Energy harvesting

• US 9,774,277 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Inventors: Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T., Oralkan, Omer
• Primary Examiner(s): Hulka, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, John T
• Application Number:
  US14/079,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20140133279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 367178
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01

Abstract

As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus and/or method involves a plurality of transducer elements that convert energy waves conveyed via a multi-directional radiation pattern into electrical charge. A power-accumulation circuit accumulates electrical charges from each of the plurality of transducer elements, with each of the transducer elements being arranged at different respective off-axis angles relative to an axis at which the energy is being conveyed. The power-accumulation circuit accumulates energy from each of the individual energy-transduction areas, such that energy received at different respective off-axis angles contributes to the accumulation of electrical charge.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transducer elements configured and arranged to provide a collective energy-transduction area corresponding to a plurality of individual energy-transduction areas respectively defined by the plurality of transducer elements, each of the plurality of transducer elements having a size that is smaller than a wavelength of energy conveyed and being configured and arranged to convert the energy waves conveyed and received via a multi-directional radiation pattern into electrical charge, and at least one of the plurality of transducer elements being configured and arranged to convert conveyed energy that is different in phase from the conveyed energy as received by another one of the plurality of transducer elements;

a power-accumulation circuit configured and arranged to accumulate electrical charges from each of the plurality of transducer elements; and

each of the plurality of transducer elements is configured and arranged at different respective off-axis angles relative to other ones of the transducer elements, and wherein the power-accumulation circuit is configured and arranged to accumulate energy from each of the individual energy-transduction areas such that the energy waves reaching the plurality of individual energy-transduction areas at different respective off-axis angles contribute to the accumulation of electrical charges by rectifying a current corresponding to energy received via the at least one of the plurality of transducer elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy is conveyed at a specific wavelength that impedance-matches a material in each of the plurality of transducer elements, and wherein each of the plurality of transducer elements is sufficiently small to convert a sufficient amount of the energy at the specific wavelength for achieving transduction to harvest power after the energy is attenuated through a given attenuation medium.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the given attenuation medium is one of animal tissue and human tissue, and wherein the plurality of transducer elements is further configured and arranged for implantation at a certain depth in the tissue for conveying electrical signals through the tissue.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of transducer elements is configured and arranged to convert energy conveyed via the multi-directional radiation pattern by converting mechanical energy conveyed via mechanical waves.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of transducer elements is configured and arranged to convert energy conveyed via the multi-directional radiation pattern by converting sound energy conveyed via sound pressure waves emitted from a source transducer along the axis, the source transducer being aligned to respective ones of the plurality of transducer elements along the different off-axis angles.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transducer elements further includes another transducer element that is aligned with the multi-directional radiation pattern and that provides another one of the individual energy-transduction areas to which the collective energy-transduction area corresponds.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transducer elements are arranged at respective positions in a two-dimensional array, ones of the respective positions being offset from the axis upon which the energy is conveyed and located relative to one another such that different ones of the transducer elements receive respective portions of a common energy wave that are conveyed at different off-axis angles.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of transducer elements is impedance-matched with the power-accumulation circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transducer elements are configured and arranged to convert the energy by converting acoustic waves into current flow, and to charge a capacitor via the current flow.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of transducer elements are configured and arranged to rectify the current flow, whereby each of the transducer elements provide a charge having a common polarity, relative to charge provided by other ones of the transducer elements.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the plurality of transducer elements are configured and arranged to convert the energy by converting acoustic waves into current flow, and

the power-accumulation circuit is configured and arranged with the plurality of transducer elements to charge at least one capacitor via the current flow, the current flow in at least one of the transducer elements being rectified to provide a charge of a common polarity, and to power a circuit using charge stored on the at least one capacitor.

12. A method comprising:

providing a collective energy-transduction area via a plurality of transducer elements, the collective energy-transduction area corresponding to a plurality of individual energy-transduction areas respectively defined by the plurality of transducer elements;

using the plurality of transducer elements to convert energy waves conveyed and received via a multi-directional radiation pattern into electrical charge, with each of the plurality of transducer elements being arranged at different respective off-axis angles relative to other ones of the transducer elements, wherein converting energy includes converting conveyed energy that is different in phase at respective ones of the plurality of transducer elements, and rectifying a current corresponding to energy received via at least one of the plurality of transducer elements; and

accumulating electrical charges from each of the plurality of transducer elements, such that the energy waves reach the plurality of individual energy-transduction areas at the different respective off-axis angles contribute to the accumulation of electrical charges.

13. The method of claim 12, further including selecting a size and number of the transducer elements based upon a selected power and depth into a human body, and implanting the transducer elements in tissue of the human body, wherein using the plurality of transducer elements to convert energy conveyed via a multi-directional radiation pattern includes converting energy conveyed via tissue in the human body.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein converting energy includes converting one of mechanical energy conveyed via mechanical waves and sound energy conveyed via sound pressure waves, received from a source transducer emitting one of the mechanical waves and sound pressure waves along the axis, with the source transducer being aligned to respective ones of the plurality of transducer elements along the different off-axis angles.

15. The method of claim 12, further including arranging the plurality of transducer elements at respective positions in a two-dimensional array, ones of the respective positions being offset from the axis upon which the energy is conveyed.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein converting energy includes converting acoustic waves into current flow, further including rectifying the current flow, charging at least one capacitor via the current flow, and powering a circuit using charge stored on the at least one capacitor.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transducer elements at different respective off-axis angles relative to other ones of the transducer elements, the transducer elements having a size that is smaller than a wavelength of conveyed energy and being configured and arranged to generate current using the energy conveyed and received via acoustic waves;

a first circuit configured and arranged to rectify the generated current of the transducer elements; and

a second circuit configured and arranged to accumulate electrical charge from all of the transducer elements, using rectified current provided via the first circuit, wherein energy conveyed to each of the transducers at the different respective off-axis angles contributes to the accumulation of electrical charge.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transducer elements configured and arranged to convert energy waves conveyed into electrical charge, each of the plurality of transducer elements having a size that is smaller than a wavelength of the conveyed energy and being arranged at different respective off-axis angles relative to other ones of the transducer elements; and

a power-accumulation circuit configured and arranged to accumulate energy, from each of the plurality of transducer elements, including energy received at the different off-axis angles at respective ones of the plurality of transducer elements.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of transducer elements are configured and arranged to convert the energy waves as received out of phase relative to one another, and the power-accumulation circuit is configured and arranged to accumulate the energy by incoherently accumulating the energy.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transducer elements configured and arranged to convert energy waves conveyed into electrical charge, each of the plurality of transducer elements being arranged at different respective off-axis angles relative to other ones of the transducer elements, and at least one of the plurality of transducer elements being configured and arranged to convert conveyed energy that is different in phase from the conveyed energy as received by another one of the plurality of transducer elements; and

a power-accumulation circuit configured and arranged to accumulate energy, from each of the plurality of transducer elements, including energy received at the different off-axis angles at respective ones of the plurality of transducer elements, by rectifying a current corresponding to energy received via the at least one of the plurality of transducer elements.