Patent Publication Number: US-2007123409-A1

Title: Current stabilizing device using quartz ball

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      (a) Technical Field of the Invention  
      The present invention generally relates to electrical current stabilizing devices, and more particularly to a device utilizing quartz balls to stabilize the electrical current in a circuit.  
      (b) Description of the Prior Art  
      The proper function and reliability of electronic devices depend largely on the stability of the electrical current supplied to these devices. For motor vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles, due to the traffic condition, the voltage provided by the alternator is constantly changing, causing unstable electrical current in the vehicle&#39;s electrical system. The most direct impact is on the operation of the car computer, leading to malfunctions such as inaccurate air/fuel mixture and spark timing, and causing problems such as inferior fuel economy.  
      To solve the problem, there are so-called “reverse current” removal device commercially available in the market for absorbing the irregular current occurred in the circuit of an automobile&#39;s electrical system. However, almost all such products rely on the use of electrolytic capacitors and these capacitors, despite of their low cost, deteriorate quickly under the harsh operating conditions of the engine room such as the high temperature, humidity, and severe vibrations. These devices therefore quickly lose their functionality after a period of usage.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a device utilizing quartz balls to regulate the electrical current, which is both easy to install and highly resilient to various environment conditions.  
      The present invention mainly contains a closed enclosure and at least a quartz ball. The enclosure has at least a spherical chamber for accommodating the quartz ball. Along the inner wall of the spherical chamber, there is a protruding rib circling the inner wall of the spherical chamber, whose diameter is smaller than that of the quartz ball. When the quartz ball is housed inside the spherical chamber, the protruding rib exerts pressure on the surface of the quartz ball. In an embodiment of the present invention, the enclosure has two spherical chambers and, when two quartz balls are housed, they are tightly compressed against each other. To use the present invention, the enclosure is directly tied to a cable constituting a part of the circuit whose electrical current is to be regulated. The configuration of the rib should be such that the axial direction of the rib is aligned with the cable.  
      In an alternative embodiment, a first quartz ball is directly tied to a cable constituting a part of the circuit whose electrical current is to be regulated. Then a second quartz ball is arranged to press tightly against the first quartz ball along the cable and, then, a scotch tape is used to fixedly join the two quartz balls together.  
      The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.  
      Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective blown-up view showing the current stabilizing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view showing the interior of the current stabilizing device of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing the current stabilizing device of  FIG. 1  is used along with a battery of the electrical system of an automobile.  
       FIG. 4  is a section view showing the interior of the current stabilizing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.  
      Quartz, or quartz crystal, is adopted in the present invention due to its piezoelectric property. When compressed or bent, quartz generates a change of voltage on its surface, a phenomenon called the piezoelectric effect. In the same way, if a voltage is applied, quartz will bend or change its shape very slightly. Combining these two factors together, if quartz is under both a structural pressure and an electromagnetic field, it will generate an oscillating electromagnetic field which could be utilized to regulate the electrical current in a circuit. Another desirable characteristic of quartz is that it is unaffected by most solvents and remains crystalline to hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit.  
      As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a first embodiment of the present invention contains a closed enclosure  1  and two quartz balls  2 . The enclosure  1  forms two hollow spherical chambers  11  for the accommodation of the two quartz balls  2 . The enclosure  1  is configured such that, when the two quartz balls  2  are housed in the spherical chambers  11 , they are linearly aligned and tightly compressed against each other. Inside one of the spherical chambers  11 , a protruding rib  12  is configured to circle around the inner wall of the chamber  11  so as to form a ring whose axial direction coincides with the linear alignment of the quartz balls  2 . The ring formed by the protruding rib  12  has an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the quart ball  2 .  
      To use the present embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the enclosure  1  is fixedly attached using cable ties  4  to the cable  31  connected to the negative terminal of an automobile&#39;s battery  3 . Another cable  32  is connected to the positive terminal of the battery  3 . Please note that the linear alignment of the quartz balls  2  (i.e., along the axial direction of the rib  12 ) coincides with the extension of the cable  31 . As such, the quartz balls  2  are both under the structural pressure from the rib  12  and under the influence of the electromagnetic field generated by the electrical current flowing through the cable  31 . Due to the piezoelectric property of the quartz balls  2 , they will in turn generate an oscillating electromagnetic field along the axial direction of the rib  12  (i.e., along the cable  31  which could stabilize or regulate the electrical current flowing through the cable  31 . The present invention could also remove the impulses and noises occurred in the circuit.  
      Based on the same quartz ball alignment, the present invention could be applied without the enclosure  1  as shown in  FIG. 4 . In this second embodiment, a first quartz ball  2 ′ is directly tied to a cable (not shown) using a cable tie  4 . If the cable tie  4  is too long, the extraneous section should be cut and removed. Then, a second quartz ball  2 ″ is positioned tightly against the first quartz ball  2 ′ along the axial direction of the cable tie  4  (i.e., along the cable). Then a scotch tape  5  is used to fixedly join the two quartz balls  2 ′ and  2 ″ tightly together.  
      It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.  
      While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.