METHOD OF ENERGY HARVESTING USING BUILT-IN POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE OF METAL-TO-METAL JUNCTIONS AND DEVICE THEREOF

• US 20150001991A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haluk Kulah, Mehmet Serhan Ardanuc, Ozge Zorlu, Tayfun Akin
• Original Assignee: Haluk Kulah, Mehmet Serhan Ardanuc, Ozge Zorlu, Tayfun Akin
• Inventors: Kulah, Haluk, Ardanuc, Mehmet Serhan, Zorlu, Ozge, Tayfun, Akin
• Granted Patent: US 10,027,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/309
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/00 Electrostatic generators or motors using a solid moving electrostatic charge carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/04 Friction generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/08 with conductive charge carrier, i.e. capacitor machines

Abstract

This invention is related with electrical energy conversion device, which uses built-in potential of metal-to-metal junctions from repeating movements with random frequencies, speeds and amplitudes at the medium of the device. The device using the method does not rely on a resonant frequency, besides, it can convert the kinetic energy to electrical energy even at low frequencies. Furthermore, its application to the real life situations is economic and beneficial because of the efficient working principle and simple structure. Unique design of the device enables direct wiring of the outputs of identical or similar devices together for the purpose of power scaling without the need of using another device, which may cause energy losses and increase the total cost. This device also does not require a dummy voltage source or a precharge at the beginning of energy harvesting

Claims

1. An energy conversion device using built-in potential difference of metal-to-metal junctions, in which a charge shuttle device is used the energy conversion device comprising:

a capsulation, which is fixed within a reference frame of the device, but is subject to external motion and encapsulates all the device components;

a plurality of device first electrode and a device second electrode wherein the device first electrode is mechanically coupled to the capsulation, wherein the device second electrode is mechanically coupled to the capsulation;

a moving shuttle that moves back and forth between the device first electrode and the device second electrode wherein external motion is exerted to the moving shuttle, and the moving shuttle cannot be in electrical contact with the device first electrode and the device second electrode at the same time;

a device first electrode node connected to the device first electrode;

a device second electrode node connected to the device second electrode; and

a device shuttle node connected to the device shuttle electrode;

wherein an electrical energy is generated through the relative motion of the shuttle with respect to the device first electrode and the device second electrode, as a result of contact or proximity based charging due to contact potential differences of the materials making up the shuttle and the device first electrode and the device second electrode.

2. The energy conversion device of claim 1, wherein a kinetic energy to electrical energy conversion method Which uses built-in potential difference of metal-to-metal junctions associated with the device first electrode, the device second electrode and the device shuttle electrode,

comprising.

wherein the shuttle is capable of moving freely between the device first electrode and the device second electrode, or the motion of the shuttle may be restrained by a mechanical coupling of the shuttle to the capsulation;

wherein at least two of the device first electrode, the device second electrode and the device shuttle are made of materials with different contact potentials (work-functions),

wherein the shuttle moves either partially along a path between the device first electrode and the device second electrode, or the shuttle moves along the complete path between the device first electrode and the device second electrode, wherein the partial or complete path can be linear, circular, along an arc, or random,

3. The energy conversion device of claim 2, wherein the materials of the device first electrode, the device second electrode and shuttle can be chosen so that the shuttle can carry a charge.

4. The energy conversion device of claim 2, wherein the device first electrode, the device second electrode and the shuttle act as electrodes of a variable air-gap capacitor and movement of the shuttle leads to AC waveforms at the terminals of the device first electrode node, the device second electrode node and the device shuttle node.

5. The energy conversion device of claim 2, further comprising one or more shuttles, which cannot be mechanically in contact with both the device first electrode and the device second electrode at the same time, hence preventing an electrical short circuit between the device first electrode and the device second electrode.

6. The energy conversion device of claim 2, wherein the device first electrode and the device second electrode can be fixed to a datum as a result of a special case of the coupling the device first electrode and the device second electrode to the datum by spring and damper elements.

7. The energy conversion device of claim 2, wherein the device first electrode node and the device second electrode node and the device shuttle node are accessible as electrical terminals, for connection of electrical loads for electrical energy harvesting.

8. A cluster of energy conversion devices comprising:

a plurality of the energy conversion device of claim 2;

wherein the energy conversion devices are connected in parallel such that the device first electrode node of the each energy conversion device is connected to the device first electrode node of the next energy conversion device; and

the device second electrode node of the each energy conversion device is connected to the device second electrode node of the next energy conversion device.

9. The cluster of energy conversion devices of claim 8, comprising:

a single global device first electrode node and a global device second electrode node associated with parallel connected the device first electrode nodes and the device second electrode nodes respectively, and a multiple number of the device shuttle nodes associated with the device shuttle electrode of each individual energy conversion device forming the device of claim 8.

10. The cluster of energy conversion devices of claim 8, wherein the electrical configuration ensures a single but higher-power energy conversion device without the requirement of additional active elements or external devices for increasing the number of the parallel-connected devices.

11. The cluster of energy conversion devices of claim 8, wherein the parallel connection of individual devices allows larger power extraction at a single electrical terminal from multiple charge shuttle devices distributed over a large area over locations that have different vibration, amplitude, phase, frequency, and spectra.

12. The energy conversion device according to claim 2 or claim 8, wherein the shuttle can be constrained to make the motion in a predetermined or an undetermined path for transferring charge between the device first electrode and the device second electrode.

13. The energy conversion device according claim 2, wherein the shuttle can be constrained with springs and dampers to restrict the motion of the the shuttle or move freely without any constraints.

14. The energy conversion device according claim 2, wherein vibrational movements are used as the kinetic energy sources by the charge shuttle device.

15. The energy conversion device according to claim 2, wherein rotational movements are used as the kinetic energy sources by charge the shuttle device

16. The energy conversion devices according to claim 2, wherein movements of the shuttle can be periodic aperiodic, random, or deterministic.

17. The cluster of energy conversion devices according claim 8, wherein shuttle(s) can be constrained to make the motion in a predetermined or an undetermined path for transferring charge between the device top electrode and the device bottom electrode.

18. The cluster of energy conversion devices according claim 8, wherein the shuttles can be constrained with springs and dampers to restrict the motion of the shuttles or move freely without any constraints.

19. The cluster of energy conversion devices according claim 8, were vibrational movements are used as the kinetic energy sources by the charge the shuttles.

20. The cluster of energy conversion devices according claim 8, wherein rotational movements are used as the kinetic energy sources by charge shuttle devices.

21. The cluster of energy conversion devices according claim 8, wherein movements of the shuttles can be periodic aperiodic, random, or deterministic.