Triboelectric generator housing and system for vehicle wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10587208-B2
Application number	US-201715433598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2017
Priority date	Jan 19, 2017
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

An elastomeric triboelectric generator housing structured for incorporation into a wheel for a vehicle is provided. The housing includes a least one cavity having a pair of opposed walls, and a triboelectric generator incorporated into the at least one cavity. The at least one cavity is structured to actuate responsive to application of at least one force to the housing along an axis extending through the at least one cavity and between a central axis of the housing and a circumference of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An elastomeric triboelectric generator housing structured for incorporation into a wheel for a vehicle, the housing comprising:
a plurality of cavities; and
a triboelectric generator incorporated into each cavity of the plurality of cavities, each cavity of the plurality of cavities being structured to actuate to operate the triboelectric generator responsive to application of at least one force to the housing along an axis extending through the cavity and between a central axis of the housing and a circumference of the housing, wherein the cavities of the plurality of cavities are positioned in two rows which are radially spaced-apart from each other.

2. The elastomeric triboelectric generator housing of claim 1 , wherein each cavity of the plurality of cavities is structured to actuate responsive to application of a portion of a weight of a vehicle supported by a vehicle wheel, and a normal force exerted by a road surface to support a wheel, when the housing is incorporated into the wheel.

3. The elastomeric triboelectric generator housing of claim 1 wherein the housing is structured to be incorporated into a tire usable in the wheel of the vehicle.

4. The triboelectric generator housing of claim 1 wherein a first portion of the cavities of the plurality of cavities reside relatively closer to the central axis of the housing, a second portion of the cavities of the plurality of cavities reside relatively farther from the central axis of the housing than the cavities of the first portion of the cavities, and wherein the elastomeric triboelectric generator housing further comprises a plurality of force transmission members positioned within the housing, each force transmission member of the plurality of force transmission members having a first portion positioned proximate and spaced apart from the circumference of the housing, and a second portion positioned proximate and spaced apart from an associated cavity of the portion of the cavities residing relatively farther from the central axis of the housing, each force transmission member being structured to transmit a force acting on the circumference to the associated cavity residing relatively farther from the central axis of the housing so as to actuate the associated cavity.

5. A triboelectric power generating system comprising:
an elastomeric triboelectric generator housing in accordance with claim 1 ; and
a power management circuit electrically coupled to the triboelectric generators, the power management circuit being configured to receive input currents from the triboelectric generators and to deliver an output current to a load.

6. An elastomeric triboelectric generator housing structured for incorporation into a wheel for a vehicle, the housing comprising at least one cavity having a pair of opposed walls, and a triboelectric generator incorporated into the at least one first cavity, the at least one first cavity being structured to actuate responsive to application of at least one force to the housing along a first axis extending through the at least one first cavity and between a central axis of the housing and a circumference of the housing, wherein the housing is structured such that the at least one first cavity closes responsive to application of the at least one force to the housing along the axis, the housing further comprising at least one second cavity and a triboelectric generator incorporated into the at least one second cavity, the at least one second cavity being structured to actuate responsive to application of at least one force to the housing along a second axis extending through the at least one second cavity and between a central axis of the housing and a circumference of the housing, wherein the housing is structured such that the at least one second cavity opens responsive to application of forces applied to the housing along an axis extending through opposed ends of the at least one additional cavity, and wherein the second axis extends parallel to or along a radial line extending from the central axis of the housing and the circumference of the housing, and the first axis extends perpendicular to a radial line extending from the central axis of the housing and the circumference of the housing.

7. An elastomeric triboelectric generator housing structured for incorporation into a wheel for a vehicle, the housing comprising:
at least one cavity having a pair of opposed walls;
a triboelectric generator incorporated into the at least one cavity, the at least one cavity being structured to actuate responsive to application of at least one force to the housing along an axis extending through the at least one cavity and between a central axis of the housing and a circumference of the housing; and
at least one force transmission member positioned within the housing, the at least one force transmission member having a first portion positioned proximate and spaced apart from the circumference of the housing, and a second portion positioned proximate and spaced apart from the at least one cavity, the at least one force transmission member being structured to transmit a force acting on the circumference to the at least one cavity so as to actuate the at least one cavity.

8. The elastomeric triboelectric generator housing of claim 7 wherein the at least one cavity has a rectangular shape.

9. The elastomeric triboelectric generator housing of claim 7 wherein at least one wall of the pair of opposed walls has an arcuate shape.

10. The elastomeric triboelectric generator housing of claim 7 comprising a plurality of cavities, each cavity of the plurality of cavities having a pair of opposed walls, each cavity of the plurality of cavities being structured to actuate responsive to application of at least one force to the housing along an associated axis extending through the cavity and between a central axis of the housing and a circumference of the housing.

11. The elastomeric triboelectric generator housing of claim 7 wherein the housing is structured such that the at least one cavity closes responsive to application of the at least one force to the housing along the axis.

12. The elastomeric triboelectric generator housing of claim 7 wherein the triboelectric generator comprises:
a first conductive electrode layer affixed to a first wall of the at least one cavity;
a second conductive electrode layer affixed to a second wall of the at least one cavity opposite the first wall; and
a first dielectric contact layer affixed to the first conductive electrode layer and positioned opposite the second conductive electrode layer so as to enable contact with the second conductive electrode layer during actuation of the at least one cavity,
the elastomeric triboelectric housing being structured such that the first dielectric contact layer and the second conductive electrode layer are spaced apart from each other when the at least one cavity is open, and so as to come into contact with each other when the at least one cavity is closed, thereby causing a charge imbalance when the at least one cavity opens after being closed.

13. A triboelectric power generating system comprising:
an elastomeric triboelectric generator housing in accordance with claim 7 ;
and
a power management circuit electrically coupled to triboelectric generator, the power management circuit being configured to receive an input current from the triboelectric generator and to deliver an output current to a load.

14. A wheel for a vehicle, the wheel comprising a tire including an elastomeric triboelectric generator housing positioned within an interior of the tire, the housing including

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Wu Songtao
• Wang Chi-Ming
• Vo Khoa
• Banerjee Debasish
• Dede Ercan Mehmet

Classifications

• B60C19/00

  Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• H02N1/04 Primary

  Friction generators · CPC title

• B60C1/00

  Tyres characterised by the chemical composition or the physical arrangement or mixture of the composition · CPC title

• B60C23/0411

  Piezoelectric generators · CPC title