Systems and devices powered by autonomous electrical power sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10985677-B2
Application number	US-201715484050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2017
Priority date	Apr 10, 2017
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

An electrically-powered device, structure and/or component is provided that includes an attached autonomous electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly structure that is configured to transform thermal energy at any temperature above absolute zero to an electric potential without any external stimulus including physical movement or deformation energy. The autonomous electrical power source component provides a mechanism for generating renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, as primary or auxiliary power for the electrically-powered device, structure and/or component. The autonomous electrical power source component is formed of one or more elements, each of which includes a first conductor having a surface with a comparatively low work function, a second conductor having a surface with the comparatively high work function and a dielectric layer on a scale of 200 nm or less interposed between the conductors.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electrically-powered device, comprising:
at least one electrically-driven component; and
an electrical power source component configured to provide an electrical energy source for the at least one electrically-driven component, the electrical power source component comprising:
at least one electrical power source component element, comprising:
a first conductor formed of a first conductive material and having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface having a work function in a range of 1.0 electron volts (eV) or less, and
a second conductor formed of a second conductive material and having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface having a work function in a range of 2.0 eV or greater, and facing the first surface of the first conductor with a gap formed between first surface of the first conductor and the first surface of the second conductor, the gap being in a range of 200 Angstroms or less in thickness,

the electrical power source component element being configured to generate an electric potential between the first conductor and the second conductor at a temperature above absolute zero; and
a first electrical lead and a second electrical lead configured to electrically connect the electrical power source component to the at least one electrically-driven component;
wherein electrons from said first surface of said first conductor are transferred to said facing first surface of said second conductor by quantum tunneling when said first surface of said first conductor and said facing first surface of said second conductor at the same temperature.

2. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , a structure of the electrical power source component having a thickness in a range of less than 5 mils.

3. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the first surface of the first conductor being surface treated to lower the work function of the first surface to be in the range of 1.0 eV or less.

4. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the first surface of the first conductor being comprised of a separate material layer having a work function in the range of 1.0 eV or less.

5. The electrically-powered device of claim 4 , the separate material layer being in a range of 1 nm or less in thickness.

6. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the first conductor and the second conductor each having a thickness in a range of 10 nm or less.

7. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the conductive material from which the first conductor is formed being graphene.

8. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the at least one electrical power source component element further comprising a dielectric layer formed in the gap between the first surface of the first conductor and the first surface of the second conductor.

9. The electrically-powered device of claim 8 , the dielectric layer having a thickness in a range of 100 Angstroms or less and being sandwiched between the first surface of the first conductor and the first surface of the second conductor.

10. The electrically-powered device of claim 9 , the dielectric layer having a thickness in a range of 20 Angstroms to 60 Angstroms.

11. The electrically-powered device of claim 9 , the dielectric layer varying in thickness across a planform of the dielectric layer between the first surface of the first conductor and first surface of the second conductor.

12. The electrically-powered device of claim 8 , the dielectric layer being formed at least in part of a plurality of tapered shapes, each of the plurality of tapered shapes having a tapered structure in which a cross-sectional area of the each of the plurality of tapered shapes is comparatively larger at an end facing the first surface of the second conductor and comparatively smaller at an end facing the first surface of the first conductor.

13. The electrically-powered device of claim 8 , the dielectric layer being a porous layer, pores in the porous layer being filled at least in part with a metal cation.

14. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the at least one electrical power source component element further comprising an insulating layer in contact with at least one of the second surface of the first conductor and the second surface of the second conductor.

15. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the electrical power source component being comprised of a plurality of electrical power source component elements and a plurality of insulating layers arranged in a stacked structure, the plurality of electrical power source component elements being separated by the plurality of insulating layers in the stacked structure, and the plurality of electrical power source component elements being electrically interconnected with one another.

16. The electrically-powered device of claim 15 , each of the plurality of insulating layers having a thickness of less than 10 μm.

17. The electrically-powered device of claim 15 , the electrical power source component further comprising an outer insulating layer substantially encasing the stacked structure.

18. The electrically-powered device of claim 15 , the first electrical lead being electrically connected to an uppermost electrical power source component element in the stacked structure and the second electrical lead being electrically connected to a lowermost electrical power source component element in the stacked structure.

19. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the electrical power source component and the at least one electrically-driven component being mounted on a common substrate.

20. The electrically-powered device of claim 1 , the at least one electrically-driven component comprising one or more of an environmental sensor, a seismic sensor, a biometric sensor, a wireless communicating component, a haptic alert/warning device, an audio alert/warning device, a visual alert/warning device, and an actuating device that is configured to induce movement of a physical element between a first position and a second position.

Assignees

• Face Int Corp

Inventors

• Boyd Clark D
• Face Bradbury R
• Shepard Jeffrey D

Classifications

• H10N10/855

  comprising compounds containing boron, carbon, oxygen or nitrogen · CPC title

• H02N11/008 Primary

  Alleged electric or magnetic perpetua mobilia · CPC title

• H01L35/12

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/00

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/04

  Electricity · mapped topic