Road Energy Harvesting via Segmented Active Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for capturing energy from road vehicles are inefficient due to high inertia and frictional losses, as they require the entire road surface to be active, which restricts vehicle movement and reduces energy harvesting efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system with active elements biased to a normal position, activated by vehicle wheels to displace a belt or chain, allowing power transmission through one-direction clutch bearings, with the generator mounted perpendicular to the road, enabling continuous operation with minimal force displacement and reduced inertia and friction, using multiple closed loops of chain or belt across the road surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the entire road surface is made active to capture energy from all vehicles, then energy harvesting quantity increases, but device complexity and frictional losses increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The road surface energy harvesting system is divided into multiple independent active elements arranged in rows and columns. Each active element can be independently activated by vehicle wheels, allowing the system to process multiple vehicles simultaneously while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of activating the entire road surface, only specific active elements directly beneath or adjacent to vehicle wheels are activated. This partial action approach captures sufficient energy from each vehicle while significantly reducing the total number of active elements, thereby lowering device complexity and frictional losses.
2Area of stationary object
If more active elements are deployed across the road surface, then energy capture coverage increases, but inertia and frictional losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple independent active elements that can be selectively activated. This segmentation allows the road surface to cover a large area while keeping each individual active element simple and low-inertia, reducing overall frictional losses.
Solution Approach 2:
Only the necessary active elements beneath or near vehicle wheels are activated at any given time, rather than deploying all possible active elements. This reduces the total mass and inertia of the system while maintaining adequate energy capture coverage.
3Power
If active elements are activated to displace chain or belt for power transmission, then energy transfer efficiency improves, but force requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Power transmission is divided into multiple independent chain or belt loops, each serving a specific row or column of active elements. This segmentation allows force to be distributed across multiple smaller transmission systems rather than requiring one large high-force system.
Solution Approach 2:
Chain or belt loops act as intermediary elements between the active elements and the power take-off shafts. These intermediaries translate the vertical displacement of active elements into rotational motion, efficiently transferring energy while reducing direct force requirements on the generator.
4Productivity
If the generator is mounted perpendicular to the road surface, then system compactness and continuous operation improve, but manufacturing and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of mounting the generator horizontally parallel to the road surface, the system inverts the conventional arrangement by mounting the generator vertically perpendicular to the road. This allows the drive shafts to extend horizontally and connect directly to the active elements, enabling continuous operation as vehicles pass by while simplifying the mechanical connection geometry.
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 achieves continuous energy capture with reduced inertia and frictional losses, allowing for maximum energy transfer to the generator, as only active elements beneath the wheels are displaced, and others remain static, optimizing energy harvesting during vehicle travel.
Implementation Method 1
One direction clutch bearings at one or both ends, such that the said shaft or shafts can transmit power when the said chain or belt is displaced and continue to rotate whilst the chain or belt is static in a freewheeling manner
Implementation Method 2
The active element which is biased to a normal non activated position by a spring
Implementation Method 3
a generator mounted with its axis of rotation perpendicular to the road surface
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for road vehicles includes a sealed housing (07) which mounts the shafts (11&12) in bearings (10). Closed chain or belt loops (13) are driven by sprockets or pulleys (29) which are supported on the shafts (11&12) by one direction clutch bearings (09) such that the shafts (11&12) can only transmit power in a single direction (15). A multiple array of active elements (14) are activated by the vehicle wheels and have suitable means or geometry such that they transmit force to cause displacement of the chains or belts (13) and drive a generator (06) when activated but slip in the opposite return direction independently and without further effect to the chains or belts (13). A gearbox (28) may be used to change the shafts orientations. A multiple of chain or belt loops (13) are mounted to the shafts (11&12) at a suitable spacing in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle travel direction (04). The active elements (14) have means to bias them to return to their non-activated position after activation. The active elements (14) may operate further active elements having a means of one direction transmission of force to cause the chains or belts (13) to displace.