Electromechanical energy harvesting system

• US 8,222,775 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chubb International Holdings Ltd. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Chubb International Holdings Ltd. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Gieras, Jacek F., Oh, Jae-Hyuk, Sane, Harshad S., Huzmezan, Mihai
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALEZ, JULIO CESAR
• Application Number:
  US13/221,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20110309618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.R, 310/339, 310/331, 310/25, 310/330
• US Class Current: 310/25
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/08 recovering energy derived from swinging, rolling, pitching or like movements, e.g. from the vibrations of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 35/06 with moving flux distributors, and both coil systems and magnets stationary

Abstract

A method of electromechanical energy harvesting includes sensing electrical current generated by relative movement of a coil and a magnetic flux source produced by movement of a cantilevered beam in response to ambient vibration energy, determining a vibration characteristic of the ambient vibration energy, and adjusting an effective flexible length of the cantilevered beam as a function of the vibration characteristic and the sensed electrical current.

Claims

1. A method of electromechanical energy harvesting comprising:

detecting electrical current generated by relative movement of a coil and a magnetic flux source produced by movement of a cantilevered beam in response to ambient vibration energy;

determining a vibration characteristic of the ambient vibration energy; and

adjusting an effective flexible length of the cantilevered beam as a function of the vibration characteristic and the detected electrical current,

wherein the effective flexible length of the cantilevered beam is adjusted such that ambient vibration energy causes the cantilevered beam to vibrate at approximately a resonant frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the effective flexible length is selected by adjustment of a stabilizer arm along the cantilevered beam.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vibration characteristic is frequency of the ambient vibration energy.

4. An electromechanical energy harvesting system comprising:

a cantilevered beam;

a coil;

a magnetic flux source, wherein the coil and the magnetic flux source are configured to generate electrical current by relative movement therebetween in response to ambient vibration energy that produces vibration of the cantilevered beam;

a processor configured to determine a vibration characteristic of the ambient vibration energy; and

a mechanism to adjust an effective flexible length of the cantilevered beam as a function of the vibration characteristic and the electrical current,

wherein the processor provides a frequency estimator and wherein the vibration characteristic is an estimated vibration frequency of the cantilevered beam.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the mechanism is a stabilizer arm adjustably positioned along the cantilevered beam.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the stabilizer arm is U-shaped and extends along and opposite sides of the cantilevered beam.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the vibration characteristic is frequency of the ambient vibration energy.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the magnetic flux source is secured to a free end of the cantilevered beam.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the magnetic flux source comprises a plurality of permanent magnets.

10. The system of claim 4 and further comprising:

an accelerometer mounted to the cantilevered beam for sensing frequencies of the ambient vibration energy that produces vibration of the cantilevered beam.

11. An electromechanical energy harvesting system comprising:

a cantilevered beam;

a coil;

a magnetic flux source, wherein the coil and the magnetic flux source are configured to generate electrical current by relative movement therebetween in response to ambient vibration energy that produces vibration of the cantilevered beam;

a processor configured to determine a vibration characteristic of the ambient vibration energy as a function of the electrical current;

an accelerometer mounted to the cantilevered beam for detecting frequencies of the ambient vibration energy that produces vibration of the cantilevered beam; and

a mechanism to adjust an effective flexible length of the cantilevered beam as a function of the electrical current.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mechanism is further configured to adjust the effective flexible length of the cantilevered beam as a function of the vibration characteristic in conjunction with the electrical current.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the mechanism is a stabilizer arm adjustably positioned along the cantilevered beam.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the stabilizer arm is U-shaped and extends along and opposite sides of the cantilevered beam.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the vibration characteristic is frequency of the ambient vibration energy.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor provides a frequency estimator and wherein the vibration characteristic is an estimated vibration frequency of the cantilevered beam.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the magnetic flux source is secured to a free end of the cantilevered beam.