Structurally embedded and inhospitable environment systems having autonomous electrical power sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11957922-B2
Application number	US-202318106473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2023
Priority date	Apr 9, 2016
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

A method is provided for producing an electrically-powered device and/or component that is embeddable in a solid structural component, and a system, a produced device and/or a produced component is provided. The produced electrically powered device includes an attached autonomous electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly structure 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 as primary power for the electrically-powered device and/or component once an integrated structure including the device and/or component is deployed in an environment that restricts future access to the electrical power source for servicing, recharge, replacement, replenishment or the like.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrically-energized device, comprising:
an electrical power source configured to provide electrical energy to power at least one of an electrically-energized sensor and an electrically-energized communication element, the electrical power source including one or more electrical power source components, at least one of the one or more electrical power source components comprising:
a first conductor formed of a first conductive material and having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface of the first conductor conditioned to have a first work function value,
a dielectric layer with a thickness in a range of 200 angstroms or less formed over the conditioned first surface of the first conductor; and
a second conductor formed of a second conductive material and having a first surface with a second work function value, and having a second surface, and being arranged over the dielectric layer such that the first surface of the second conductor faces the dielectric layer,
the first conductor, the dielectric layer and the second conductor forming a layered structure of the electrical power source component;
a first electrical lead and a second electrical lead electrically connecting the at least one of the electrically-energized sensor and the electrically-energized communication element with the electrical power source;
the first work function value and the second work function value being in a range of 5.0 electron volts (eV) or less; and
the first work function value being at least 1.0 eV less than the second work function value;
wherein said dielectric layer comprises pores into which is inserted material that is non-porous on the atomic scale; and
wherein said electrical power source is disposed in proximity to, and is in thermal communication with, said at least one of an electrically-energized sensor and an electrically-energized communication element, such that thermal energy is communicated from said at least one of an electrically-energized sensor and an electrically-energized communication element to said electrical power source when said at least one of an electrically-energized sensor and an electrically-energized communication element receives electrical power from said electrical power source.

2. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , the electrical power source comprising a plurality of electrical power source components.

3. The electrically-energized device of claim 2 , the plurality of electrical power source components being arranged in a stacked configuration, an insulating layer being interposed between each adjacent pair of the plurality of electrical power source components in the stacked configuration.

4. The electrically-energized device of claim 3 , the insulating layer having a thickness in a range of 10 μm or less.

5. The electrically-energized device of claim 3 , the stacked configuration having an overall thickness in a range of 5 mils or less.

6. The electrically-energized device of claim 2 , at least one pair of the plurality of electrical power source components being electrically interconnected in series.

7. The electrically-energized device of claim 2 , at least one pair of the plurality of electrical power source components being electrically interconnected in parallel.

8. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , the first surface of the first conductor being at least one of surface treated and surface conditioned to modify the first work function value to be in the range of 1.0 eV less than the second work function value.

9. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , further comprising a separate material layer having a work function value in the range of 1.0 eV less than the second work function value arranged on the first surface of the first conductor.

10. The electrically-energized device of claim 9 , the separate material layer being formed to have a thickness in a range of 1 nm or less.

11. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor having a thickness in a range of 10 nm or less.

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

13. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , the dielectric layer having a thickness in a range of 100 angstroms or less.

14. The electrically-energized device of claim 13 , the dielectric layer having a thickness in a range of 20 angstroms to 60 angstroms.

15. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , the dielectric layer being sandwiched between the first surface of the first conductor and the first surface of the second conductor.

16. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , 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.

17. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , 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.

18. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , the dielectric layer being formed as a porous layer, at least some of the pores in the porous layer being filled at least in part with a metal cation.

19. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , the electrical power source further comprising an outer insulating layer substantially encasing the electrical power source in an insulating material.

20. The electrically-energized device of claim 1 , the electrically-energized sensor being at least one of an environmental sensor, a seismic sensor, an energy sensor, a motion sensor and a light sensor.

Assignees

• Face Int Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H10W42/00

  Arrangements for protection of devices (arrangements for thermal protection H10W40/00) · CPC title

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• A61N1/3785 Primary

  generated by biological activity or substance, e.g. body movement · CPC title

• H01J45/00

  Discharge tubes functioning as thermionic generators {(structural combination of fuel element with thermoelectric element G21C3/40; nuclear power plants using thermionic converters G21D7/04; structural combination of a radioactive source with a thermionic converter, e.g. radioisotope batteries G21H1/10; generators in which thermal or kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy by ionisation of a fluid and removal of the charge therefrom H02N3/00)} · CPC title

• H01L25/04

  Electricity · mapped topic