ENERGY HARVESTING BASED ON USER-INTERFACE OF MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20100277126A1
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Limited (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Limited (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Ma, Qing, Naeimi, Helia
• Granted Patent: US 8,134,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/137
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/32 for charging batteries from a charging set comprising a non-electric prime mover rotating at constant speed
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1853 driven by intermittent forces
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1861 driven by animals or vehicles H02K7/1853 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a mobile computing device with ambient energy harvesting capability. Embodiments of the invention, when manually operated by a user, convert the kinetic motion of a part of the user'"'"'s hand, applied onto a controller of the device, to electrical energy. The energy can be used to power the device, or to charge the battery of the device. Embodiments of the invention include an electrical power storage device disposed in a housing, a display screen attached to the housing to display a plurality of user-interactive interfaces, and a manually operable input controller interactable with the interfaces and being coupled to an energy transformer in the housing to electrically charge the power storage device when operated.

Claims

1. A mobile computing apparatus, comprising:

an electrical power storage device disposed in a housing to power the apparatus;

a display screen attached to the housing to display a plurality of user-interactive interfaces; and

a manually operable input controller interactable with the interfaces and being coupled to an energy transformer in the housing to electrically charge the power storage device when operated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy transformer converts kinetic energy of the controller when operated to electrical energy being channeled to the power storage device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input controller includes an axially rotatable wheel partially embedded in the housing.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of wheels disposed at the corners of the apparatus, the wheels each being slidably coupled to a belt disposed along one or more edges of the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the wheel is coupled to a slidable plate member disposed on a surface of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the rigidity of the wheel is adaptive to the user-interactive interfaces.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy transformer includes a conductor disposed in an electromagnetic field provided by opposing poles of at least a pair of stationary magnets.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the conductor includes conductive wires coiled around the wheels.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the energy transformer includes a plurality of piezoelectric members configured to be vibrated by a plurality of protruding members fixably connected to the wheel when the wheel is being axially rotated.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the piezoelectric members include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-type cantilevers.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user-interactive interfaces each includes a graphical object of a graphical user interface controllable by the controller.

12. An energy harvesting system in a mobile device, comprising:

a rechargeable battery disposed in a housing of the device;

at least one manually accessible interface controller using a user'"'"'s kinetic motion to interact with the device, the controller includes at least an axially rotatable wheel; and

an energy transformer coupled to the controller capable of translating the kinetic motion to electrical energy being stored in the battery.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the energy transformer includes conductive wires disposed on the wheel, and is disposed between at least a first and a second stationary magnet, each magnet having a first end directly adjacent to the controller, the first end of the first magnet having a magnetic pole opposite to the first end of the second magnet.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the energy transformer includes a plurality of piezoelectric members configured to be vibrated by a plurality of protruding members extending from the wheel when the wheel is being axially rotated.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the piezoelectric members include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-type cantilevers.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the rigidity of the wheel when rotated is adaptive to a plurality of user-interactive interfaces of an application executed by the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the wheel is coupled to one of a slidable plate member disposed on a surface of the device or a belt disposed along one or more edges of the device.

18. An energy harvesting system in a mobile device, comprising:

a rechargeable battery disposed in a housing of the device;

a display screen attached to the housing to display a plurality of user-interactive interfaces of an application executed by the device;

at least one axially rotatable wheel coupled to the housing, the wheel being manually rotatable by a user'"'"'s manual kinetic motion to interact with the interfaces; and

an energy transformer aligned to the wheel to convert the kinetic motion of the wheel when rotated to electrical energy charging and being stored in the battery.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the energy transformer includes conductive wires coiled around the wheel, the wheel being disposed between a first and a second stationary magnet, a first end of the magnets being directly adjacent to the wheel and having opposing magnetic poles.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the energy transformer includes a plurality of piezoelectric cantilevers configured to be vibrated by a plurality of protruding members extending from the wheel when the wheel is being axially rotated.