MXPA00007589A - Electricity generation for pedalled vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

A generator (3) mounted within the tread portion (2) of a pedal (20) of a bicycle or the like is driven via pulleys (4) and (5) of unequal diameter and a gear box (7) so that the speed of rotation of the rotor of the generator is a multiple of the speed of relative rotation between the spindle (1) of the pedal and the tread portion (2) when the latter is held horizontal by a foot resting on it and the crank (not shown) from which the spindle (1) extends is rotated to propel the bicycle. The gearing up of the generator enables sufficient output voltage to illuminate an array (9) of LEDs and charge a capacitor (8) which will keep then illuminated while the pedal is temporarily stationary.

Description

GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY FOR PEDAL VEHICLES Field of the Invention This invention relates to the generation of electricity for pedal vehicles and more particularly for improvements in the generation of electricity by pedal energy and its use to contribute to the safety of the road. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pedal vehicles such as bicycles are particularly vulnerable to road accidents not only because they offer little or no protection to the cyclist but mainly because drivers of other vehicles may not see them, especially in the dark or in bad weather conditions. Of course it is mandatory in most countries that bicycles use lights in the dark and most are equipped with reflectors, but conventional lighting systems leave much to be desired. If the lighting is by dry batteries they may fail or the cyclist can simply stop lighting them. The disadvantages of conventional generators, whether built into the hub of the wheel or driven by a tire, include the fact that they can make pedaling harder, which is a disincentive to use them, and that the lighting provided stops as soon as possible. the bicycle stops, representing a considerable danger, for example, when the bicycle is waiting at traffic lights or at an intersection of roads. The reflectors are then only effective when they are illuminated by the next vehicle, which will not happen if the latter does not have adequate lights or is approaching an angle. In recent years, light-emitting diodes have been used either in place of or as supplementary light bulbs. Taking advantage of their relatively low energy consumption it is practicable to have them permanently in use, even during the day. The intermittent light emitting diodes attract attention and it has been appreciated that it is particularly advantageous to mount them on the pedals. Its rotating movement attracts attention and even more so a coming driver can judge its relative orientation with the bicycle if the light-emitting diodes that rotate describe a circle (when they are at right angles) a vertical line (when they are forward or behind) or an ellipse when they approach a certain angle. The direction can of course be judged by the color of the visible light-emitting diodes, usually red indicating the back of the bicycle and white or green light indicating that it is approaching. Although the use of light emitting diodes in the pedals of a bicycle is very advantageous, if its energy is derived from a dry battery this can fail without the cyclist knowing and in any case the use of dry batteries is undesirable if You can avoid both its high cost and environmental problems associated with its disposal. Japanese Patent Publication No. 07291174A and US Pat. No. 5662405 propose the modification of a bicycle pedal that serves as an electricity generator for illuminating the light-emitting diodes mounted on the structure or portion thereof. Foot of the pedal. Permanent magnets are attached to the pedal or shaft arrow and the structure of the pedal or foot portion is provided with coils or solenoids and the relative rotation between the permanent magnets and the coils as relative rotation between the pedal axis and the the portion for the foot generates current by magnetic induction on the same principles as in the case of a conventional bicycle dynamo. The voltage generated by an inductance generator is a function of the number of stator coils and the rotation speed of the rotor. The essential weakness of a system thus described in the Japanese Patent publication resides in the relatively very low speed of rotation of the rotor or shaft under normal circumstances. A pedal shaft will rotate only once in relation to the portion for the foot or structure mounted on it for each revolution of the crank on which the shaft is mounted. A cyclist will typically pedal between 30 and 60 revolutions of the pedal crank per minute.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 07291174A recognizes this problem but the only proposed solution is to increase the number of turns. The present applicant has calculated that this is impractical because it would unacceptably increase the cost and / or the size of the stator component, keeping in mind that this will be incorporated into the foot portion of a pedal. U.S. Patent Specification US-A-5634707 (Bailey) discloses in Figures 4 and 5 a configuration in which a stepped motor is driven via unequally sized pulleys by which the stepped motor is removed from the pedal shaft and it rotates faster than the pedal. However, within the confines of a bicycle pedal it would not be possible for the proportion of the pulleys to be greater than about 2: 1, so that the stepped motor would not generate a sufficiently large voltage permanently to illuminate the emitting diodes of light or to charge a capacitor or battery which would keep the light emitting diodes illuminated when the pedal stops rotating. The Bailey configuration is only capable of intermittent, flashing illumination of the light emitting diodes only when the pedal rotates, so that there is no illumination of the light emitting diodes when, for example, the cyclist is gliding without pedaling or the Bicycle stops. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to improve the above proposals. According to the invention there is provided a pedal for a vehicle equipped with pedals, such as a bicycle, the pedal comprising a foot portion adapted to rotate in relation to an axle, an electric generating element mounted within the portion for the standing on one side and displaced from the shaft and adapted to illuminate a configuration of light emitting diodes and a flexible transmission between the shaft and the electricity generating element, characterized in that the toothed gears within the foot portion are interposed between the flexible transmission and the electricity generating element so that for each rotation of the pedal in relation to the axis, the rotor of the generating element undergoes sufficient revolutions to allow permanent illumination of the light-emitting diodes. Preferably a capacitor is mounted within the foot portion to be loaded by the electricity generating element and connected to the light emitting diodes so that the latter will remain illuminated at least temporarily when the pedal ceases to rotate. The light-emitting diodes are preferably mounted at the distal end of the foot portion on a circuit board in which when used the flexible transmission and gears will be hidden. The circuit board is preferably contained within a lens extending from and along the entire length of said distal end of the foot portion whereby the light of the lens in use will be presented in the forward and backward directions. of the vehicle as well as laterally of it. Mirror surfaces within the lens configured to project light from the selected diodes of the light emitting diodes in the forward and backward direction can be provided. The mirrored surfaces can be mounted within the lens so that they can rotate freely and each have weight eccentrically to tend to retain the same position independent of the angular orientation of the pedal. The rotor of the electricity generating element can be rotatably mounted within the foot portion to rotate with respect to an axis generally parallel to that of the shaft. The electricity generating element may comprise a stator element generally parallel to the axis and stationary relative to the foot portion. Toothed gears can be inside a gearbox on one end of the • generator element. The flexible transmission may comprise an endless belt passing around pulleys of unequal diameter one of which is stationary in relation to the shaft and the other of which drives the toothed gears. The proportion of said pulleys can be of the order of 2: 1. Toothed gears can have an output ratio of 5: 1. The light-emitting diodes exposed to the side of the foot portion may differ from the light-emitting diodes exposed on the opposite side of the foot portion and the elements may be provided to encourage the selection of an orientation particular of the pedal when a foot is placed on it. The difference can be in color, number and / or distribution. The weight of the foot portion may be different on opposite sides of the shaft so that it assumes a non-horizontal position before a foot is placed on it. The bottom side of the pedal can have a projection. The configuration is preferably such that the electricity generating element has an output of approximately 2 volts when the relative rotation between the shaft and the foot portion is 30 rpm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a bicycle pedal assembly according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a section elevation taken on line II-II of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a section elevation taken on line III-III of Figure 1. Detailed Description of the Invention The bicycle pedal 20 illustrated in Figure 1 is designed to extend to one end 21 of a crank (not shown) of a bicycle. As it is well known that the bicycle has a second crank similarly equipped with a pedal at 180 degrees from the first, and placing one foot on each pedal and turning the cranks the cyclist drives the machine. The pedal comprises an arrow or shaft 1 which can be stationary in relation to the associated handle and on which a structure or portion for the foot 2 is mounted which is relatively rotatable by means of the bearings 22 and 23. With a foot of the cyclists resting on the leg portion 2 will remain in horizontal position and so for every complete revolution of the crank there is a complete revolution of the axis 1 in relation to the portion for the foot 2. As described the pedal 20 is conventional way that no additional description is considered necessary. According to the present invention, however, a pulley 4 which is connected by an endless belt 6 to a smaller pulley 5 with a ratio of 2 is disposed at the distal end of the shaft 1 and stationary with respect thereto: 1. The pulley 5 is at one end and handles the gears of a gearbox 7 which in turn drives the rotor of a generator 3, the gearbox having the effect that the rotor of the generator 3 is rotated at five times the speed of the pulley 5. The assembly of the gearbox 7 and the generator 3 is a proprietary product readily available in the market so that a more extensive description is not considered necessary herein. It is housed within the track 2 on one side of axis 1. Housed in the portion 2 on the opposite side of the axis is a capacitor 8 which is arranged to store the electricity generated by a generator 3 so as to continue to energize an array 9 of light-emitting diodes, even for a short time only, after the generator stops spinning either because the bicycle is stationary or because the cyclist is sliding freely. It will be seen that by this configuration for each complete rotation of the crank, and with the portion 2 held horizontal by a foot placed on its upper surface 14, there will be a complete revolution of the pulley 4 relative to the portion 2 and consequently the rotor The generator will rotate at a speed that is a multiple of the rotational speed of the crank, typically 300 rpm when the rotational speed of the crank is between 30 and 60 rpm. A rotation speed of the generator rotor of 300 rpm is sufficient to produce 2 volts or more, this being the minimum required simultaneously to energize the light emitting diodes 9 and charge the capacitor 8. The configuration 9 of light-emitting diodes mounted on the circuit board 10 is housed in a lens 13 at the distal end of the foot portion of the pedal 2 and the mirror surfaces 12 within the lens are configured to project light rays in the forward and backward directions where there is no surface in a mirror opposite a light-emitting diode its ray of light projects laterally out of the bicycle. In a modification that is not illustrated the assemblies of the mirror surfaces 12 instead of being integral with the material of the lens are free to rotate in relation to it and are weighted eccentrically so that the respective mirror surface will maintain the same position independently of the angular position of the pedal. In this way they will project rays of light in the forward and backward direction regardless of the orientation of the pedal. The light emitted backwards may be red and the light emitted forward and laterally may be of a different color, such as white, so that drivers of other vehicles will know in which direction the bicycle is traveling. To avoid placing a foot on the pedal with the portion rotated in the wrong way (ie so that the red light is shown forward) the pedal has a projection 15 on its bottom that will alert the cyclist if he places his foot on it and / or the assembly 3, 7 has a greater weight than the capacitor 8 so that the pedal assumes a non-horizontal position when there is not a foot on it. Preferably the heavier assembly 3, 7 is in the rear section 11 of the pedal so that the pedal will tilt backward. When riding the bicycle the cyclist will know that the pedal should be tilted backwards rather than forward before placing a foot on it. The pedals according to this modality will be supplied in pairs, the two pedals of each pair having screw strings of opposite direction for their embedding with the cranks so that they can not be adjusted so that they turn the wrong turn. It will be evident that both pedals of the same bicycle or another pedal operated or vehicle equipped with pedals can similarly be provided with electricity generation and / or capacitor and / or elements of light-emitting diodes. It will also be apparent that the electricity generated by the generator 3 can be used instead or additionally to energize some other device such as a sonic alarm. The present invention provides for the first time a practicable way to ensure that a bicycle or similar vehicle is provided with an illumination or other alarm or warning system that does not depend on batteries or that the cyclist remembers turning it on. The system is an integrated and error-proof device that could be mandatory for bicycles without unacceptably increasing their cost or having implications for the environment such as those arising from the use of batteries. Another advantage is that the pedals according to the invention can be offered as replacement or "retroajusté" articles, so that the existing machines can be equipped with them at little cost as well as the new ones.

Claims (17)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the foregoing invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, property is claimed as contained in the following CLAIMS 1. A pedal for a vehicle equipped with pedals, such as a bicycle, comprising the pedal a portion for the foot adapted to rotate in relation to a shaft a power generation element mounted within the foot portion on one side of and offset from the shaft and adapted to illuminate an arrangement of light emitting diodes and a transmission flexible between the shaft and the electricity generating element, characterized in that the gear teeth within the foot portion are interposed between the flexible transmission and the electricity generating element so that for each pedal rotation in relation to the shaft the rotor of the generating element carries out sufficient revolutions to allow permanent illumination of the light-emitting diodes. A pedal according to claim 1, characterized in that a capacitor is mounted inside the foot portion to be charged by the electricity generating element and connected to the light emitting diodes so that the latter it will remain illuminated at least temporarily when the pedal stops rotating. 3. A pedal as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the light emitting diodes are mounted at a distal end of the foot portion on a circuit board which in axis will conceal the flexible transmission and the gears. A pedal according to claim 3, characterized in that the circuit board is contained within a lens extending from and along the entire length of the distal end of the foot portion whereby the light from the lens in use will be presented in the forward and backward directions of the vehicle as well as laterally thereof. A pedal according to claim 4, characterized in that the mirror surfaces are provided with lenses configured to project light from the selected diodes of the light emitting diodes in the forward and backward direction. A pedal according to claim 5, characterized in that the mirror surfaces are mounted inside the lens so that they can rotate freely and each is eccentrically weighted to tend to retain the same position independently of the angular orientation of the pedal. A pedal in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the rotor of the electricity generating element is rotatably mounted within the foot portion to rotate about an axis generally parallel to that of the shaft. A pedal according to claim 7, characterized in that the electricity generating element comprises a stator element which is generally parallel to the axis and stationary in relation to the foot portion. A pedal according to claim 1, characterized in that the gear wheels are inside a gearbox at one end of the electricity generating element. A pedal according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible transmission comprises an endless belt passing around the pulleys of unequal diameter one of which is stationary in relation to the shaft and the other of which drives the gears den. 11. A pedal according to claim 10, characterized in that the proportion of the pulleys is of the order of 2: 1. 12. A pedal according to claim 1 in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the toothed gears have an output ratio of 5: 1. 13. A pedal in accordance with that claimed in claim 4, claim 5 or claim 6, or in any of claims 7-12 as dependent on any of claims 4-6, characterized in that the light emitting diodes exposed to the view to one side of the foot portion differ from the light emitting diodes exposed on the opposite side of the foot portion and because an element is provided to encourage selection of the particular orientation of the pedal when a foot is placed on it. 14. A pedal in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that the difference is in the color, number and / or distribution. A pedal according to claim 13 or claim 14, characterized in that the weight of the foot portion is different on opposite sides of the shaft so that it assumes a non-horizontal position before a foot is placed about him. 16. A pedal in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that the bottom side of the pedal has a projection. 17. A pedal according to claim 1, characterized in that the arrangement is such that the electric generating element has an output of approximately 2 volts when the relative rotation between the axis and the portion for the foot is 30. rpm.