System and method for harvesting electric power from a rotating tire's static electricity
First Claim
1. A tire assembly configured to store electric charge accumulated during rotation of a pneumatic tire structure, said tire assembly comprising:
- a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said pneumatic tire structure to a wheel rim, sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and an inner liner;
a portion of conductive material interposed in the space between said inner liner and said exterior tread portion for at least partially forming a conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said pneumatic tire structure can flow to a ground surface in contact with said exterior tread portion; and
an energy storage device coupled to said portion of conductive material for further forming said conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said tire structure can flow, wherein said energy storage device is configured to store therein selected of said electric charge flowing through said conductivity path.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power harvesting solution concerns a generally non-conductive tire structure that is formed with at least one defined conductivity path through which static electricity accumulated in the tire structure during tire rotation can dissipate to ground. Such conductivity path is formed from a portion of conductive material that may be partially surrounded by additional insulative material to restrict the flow of electric charge to ground. An energy storage device, such as a capacitor or rechargeable battery, is coupled with the conductivity path and configured to store selected amounts of the electric charge dissipating through the conductivity path. Various diode elements may be provided in combination with the energy storage device to prevent reverse discharging of and to provide voltage protection for the energy storage device. Sufficient accumulations of such harvested energy can then power tire electronic systems, including various condition-responsive devices (i.e., sensors, etc.) a revolution counter, a radio frequency (RF) device, a rechargeable battery or a lighting device.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A tire assembly configured to store electric charge accumulated during rotation of a pneumatic tire structure, said tire assembly comprising:
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a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said pneumatic tire structure to a wheel rim, sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and an inner liner;
a portion of conductive material interposed in the space between said inner liner and said exterior tread portion for at least partially forming a conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said pneumatic tire structure can flow to a ground surface in contact with said exterior tread portion; and
an energy storage device coupled to said portion of conductive material for further forming said conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said tire structure can flow, wherein said energy storage device is configured to store therein selected of said electric charge flowing through said conductivity path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A tire assembly configured to store electric charge accumulated during rotation of a pneumatic tire structure, said tire assembly comprising:
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a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said pneumatic tire structure to a wheel rim, sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and an inner liner;
a portion of conductive material extending between said inner liner and said exterior tread portion for at least partially forming a conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said pneumatic tire structure can flow to a ground surface in contact with said exterior tread portion;
an energy storage device and a diode coupled to said portion of conductive material for further forming said conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said tire structure can flow, wherein said energy storage device is configured to store therein selected of said electric charge flowing through said conductivity path; and
a lining of insulative material provided adjacent to selected portions of said strip of conductive material and said energy storage device to further restrict the flow of electric charge within said conductivity path. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for harvesting power from a rotating tire'"'"'s static electricity, said method comprising the following steps:
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providing a tire structure characterized by a crown having a tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said tire structure to a wheel rim, sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and an inner liner, wherein said tire structure further includes at least one portion of conductive material interposed between said interior crown surface and said tread portion for forming a conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said tire structure can flow to a ground surface in contact with said tread portion;
rotating said tire structure whereby the tread portion of said tire structure is in contact with a ground surface, wherein said rotating step generates static charge within said tire structure that subsequently flows through said at least one portion of conductive material; and
storing some of the static charge generated via said rotating step in an energy storage device. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A tire assembly with self-powered electronic components, said tire assembly comprising:
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a pneumatic tire structure characterized by a crown having an exterior tread portion for making contact with a ground surface, bead portions for seating said pneumatic tire structure to a wheel rim, sidewall portions extending between each bead portion and the crown, and interior crown and sidewall surfaces;
at least one portion of conductive material interposed in the space between an interior surface and said exterior tread portion for at least partially forming a conductivity path through which electric charge accumulated in said pneumatic tire structure can flow to a ground surface in contact with said exterior tread portion; and
at least one electronic component coupled to said conductivity path, wherein said at least one electronic component is powered by the electric charge that flows through said conductivity path. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification