Kinetic Generator Wearable Light with Sliding Magnet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable lights for low-light conditions require batteries, which can fail during use, necessitating maintenance and eventual replacement, and have environmental impacts from battery disposal.
Innovation Solution
A magnetic-based kinetic generator that produces electricity from user motion, powering LEDs without batteries, using a copper coil and neodymium magnets within a low-friction chamber, allowing continuous light emission with minimal physical movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If batteries are used to power wearable lights, then continuous operation is achieved, but maintenance and replacement are required
Solution Approach 1:
The kinetic generator enables the light system to generate its own power through user motion, eliminating the need for external charging or battery replacement. The system serves itself by converting mechanical energy from natural movement into electrical energy, making the power source self-renewing rather than consumable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical energy storage system (batteries) with a mechanical energy conversion system (kinetic generator). Instead of storing energy chemically in batteries that deplete over time, the system mechanically converts motion into electricity, substituting a renewable mechanical process for a finite chemical storage system.
2Ease of repair
If rechargeable batteries are used to reduce battery changes, then initial cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the battery component entirely from the system. By removing the energy storage element and replacing it with an energy generation mechanism, the system avoids all costs associated with batteries including purchase, charging infrastructure, and eventual replacement, thereby reducing both initial cost and long-term operational cost.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If batteries are used in wearable lights, then power source is provided, but environmental impact from disposal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical battery system with a mechanical kinetic energy conversion system. This substitution eliminates the need for chemical energy storage and disposal, converting instead to a physical process that generates electricity from motion, thereby removing the environmental harm associated with battery manufacturing, use, and disposal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts what would normally be wasted mechanical energy (body motion during activity) into useful electrical energy. By capturing and utilizing kinetic energy that would otherwise be dissipated, the system transforms a potentially harmful waste product into a beneficial power source, eliminating the need for harmful battery disposal.
4Volume of moving object
If kinetic generator is miniaturized for wearable applications, then device size is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The kinetic generator is nested within the existing wearable light housing and structural components. By utilizing the available internal volume of the light fixture and integrating the generator components within existing structural elements, the design achieves miniaturization without requiring proportionally higher manufacturing precision, as the nested arrangement efficiently uses available space.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables continuous, maintenance-free, and environmentally friendly lighting in low-light conditions, with potential for miniaturization and use in various sporting and activity-related applications, reducing the need for battery maintenance and disposal.
Implementation Method 1
A magnet is passed through the internal chamber, allowing the copper coil to break the magnetic fields of the magnet, which creates a burst of electrical current
Implementation Method 2
repelling magnets at the top and bottom of the internal chamber assist the magnet in moving back and forth through the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are wearable lights or lights that can be attached to accessories when carrying out activities in low-light or no-light conditions. The wearable lights incorporate a portion of non-magnetic material with an internal chamber with a low friction internal surface that is surrounded by a copper coil. A magnet is passed through the internal chamber, allowing the copper coil to break the magnetic fields of the magnet, which creates a burst of electrical current. The current is used to emit light through LED's. Movement of the wearer/user generates the movement of the magnet in the internal chamber, and repelling magnets at the top and bottom of the internal chamber assist the magnet in moving back and forth through the chamber. The inventive device can be adapted for use in many sporting and other applications, such as in running shoes, running belts, rucksacks and as stand-alone wearable lights.