitting shafts constructing the speed changer .

5. A drive apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first transmitting shaft is fitted with a first gear rotating in one direction only by a rotating force transmitted from the lever assembly [via the one-way rotating bearings] ; the second transmitting shaft is coaxially fitted with a second gear and a third gear, the second gear being subjected to a rotating force transmitted from the first gear; the third transmitting shaft is coaxially fitted with a fourth gear and a fifth gear, the fourth gear being subjected to a rotating force transmitted from the third gear; the fourth transmitting shaft is coaxially fitted with a sixth gear and a seventh gear, the sixth gear being subjected to a rotating force transmitted from the fifth gear, the seventh gear transmitting a rotating force applied to the sixth gear to a drive gear mounted on the drive shaft .

6. A drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one drive shaft is provided with a pair of drive wheels on its opposite ends.

7. A drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein both ends of the crank shaft and a plurality of transmitting shafts, respectively, are rotatably supported on the frame by corresponding bearings.