DEVICE WITH DEFORMABLE SHELL INCLUDING AN INTERNAL PIEZOELECTRIC CIRCUIT

• US 20170239530A1
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: SAVELLI, Guillaume, CORONEL, Philippe, HUGUET, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 10,350,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0043 Systems for locating the point of impact on a specific surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2039/006 pressurised
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/58 Measurement of force related parameters by electric or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 39/00 Hollow non-inflatable balls , i.e. having no valves rigid balls A63B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/004 electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/181 Circuits; Control arrangements or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/304 Beam type
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/308 Membrane type

Abstract

A device (10) including a deformable shell (12) delimiting an inner space (14), and: a resilient band (18, 30, 32) suspended in the inner space (14) and including two ends secured to the deformable shell (12), said band (18, 30, 32) including a piezoelectric material (30, 32) to generate an electric voltage under the effect of the deformation of the shell (12) and two electrodes for collecting the voltage; and an electronic circuit (34) for processing the voltage, arranged on the resilient band (18, 30, 32) and connected to the electrodes of the resilient band (18, 30, 32).

Claims

1. A device comprising a deformable shell delimiting an inner space, the device comprising:

a resilient band suspended in the inner space and comprising two ends secured to the deformable shell, said band comprising a piezoelectric material to generate an electric voltage under the effect of the deformation of the shell and two electrodes for collecting a voltage; and

an electronic circuit for processing the voltage, arranged on the resilient band and connected to the electrodes of the resilient band.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the resilient band comprises a resilient support layer having two opposite surfaces, and a layer formed of piezoelectric material arranged on at least one of said surfaces.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the modulus of elasticity of the support layer is substantially identical to the modulus of elasticity of the deformable shell.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the Shore hardness of the support layer is greater than or equal to 70 and the ratio of the length of the support layer to the thickness thereof is smaller than 2,200.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the support layer is made of polyurethane or of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the layer of piezoelectric material is made of piezoelectric polymer, particularly of polyvinylidene fluoride, and is covered with a plastic layer.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the deformable shell and the resilient band each comprise a plane of symmetry, and wherein the planes of symmetry of the deformable shell and of the resilient band coincide.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the deformable shell is a sphere, and wherein the resilient band is a cuboid having a width smaller than 50% of the diameter of the sphere.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the deformable shell is a sphere, and wherein the center of mass of the assembly formed of the resilient band and of the electronic circuit is arranged at the center of the sphere.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit comprises an electric energy storage element.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the electric energy storage element comprises a microbattery formed on a flexible or rigid substrate.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the electronic circuit comprises a circuit for generating data from the electric voltage generated by the resilient band, and a circuit of wireless transmission of said data outside of the deformable shell, said generation and transmission circuits being powered by the electric energy storage element.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit comprises a circuit for determining the force exerted on the deformable shell according to the amplitude of the voltage generated by the resilient band.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the deformable shell is a tennis ball.