WO2005068897A1

WO2005068897A1 - Power supply device for flashlight

Info

Publication number: WO2005068897A1
Application number: PCT/KR2004/000829
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sang-Hyup Kim
Original assignee: Shinwoo Tech. Co. Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-01-19
Filing date: 2004-04-09
Publication date: 2005-07-28
Also published as: KR20050076009A

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a flashlight and, more particularly, to a power supply device for a flashlight, which charges a condenser with electricity generated by operating a power generator of the flashlight, and supplies the electricity discharged from the condenser to be used as the power of the flashlight. The object of this invention is to provide a power supply device for a flashlight having a high-density Light Emitting Diode (LED), including a gear train composed of a plurality of gears to increase a rotating force of a rotary handle placed on a portion of the flashlight; a power generator to be operated by the rotating force transmitted from the gear train and to generate electricity; an Electric Double Layer Capacitor (ELDC) condenser charged with the electricity generated from the power generator; a Direct Current (DC)/DC converter to boost a voltage discharged from the condenser to a certain level and to supply the boosted voltage to the LED, and a power switch to control discharging operation of the EDLC condenser.

Description

Description POWER SUPPLY DEVICE FOR FLASHLIGHT Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates generally to a flashlight and, more particularly, to a power supply device for a flashlight, which charges a condenser with electridty generated by operating a power generator of the flashlight, and supplies the electridty discharged from the condenser to be used as the power of the flashlight. Background Art

[2] Generally, a flashlight uses a battery as a power source. Since the life span of the battery is limited, it is inconvenient that the battery must be replaced with a new one when the life span of the battery expires. Furthermore, problems arise in that environmental pollution caused by discarded batteries may occur, and the battery casing of the flashlight may be damaged by the frequent replacement of batteries.

[3] Additionally, problems arise in that a user must reserve an extra battery because a user cannot predict when the battery being used in the flashlight will expire, and the life span of the flashlight may be shortened because the strongly alkaline liquid of the battery can leak and corrode some parts in contact with the battery when the flashlight is not used for a long time. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[4] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an environmentally-friendly power supply device for a flashlight, which charges a condenser with electridty generated by operating a power generator of the flashlight, and supplies the electridty discharged from the condenser to be used as the power of the flashlight. Technical Solution

[5] In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a power supply device for a flashlight having a high-density Light Emitting Diode (LED), including a gear train composed of a plurality of gears to increase a rotating force of a rotary handle placed on a portion of the flashlight, a power generator to be operated by the rotating force transmitted from the gear train and to generate electridty, an Electric Double Layer Capadtor (EDLC) condenser charged with the electridty generated from the power generator, a Direct Current (DC)/DC converter to boost a voltage discharged from the condenser to a certain level and to supply the boosted voltage to the LED, and a power switch to control the discharging operation of the EDLC condenser.

[6] The power generator may be an Alternating Current (AC) power generator, and the power supply device may further include a rectifier drcuit unit to rectify an AC current generated from the AC power generator to a DC current so that the EDLC condenser is charged with the DC current.

[7] The power generator may be a DC power generator, and the power supply device may further include a ratchet gear to control the power generator to be rotated in a single direction without regard to a rotating direction of the rotary handle.

[8] The ratchet gear may includes a gear body formed of a frame having a plurality of teeth, a rotation member fitted into the gear body to be rotated, and a rotation control member placed between the gear body and the rotation member, wherein the rotation control member controls the gear body to be rotated in a single direction while moving along a rotation control slot formed on an outer side of the rotation member to allow a width thereof to be reduced from a first end thereof to a second end. Advantageous Effects

[9] As described above, the present invention provides a power supply device in which a power generator placed in the flashlight is operated by the rotation of a rotary handle attached to the flashlight, an EDLC condenser is charged with a current generated from the power generator, and the charged current is supplied to be used as the power of the flashlight. Accordingly, a battery is not needed to operate the flashlight, so that maintenance costs due to the purchase of the batter are not required and an environmental pollution caused by discarded batteries can be prevented. Description of Drawings

[10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flashlight to which the present invention is applied;

[11] FIG. 2 is a view showing the mechanical construction of a power supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[12] FIG. 3 is a drcuit diagram showing the electrical construction of the power supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and

[13] FIG. 4 is a drcuit diagram showing the electrical construction of a power supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode

[14] Reference should now be made to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same or similar components.

[15] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flashlight according to the present invention. The flashlight 10 of the present invention includes an lighting unit 11 placed on the front side of the flashlight 10 to radiate light, a power unit (not shown) placed in the back side of the flashlight 10 to generate electridty to be supplied to the lighting unit 11, and a power switch SW1 and a rotary handle 12 placed on the upper side of the flashlight 10 to operate the flashlight 10 and to operate the power unit, respectively.

[16] As shown in FIG. 2, the rotary handle 12 is connected to a power generator 60 through a ratchet gear 20 and a gear train. That is, the rotary handle 12 is combined with the fastening part 27 of the ratchet gear 20, a first drive gear 31 is engaged with the gear body 21 of the ratchet gear 20, and a second drive gear 41 is engaged with a first driven gear 32 connected to the first drive gear 31.

[17] Additionally, a third drive gear 51 is engaged with a second driven gear 42 connected to the second drive gear 41, and the power generator 60 is connected to the third drive gear 51. The ratchet gear 20 has a revolution speed different from those of the gears operated while being engaged with each other, so that a slight rotation of the ratchet gear 20 accelerates the third drive gear 51 connected to the power generator 60 to a high speed, and thus the rotation force several ten times greater than that of the ratchet gear 20 can be obtained.

[18] Meanwhile, the power generator 60 connected to the third drive gear 51 is a DC generator, so that the power generator 60 must be rotated in a single direction. If the power generator 60 is rotated in both directions, a kind of an AC current is generated, so that the DC current required for operating the flashlight 10 is not obtained. Accordingly, the power generator 60 of the present invention is constructed to be rotated in a single direction without regard to the rotating direction of the rotary handle 12 using the ratchet gear 20.

[19] The ratchet gear 20 includes the gear body 21 formed of a frame having a plurality of teeth, a rotation member 23 coaxially fitted into the gear body 21 to be rotated, and a rotation control member 24 placed between the gear body 21 and the rotation member 23.

[20] A metal ring 22 is preferably fitted into the inner side of the gear body 21 to reinforce the rigidity of the gear body 21 and reduce the wear of the gear body 21. In the case of employing the metal ring 22, the gear body 21 can be made of plastic, so that the weight and manufacturing costs of the gear body 21 can be reduced. [21] Meanwhile, the outer diameter of the rotation member 23 is somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the metal ring 22, a fastening part 27 is protruded from a portion of the rotation member 23 to be combined with the rotary handle 12, and a rotation control slot 26 is formed at the outer side of the rotation member 23 to be reduced from one end of the rotation control slot 26 to the other end.

[22] Accordingly, as the rotary handle 12 is operated, the rotation control member 24 placed in the rotation control slot 26 moves along the rotation control slot 26, so that the rotation control member 24 comes in contact with the metal ring 22 and thus is inserted between the metal ring 22 and the rotation member 23, or the rotation control member 24 is separated from the metal ring 22 and the rotation member 23. Accordingly, the ratchet gear 20 is controlled to be rotated in a single direction.

[23] As shown in FIG. 3, the output terminal of the power generator 60 is connected to an ELDC condenser Cl serving as a battery, a step-up DC/DC converter 70 is connected to the output terminal of the condenser Cl through the power switch SWl to boost the DC voltage discharged from the condenser Cl to a certain level, and first and second high-intensity LEDs LED1 and LED2 to constitute the lighting unit 11 radiating light are connected in parallel to the output terminal of the DC/DC converter 70.

[24] An ELDC condenser, the maximum charge capadty of which is about 50 F, is used as the condenser Cl, a DC voltage of 2.3 to 0.8 V from the condenser Cl is boosted to a DC voltage of 3.3 V by the DC/DC converter 70, and the boosted DC voltage is supplied to the high-density LEDs LED1 and LED2.

[25] In the embodiment of the present invention, NCP1402 of ON Semiconductor is used as the DC/DC converter 70 to supply of DC voltage of 3.3 V to the LEDs LED1 and LED2, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[26] A method of operating the power supply device for the flashlight according to the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below.

[27] To use the flashlight 10 of the present invention, the condenser Cl must be charged. For this purpose, when a user rotates the rotary handle 12 provided on the upper side of the flashlight 10, the ratchet gear 20 is rotated in a single direction without regard to the rotating direction of the rotary handle 12.

[28] When the ratchet gear 20 is rotated, the first drive gear 31 engaged with the gear body 21 and the first driven gear 32 connected the first drive gear 31 are rotated, and the second drive gear 41 engaged with the first driven gear 32 and the second driven gear 42 connected to the second drive gear 41 are rotated. [29] Furthermore, the third drive gear 51 engaged with the second driven gear 42 is rotated, the power generator 60 is operated by the rotation of the third drive gear 51 and generates electridty, and the condenser Cl is charged with the electridty generated in such a manner. As the result of experiments, the condenser Cl is charged with electridty that can be used for 10 minutes, by the charging operation of one minute.

[30] When the power switch SWl is switched on to turn on the flashlight 10 after the condenser Cl is charged with electridty, the condenser Cl starts to discharge the electridty. That is, the condenser Cl discharges a DC voltage of 2.3 to 0.8 V, the discharged DC voltage is boosted to a voltage of 3.3 V by the step-up DC/DC converter 70, and then the boosted voltage is supplied to the high-density LEDs LEDl and LED2, thus allowing the LEDs LED 1 and LED2 to radiate light.

[31] In the above-described embodiment, a DC power generator 60 and a ratchet gear 20 are used to generate electridty supplied to the LEDs LEDl and LED2 and to allow the DC power generator 60 to be rotated in a single direction, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[32] That is, the ratchet gear 20 can be removed from the power supply device to simplify the structure thereof. However, when the ratchet gear 20 is removed, an AC power generator 60 instead of the DC power generator must be used to generate electridty without regard to the rotating direction of the rotary handle 12.

[33] Furthermore, a rectifier drcuit unit 80 is connected to the output terminal of the AC power generator to rectify an AC current to a DC current, an EDLC condenser Cl serving as a battery is connected to the rectifier drcuit unit 80, a power switch SWl and a step-up DC/DC converter 70 boosting the DC voltage discharged from the condenser Cl to a certain level are sequentially connected to the output terminal of the condenser Cl, and first and second high-density LEDs LEDl and LED2 are connected in parallel to the output terminal of the DC/DC converter 70.

[34] An ELDC condenser, the maximum charge capadty of which is about 50 F, is used as the condenser Cl, the DC voltage discharged from the condenser Cl is boosted to a certain level by the DC/DC converter 70, and the boosted DC voltage is supplied to the first and second high-density LEDs LEDl and LED2. In the embodiment of the present invention, NCP1402 of ON Semiconductor is used as the DC/DC converter 70, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[35] Meanwhile, when a user rotates the rotary handle 12 to supply electridty to the flashlight 10 using the power supply device, the AC power generator is operated by the rotation of the plurality of the gears connected to the rotary handle 12. Accordingly, electridty is generated, and the condenser Cl is charged with.

[36] When the power switch SWl is switched on to turn on the flashlight 10 after the condenser Cl is charged with electridty, the condenser Cl starts to discharge the electridty. The discharged DC voltage is boosted by the step-up DC/DC converter 70, and then the boosted voltage is supplied to the high-density LEDs LEDl and LED2, thus allowing the LEDs LEDl and LED2 to radiate light. Industrial Applicability

[37] As described above, the present invention provides a power supply device in which a power generator placed in the flashlight is operated by the rotation of a rotary handle attached to the flashlight, an EDLC condenser is charged with a current generated from the power generator, and the charged current is supplied to be used as the power of the flashlight. Accordingly, a battery is not needed to operate the flashlight, so that maintenance costs due to the purchase of the batter are not required and an environmental pollution caused by discarded batteries can be prevented.

[38] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appredate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

[1] A power supply device for a flashlight having a high-density Light Emitting Diode (LED), comprising: a gear train composed of a plurality of gears to increase a rotating force of a rotary handle placed on a portion of the flashlight; a power generator to be operated by the rotating force transmitted from the gear train and to generate electridty; an Electric Double Layer Capadtor (EDLC) condenser charged with the electridty generated from the power generator; a Direct Current (DC)/DC converter to boost a voltage discharged from the condenser to a certain level and to supply the boosted voltage to the LED and a power switch to control discharging operation of the EDLC condenser. [2] The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the power generator is an Alternating Current (AC) power generator; further comprising a rectifier drcuit unit to rectify an AC current generated from the AC power generator to a DC current so that the EDLC condenser is charged with the DC current. [3] The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the power generator is a DC power generator; further comprising a ratchet gear to control the power generator to be rotated in a single direction without regard to a rotating direction of the rotary handle. [4] The power supply device according to claim 3, wherein the ratchet gear comprises: a gear body formed of a frame having a plurality of teeth; a rotation member fitted into the gear body to be rotated; and a rotation control member placed between the gear body and the rotation member; wherein the rotation control member controls the gear body to be rotated in a single direction while moving along a rotation control slot formed on an outer side of the rotation member to allow a width thereof to be reduced from a first end thereof to a second end.