Broadband vibrational energy harvesting
First Claim
1. A system for converting environmental vibrational energy into electrical energy for storage in at least one electrical power storage device, the system comprising:
- a transducer that undergoes oscillating movement in response to the environmental vibrational energy, the transducer producing an oscillating electrical signal in response to the oscillating movement;
power electronics, operably coupled between the transducer and the at least one electrical power storage device, the power electronics processing the oscillating electrical signal produced by the transducer, wherein the power electronics includes at least one control element having a configuration that provides variable dampening of the oscillating movement of the transducer in response to at least one control signal supplied thereto;
at least one sensor for measuring properties of the oscillations of the transducer over time; and
control electronics operably coupled to the at least one control element of the power electronics and to the at least one sensor, the control electronics carrying out a control scheme that generates and supplies the at least one control signal to the at least one control element over time in a manner that controls the at least one control element to dynamically vary the dampening of the oscillating movement of the transducer over time, wherein the control scheme is based upon a predetermined parametric relation involving a plurality of variables derived from the properties measured by the at least one sensor, wherein the plurality of variables include a first variable representing excitation frequency of the transducer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system that converts environmental vibrational energy into electrical energy includes a transducer that undergoes oscillating movement in response to the vibrational energy in order to produce an oscillating electrical signal. Power electronics process the oscillating electrical signal. A control system (including at least one control element of the power electronics, at least one sensor and control electronics) carries out a control scheme that dynamically varies the dampening of the oscillating movement of the transducer over time. The control scheme is based upon a predetermined parametric relation involving a plurality of variables derived from the properties measured by the at least one sensor. In several embodiments, the plurality of variables includes a first variable representing excitation frequency of the transducer. In another embodiment, the predetermined parametric relation represents relative phase between two variables derived from the properties measured by the at least one sensor.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A system for converting environmental vibrational energy into electrical energy for storage in at least one electrical power storage device, the system comprising:
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a transducer that undergoes oscillating movement in response to the environmental vibrational energy, the transducer producing an oscillating electrical signal in response to the oscillating movement; power electronics, operably coupled between the transducer and the at least one electrical power storage device, the power electronics processing the oscillating electrical signal produced by the transducer, wherein the power electronics includes at least one control element having a configuration that provides variable dampening of the oscillating movement of the transducer in response to at least one control signal supplied thereto; at least one sensor for measuring properties of the oscillations of the transducer over time; and control electronics operably coupled to the at least one control element of the power electronics and to the at least one sensor, the control electronics carrying out a control scheme that generates and supplies the at least one control signal to the at least one control element over time in a manner that controls the at least one control element to dynamically vary the dampening of the oscillating movement of the transducer over time, wherein the control scheme is based upon a predetermined parametric relation involving a plurality of variables derived from the properties measured by the at least one sensor, wherein the plurality of variables include a first variable representing excitation frequency of the transducer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 34)
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23. A system for converting environmental vibrational energy into electrical energy for storage in at least one electrical power storage device, the system comprising:
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a transducer that undergoes oscillating movement in response to the environmental vibrational energy, the transducer producing an oscillating electrical signal in response to the oscillating movement of the transducer; power electronics, operably coupled between the transducer and the at least one electrical power storage device, the power electronics processing the oscillating electrical signal produced by the transducer, wherein the power electronics includes at least one control element having a configuration that provides variable dampening of the oscillating movement of the transducer in response to at least one control signal supplied thereto; at least one sensor for measuring properties of the oscillations of the transducer over time; and control electronics operably coupled to the at least one control element of the power electronics and to the at least one sensor, the control electronics carrying out a control scheme that generates and supplies the at least one control signal to the at least one control element over time in a manner that controls the at least one control element to dynamically vary the dampening of oscillations of the transducer over time, wherein the control scheme is based upon a predetermined parametric relation representing relative phase between two variables derived from the properties measured by the at least one sensor. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification