System for generating electric power from a rotating tire's mechanical energy using reinforced piezoelectric materials
First Claim
1. A tire assembly with integrated self-powered electronic components, said tire assembly comprising:
- a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said tire to a wheel rim, exterior sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and interior crown and sidewall surfaces;
a patch of piezoelectric material integrated with a selected portion of said to pneumatic tire structure, said patch of piezoelectric material configured to generate an electric charge therein upon said pneumatic tire structure being subjected to mechanical strains;
an energy storage device configured to receive said electric charge from said patch of piezoelectric material and to store selected amounts of said electric charge therein; and
an electronics assembly including said electronic components connected to said energy storage device such that selected electronic components of said electronics assembly are powered by the electric charge stored in said energy storage device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for generating electric power from a rotating tire'"'"'s mechanical energy concerns a power generation device with a piezoelectric structure and an energy storage device. The piezoelectric structure preferably comprises a plurality of piezoelectric fibers embedded in a generally unidirectional fashion within an epoxy matrix. The piezoelectric structure may be mounted on a support substrate that helps distribute mechanical strain to which the piezoelectric fibers are subjected in a substantially uniform fashion. The piezoelectric structure is preferably mounted within a tire structure such that electric charge is generated therein as the wheel assembly moves along a ground surface. Electrode layers within the piezoelectric structure are coupled to a power conditioning module that rectifies the resultant electric current from the piezoelectric structure and stores it in an energy storage device, preferably an electrolytic capacitor. A rechargeable battery may also be provided for storing additional charge generated within the piezoelectric structure. A regulated voltage source is provided from the energy stored in the power generation device and can be used to power various electronics systems integrated within a tire or wheel assembly. An example of an integrated tire electronics system for use with the disclosed power generation device corresponds to a tire monitoring system that wirelessly transmits such information as tire pressure, temperature and identification variables to a remote receiver location.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A tire assembly with integrated self-powered electronic components, said tire assembly comprising:
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a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said tire to a wheel rim, exterior sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and interior crown and sidewall surfaces;
a patch of piezoelectric material integrated with a selected portion of said to pneumatic tire structure, said patch of piezoelectric material configured to generate an electric charge therein upon said pneumatic tire structure being subjected to mechanical strains;
an energy storage device configured to receive said electric charge from said patch of piezoelectric material and to store selected amounts of said electric charge therein; and
an electronics assembly including said electronic components connected to said energy storage device such that selected electronic components of said electronics assembly are powered by the electric charge stored in said energy storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A tire assembly with integrated self-powered electronic components, said tire assembly comprising:
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a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said tire to a wheel rim, exterior sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and interior crown and sidewall surfaces;
a patch of piezoelectric material carried by a selected portion of said pneumatic tire structure, said patch of piezoelectric material configured to generate electric charge therein upon said tire structure being subjected to mechanical strains;
a support substrate provided adjacent to said patch of piezoelectric material for distributing the strain to which said piezoelectric material is subjected in a substantially uniform fashion within said patch of piezoelectric material;
an energy storage device configured to receive said electric charge generated in said patch of piezoelectric material and to store selected amounts of said electric charge therein; and
an electronics assembly including said electronic components connected to said energy storage device such that selected electronic components of said electronics assembly are powered by the electric charge stored in said energy storage device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An electronics assembly for integration with a pneumatic tire structure designed to measure and transmit information relating to selected tire conditions, said electronics assembly comprising:
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an active piezoelectric fiber composite structure integrated in the pneumatic tire structure, wherein said piezoelectric fiber composite structure is characterized by a plurality of piezoelectric fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix and provided between at least two electrode layers;
a support substrate provided adjacent to said active piezoelectric fiber composite structure for distributing the strain to which said piezoelectric fibers are subjected in a substantially uniform fashion within said piezoelectric fiber composite structure;
a power conditioning module electrically coupled to selected electrode layers of said piezoelectric fiber composite structure for receiving electric charge generated within the piezoelectric fibers, for storing the charge in an energy storage device within the power conditioning module, and for generating a regulated voltage output;
a plurality of sensors for determining information about preselected tire conditions, wherein said sensors are powered by the regulated voltage output from said power conditioning module;
a microcontroller connected to said power conditioning module and to said plurality of sensors for processing the information received from said sensors, and for generating select information indicative of preselected tire conditions; and
an RF transmitter electrically connected to said microcontroller for receiving select information from said microcontroller, modulating the select information to a carrier signal, and transmitting the select information to a remote receiver location. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A tire assembly with integrated power generation features, said tire assembly comprising:
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a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said tire to a wheel rim, exterior sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and interior crown and sidewall surfaces;
a patch of piezoelectric material integrated with a selected portion of said pneumatic tire structure, said patch of piezoelectric material configured to generate an electric charge therein upon said pneumatic tire structure being subjected to mechanical strains;
at least one sensor for determining information about preselected tire conditions, wherein said at least one sensor is powered by the electric charge generated in said patch of piezoelectric material; and
an antenna coupled to said at least one sensor for radiating and receiving RF signals representative of said information about preselected tire conditions determined by said at least one sensor. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification