Inertial energy scavenger
First Claim
1. An inertial energy scavenger comprising:
- a. at least one piezoelectric element held by a housing;
b. a proof mass that is movable within said housing, wherein said movement is in a direction parallel to said piezoelectric element; and
c. a mechanical assembly disposed between said proof mass and said piezoelectric element, wherein said mechanical assembly transfers work from said proof mass to said piezoelectric element, whereby said work from said proof mass comprises a first force along a first distance and said work to said piezoelectric element comprises a second force along a second distance, whereas said first distance is greater than said second distance and said first force is smaller than said second force.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides an inertial energy scavenger that includes at least one piezoelectric element held by a housing, a proof mass that is movable within the housing in a direction parallel to the piezoelectric element, and a mechanical assembly disposed between the proof mass and the piezoelectric element. The mechanical assembly transfers work from the proof mass to the piezoelectric element, where the work from the proof mass is a first force along a first distance and the work to the piezoelectric element is a second force along a second distance. The first distance is greater than the second distance and the first force is smaller than the second force. Force amplification is determined by the geometry of the mechanical transfer assembly and can range anywhere from just above 1 to at least 10, where some embodiments include a bi-lever configuration, a tube-shaped configuration and a reverse actuation configuration.
18 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An inertial energy scavenger comprising:
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a. at least one piezoelectric element held by a housing; b. a proof mass that is movable within said housing, wherein said movement is in a direction parallel to said piezoelectric element; and c. a mechanical assembly disposed between said proof mass and said piezoelectric element, wherein said mechanical assembly transfers work from said proof mass to said piezoelectric element, whereby said work from said proof mass comprises a first force along a first distance and said work to said piezoelectric element comprises a second force along a second distance, whereas said first distance is greater than said second distance and said first force is smaller than said second force. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An inertial energy scavenger comprising:
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a. at least one piezoelectric element held by a translating housing, wherein said translation is in a direction parallel to said piezoelectric element; b. a proof mass held in said housing; c. at least one actuator channel, wherein said actuator channel is along said translation direction; d. a stationary base, wherein said base comprises at least one actuator disposed perpendicular to said base, whereby said actuator channel holds said actuator therein when said housing translates; and e. a mechanical assembly disposed between said actuator channel and said piezoelectric element, wherein said mechanical assembly transfers work from said proof mass to said piezoelectric element when acted on by said actuator, whereby said work from said proof mass comprises a first force along a first distance and said work to said piezoelectric element comprises a second force along a second distance, whereas said first distance is greater than said second distance and said first force is smaller than said second force. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification