US2346643A

US2346643A - Power generating device

Info

Publication number: US2346643A
Application number: US433977A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lee A Barnett
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1942-03-09
Filing date: 1942-03-09
Publication date: 1944-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1961-04-18

Description

p 8,1944. L. A. BARNETT 2,346,643

POWER GENERAT ING DEVICE Filed March 9, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. L A BHE/ 'TZ' A. BARNETT POWER GENERATING DEVICE April 18, 1944.

Filed March 9, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m n o E n FL. m M W V \h a. NM. W 4 W v H \v N w "I" \\QN m m Patented Apr. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POWER GENERATING DEVIGE Lee A. Barnett, Los AngelesjCztlif.

Application March 9, 1942, Serial No. 433,977

7 Claims.

This invention relates to power generating devices, and has particular reference to means designed to utilize forces ordinarily to a large extent wasted, with a view to conserve power as well as to materially reduce power generating cost.

Much power "is wasted wherever traific moves. In every foots'tep, in every turn of a vehicle wheel, some power is wasted which might beturned to use. In view of this, it is the general object of the invention to provide means for saving and utilizing some of this wasted power, without thereby materially interfering with normal flow of trafiic from which such power is drawn. More particularly, it is the object of the invention to provide means actuated by the weight of persons or objects passing a chosen location to set into motion devices designed to generate power. With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combinations of novel and important features hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the appended drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a preferred form of my invention substantially as it would appear when installed in and'beneath a roadway;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding sectional elevation taken substantially on line 22 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows, on a larger scale the main portions of the device of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in section, of a roadway in which the device of the invention is imbedded; and

Fig. 5 illustrates certain modifications in the device of Fig. 4, the importance of which will become apparent upon perusal of the following description.

The device of my invention is primarily intended for installation in roadway, bridge or any other surface over which ordinary vehicle traffic moves. In the drawings, the character A designates a portion of a roadway, and B is a pit extending the width of the roadbed and it is of sufficientlength to accommodate the devices of the invention. The portion of the roadway spanning the pit takes the form of a two-leaf bridge, the leaves I, 2 of which are hung on shafts or pivots 3, A. Theseinstrumentalities are arranged and proportioned normally to continue the road surface without interruption or change in the surface level, and the leaves of the bridge are, to this end, shown counterbalanced by means of suitable weights 5, 6, held freely suspended within the-pit B.

The pit forms a chamber within which is-placed a device somewhat-similar to a lazy-tongs ar- 'rangement, see also Fig. 3. This device comprises channeled beams It, I I, pivotally hung at I2 on a stationary post I3. Brackets I4, I5 are fastened to the underside of the leaves I, 2, and they have perforations alined with the joint between the leaves. Links I6, H are shown pivotally interconnecting these brackets with the beam II]. A post is mounted beyond the end of the beam H, and a lever 2|, carrying at each end a roller 22, which in turn ride within the beams IE1 and I I, is journaled in the top of this post.

From this brief description, it is seen that a depression of the leaves I, 2 causes the beam Iii to swing downward on its pivot I2, with the result that the lever 2I is swung on its pivot, thereby to swing'the beam II upward. It may be well to mention at this time that it is the weight of vehicles passing along the roadway which depresses theleaves I, 2 .to effect the movement just described. A link 23 is, at 24, shown pivotally secured to the beam II to form the beginning of a chain of links 25 to 29,'and it is to be noted that a roller 22 is provided at each link joint to'ride in the channels of the beams. The end of the last link 29 is shown journaled at M on a bar 30, which is held slidable in a post 32 and the post 20.

In view of the foregoing, it is seen that the chain of links is actuated by the closing move- -ment of the two beams, in response to depressions of the leaves I, 2, to push the bar 30 forward, and that the bar returns to its initial position as the leaves again rise. And it is most important to note that, because of the introduction of the lever 2 I, this sliding movement of the bar is substantially twice as great as it would be, were this lever omitted and thebeam II held stationary. The sliding movement of the bar is used for the purpose of power development. To this end, it is for illustration shown fitted with a rack portion 33, which is permanently in mesh with the teeth of a gear wheel 34, of a shaft 35. An arm 36 is rigidly secured'to this shaft and it carries a pawl 31 which, in turn, rides in the teeth of a ratchet wheel 38. The latter is rotatable on the shaft and it is rigidly combined with a gear wheel 39. A second shaft '40 is shown placed parallel with the shaft 35, and a second gear 4| and a pulley 42 are fastened to this shaft.

It should be clear to anyone versed in this art that reciprocations of the rack bar 33 are, through the medium of these instrumentalities, translated into intermittent rotation of the pulley 42, in the direction of the'arrow. This movement, or even the 'recipro'cati'onspf the bar"3ll,"may"be used" to drive a pump for irrigation purposes or the like.

The device of my invention is primarily intended for installation along highways where trafiic is fairly continuous, at least during certain periods of the day. And, as most highways provide room for two or more lanes of traflic, it is possible to provide a power device for each lane and to combine the intermittent movement of the devices of each lane into fairly continuous rotation of a member operatively connected therewith.

In order better to explain this feature, reference is invited to Fig. 4, in which a portion of a multilane highway is indicated. Through a break in the approach to the leaf-spans are seen the ends of bars 3i]. Gear wheels 34 and pawl carrying arms 35 are shown secured to the shaft 35, for imparting movement to ratchet wheels 38 and gears 39. A corresponding number of gears 4| are fastened to the shaft 40, all of which impart rotation to the pulley 42.

On a highway where the traffic, at least part of the time, is heavy, it is seen that the impulses from the various lanes will combine to impart substantially continuous rotation to the pulley 42, or other suitable power transmitting element. As stated this power may be used for pump operation or it may be employed for the generation of electric power.

But, even on a single or two-lane roadway, a

'fairly continuous rotation may be obtained, merely by introducing a series of bridge spans and by placing the shaft 45 at right angles to the reciprocating mechanism. This arrangement is illustrated in Fig. to comprise a series of leaf-spans l, 2, each of which is connected as above explained and shown in Fig. 3 to rotate a ratched wheel 38. To the latter is secured a bevel gear 50, and the bevel gears of each span is in mesh with a bevel gear 5| of a shaft 52, to which may be fastened the pulley 42 or other power transmitting element.

I claim:

1. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereunder comprising, pivotally hung leaves spanning said pit level with the road surface, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to said road level, a post in said pit, an upper and a lower beam having one end on a common pivot on said post, a second post in the pit, a lever hung on said second post, elements on the ends of said lever held by and movable along said beams, means operatively interconnecting said leaves with the said upper beam to cause the l .tter to swing downward in response to depress ons of the leaves thereby to swing said lever on its pivot to cause the lower beam to swing upward, a d lazy-tongs means mounted on and between said beams for extension in response closing movement of the beams.

2. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereunder comprising, pivotally hung leaves spanning said pit level with the road surface, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to the road level, two beams pivotally interconnected at one end and mounted for vertical oscillation within the pit, means operatively interconnecting said leaves with one of said beams to swing the latter downward in response to depressions of the leaves, means operatively interconnecting the two beams to cause one beam to swing upward in response to downward movement of the other, and lazy-tongs means guided on and held suspended between said beams for expansion and contraction in response to swinging movement of the two beams.

3. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereunder comprising, pivotally hung leaves spanning said pit level with the road surface, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to the road level, two beams pivotally interconnected at one end and mounted in the pit for vertical oscillation, means operatively interconnecting said leaves with one of the beams to swing the latter downward in response to depressions of the leaves, means operatively interconnecting the beams to cause one beam to swing upward in response to downward movement of the other, lazy-tongs means guided on and held suspended between said beams for expansion and contraction in response to said swinging movement of the beams, means mounted for rotations within said pit, and means extending from said lazy-tongs means and operatively connected with said rotating means to cause the latter to rotate in one direction in response said lazy-tongs movements.

4. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereunder comprising, a pair of leaves hung level with the roadway, said leaves being hinged at the transverse pit edges and having transverse central abutting edges, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to the road level, lazy-tongs mounted within said pit, means operatively interconnecting the abutting edges of said leaves with said lazy-tong means to translate depressions of the leaves into lazy-tong extensions, and means translating the said extensions into rotating movement.

5. In combination with a roadway for vehicular trafiic having a rectangular opening transversely thereof and a pit below said opening, leaves piv otally hung on the edges of said opening level with the road surface to close said opening, a lazy-tongs arrangement mounted within said pit, and means operatively connecting the abutting edges of the leaves with said arrangement to translate relatively short depressions of the leaves as vehicles pass over the leaves in either direction into relatively great extensions of said arrangement.

6. In combination with a roadway for vehicular traffic having a rectangular opening transversely thereof and a pit below the opening, leaves pivotally hung on the edges of the opening level with the road surface to close the opening, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to the road level, a lazy-tongs arrangement mounted within said pit, and means operatively connecting the abutting edges of the leaves with the said arrangement to translate relatively short depressions of the leaves as vehicles on the roadway pass over the leaves in either direction into relatively great extensions of said arrangement.

'7. A power generating device for a roadway carrying vehicular traffic, said roadway having a pit transversely thereof, comprising a pair of leaves level with the road surface, said leaves being hinged to the transverse pit edges and having central abutting edges, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to the road level, a lazy-tongs arrangement mounted within said pit, and means operatively interconnecting the abutting edges of the leaves with said arrangement to translate relatively short depressions of the leaves as vehicles pass over the leaves in either direction into relatively great extensions ofsaid arrangement. I

- LEE A. BARNETT,