Proposed is a portable self-power-generating apparatus which has small size and is capable of charging a battery by realizing self-power generation with high efficiency in emergencies in which normal electricity supply is not available, such as a military operation, a refugee village, a disaster caused by earthquake or the like, an emergency situation on ships, or an outdoor activity, and which can be used in combination with various smart modules.

A power generation mechanism includes a first movable member, a second movable member, a twisted coil spring, a power generator, and a housing. The first and second movable members are gears. First and second wound parts of the spring are wound around a first center shaft in opposite directions. Initial elastic energies ie1 and ie2 are respectively applied to the first and second wound parts, absolute values of ie2 and ie1 being equal. The second movable member is turnable by a force from outside the mechanism, engaging teeth of the first and second movable members together to turn the first movable member. With ie12 accumulating on the first wound part and with the teeth disengaged from each other, the first center shaft is turned in an opposite direction by ie12 to generate power in the power generator. Also, the first center shaft is turned by ie1 and ie2.

A power generation mechanism includes a first movable member, a second movable member, a twisted coil spring, a power generator, and a housing. The first and second movable members are gears. First and second wound parts of the spring are wound around a first center shaft in opposite directions. Initial elastic energies ie1 and ie2 are respectively applied to the first and second wound parts, absolute values of ie2 and ie1 being equal. The second movable member is turnable by a force from outside the mechanism, engaging teeth of the first and second movable members together to turn the first movable member. With ie12 accumulating on the first wound part and with the teeth disengaged from each other, the first center shaft is turned in an opposite direction by ie12 to generate power in the power generator. Also, the first center shaft is turned by ie1 and ie2.

Proposed is a portable self-power-generating apparatus which has small size and is capable of charging a battery by realizing self-power generation with high efficiency in emergencies in which normal electricity supply is not available, such as a military operation, a refugee village, a disaster caused by earthquake or the like, an emergency situation on ships, or an outdoor activity, and which can be used in combination with various smart modules.

This invention is an apparatus to produce electrical power from the wearer's respiration through the application of a circular cluster of Variable Reluctance sensors that are excited by a rotating disk holding a plurality of magnets arranged radially, on its face, and spaced uniformly about its circumference. The sensors' arrangement conforms to the circumference and are perpendicular to the face of the rotating disk. This arrangement produces corresponding sinusoidal voltages that are each converted to DC via a corresponding rectifier circuit. The resulting DC voltage outputs are then summed to produce a single power output, which is fed to a DC-to-DC converter. The rotating disk's unidirectional motion is produced by a ratchet gear system attached to a partially elastic torso garment, which is worn on the mid torso. The ratchet gear system moves proportionally, in response to the reciprocal motion of a wearer's respiration.

Motion of a body segment is assisted when the body segment is moving in a positive power mode but not when it is moving in a negative power mode. When the motion of the body segment is cyclical, for example during walking, assistance to the body segment is switched on and off throughout the cycle to correspond to positive and negative power modes respectively. Energy used to assist the body segment may be harvested from prior motion of the body segment, either in prior cycles and/or when the body segment is moving in a negative power mode. The energy used may also be harvested from other body segments. Assisting motion of a body segment may be used to reduce the metabolic cost of locomotion, or to reduce exertion, when walking, jogging, running or sprinting.

This invention is an apparatus to produce electrical power from the wearer's respiration through the application of a circular cluster of Variable Reluctance sensors that are excited by a rotating disk holding a plurality of magnets arranged radially, on its face, and spaced uniformly about its circumference. The sensors' arrangement conforms to the circumference and are perpendicular to the face of the rotating disk. This arrangement produces corresponding sinusoidal voltages that are each converted to DC via a corresponding rectifier circuit. The resulting DC voltage outputs are then summed to produce a single power output, which is fed to a DC-to-DC converter. The rotating disk's unidirectional motion is produced by a ratchet gear system attached to a partially elastic torso garment, which is worn on the mid torso. The ratchet gear system moves proportionally, in response to the reciprocal motion of a wearer's respiration.

This invention is an apparatus to produce electrical power from the wearer's respiration through the application of a circular cluster of Variable Reluctance sensors that are excited by a rotating disk holding a plurality of magnets arranged radially, on its face, and spaced uniformly about its circumference. The sensors' arrangement conforms to the circumference and are perpendicular to the face of the rotating disk. This arrangement produces corresponding sinusoidal voltages that are each converted to DC via a corresponding rectifier circuit. The resulting DC voltage outputs are then summed to produce a single power output, which is fed to a DC-to-DC converter. The rotating disk's unidirectional motion is produced by a ratchet gear system attached to a partially elastic torso garment, which is worn on the mid torso. The ratchet gear system moves proportionally, in response to the reciprocal motion of a wearer's respiration.

This invention is an apparatus to produce electrical power from the wearer's respiration through the application of a circular cluster of Variable Reluctance sensors that are excited by a rotating disk holding a plurality of magnets arranged radially, on its face, and spaced uniformly about its circumference. The sensors' arrangement conforms to the circumference and are perpendicular to the face of the rotating disk. This arrangement produces corresponding sinusoidal voltages that are each converted to DC via a corresponding rectifier circuit. The resulting DC voltage outputs are then summed to produce a single power output, which is fed to a DC-to-DC converter. The rotating disk's unidirectional motion is produced by a ratchet gear system attached to a partially elastic torso garment, which is worn on the mid torso. The ratchet gear system moves proportionally, in response to the reciprocal motion of a wearer's respiration.

Motion of a body segment is assisted when the body segment is moving in a positive power mode but not when it is moving in a negative power mode. When the motion of the body segment is cyclical, for example during walking, assistance to the body segment is switched on and off throughout the cycle to correspond to positive and negative power modes respectively. Energy used to assist the body segment may be harvested from prior motion of the body segment, either in prior cycles and/or when the body segment is moving in a negative power mode. The energy used may also be harvested from other body segments. Assisting motion of a body segment may be used to reduce the metabolic cost of locomotion, or to reduce exertion, when walking, jogging, running or sprinting.