Patent ID: 7472676

Claim:
A system for converting power, with intermittent power on one side and continuous power on the other, the system comprising: a main power conduit comprising a main shaft coupled to a flywheel, the main power conduit energetically coupling a first continuous power device and a second intermittent power device comprising a plurality of power elements; a gear case coupled to the main power conduit configured to perform one of transferring power from the first power device to the second power device, and transferring power from the second power device to the first power device, the gear case comprising: a planetary differential gear set configured to allow each of the plurality of power elements to rotate at a variable rate; a locking device configured to control the relative velocity and position of the plurality of power elements, the locking device comprising: a plurality of cam followers engaging a cam supported on the flywheel, each cam follower operatively coupled to one of the plurality of power elements, wherein the position of each cam follower correlates to the position of the corresponding power element; and the cam having a continuous control surface configured to guide each of the plurality of the cam followers along a closed path that forms a closed loop.