Abstract:
A flashing windmill toy comprises a non-metallic rotor ring seat attached by a coil and a stationary magnet erecting upright within the rotor ring seat. As the windmill is rotating, the magnet is fixed on a support shaft, and the rotor ring seat is co-rotating with the windmill, whereby current is induced in the coil thereon. The electricity sent out by the wires attached on the blades of the windmill is first rectified by a diode and then stored in nearby capacitors, which can light up a light emitting device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to windmill toys, more particularly to a flashing windmill toy comprising a non-metallic rotor seat attached with a coil and a stationary magnet erecting upright within the rotor ring seat. As the windmill is rotating, the magnet is fixed on a support shaft, and the rotor ring seat is co-rotating with the windmill, whereby current is induced in the coil thereon. The electricity sent out by the wires attached on the blades of the windmill is first rectified by a diode and then stored in nearby capacitors, which can light up a light emitting device.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a flashing windmill toy of the prior art comprises a windmill  1 , being driven by wind power. It is a disadvantage that the conventional windmill toy cannot be displayed in night time. To be able to see at nights, lights must be added. The lights must be lit up by an electric power battery, which will either make the toy more complicated and thus not practical or causes additional drag to the windmill  1 . The addition of an electric power battery to a windmill toy will add up too much weight, which is only suitable to windmills of larger scale, not to small windmills. It is therefore significant to install a small, light emitter to a windmill without using a battery. Other prior arts about the windmill toy can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,082 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,431, but it is suitable for larger scale windmill, not for small windmill toy.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a flashing windmill toy comprising a non-metallic rotor seat attached with a coil and a stationary magnet erecting upright within the rotor ring seat. As the windmill is rotating, the magnet is fixed on a support shaft, and the rotor ring seat is co-rotating with the windmill, whereby current is induced in the coil thereon.  
         [0004]     The electricity sent out by the wires attached on the blades of the windmill is first rectified by a diode and then stored in nearby capacitors, which can light up a light emitting device.  
         [0005]     The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a flashing windmill toy whose blades are equipped with a light emitting diode, a capacitor and a diode.  
         [0006]     It is a further objective of the present invention that the front, and rear bolt seats are each provided with a through hole of hexagonal cross section for retaining a hexagonal object.  
         [0007]     Further, the wiring of the flashing windmill toy is attached onto the inner sides of the blade set and is co-coating with the windmill.  
         [0008]     Further, the rotor ring seat of the flashing windmill toy is made of a plastic material that cannot be attracted by a magnet, whereby the ring seat will rotate around the stationary magnet.  
         [0009]     The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a windmill toy of the prior art.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a flashing windmill toy according to the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates the circuitry of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates the coil configuration of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates the assembly act  1  of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  illustrates the assembly act  2  of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  illustrates the assembly act  3  of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the flashing windmill toy according to the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  illustrates the use of the flashing windmill toy according to the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  illustrates another use of the flashing windmill toy according to the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  shows the arrangement of the circuit of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  shows one embodiment of the present invention, where the windmill toy rotates to display characters. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Referring to FIGS.  2  to  9 , a flashing windmill toy according to the present invention comprises a windmill blade set  2  that is a collection of a blades  20 ,  21 , a pair of illuminated components  3 ,  4  respectively attached to the blades  20 ,  21  and accompanied by diodes  31 ,  41  and electric capacitors  30 ,  40 , a rotor ring seat  5  co-rotating with the blade  21 , a magnet  6  rotationally mounted within the rotor ring seat  5  and a holding rod  7  fixed with the support shaft  54 .  
         [0023]     The two ends of the windmill blade set  2  are respectively attached by a front ring piece  22  and a rear ring piece  23 ; there are apertures  220 ,  230  of hexagonal cross section respectively formed in the rear ring piece  23  and the bolt seat  24 . Thereby, a plastic screw  25  will be used to secured a bolt seat  24  passing through the aperture  230  of the rear ring piece  23 , and a plastic screw  27  will be used to secured a bolt seat  26  passing through the aperture  220  of the front ring piece  22 . The cross sectional areas of the bolt seat  24  and the bolt seat  26  take a hexagonal shape, whereby the apertures  220 ,  230  can be engaged.  
         [0024]     The illuminated component  3  is inserted on a front edge of the blade  20  and is electrically connected to the electric capacitor  30  and the diode  31  on a rear edge of the blade  20 . Conducting wires  32  are drawn from each of the electric capacitor  30  and the diode  31  to connect with the coil  500 . Since the conducting wire  32  is attached on to the inner wall of the blade  20 , they will be co-rotating the rotor ring seat  5 . The illuminated component  4  is inserted on a front edge of the blade  21  and is electrically connected to the electric capacitor  40  and the diode  41  on a rear edge of the blade  21 . A conducting wire  42  is drawn from each of the electric capacitor  40  and the diode  41  to connect with the coil  500 . Since the conducting wires  42  are attached on to the inner wall of the blade  21 , they will be co-rotating the rotor ring seat  5 .  
         [0025]     The coil  500  is wound around an axial ring groove  50  of the rotor ring seat  5 , whereas the rotor ring seat  5  is provided with a central ring aperture  51 . The inner wall of the ring aperture  51  is provided with a left aperture  510  and a right aperture  511  through two axle tubes  52 ,  53  are inserted respectively.  
         [0026]     The magnet  6  is mounted in the ring aperture  51 , with a through hole  60  therein facing the through holes  520 ,  530 . The right terminal and the left terminal of the through hole  60  are respectively provided with axle mats  61 ,  62  for being mounted within the ring aperture  51 , whereby the rotor ring seat  5  can rotate with respect to the magnet  6 . A support shaft  54  passes through a shaft stopping knob  55 , the windmill blade set  2 , the rotor ring seat  5  and the magnet  6  and is then secured with a stopping knob  28 . The tail of the support shaft  54  goes through a aperture  70  of the holding rod  7  and fixed by glue therein.  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the coil  500  will be rotating with respect to the magnet  6 , because the magnet  6  is mounted on the support shaft  54 . As the blades  20 ,  21  are rotating, the plastic screw  25  and the bolt seat  26  will lock the two sides of the rotor ring seat  5 , and the conducting wires  32  and  42 , attached with the blades  20 ,  21 , will be co-rotating with the rotor ring seat  5 . Because of electromagnetic induction, an electric current will be induced in the coil  500 . Due to its electric connection to the conducting wires  32  and  42 , the coil  500  will supply a current to the diodes  31 ,  41  through the conducting wires  32  and  42 . The other terminals of the conducting wires  32  and  42  are connected to the illuminated components  3 ,  4  and the associated electric capacitors  30 ,  40 . The present invention utilizes the electric capacitors  30 ,  40  to store the energy generated within the coil  500 , which electric capacitors  30 ,  40  supply power to the illuminated components  3 ,  4  to achieve a effect of illumination. The blades  20 ,  21  can be added to more than one set of illuminated components  3 ,  4  to enhance the brightness.  
         [0028]     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the holding rod  7  of the present invention can be attached to the head portion of a bicycle  8  to allow the blades  20 ,  21  to rotate being urged by the wind and thereby the continuous lightening of the illuminated components  3 ,  4 .  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the coil  500  of the rotor ring seat  5  is electrically coupled to a bridge rectified diode  9 . It is filtered and charged by a capacitor  90  and is electrically coupled to an IC  91  so as to supply power to the IC  91 . The IC  91  is further electrically coupled to the light emitting elements  92 ,  93 ,  94 ,  95 ,  96  and  97  so as to control the illumination of the light emitting elements  92 ,  93 ,  94 ,  95 ,  96  and  97 . The light emitting elements  92 ,  93 ,  94 ,  95 ,  96  and  97  are placed linearly in one of the blades  20 ,  21 . When the blade set  2  rotates, the IC  91  will control the light emitting elements  92 ,  93 ,  94 ,  95 ,  96  and  97  to light up to display characters (HELLO in  FIG. 12 ) and graph.  
         [0030]     The present invention is thus described, and it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. The present invention has the advantage of self-production of power and therefore can be used without a battery. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.