Abstract:
A paintball marker ( 12 ) has an air powered generator ( 10 ) to provide electrical power. A compressed gas conduit ( 18 ) is connected to the marker body ( 12 ) with compressed gas flowing therethrough. The gas flow is converted to electricity, such as by an impeller ( 52 ) that is mounted to a first end of a rotating shaft ( 48 ) with a magnet ( 50 ) mounted to a second end of a rotating shaft ( 48 ) with a coil ( 45 ) positioned proximal to the magnet ( 50 ) to create electricity upon rotation of the shaft ( 48 ) due to flow of compressed gas past the impeller ( 52 ). The created electricity can be used to power electrically powered components on board the marker ( 12 ) or recharge batteries ( 24 ) therein.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to earlier filed U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/545,397, filed Feb. 17, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention generally relates to paintball markers. More specifically, the present invention relates to providing electrical power for a paintball marker  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Current paintball markers are typically powered by pneumatics where compressed air is used to operate various components of the marker. For example, compressed air is commonly used to control paintball loading by actuating a piston back and forth which is connected to a bolt assembly. Also, paintball launching is also carried out by blowing compressed air behind the paintball. In sum, compressed air is a readily available resource in current paintball markers.  
         [0006]     Current paintball markers also use electronics for operation control. For example, many markers include an operating system that controls the operation of the markers, such as firing rate. Triggering can also be electronic in nature. A typical marker includes a 9 volt battery (e.g. rechargeable) for providing the necessary electrical power. Also, add-on components, such as hoppers, operate on electricity and, therefore, need a source of electricity.  
         [0007]     As paintball markers become more complicated, they become more reliant on electronics while placing a larger load on the existing battery supply resulting in more frequent recharging and replacement of the battery. As can be understood, this is particularly problematic during game play.  
         [0008]     In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide an improved electrical source to supply power to a marker for effective operation thereof. There is a need to be able to recharge the onboard battery “on-the-fly” during game play so as to not interrupt paintball marker operation. There is a further need to supplement the electrical power in a paintball marker.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention solves the need for recharging a battery and prolonging the battery life of a paintball marker by providing a pneumatic dynamo to harness the compressed air source of the paintball marker and convert it to electricity for use therein.  
         [0010]     A paintball marker built according to the teachings of the present invention has an electrical circuit for controlling one or more operations or features of the paintball marker, a compressed air source for powering one or more operations or features of the paintball marker, and an air powered generator placed inline with the compressed air source to generate electricity to power the electrical circuit and any other electrical needs of the paintball marker.  
         [0011]     In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic dynamo for converting readily available air flow to electricity for use by the paintball marker.  
         [0012]     A further object is to provide a pneumatic dynamo that can recharge a battery or batteries used in a paintball marker.  
         [0013]     Another object of the present invention is to provide s supplemental source of electricity to be used by electrically operated components within a paintball marker.  
         [0014]     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and compact pneumatic dynamo. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a partial side view of a paintball marker using the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a top cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a partial side cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 3 ; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a side cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the preferred embodiment of the pneumatic dynamo of the present invention is shown at  10  integrated within a paintball marker  12 . Paintball markers  12  are generally powered by compressed gas contained in a cylinder  14  and also typically have a hopper  13  for storage of paintball projectiles  15 . A pressure regulator  16  is attached to the cylinder  14  to regulate the flow of compressed gas from the cylinder  14  and into a hose  18 . The other end of the hose  18  is attached to the pneumatic dynamo  10 . The pneumatic dynamo  10  is attached to a secondary pressure regulator  20 . Compressed gas flows from the cylinder  14 , through the pressure regulator  16 , through the hose  18 , into the pneumatic dynamo  10 , into the secondary pressure regulator  20  via fluid passage  32  and into the paintball marker  12  to power the operations of the paintball marker  12  such as loading and firing paintballs. Such pneumatic operations of various components of a paintball marker  12  are very well known in the art and need not be discussed in detail herein.  
         [0022]     While the compressed gas is flowing through the pneumatic dynamo  10 , the compressed gas is harnessed to generate electricity. The present invention contemplates any type of structure or device that can convert air flow to electricity where that electricity is available to the paintball marker  12  for any of its electrical needs. This electricity is transferred through a first electrical wire  22  and, preferably, into a rechargeable battery  24 , but it could be directly fed into an electrical circuit  26 . Electrical wire  22  is shown as a pair of double lines to represent any type of electrical interconnection, which may include a single wire or more than two wires. Such electrical connection depends on the electrical design of the paintball marker  12 . The battery supplies power to an electrical circuit  26  by means of a second electrical wire  28  (also represented as a pair of double lines). The electrical circuit  26  contains the logic necessary to electrically control any number of operations and features of the paintball marker  10 . For example, some paintball markers  12  have hoppers  13  that have powered sorters to prevent jamming of the paintball projectiles  15 . These types of powered hoppers  13 , or other powered accessories, receive electrical power and control signals from the electrical circuit  26  of the paintball marker  12  through a third electrical wire  27  (represented as a pair of dashed lines).  
         [0023]     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the pneumatic dynamo  10  of the present invention is shown generally at  10 . The pneumatic dynamo has a body  30 . Within the body  30  is a fluid passage  32  having a fluid inlet  34  and a fluid outlet  36 . The fluid inlet is connected to the hose  18  and the fluid outlet is connected to the secondary pressure regulator  20  of the paintball marker  12 . The pneumatic dynamo  10  is thus positioned inline with the gas supply to the paintball marker  12  via supply cylinder  14 . While it is preferred that the pneumatic dynamo  10  is located as shown in  FIG. 1 , if can be placed anywhere on or within the paintball marker  12  that has air flow.  
         [0024]     Adjacent to the fluid passage  32  is a generator  40 . The generator  40  has a stator  42  and a rotor  44 . The stator has a coil  45  which is mounted adjacent to and about the rotor  44 . The stator also has a pair of electrical leads  47  which are connected to the coil  45  and to an electrical connector  46 . The electrical connector  46  is connected to the electrical wires  22  of the paintball marker  12 . The rotor  44  includes a shaft  48 , a magnet  50 , and an impeller  52 . Preferably, the coil  45  completely encircles the rotor  44  and magnet  50  therein, but other configurations are possible that are well known in the art.  
         [0025]     The shaft  48  of the rotor  44  is rotatably mounted within the body  30  of the pneumatic dynamo  10 . The magnet  50  is attached to one end of the shaft  48  and adjacent to the stator  42 . The magnet  50  is, therefore, rotatably mounted within the generator  40  with the coil  45  positioned thereabout. The impeller  52  is attached to the opposite end of the shaft  48  and has a number of blades (or foils)  54 . At least a portion of the blades  54 , such as the free ends portions  54   a , of the impeller  52 , are interposed in fluid passage  32  such that the flow of the compressed gas through the fluid passage  32  pushes the blades  54  causing the impeller  52  to turn. The impeller  52  turning causes the shaft  48  to turn the magnet  50 , which induces electricity in the stator  42 . It is well known that rotation of a magnet relative to a coil winding creates an inductive effect to thereby create current flow through the coil. The size and configuration of the impeller  52 , magnet  50  and the coil  45  can be modified to suit the desired electrical output. For example, the output can be designed to output a 9 volt supply, which is typically compatible with most paintball markers.  
         [0026]     In an alternative embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3 through 5 , the shaft  48  of the rotor  44  is completely disposed within the fluid passage  32 . Also the coil  45  is wound about an iron ring  49  positioned adjacent to the magnet  50  of the rotor  44 . The coil  45  in this embodiment is also wound into two separate windings disposed opposite each other on the iron ring  49 . As described earlier, many variations in the components are well known in the art for creating electrical induction in a wire by means of rotating a magnet relative to a coil. Alternatively, the coil  45  may be mounted to the shaft  48  with the magnet  50  positioned adjacent thereto. As the shaft  48  rotates, the coil  45  is rotated adjacent to the magnet inducing electricity in the coil  45 .  
         [0027]     Although the pneumatic dynamo  10  of the present invention has been described as a separate component that may be connected or disconnected to the paintball marker  12  as desired, the present invention may easily be integrated into the overall structure of the paintball marker  12  as a permanent component. As stated above, it may be positioned anywhere in the paintball marker  12  where there is gas flow or even in a separate pneumatic flow circuit. The present invention is shown to use an impeller structure  5  to rotate a shaft  48 . However, other structures may be employed, such as a plunger with linear or reciprocating movement. In general, movement of a magnet relative to a coil is carried out to generate the required electricity. For example, the magnet may be stationary while the coil is moved. Moreover, an electrical circuit may also be provided for conditioning the electrical signal that has been induced.  
         [0028]     Further, an LED or LCD display may be provided to monitor the operation of the pneumatic dynamo  10  and the paintball marker  12 . Optional control elements that interface with the paintball marker  12  and/or pneumatic dynamo  10  may include buttons or levers to modify settings within the marker  10  or an interface means so that the marker  10  can be monitored by a remote device. Finally, the interface means may be through a wired connection or other wireless means that allow both monitoring and control of the marker  10  as well as allowing control programs to be downloaded into the marker  10  as desired.  
         [0029]     While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.