Dave's Ideas

Wind-Up Power Assist For Cars

March 12, 2011

This is an old old idea I finally got enough nerve to post. It’s a bit juvenile in it’s execution (and explanation as well), so apologies in advance!

Remember those pull-back cars you played with when you were a kid? You pulled back on the car, released, and the car zoomed forward. This was made possible by the Pullback motor in the toy car.

So then I thought, what if there was a way you could both constantly pull back and propel the car as well?

The only way I thought it was possible, was to have the Pullback motors pulled-back by the forward motion of the car, and then swing around and expend the energy against the car wheels.

In my design above, there are two pull-back motors on a revolving platform. One is on the road being wound-up, the other is propelling the wheel. When the one on the ground is full wound, it brakes, and is then swerved around to press against the wheel. There it propels the wheel.

Does that sort of make sense? Yeah a bit weird to explain I know.

Now this could not be used as a primary source to propel a vehicle (thanks to Thermodynamics), but rather a means to compliment/assist the main motor to help save gas/volts. Unfortunately Pullback motors are essentially a clock spring, and there isn’t a Pullback motor large or strong enough to be used in such a large-scale fashion.

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Entry filed under: Cars, Environment, Toys, Transportation. Tags: Automotive, Environment, Toys, Transportation.