Generating apparatus with an adjustable speed change mechanism

Claim 1

A generating apparatus comprising: a charging generator having a rotating input shaft; a rotating input body adapted to be connected to a motor so as to be rotated thereby, said rotating input body comprising a cylindrical body surrounding said input shaft; an adjustable speed change mechanism comprising a planetary cone reduction gear housed within said rotating input body and operatively associated with said rotating input body and said input shaft of said charging generator so as to transmit rotational force from said rotating input body to said input shaft, said planetary cone reduction gear comprising: a cone support ring mounted on said input shaft and adapted to rotate with respect thereto, a plurality of planetary cones having stems which are rotatably mounted on said cone support ring, the axis of each of said planetary cones being disposed such that a line which is parallel to said input shaft can be drawn from the vertex of each cone to its base along its top surface, a stationary guide ring which surrounds said input shaft and frictionally engages the peripheral surfaces of the stems of said planetary cones, a speed change ring surrounding said input shaft and having an inner surface frictionally engaging the top surfaces of said planetary cones, said speed change ring supported by said rotating input body so as to rotate together with said input body and adapted to move in the axial direction of said input body with respect thereto, an input ring which surrounds said input shaft, the outer peripheral surface of which is in frictional engagement with the bases of said planetary cones, and means for transmitting the rotation of said input ring to said input shaft; and means for adjusting the reduction ratio of said speed change mechanism to decrease the ratio of the rotational speed of said input shaft to the rotational speed of said input body as the rotational speed of said input body increases.