Energy harvester

• US 9,786,832 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
• Inventors: Abdelkefi, Abdessattar, Sharpes, Nathan, Priya, Shashank, Hajj, Muhammad R., Cho, Kyunghoon, Park, Hwiyeol, Heo, Jin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, J. San
• Application Number:
  US14/589,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20160197261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 310339
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 35/02 with moving magnets and stationary coil systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/08 with conductive charge carrier, i.e. capacitor machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/188 adapted for resonant operation
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/22 Methods relating to manufacturing, e.g. assembling, calibration
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/306 Cantilevers
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/88 Mounts; Supports; Enclosures; Casings

Abstract

An energy harvester for converting vibration energy into electrical energy and harvesting the electrical energy includes: a base; a clamping structure which is supported by the base and is spaced apart from the base; an elastic member which is disposed between the base and the clamping structure and allows the clamping structure to be elastically moved relative to the base; and a cantilever structure including a cantilever beam having one side fixed to the clamping structure and the other side which is elastically bendable, and a mass body disposed on the cantilever beam.

Claims

1. An energy harvester for converting vibration energy into electrical energy and harvesting the electrical energy, the energy harvester comprising:

a base;

a clamping structure which is supported by the base and is spaced apart from the base;

an elastic member which is disposed between the base and the clamping structure and allows the clamping structure to be elastically moved substantially vertically relative to the base; and

a cantilever structure comprising;

a cantilever beam having one side which is fixed to the clamping structure and the other side which is elastically bendable; and

a mass body which is disposed on the other side of the cantilever beam.

2. The energy harvester of claim 1, wherein

the cantilever structure has a first resonant frequency, and

the clamping structure has a second resonant frequency.

3. The energy harvester of claim 2, wherein the first resonant frequency is substantially the same as or similar to the second resonant frequency.

4. The energy harvester of claim 1, wherein

the clamping structure comprises:

a clamping bolt which passes through the base, and fixes the one side of the cantilever beam, wherein a male screw is defined on an outer surface of the clamping bolt; and

a clamping nut which is fitted onto an end portion of the clamping bolt and is spaced apart from the base, and

the elastic member is disposed between the base and the clamping nut.

5. The energy harvester of claim 4, wherein a resonant frequency of the clamping structure is determined based on an interval between the base and the clamping nut.

6. The energy harvester of claim 4, wherein

a female screw which corresponds to the male screw of the clamping bolt is defined in the base, and

a gap, which allows the clamping structure to be moved relative to the base, is defined between the male screw of the clamping bolt and the female screw of the base.

7. The energy harvester of claim 4, wherein the clamping structure further comprises a clamping plate which is coupled to the clamping bolt and fixes the one side of the cantilever beam.

8. The energy harvester of claim 1, wherein

a cavity is defined in the base,

the clamping structure comprises:

a cavity cover which covers the cavity; and

a clamping bolt which passes through the cavity cover, and fixes the one side of the cantilever beam, wherein a male screw is defined on an outer surface of the clamping bolt, and

the elastic member is disposed between a bottom surface of the cavity and the cavity cover.

9. The energy harvester of claim 8, wherein a resonant frequency of the clamping structure is determined based on an interval between the bottom surface of the cavity and the cavity cover.

10. The energy harvester of claim 8, wherein

a gap, which allows the clamping structure to be moved relative to the base, is defined between one end of the clamping bolt and the bottom surface of the cavity.

11. The energy harvester of claim 8, wherein the clamping structure further comprises a clamping plate which is coupled to the clamping bolt and fixes the one side of the cantilever beam.

12. The energy harvester of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester is a piezoelectric energy harvester.

13. The energy harvester of claim 12, further comprising:

a piezoelectric material disposed on the cantilever beam.

14. The energy harvester of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester is an electrostatic energy harvester.

15. The energy harvester of claim 14, further comprising:

a conductor spaced apart from the mass body,

wherein the mass body comprises an electret.

16. The energy harvester of claim 14, further comprising:

an electret spaced apart from the mass body,

wherein the mass body comprises a conductor.

17. The energy harvester of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester is an electrodynamic energy harvester.

18. The energy harvester of claim 17, further comprising:

a coil spaced apart from the mass body,

wherein the mass body comprises a magnet.

19. A method of manufacturing the energy harvester of claim 1, the method comprising:

adjusting a first resonant frequency of the cantilever structure and/or a second resonant frequency of the clamping structure to allow the first and second resonant frequencies to be substantially the same as or similar to each other.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein

the first resonant frequency may be adjusted by controlling a weight of the mass body, and

the second resonant frequency may be adjusted by controlling an interval between the clamping structure and the base.