Piezoelectric micro-transducers, methods of use and manufacturing methods for same
First Claim
1. A method of generating electrical energy with a micro-transducer having a chamber containing fluid, wherein a surface of the chamber comprises a piezoelectric generator, the method comprising:
- transferring heat into the micro-transducer to expand the fluid and cause the piezoelectric generator to distend outwardly from the chamber, thereby causing the piezoelectric generator to generate electrical energy.
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Abstract
Various micro-transducers incorporating piezoelectric materials for converting energy in one form to useful energy in another form are disclosed. In one embodiment, a piezoelectric micro-transducer can be operated either as a micro-heat engine, converting thermal energy into electrical energy, or as a micro-heat pump, consuming electrical energy to transfer thermal energy from a low-temperature heat source to a high-temperature heat sink. In another embodiment, a piezoelectric micro-transducer is used to convert the kinetic energy of an oscillating or vibrating body on which the micro-transducer is placed into useful electrical energy. A piezoelectric micro-transducer also is used to extract work from a pressurized stream of fluid. Also disclosed are a micro-internal combustion engine and a micro-heat engine based on the Rankine cycle in which a single fluid serves as a working fluid and a fuel.
112 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of generating electrical energy with a micro-transducer having a chamber containing fluid, wherein a surface of the chamber comprises a piezoelectric generator, the method comprising:
transferring heat into the micro-transducer to expand the fluid and cause the piezoelectric generator to distend outwardly from the chamber, thereby causing the piezoelectric generator to generate electrical energy. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of generating electrical energy with a first set of at least one micro-transducer and a second set of at least one micro-transducer, each micro-transducer comprising a deflectable generator at least partially bounding a fluid-tight cavity containing a respective fluid, the method comprising:
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transferring heat into the at least one micro-transducer of the first set to expand the fluid of the micro-transducer and cause the respective generator to deflect outwardly from the respective cavity, thereby causing the respective generator to generate electrical energy; and transferring heat from the at least one micro-transducer of the first set to the at least one micro-transducer of the second set to expand the fluid of the micro-transducer of the second set and cause the respective generator to deflect outwardly from the respective cavity, thereby causing the respective generator to generate electrical energy. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification