Energy-harvesting conveyor belts and methods

• US 9,571,012 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laitram LLC
• Original Assignee: Laitram LLC
• Inventors: DePaso, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Fritz M
• Application Number:
  US13/884,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20130221761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 307/151
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/0001 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/0005 using fibre reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1679 applying surface layers onto injection-moulded substrates inside the mould cavity, e.g. in-mould coating [IMC] applying suface layers after ejection B29C45/0053
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/73 of the mould B29C45/2642 and B29C45/2737 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 29/06 Conveyor belts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/06 containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0003 having particular electrical or magnetic properties, e.g. piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0005 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0007 Insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7092 Conveyor belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/32 made of rubber or plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/08 the surface being formed by the traction element
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/042 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 23/00 Driving gear for endless conveyors; Belt- or chain-tensioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/00 Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/245 Housings for sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 11/002 Generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/181 Circuits; Control arrangements or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/186 Vibration harvesters
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/188 adapted for resonant operation
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/22 : Methods relating to manufacturing, e.g. assembling, calibration

Abstract

Energy-harvesting and -storage devices in conveyor belts and methods for molding those devices integrally into modular belt links and for enhancing energy harvesting through resonance tuning. Piezoelectric materials, electro-active polymers, thermoelectric generators, RF receivers, photovoltaic devices, linear induction generators, and inductive transformer coupling are used to harvest energy to power belt on-board devices.

Claims

1. A conveyor belt comprising:

a belt body having an outer surface and an inner core;

an energy-harvesting device disposed in or on the belt body;

an energy-storage device disposed in or on the belt body and coupled to the energy-harvesting device to store energy harvested by the energy-harvesting device;

an electrical device disposed in or on the belt body and powered by energy stored in the energy-storage device;

wherein the energy-harvesting device is a thermoelectric generator arranged to measure the temperature difference between the inner core and the environment external to the outer surface and to generate a voltage proportional to the temperature difference.

2. A conveyor belt as in claim 1 wherein the electrical device includes a sensor making sensor measurements and a transmitter, the transmitter transmitting the sensor measurements remotely.

3. A conveyor belt as in claim 1 wherein the energy-storage device is a capacitor.

4. A conveyor belt as in claim 1 further comprising a voltage regulator electrically coupled to the energy-storage device and the sensor to regulate the voltage to the sensor.

5. A conveyor belt as in claim 1 wherein the thermoelectric generator includes a plurality of thermocouples connected in series and parallel in an array to form a thermocouple battery.

6. A conveyor belt as in claim 1 wherein the inner core is made of an electrically conductive first plastic material that is doped either positively or negatively and wherein the outer surface is made of an electrically conductively second plastic material that is doped opposite to the first plastic material to form a p-n junction with the first plastic material for the thermoelectric generator.

7. A conveyor belt as in claim 1 wherein the belt body includes a first layer made of an electrically conductive first plastic material that is doped either positively or negatively and a second layer deposited on the first layer, the second layer made of an electrically conductively second plastic material that is doped opposite to the first plastic material to form a p-n junction with the first plastic material for the thermoelectric generator.