Meta-material vibration energy harvester
First Claim
1. A meta-material mechanical/electrical energy converter (MMMEEC) for converting mechanical energy to an electrical current, comprising a rigid housing element of mass M encapsulating N oscillators each joined with a mechanical/electrical converter element, and each having a mass mj and a resonance frequency ω
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j, together with electrical circuitry for collecting individual electric currents from each of the combination oscillator-mechanical/electrical-converters and outputting the sum of currents via the housing element,wherein the source of mechanical energy inputted to the MMMEEC is a time-varying external force acting on the rigid housing element, andfurther wherein N is substantially large and the distribution of ω
j is substantially uniform across a frequency band of width Ω
so that the frequency band is densely filled, and wherein the masses mj are substantially equal to one another, andfurther wherein the ratios of the sum of the mj masses to M and the width of the frequency band Ω
to the center frequency of the band, ω
c, have predetermined values, andfurther wherein the value of ω
c equals the frequency for which the spectral content of the time-varying external force is near its maximum,whereby the MMMEEC has the capacity of converting a substantially larger quantity of mechanical energy than would a device for which the housing element of similar mass, comprising any material but no internal oscillators, is combined with a mechanical/electrical converter element.
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Abstract
A meta-material vibration energy harvester includes a housing element encapsulating a multiplicity of oscillators capable of harvesting a significant percentage of the total mechanical energy diffusely distributed throughout the vibrating structure, the harvester design resulting in a rapid transfer of mechanical energy entering it via the housing element from the element to the oscillators wherein the energy remains trapped while accumulating over an extended time, the percentage of energy transfer primarily depending on the ratios of the sum of the oscillator masses to the sum of the housing mass and of the measure of the mass of the vibrating structure and of the width of the band spanned by the oscillators to its center frequency, both the relevant measure of the vibrating structure mass and the values of the mass and frequency ratios that maximize the percentage of internal energy transfer depending on the harvesting scenario.
30 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A meta-material mechanical/electrical energy converter (MMMEEC) for converting mechanical energy to an electrical current, comprising a rigid housing element of mass M encapsulating N oscillators each joined with a mechanical/electrical converter element, and each having a mass mj and a resonance frequency ω
-
j, together with electrical circuitry for collecting individual electric currents from each of the combination oscillator-mechanical/electrical-converters and outputting the sum of currents via the housing element,
wherein the source of mechanical energy inputted to the MMMEEC is a time-varying external force acting on the rigid housing element, and further wherein N is substantially large and the distribution of ω
j is substantially uniform across a frequency band of width Ω
so that the frequency band is densely filled, and wherein the masses mj are substantially equal to one another, andfurther wherein the ratios of the sum of the mj masses to M and the width of the frequency band Ω
to the center frequency of the band, ω
c, have predetermined values, andfurther wherein the value of ω
c equals the frequency for which the spectral content of the time-varying external force is near its maximum,whereby the MMMEEC has the capacity of converting a substantially larger quantity of mechanical energy than would a device for which the housing element of similar mass, comprising any material but no internal oscillators, is combined with a mechanical/electrical converter element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 5, 6, 7)
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j, together with electrical circuitry for collecting individual electric currents from each of the combination oscillator-mechanical/electrical-converters and outputting the sum of currents via the housing element,
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3. A deformable meta-material mechanical/electrical energy converter (DMMMEEC) for converting mechanical energy to an electrical current, comprising a deformable housing element containing a naturally occurring material with spatially varying mechanical properties, which includes a spatially varying mass density ρ
- , and encapsulating N oscillators each joined with a mechanical/electrical converter element, and each having a mass mj and a resonance frequency ω
j, together with electrical circuitry for collecting individual electric currents from each of the combination oscillator-mechanical/electrical-converters and outputting the sum of currents via the housing element,wherein the source of mechanical energy inputted to the MMMEEC is a distribution, whether discrete or continuous, of time-varying external forces of limited spectral content acting over a region of the boundary of the deforming housing element, and further wherein N is substantially large and the distribution of internal elements is substantially uniform so that the volume of the housing element is densely filled, and further wherein the distribution of ω
j is substantially uniform across a frequency band of width Ω
so that the frequency band is densely filled, and further wherein the masses mj are substantially equal to one another, andfurther wherein the distribution of the internal elements are such that the ratios of the sum of those mj in a representative unit volume element to ρ
, and the width of the frequency band Ω
to the center frequency of the band ω
c, have predetermined values, andfurther wherein the value of ω
c equals the frequency for which the spectral content of the time-varying external force is near its maximum, andfurther wherein the spatially varying mechanical properties are predetermined so as to maximize the mechanical energy inputted by the external forces acting, whereby the MMMEEC has the capacity of converting a substantially larger quantity of mechanical energy than would a device for which the housing element of similar mass, comprising any material found in nature but no internal oscillators, is combined with an external distribution of mechanical/electrical converter elements. - View Dependent Claims (4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- , and encapsulating N oscillators each joined with a mechanical/electrical converter element, and each having a mass mj and a resonance frequency ω
Specification