Piezoelectric energy hunting device with lightweight design and voltage signal application system thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11538979-B2
Application number	US-202017024559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2020
Priority date	Nov 20, 2019
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A piezoelectric energy hunting device and a voltage signal application system thereof are disclosed. The piezoelectric energy hunting device includes a plurality of curved piezoelectric elements, a plurality of rigid foams, and a flexible foam structure. The plurality of curved piezoelectric elements are arranged side by side with one another, wherein each curved piezoelectric element is attached to one of the rigid foams. The flexible foam structure includes a top foam and a bottom foam covering the outer surface of the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements and the plurality of rigid foams; when the flexible foam structure is compressed, the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements are simultaneously deformed, thereby generating a voltage signal. When the flexible foam structure is not compressed, the flexible foam structure and the plurality of rigid foams provide an elastic force to restore the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A piezoelectric energy hunting device with a lightweight design for generating a voltage signal, the piezoelectric energy hunting device comprising:
a plurality of curved piezoelectric elements arranged side by side with one another;
a plurality of rigid foams, wherein each curved piezoelectric element is attached to one of the rigid foams; and
a flexible foam structure covering the outer surface of the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements and the plurality of rigid foams; when the flexible foam structure is compressed, the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements are simultaneously deformed, thereby generating the voltage signal; when the flexible foam structure is not compressed, the flexible foam structure and the plurality of rigid foams provide an elastic force to restore the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements.

2. The piezoelectric energy hunting device with the lightweight design as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flexible foam structure comprises a top foam and a bottom foam, and the inner shapes of the top foam and the bottom foam correspond to the curvature of the curved piezoelectric element, thereby sandwiching the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements and the plurality of rigid foams between the top foam and the bottom foam.

3. The piezoelectric energy hunting device with the lightweight design as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the top foam and the bottom foam comprise a plurality of layers of the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements and the plurality of rigid foams disposed therebetween.

4. The piezoelectric energy hunting device with the lightweight design as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each curved piezoelectric elements is a curved piezoelectric ceramic element.

5. The piezoelectric energy hunting device with the lightweight design as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each curved piezoelectric element is a flexible piezoelectric element.

6. The piezoelectric energy hunting device with the lightweight design as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric energy hunting device is disposed in a shoe or in a bicycle pedal.

7. A voltage signal application system comprising:
an application device; and
a piezoelectric energy hunting device for providing a voltage signal to the application device, the piezoelectric energy hunting device comprising:
a plurality of curved piezoelectric elements arranged side by side with one another;
a plurality of rigid foams, wherein each curved piezoelectric element is attached to one of the rigid foams; and
a flexible foam structure covering the outer surface of the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements and the plurality of rigid foams;
when the flexible foam structure is compressed, the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements are simultaneously deformed,
thereby generating the voltage signal; when the flexible foam structure is not compressed, the flexible foam structure and the plurality of rigid foams provide an elastic force to restore the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements.

8. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the flexible foam structure comprises a top foam and a bottom foam, and the inner shapes of the top foam and the bottom foam correspond to the curvature of the curved piezoelectric element, thereby sandwiching the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements and the plurality of rigid foams between the top foam and the bottom foam.

9. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the top foam and the bottom foam comprise a plurality of layers of the plurality of curved piezoelectric elements and the plurality of rigid foams disposed therebetween.

10. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each curved piezoelectric element is a curved piezoelectric ceramic element.

11. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each curved piezoelectric element is a flexible piezoelectric element.

12. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the piezoelectric energy hunting device is disposed in a shoe or in a bicycle pedal.

13. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the voltage signal application system further comprises:
a processing module for calculating a frequency generated by the voltage signal; and
a wireless transmission module connected to the application device via a wireless transmission path; wherein when the frequency generated by the voltage signal exceeds a threshold, the processing module generates a notification signal to be transmitted to the application device via the wireless transmission path.

14. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the application device is an alarm for generating an alarm signal according to the received notification signal.

15. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the application device can be a radio frequency identification system (RFID) signal receiver; the wireless transmission module can obtain different radio frequency identification system signals according to the voltage signals generated by different piezoelectric energy hunting devices, and the application device receives different radio frequency identification system signals for combined identity identification.

16. The voltage signal application system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the application device further comprises an access control management module for performing access control management according to the notification signal sent by the wireless transmission module.

Assignees

• Univ Chung Yuan Christian

Inventors

• Ting Yung
• Lin Sheuan-Perng
• Yu Chih-Hsuan
• Hung Yu-Chun

Classifications

• H02N2/18 Primary

  producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators (for measurement devices G01) · CPC title

• B62M3/08

  Pedals · CPC title

• G06K19/0724

  the arrangement being a circuit for communicating at a plurality of frequencies, e.g. for managing time multiplexed communication over at least two antennas of different types · CPC title

• B62M3/16 Primary

  Accessories · CPC title

• G06K19/0711

  the source being mechanical or acoustical · CPC title