Patent ID: 6099255
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: F03D,Y02E,Y10S

Abstract:
A fluid power storage system capable of storing small amounts of fluid energy of nature that acts against a prime mover, said energy being stored in a torsional device coupled at one end thereof to the output end of a motion transmission mechanism powered by said prime mover, the other end of said device being connected to a shaft of an output load, said torsional device comprising at least one of a helical spring, a flat spiral spring, and a rubber band, being forced to wind from an initial state by said motion transmission mechanism in response to said fluid energy even while it varies unpredictably in magnitude of force acting against said prime mover, all of this system being supported by a rigid support structure that holds said prime mover and motion transmission mechanism in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to said shaft of said load, characterized by:a latch mechanism connected to said shaft of said load for preventing rotation of said shaft until said device has accumulated within its storage capacity a certain amount of energy set by said latch mechanism sufficient to rotate said shaft to produce useful work from said load, said latch mechanism comprising:a latch attached to said shaft, and a stopper held in a fixed position relative to said shaft by said rigid support structure to engage said latch, thereby to prevent said shaft from rotating until said torsional device has stored the aforesaid certain amount of energy which is sufficient for said latch to override said stopper, whereupon said shaft is rotated by energy stored in said torsional device while said latch is held clear of said stopper until energy stored in said device is expended sufficiently to cause said shaft rotation to slow down and permit said latch to return to its position parallel to said shaft under the influence of a force so that said latch will again engage said stopper and said torsional device may begin storing energy again.