Skate wheel having skew-mounted and self-powered illuminating devices

Abstract

An in-line skate wheel having skew-mounted and self-powered illuminating devices is disclosed. The wheel includes a first and a second anchor joined together creating a chamber in the middle, a rotor held in the chamber, multiple illuminating devices inserted with a skew angle on the rotor, a stator fitted in the rotor, an axle passing through the two coupled anchors and the stator, and a protective covering placed around the rim of the two anchors. The skew-mounted illuminating devices allow the skate wheel to be fitted on in-line skates and skate boards that can only use small wheels. Further, the present design can prevent scratching of the illuminating devices against the ground that would otherwise cause abrasion on the surface of the illuminating devices and attenuate the light given out by the illuminating devices.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a skate wheel having skew-mounted and self-powered illuminating devices, particularly to a roller wheel for in-line skates or skate boards that are equipped with skew-mounted illuminating devices and means of generating the necessary electricity to supply the illuminating devices.

2. Description of Related Art

In-line skates and skate boards are sports items popular with teenagers, as they are suitable both for leisure activities and exercise. By using in-line skates or skate boards to do difficult acts with advanced skills, teenagers find a sense of accomplishment and a venue for self-expression. Therefore, many skating fans like to wear sportive gear and clothing to show off their personal styles, and install light or sound producing devices on the in-line skates or skate boards. These in-line skates or skate boards, when in use, can produce the light or sound effects to catch the attention of spectators. The in-line skate equipped with illuminating devices is intended to amuse the crowds as the in-line skate can produce a light trail following the movement of the skater.

Most illuminating devices are installed inside the roller wheels of in-line skates or skate boards to produce the light as the wheels rotate on the axle. The illuminating device is conventionally installed on the hub and inside the wheel, perpendicular to the axis of the wheel; that means the illuminating device is radially mounted on the hub extending towards the circumference of the wheel. However, the illuminating device, when in use, can be easily scratched against the ground or by other obstacles causing abrasion on the surface of the illuminating device. As a result, light emission from the illuminating device will be partially diffracted by the uneven surface on the illuminating device, thus the light effects are attenuated.

Further, since the conventional illuminating devices are protruded from the hub, these illuminating devices cannot fit in wheels with particularly small diameters. Therefore, the conventional design of the illuminating devices is hampering efforts to create wider applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to provide a modified skate wheel that is capable of incorporating a skew-mounted illuminating device. The design of the illuminating device for installation with a skew angle (1) is able to reduce the diameter requirement for the wheel, (2) allows the light produced by the illuminating device to irradiate from the lateral side of the wheel, and (3) reduces the chance of scratching on the surface of the illuminating device, thus preventing the diffraction of light that will attenuate the light effects. The second object of the present invention is to provide an illuminating device that is embedded with means of generating the necessary electricity to supply the illuminating device. Therefore, the illuminating device does not need any external power source. To this end, the skate wheel incorporating skew-mounted and self-powered illuminating devices comprises:

• • two opposing and mutually coupling anchors having a recessed portion on the side opposing each other, together creating a chamber between the two anchors;
  • a ring-shaped rotor being placed in the chamber between the two anchors, wherein the rotor is able to rotate synchronously with the motion of the coupled anchors;
  • multiple illuminating devices installable with a skew angle on the rotor, wherein each illuminating device has two terminals, one terminal being connected to one of the two metal plates over the rotor, another terminal being connected to the junction linking with the induction coil of the rotor;
  • a stator being fitted in the rotor, but not in physical contact with the rotor;
  • an axle extending through the two anchors and the stator; and
  • a protective covering, made of translucent materials, being placed around the circumference and the lateral sides of the two anchors.

According to the present invention, there are multiple pairs of projected portions and sunken portions formed on the rim of the coupled anchors. The projected portions appear on the first anchor, and the sunken portions on the second anchor, wherein each pair of projected portion and sunken portion has a skewness that corresponds with the skew angle of the illuminating device to be installed on the anchor. The projected portions and sunken portions on the rim of the anchors are used for interlocking the two anchors and holding the illuminating devices.

According to the present invention, the rotor is formed by a ring-shaped induction coil and two metal plates, wherein the induction coil is formed by a wire wound around a circular core, and the two metal plates are joined together holding the induction coil in the middle, with one end of the coil being connected to the mutually coupled metal plates.

Since the illuminating device is installed with a skew angle on the rim of the coupled anchors, the installed illuminating device appears with a low profile. Therefore, the diameter of the wheel required to cover the hub can be reduced in size as compared with conventional design of the illuminating devices, and the chance of scratching the surface of the illuminating device can be minimized.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded diagram of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 presents an in-line skate wheel (10) having skew-mounted and self-powered illuminating devices in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 2, 3 illustrate the structure of the present invention, including a first and a second anchor (11) (12), a rotor (13) and a stator (14) held between the two coupled anchors (11) (12), multiple illuminating devices (15) installed on the rotor (13) with a skew angle, an axle (17) extending through the two coupled anchors (11) (12) and the stator (14), and a protective covering (18) formed around the circumference of the two coupled anchors (11) (12).

The wheel (10) is mounted on the axle (17) of the in-line skate or skate board, which is formed by mutually coupling the first and second anchors (11) (12), each having a recessed portion (112) (122) on the side of one anchor opposing each other, such that when the two coupled anchors (11) (12) are joined together, the two recessed portions (112) (122) are combined to produce a chamber for accommodating the rotor (13) and the stator (14) between the two coupled anchors (11) (12).

The ring-shaped rotor (13) is formed by a ring-shaped induction coil and two metal plates, wherein the induction coil is formed by a wire wound around a circular core, and then the two metal plates are joined together holding the induction coil in the middle. The two metal plates are joined by welding, wherein a first end of the induction coil is directly and electrically connected to the mutually coupled metal plates for boosting the efficiency of power generation. The rotor (13) rotates synchronously with the motion of the anchors (11) (12), as opposed to the stator (14).

The multiple illuminating devices (15) are installed on the rotor (13) with a skew angle, wherein each illuminating device (15) is inserted at a 45 degrees skew angle in relation to the rotor (13) positioned in an upright direction. The illuminating device (15) may be a light emitting diode (LED). Each illuminating device (15) has two terminals, one terminal being electrically connected to the metal plates of the rotor (13), and another terminal being connected to a second end of the induction coil.

The stator (14) is fitted in the rotor, but not in physical contact with the rotor (13), wherein the stator (14) may be a ring-shaped permanent magnet.

Multiple pairs of projected portion (114) and sunken portion (124) are formed on the rim of the two coupled anchors (11) (12). The projected portions (114) are located on the first anchor (11), and the sunken portions (124) are located on the second anchor (12). When the two anchors (11) (12) are mutually coupled, a volume is created by each pair of combined projected portion (114) and sunken portion (124), wherein the volume created by the projected portion (114) and sunken portion (124) has a skewness that corresponds with the skew angle of the corresponding illuminating device (15), such that the illuminating device (15) can be inserted into the volume space created by the corresponding projected portion (114) and sunken portion (124) with a predetermined angle, located on the rim of the coupled anchors (11) (12).

The axle (17) is installed through the two coupled anchors (11) (12) and the stator (14), having the stator (14) fixed on the axle (17), such that the rotor (13) revolves around the axle (17) in step with the motion of the wheel (10), whereas the stator (14) is stationary.

Two bearing sleeves (16)(162) are fitted in respective notches formed onto the outer side of the two coupled anchors (11) (12) as opposed to the side facing each other to receive the axle (17) that extends through the space in the center of the anchors (11) (12).

The protective covering (18) is formed on the circumference of the two coupled anchors (11) (12), wherein the protective covering (18) is made of polyurethane (PU) materials by injection molding and covers the circumference and the lateral sides of the two anchors (11) (12) and binds the two anchors (11) (12).

When the in-line skate or skate board equipped with the present skate wheels is put to use, the protective covering (18) and the two coupled anchors (11) (12) rotate synchronously with the motion of the wheel, causing the rotor (13) to revolve synchronously against the stator (14). The rotation of the rotor (13) will cause the embedded induction coil to cut across the magnetic flux of the stator (14), thus producing electric current that can light up the illuminating device (15). The light given out by the illuminating device (15) of the in-line skate or skate board can help boost the animation effects during skating.

With the illuminating device (15) positioned with a skew angle on the two coupled anchors (11) (12), the light emitted by the illuminating device (15) is able to irradiate from the translucent protective covering (18) with an angle, and the embedded illuminating device (15) can be protected by the protective covering (18) and the anchors (11) (12). Therefore, the present design of the skate wheel can prevent scratching of the illuminating device (15) against the ground or by other obstacles that would otherwise cause abrasion on the surface of the illuminating device (15).

Further, with the illuminating device (15) installed with a skew angle or embedded in the rotor (13), the illuminating device (15) does not take up any extra space on the circumference of the coupled anchors (11) (12). Therefore, the diameter requirement for the wheel (10) can be reduced in size to allow the skate wheel to be fitted on in-line skates or skate boards that can only accommodate small diameter wheels.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is intended to be illustrative only and, under no circumstances, should the scope of the present invention be so restricted, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A skate wheel having skew-mounted and self-powered illuminating devices, comprising:

two mutually coupled anchors, each having a recessed portion on one side facing each other, such that when the two anchors are joined together the two recessed portions are combined to produce a chamber in between the two anchors;

a ring-shaped rotor being placed in the above chamber defined by the two coupled anchors, wherein the rotor is formed by a ring-shaped induction coil and two metal plates, wherein the induction coil is formed by a wire wound around a circular core, and the two metal plates are joined together holding the induction coil in between, where a first end of the induction coil connected to the coupled metal plates; whereby the rotor is able to revolve synchronously with revolution of the coupled anchors;

multiple illuminating devices being installed with a skew angle on the rotor, wherein each illuminating device has a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal is connected to the two metal plates, and the second terminal is connected to a second end of the induction coil;

a stator being fitted in the rotor, but not in physical contact with the rotor;

an axle extending through the two coupled anchors and secured with the stator;

a protective covering formed around the circumference of the two anchors; wherein

multiple pairs of one of the projected portions and one of the sunken portions are formed on the rim of the two anchors, where each pair of the projected portion and the sunken portion, when the two anchors are mutually coupled, creates a volume on the rim of the rotor that is inclined at an angle that corresponds with the skew angle of each corresponding illuminating device.

2. The skate wheel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each illuminating device is inserted into the volume with a skew angle of 45 degrees in relation to the rotor positioned in an upright direction.

3. The skate wheel as claimed in claim 2, wherein each illuminating device is a light emitting diode (LED) having two terminals respectively connected to the two metal plates of the rotor.

4. The skate wheel as claimed in claim 1, wherein two bearing sleeves are fitted into respective notches on the outer wall of the two anchors to receive the axle.

5. The skate wheel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two metal plates are joined together by welding.

6. The skate wheel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two metal plates are joined together by welding.

7. The skate wheel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two metal plates are joined together by welding.

8. The skate wheel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the two metal plates are joined together by welding.