Power generating apparatus and power generating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8941288-B2
Application number	US-201013522634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2010
Priority date	Jan 21, 2010
Publication date	Jan 27, 2015
Grant date	Jan 27, 2015

Abstract

When a rotating shaft member ( 140 ) rotates, a centrifugal force operates to a pressing member ( 152 jk ) (j=1 to J; k=1 to 6) which is fixed to the rotating shaft member ( 140 ). When the centrifugal force operates to the pressing member ( 152 jk ), the end portion of the second bar-like member ( 157 ), which is connected to a first bar-like member ( 156 ) on the other end portion, moves closer to a pressure transmitting member ( 130 ), and a contact member ( 158 ) connected to said end portion of the second bar-like member ( 157 ) presses the pressure transmitting member ( 130 ). When the pressure transmitting member ( 130 ) is pressed in this manner, the pressing force is applied to a piezoelectric element of an individual power generating section ( 122 jp ) which abuts on the R direction side of the pressing position of the pressure transmitting member ( 130 ). When the pressing force is applied to the piezoelectric element in this manner, the piezoelectric element continuously generates voltages. As a result, power can be generated at a high efficiency, while using the piezoelectric element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power generation device, comprising:
a plurality of piezoelectric elements that are arranged upon the inner wall surface of a cylindrical outer frame member;
a rotating shaft member that rotates around the central axis of said outer frame member as a central rotational axis;
a pressure transmission member provided over said plurality of piezoelectric elements and shaped as a cylinder having a central axis that is parallel to the central axis of said outer frame member; and
a pressure member whose one end portion is fixed to said rotating shaft member and whose other end portion, along with shifting over said pressure transmission member along with the rotation of said rotating shaft member, also presses upon said pressure transmission member due to centrifugal force originating in said rotation, wherein
said pressure member comprises:
a first bar shaped member that includes said one end portion, and that extends towards said pressure transmission member;
a second bar shaped member that is connected to the end portion of said first bar shaped member on said pressure transmission member side, so as to be shiftable in the direction to approach said pressure transmission member and in the opposite direction; and
a contact member that is connected to the end portion of said second bar shaped member at the opposite side thereof to the side of said first bar shaped member, and that includes said other end portion.

2. A power generation device according to claim 1 , wherein said second bar shaped member is connected to the end portion of said first bar shaped member on said pressure transmission member side, so as to be rotatable about a shaft that is parallel to said central axis as a central rotational axis.

3. A power generation device according to claim 1 , wherein said contact member is connected to the end portion of said second bar shaped member at the opposite side thereof to the side of said first bar shaped member, so as to be rotatable about a shaft that is parallel to said central axis as a central rotational axis.

4. A power generation device according to claim 1 , wherein said contact member is a member shaped as a circular cylinder, and has a shaft parallel to said central axis as a central axis.

5. A power generation device according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said pressure members are fixed to said rotating shaft member along the circumferential direction of said rotating shaft member.

6. A power generation device according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said pressure members are fixed to said rotating shaft member along a direction parallel to said central axis.

7. A power generation device according to claim 1 , wherein that friction reduction processing with a lubricating material is performed upon the surface of said pressure transmission member on its side towards said central axis.

8. A power generation method employed by a power generation device that comprises a plurality of piezoelectric elements that are arranged upon the inner wall surface of a cylindrical outer frame member; a rotating shaft member that rotates around the central axis of said outer frame member as a rotational axis; a pressure transmission member provided over said plurality of piezoelectric elements and shaped as a cylinder having a central axis that is parallel to the central axis of said outer frame member; and a pressure member whose one end portion is fixed to said rotating shaft member and whose other end portion, along with shifting over said pressure transmission member along with the rotation of said rotating shaft member, also presses upon said pressure transmission member due to centrifugal force originating in said rotation, comprising:
a rotation process of rotating said rotating shaft member; and
a pressing process of, while due to the rotation of said rotating shaft member said other end portion of said pressure member is shifted over said pressure transmission member along its circumferential direction, employing centrifugal force generated due to said rotation to press upon said pressure transmission member with said other end portion of said pressure member, wherein
said pressure member comprises:
a first bar shaped member that includes said one end portion, and that extends towards said pressure transmission member;
a second bar shaped member that is connected to the end portion of said first bar shaped member on said pressure transmission member side, so as to be shiftable in the direction to approach said pressure transmission member and in the opposite direction; and
a contact member that is connected to the end portion of said second bar shaped member at the opposite side thereof to the side of said first bar shaped member, and that includes said other end portion.

Assignees

• Okabayashi Hiroki
• Pioneer Corp

Inventors

• Okabayashi Hiroki

Classifications

• H02N2/18 Primary

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

• H01L41/083

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L41/113

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N30/30

  with mechanical input and electrical output, e.g. functioning as generators or sensors · CPC title

• H10N30/50

  having a stacked or multilayer structure · CPC title