Patent ID: 8786153

Claim:
A kinetic energy accumulator, comprising: (a) a plurality of rotatably mounted accumulator members positioned adjacent one another; (b) an input drive mechanism arranged to impart rotational drive to a first of the accumulator members; (c) velocity responsive coupling members arranged to magnetically couple successive ones of the accumulator members without contact between the velocity responsive coupling members and the accumulator members, when respective ones of the accumulator members are caused successively to rotate with an angular velocity equal to, or greater than, a predetermined velocity; and wherein each of the coupling members have a radially outer end and an opposite radially inner end, the outer end being adapted to magnetically couple with a radially outer peripheral region of a respective successive one of the accumulator members, and the radially inner end of each said coupling member is magnetically repulsed from a radially inner central region of the respective successive said accumulator member whereby the coupling member is restrained from assuming a functional position from an initial neutral position, and each coupling member is weighted to move to the functional position under the influence of centrifugal force with the rotation of an associated said accumulator member at said angular velocity equal to, or greater than, the predetermined velocity, the coupling members effecting the magnetic coupling when in their functional positions.