Security and tracking systems including energy harvesting components for providing autonomous electrical power

• US 10,110,163 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2018
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Face International Corp.
• Original Assignee: Face International Corp.
• Inventors: Boyd, Clark D, Face, Bradbury R, Shepard, Jeffrey D
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US15/919,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20180212563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0242 by means of dispersed particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0294 adapted to provide an additional optical effect, e.g. anti-reflection or filter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/22 Light-reflecting or light-concentrating means directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H01L31/054
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/38 Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin

Abstract

A security system is provided that integrates a unique set of structural features for concealing self-powered sensor and communication devices in aesthetically neutral, or camouflaged, packages that include energy harvesting systems that provide autonomous electrical power to sensors, data processing and wireless communication components in the portable, self-contained packages. Color-matched, image-matched and/or texture-matched optical layers are formed over energy harvesting components, including photovoltaic energy collecting components. Optical layers are tuned to scatter selectable wavelengths of electromagnetic energy back in an incident direction while allowing remaining wavelengths of electromagnetic energy to pass through the layers to the energy collecting components below. The layers uniquely implement optical light scattering techniques to make the layers appear opaque when observed from a light incident side, while allowing at least 50%, and as much as 80+%, of the energy impinging on the energy or incident side to pass through the layer.

Claims

1. A security system, comprising:

an energy harvesting element arranged on a body structure;

a sensor device powered by electrical energy generated by the energy harvesting element, the sensor device generating a sensor output signal according to a sensed parameter measured by the sensor device; and

an energy transmissive layer arranged over the energy harvesting element on the body structure and arranged over the sensor device, the energy transmissive layer having a body-facing side facing a surface of the body structure, and an energy-incident side opposite the body-facing side,

the energy-incident side presenting an opaque appearance when viewed from substantially any aspect on the energy incident side, and

the energy transmissive layer passing 50% or more of light energy impinging on the energy transmissive layer through the energy transmissive layer to activate the energy harvesting element.

2. The security system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical energy storage device that stores electrical energy generated by the energy harvesting element.

3. The security system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communicating device communicatively coupled to the sensor device, and configured to establish communication with at least one of (1) a cooperating wireless communicating device of at least one other self-powered sensor device, and (2) a receiver unit located remotely from the self-powered sensor device,

the wireless communicating device being configured to transmit first data communications based on the sensor output signal.

4. The security system of claim 3, further comprising a geolocation device communicatively coupled to the wireless communicating device, and configured to determine a location of the self-powered device and to generate a location output signal,

the wireless communicating device transmitting second data communications based on the location output signal.

5. The security system of claim 3, further comprising a processor that is programmed to

control operation of the sensor device and the wireless communicating device;

and

convert the sensor output signal to the first data communications for transmission by the wireless communicating device.

6. The security system of claim 1, the energy transmissive layer being formed of a material composition comprising a plurality of substantially-transparent particles and a substantially-transparent matrix material that fixes the plurality of substantially-transparent particles in a layer arrangement to form the energy transmissive layer on the body structure.

7. The security system of claim 6, the plurality of substantially-transparent particles being fixed in the substantially-transparent matrix material in a configuration that causes the energy-incident side to reflect substantially all of one or more selectable wavelengths of the impinging light energy on the energy-incident side to present the opaque appearance.

8. The security system of claim 6, each of the plurality of substantially-transparent particles comprising:

a spherical core formed of a first transparent dielectric material, the spherical core having a value of a physical diameter equal to a half wavelength of a first selected color of light component to be reflected by the particle modified by a refractive index of the first transparent dielectric material;

a plurality of material layers disposed radially outwardly from the spherical core, each of the plurality of material layers being formed of at least a second transparent dielectric material, and having a value of a physical thickness equal to a quarter wavelength of at least a second selected color of light component to be reflected by the particle modified by a refractive index of the at least the second transparent dielectric material; and

an outer coating comprised of another transparent dielectric material having a thickness that substantially eliminates reflective interference between the colors reflected by adjacent particles when in contact with one another.

9. The security system of claim 8, the substantially transparent matrix material having a same index of refraction as the outer coating.

10. The security system of claim 6, the energy harvesting element comprising a photovoltaic element.

11. The security system of claim 10, the photovoltaic element being a photovoltaic film (PVF) material.

12. The security system of claim 11, the PVF material being applied to one or more discrete portions of the surface of the body structure.

13. The security system of claim 12, further comprising a layer of adhesive applied to the one or more discrete portions of the surface of the body structure before applying the PVF material to the one or more discrete portions, the layer of adhesive affixing the PVF material to the surface of the body structure in the one or more discrete portions.

14. The security system of claim 6, the energy transmissive layer being arranged over the energy harvesting element on the surface of the body structure by delivering the material composition in a liquid form and applying one of heat or light energy to fix the material composition to form the energy transmissive layer on the body structure.

15. The security system of claim 14, each of the substantially-transparent particles having a diameter in a range of 5 microns or less.

16. The security system of claim 15, each of the substantially-transparent particles having a diameter in a range of 1.0 to 3.0 microns.

17. The security system of claim 16, the material composition being entrained in an air stream and sprayed on the surface of the body structure.

18. The security system of claim 17, the plurality of substantially-transparent particles and the substantially-transparent matrix material being entrained separately in the air stream to form the material composition sprayed on the surface of the body structure.

19. The security system of claim 1, further comprising a substantially transparent protective coating arranged over the energy transmissive layer.

20. The security system of claim 1, the energy transmissive layer passing 80% or more of the light energy impinging on the energy transmissive layer through the energy transmissive layer to activate the energy harvesting element.