46 results about "Energy harvester" patented technology

A method including drilling a wellbore using a drill bit connected to a drill string. The drill string includes a vibrational energy harvester and a tool disposed inside a casing of the drill string. The vibrational energy harvester includes a stator including a conductive coil, and a rotor including magnets disposed outside the conductive coil. The rotor is unpowered. The rotor is free to rotate outside the conductive coil, and the rotor is unattached to other components of the drill string. The method also includes generating vibrations in the drill string by engaging the drill bit to a bottom of the wellbore. The method also includes harvesting electricity generated in the stator as the rotor rotates in response to the vibrations. The method also includes supplying, via an electrical connection between the stator and the tool, the electricity to the tool.

A method for operating a radio frequency energy harvester (RFEH) comprises, for each rectifier of the RFEH having connected thereto a switching device configured to be actuated between an open state in which an output of the rectifier is open-circuited to form part of a combined DC output voltage and a closed state in which the output of the rectifier is short-circuited to be omitted from the combined DC output voltage, measuring a voltage difference between the rectifier's input and output, comparing the voltage difference to a voltage threshold, when the voltage difference is below the voltage threshold, causing the switching device to be actuated to the closed state, and when the voltage difference is greater than or equal to the voltage threshold, causing the switching device to be actuated to the open state.

This invention relates to the fields of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and new energy technologies, and discloses a piezoelectric energy harvester based on a nonlinear gradient negative Poisson's ratio structure. Its elastic matrix has a fixed end and a free end, with a negative Poisson's ratio structural segment on it. The piezoelectric transducer element is bonded to the surface of the negative Poisson's ratio structural segment via an epoxy resin adhesive layer. The core innovation lies in the nonlinear monotonically decreasing thickness of the elastic matrix from the fixed end to the free end along its length. This change profile is defined by a specific cubic polynomial function, which can accurately approximate the theoretical model of an isostress beam, making the stress distribution on the matrix surface tend to be uniform during vibration. Simultaneously, the lateral expansion characteristics of the negative Poisson's ratio structural segment and the longitudinal stress enhancement effect of the nonlinear thickness synergistically amplify the charge output of the piezoelectric element. This invention significantly improves the utilization efficiency of piezoelectric materials and the power density of the energy harvester, and has the advantages of compact structure, high energy conversion efficiency, and mass production via 3D printing.

A dimmable window system (200) includes a window side (204) holding a window (205), a dimmable member (212), and an energy harvester (220) configured to harvest energy to provide power to the dimmable member (212) and other components of the dimmable window system (200). The dimmable window system (200) can be configured for a vehicle, such as an aircraft (100).

This invention discloses a contact-separation triboelectric power generation device, method, and application based on a rotating shaft, belonging to the field of air-fluid power generation technology. This invention solves the problem of poor compatibility between the energy harvesting structure and rotational motion in current energy harvesting methods that install energy harvesters on rotating shafts and collect nearby air-fluid. The invention includes: a rotating shaft connection mechanism for connecting to the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a contact-separation triboelectric power generation mechanism for collecting air-fluid energy during shaft rotation and converting the collected air-fluid energy into electrical energy; and a support frame with at least one arc-shaped through-slot, within which are arranged a first fixed power generation component, a second fixed power generation component, and a movable power generation component, the movable component being movable along the axial direction of the rotating shaft within the arc-shaped through-slot. This invention features a simple configuration, good economy, and high fluid energy conversion efficiency, making it suitable for low-velocity or turbulent environments, such as confined spaces like train bogie shafts.

A shoe configured to absorb energy includes a system configured to harvest energy during compression of the shoe under load and to store the energy as compressed gas and / or elastic deformation. The system includes at least one pod. Components of the pod include an energy harvester and an energy storage device coupled to the energy harvester. The energy storage device is adapted to store energy from the energy harvester and reversibly return energy to the energy harvester.

A dimmable window system includes a reveal retaining a window, a dimmable member, and an energy harvester configured to harvest energy to provide power to the dimmable member and other components of the dimmable window system. The dimmable window system can be configured for a vehicle, such as an aircraft.

Electronic device and method for managing power The invention relates to an electronic device comprising a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) for managing power from an energy harvester, comprising: a storage unit, an internal DC-DC converter embedded within the PMIC, optimized for a first, lower power range; and an external DC-DC converter controlled by the PMIC, optimized for a second, higher power range. Both DC-DC converters have an input and an output. According to the invention, both the outputs of the internal and external DC-DC converters are connected in parallel to the storage unit and the power paths of the external DC-DC converter are located outside of the PMIC. Further according to the invention, the PMIC is configured to automatically switch between the internal and external DC-DC converters as active converter to extract energy from the energy harvester or to allow them to run simultaneously to extract energy from the energy harvester based on the power level provided by the energy harvester.

This invention relates to the field of piezoelectric materials technology, specifically to a chiral nitrogen-containing heterocyclic organic crystalline piezoelectric material and its preparation method. The organic crystalline piezoelectric material is N-cyanoethyl-( S )-2-methylpiperazine hydrochloride, whose core is a one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded chain construction strategy of unilaterally protonated chiral piperazine, with protonated N-cyanoethyl-( S Using 2-methylpiperazine cations as structural building blocks and chloride ions as charge balancers, a highly oriented one-dimensional hydrogen bond chain is constructed by regulating intermolecular hydrogen bonding. This enhances the ordered arrangement of molecular dipoles and optimizes the synergistic mode of lattice strain-polarization response, achieving a breakthrough in piezoelectric properties. The material exhibits a piezoelectric coefficient as high as ±80 pC / N and an electromechanical coupling coefficient as high as 0.35, far exceeding known chiral organic piezoelectric materials. Furthermore, it demonstrates excellent thermal stability and can be widely applied in demanding applications such as micro-pressure sensors, low-frequency vibration detectors, and micro energy harvesters.

The application provides a kind of cantilever piezoelectric vibration energy harvester and design method, including piezoelectric vibration energy harvester and nonlinear force customization device;Piezoelectric vibration energy harvester includes cantilever beam;Nonlinear force customization device includes lifting platform, raceway, rolling element, linear motion mechanism, horizontal spring and pre-tightening nut;Linear motion mechanism is set on lifting platform, pre-tightening nut is connected one end of linear motion mechanism by horizontal spring, for adjusting the pre-compression force of horizontal spring;The outer wall surface of rolling element is closely attached to raceway;When raceway is set on the other end of linear motion mechanism, rolling element is set on the free end of cantilever beam;When rolling element is set on the other end of linear motion mechanism, raceway is set on the free end of the cantilever beam.The application realizes the customization demand of nonlinear force in energy harvester by customizing the profile curve of raceway, using the reaction force generated when bearing or roller rolls on raceway.

This invention discloses a performance optimization method for a tristable energy harvester under low-frequency excitation based on vibration resonance, belonging to the field of energy harvester optimization. The implementation method is as follows: a standard rectifier circuit is selected as the nonlinear collection circuit and connected to the energy harvester to achieve a stable DC output; a strongly nonlinear system model of the electromechanical coupled tristable energy harvester system is established; the slow variable equation of the tristable energy harvester system is derived using the variable separation method; the steady-state solution and analytical expression of the DC power of the tristable energy harvester system are derived using the harmonic balance method; an optimization model of the tristable energy harvester system under low-frequency excitation is obtained based on vibration resonance; the influence of low-frequency excitation amplitude, low-frequency excitation frequency, stiffness coefficient, time constant ratio, and electromechanical coupling coefficient on the collection performance of the tristable energy harvester system is analyzed using the optimization model, and the optimal combination is selected to achieve efficient energy harvesting of the tristable energy harvester system under low-frequency excitation.

A method including drilling a wellbore using a drill bit connected to a drill string. The drill string includes a vibrational energy harvester and a tool disposed inside a casing of the drill string. The vibrational energy harvester includes a stator including a conductive coil, and a rotor including magnets disposed outside the conductive coil. The rotor is unpowered. The rotor is free to rotate outside the conductive coil, and the rotor is unattached to other components of the drill string. The method also includes generating vibrations in the drill string by engaging the drill bit to a bottom of the wellbore. The method also includes harvesting electricity generated in the stator as the rotor rotates in response to the vibrations. The method also includes supplying, via an electrical connection between the stator and the tool, the electricity to the tool.

A device may include a first activation member including at least one protrusion and configured to slidably move between a first and second axial position, a second activation member including an engagement portion configured to engage the first activation member and to translate a movement between a first and second lateral position of second activation member to a second end thereof to actuate an energy harvester mechanically coupled thereto, and a first spring element arranged between the first activation member and a housing to apply a first spring force to return first activation member to the first axial position. The device may include a second spring element arranged between the second activation member and the housing to apply a second spring force to maintain second activation member in engagement with the first activation member and return the second activation member to the first lateral position.

An augmented logarithmic spiral antenna structure includes a first conductive layer, a dielectric layer and a second conductive layer. The first conductive layer includes a first spiral arm and a plurality of second spiral arms. The first spiral arm includes a first initial radius. The second spiral arms are disposed around and connected to the first spiral arm, and each of the second spiral arms includes a second initial radius. The dielectric layer has a top surface and a bottom surface, and the top surface is connected to the first conductive layer. The second conductive layer is connected to the bottom surface. A plurality of the second initial radii of the second spiral arms are different from each other, and different from the first initial radius.

The present invention relates to a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverter and, more particularly, to a low-power CMOS inverter. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the inverter can be used as one of the constituent blocks of a low-power circuit operating by receiving extremely low energy of several tens of μJ or less harvested by an ambient RF energy harvester without a separate battery, and can generally be used as one of the constituent blocks of various low-power circuits by consuming a very small current at all times.

The present invention provides a diagnostic detection device for detecting an RF signal outputted from an antenna, wherein an RF signal transmitted from a repeater is received and outputted as the RF signal into the air by means of the antenna via a transmission line. The diagnostic detection device may comprise: a broadband energy harvester coupling an RF signal transmitted via the transmission line to acquire RF power for each of a plurality of broadband bands; an energy management system managing the RF power acquired via the broadband energy harvester and storing the RF power as DC energy; and a communication module having a corresponding power detection port monitoring a DC voltage for each frequency band of the broadband energy harvester, and monitoring output power in each frequency band via the power detection port.

A flexible thin-film foot energy harvesting and lower limb varicose vein monitoring device belongs to the field of self-powered and sensor technology. It includes a flexible foot energy harvester located on the sole of a shoe, an energy storage device, and a flexible PVDF piezoelectric material array varicose vein monitoring strap for lower limb binding. The flexible foot energy harvester is electrically connected to the energy storage device, and the energy storage device is electrically connected to the monitoring strap. The flexible PVDF piezoelectric material array varicose vein monitoring strap is a sensing device based on BaTiO3 / PVDF piezoelectric composite material, capable of receiving and displaying the varicose vein status of the lower limbs. The energy of the flexible PVDF piezoelectric material array varicose vein monitoring strap is collected by the flexible foot energy harvester and stored in the storage device. This device achieves efficient mechanical energy-to-electrical energy conversion and high-sensitivity varicose vein monitoring, significantly advancing the fields of self-powered, sensor technology, and wearable piezoelectric technology.

A piezoelectric vibration energy harvester includes: a first support plate, a second support plate, a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever, a rolling part, a printing raceway, a preloading spring and a bottom plate, the first and second support plates are vertically disposed on the bottom plate, two ends of the piezoelectric bimorph cantilever are respectively connected with the first support plate and the rolling part, an end of the preloading spring is fixed on the second support plate, another end of the preloading spring is movably connected with a back surface of the printing raceway, and a surface opposite to the back surface of the printing raceway is in contact with and coupled with the rolling part. The printing raceway can be obtained by programming the number and initial positions of static equilibrium points, and a multi-stable piezoelectric energy harvester with symmetric or asymmetric potential energy well can be realized.

This invention relates to an energy management method, apparatus, and display screen for a display screen. The energy management method of this application is applied to a display control system. The method includes: analyzing and processing energy parameters acquired by an energy harvester to obtain an energy intensity curve representing intensity changes and stability; processing the energy intensity curve based on a preset energy assessment model to obtain collectable energy data and controlling the energy harvester to collect the energy; the display control system can process the power supply requirements of the display module and the energy conversion information fed back by the energy conversion memory to generate energy allocation instructions to control the energy conversion memory to rationally allocate the converted and stored energy. This method can convert renewable resources into electrical energy, achieving self-powering of the display screen, which is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, while also eliminating dependence on the power grid and expanding the application scenarios of the display screen.

The present invention relates to an implantable energy harvester. According to the present invention, a coiled carbon nanotube yarn electrode is used as a working electrode constituting the energy harvester, wherein a portion of one end of the working electrode is fixed inside a housing and a portion of the other end is exposed outside the housing, so that the energy harvester, when attached to a heart, facilitates cardiac motion by applying electrical stimulation to the surface of the heart through exposed electrodes by means of electrical energy harvested from strain changes in the working electrode caused by cardiac motion without requiring a power source, and thus can be usefully employed as a power-source-less heart pacemaker and further applied to in vivo electrical stimulation therapy.

This application relates to a control method, system, and storage medium for a Karman vortex street energy harvester, belonging to the technical field of energy harvesting. The method includes acquiring historical wind speed and direction data; analyzing the historical wind speed and direction data to determine the harvester's fixed direction, minimum cantilever length, cantilever length setting, and initial cantilever setting; deploying a preset energy harvester according to the harvester's fixed direction, preset maximum cantilever length, minimum cantilever length, and initial cantilever setting; acquiring a preceding stable waveform, a sliding energy waveform, and an average energy amplitude; analyzing the preceding stable waveform, sliding energy waveform, average energy amplitude, and cantilever length setting to determine the dynamic cantilever setting; and adjusting the length of a preset vibrating cantilever beam on the energy harvester according to the dynamic cantilever setting to control the energy harvester's energy collection. This application improves energy harvesting efficiency.

This disclosure relates to systems, vehicles, and methods for harvesting energy from the flushing cycle of a toilet. The system includes a toilet and an energy harvester coupled to the toilet. The energy harvester is configured to convert the vacuum force from the toilet's flushing contents into electrical energy. The energy harvester is further configured to supply electrical energy to one or more components.

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of piezoelectric materials, and disclosed is the use of a half-Heusler alloy as a piezoelectric material. The half-Heusler alloy has a chemical formula of XYZ, where X= any one of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta and Re or a solid solution in any ratio thereof, Y= Fe, Co or Ni, and Z= Sn, Sb or Bi. The inventors have found through research that the above-mentioned half-Heusler alloy can exhibit good piezoelectric properties, in which a piezoelectric coefficient of 22 pC / N can be obtained at 300 K for a [111]-cut single‑crystal ZrNiSn wafer material. In addition, the half-Heusler alloy exhibits a good thermal stability and structural stability in a temperature range from room temperature to 1173 K, and has great potential for high-temperature piezoelectric application. Piezoelectric sensors prepared based on the half-Heusler alloy described above can generate a sub-mV voltage response under a typical human pressing force, and can be used in the development of electronic devices such as piezoelectric sensors, piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters, and piezoelectric self-powered systems.

This invention discloses an intelligent monitoring contact lens system and its control method based on the integration of radio frequency wireless power supply and self-oxygen supply, belonging to the technical field of intelligent contact lenses and flexible wearable devices. The system includes a self-oxygenating contact lens, a radio frequency energy harvester, a microcontroller, a biosensor array, and an antenna; the accompanying control software is deployed on a smart terminal to realize device management, energy scheduling, and data interaction. The radio frequency energy harvester is used to capture ambient radio frequency energy and power the intelligent contact lens; the antenna is used for bidirectional data transmission with the terminal; and the biosensor array collects biological information from the cornea and tears in real time. This invention significantly simplifies the contact lens structure by offloading complex control logic to the smart terminal software, which is beneficial for the integrated design of multifunctional modules, while improving the system's wearing safety and ease of use.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an energy generator capable of generating high power complementarily through high current moisture induction power generation and high voltage triboelectric power generation in a single device can be manufactured.

A vibration energy harvest device includes two or more slidably coupled stages, each stage comprising a base end and an extended end, at least one stage comprising a piezoelectric unit comprising two electrode layers and a piezoelectric layer sandwiched by the two electrode layers, and wherein the stages are configured to slide against one or more neighbor stages to switch between an extended mode and a stacked mode.

The application discloses a kind of cognitive impairment detection method and device based on energy capture system, by deploying RFID and solar panel, real-time signal strength and energy collection intensity are collected, the movement original data of the target to be detected in room is generated, trajectory segmentation is carried out to original data, single mode feature extraction is carried out to trajectory section, speed feature image is generated, conditional variational autoencoder based on Transformer architecture is constructed, pseudo image is generated using its decoder to realize data expansion, and the deep latent space features of image are extracted using its encoder.Finally, the extracted high-dimensional feature vector is input into the classifier, and the classification result is output, so as to realize the judgment of cognitive state.The application solves the problems of data scarcity and insufficient long-time behavior capture through generative data augmentation, achieving high-precision non-invasive monitoring.

A drone system for collecting structural condition data about a structure having an array of sensors disposed at various locations on the structure and methods of using such a drone system are disclosed herein. The drone inspection system leverages neural networks to calculate a drone flight path to classify the location of passive sensors and calculate a drone flight path to collect structural condition data about the structure using line of sight sensors for digital twin generation. Some of the sensors disposed on the structure may be passive sensors that comprise energy harvesters and must be energized to report the structural collection data to the drone. The drone inspection system may comprise an energy transfer module for energizing the passive sensor via the energy harvester.