Kinetic Energy Harvester Using Spring-Gear Motion Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices often require frequent battery replacements or recharging, which can be costly and inconvenient, especially in situations where power sources are limited.
Innovation Solution
A system that captures linear movement, such as from a person or item being carried, and converts it into rotational movement, which is then used to generate electrical energy through a rotational magnet assembly and coil assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If batteries are used to power electronic devices, then devices can function portably, but frequent battery replacement or recharging is required which increases cost and inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-powered operation by capturing kinetic energy from the user's movement through a linear actuator and converting it to electrical energy via a rotary actuator and generator, allowing the device to recharge itself during normal use without external power sources or battery replacements
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the physical state of kinetic energy from linear motion into rotational motion and then into electrical energy through parameter changes in motion type and energy form, converting the user's natural movement into usable power
2Reliability
If multiple batteries are carried to ensure continuous power, then device availability is maintained, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device carries no batteries but generates its own power through kinetic energy harvesting from the user's movement, using a linear actuator coupled to a rotary actuator and generator system that converts mechanical motion into electrical energy on-demand
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the battery component entirely from the system, replacing it with a kinetic energy conversion system that eliminates the need for heavy battery packs while maintaining continuous power availability
3Productivity
If kinetic energy from movement is captured and converted to electrical energy, then battery replacement is reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the linear actuator, rotary actuator, and generator into an integrated kinetic energy conversion assembly that is coupled to the housing, combining multiple functions into a unified structure that minimizes overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The linear actuator serves multiple functions: it captures kinetic energy from movement, converts it to linear motion, and drives the rotary actuator which in turn generates electricity, creating a multi-functional energy harvesting system
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
The system effectively harnesses kinetic energy from movement to charge batteries or power electronic devices, reducing the need for frequent replacements and minimizing weight and cost associated with carrying batteries.
Implementation Method 1
a conversion hardware component that can be configured to convert the linear movement sequence into a rotational movement sequence
Implementation Method 2
an energy generation hardware component that can be configured to generate an energy from the rotational movement sequence
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments are described that relate to energy generation. A housing can retain a spring coupled to a gear set. As the spring experiences linear compression and extension, the spring can cause rotational movement in the gear set. The rotational movement from the gear set can cause rotation of a rotational magnet. The rotational magnet, when rotated about a coil set, can convert an energy. The energy can be used to charge a battery.