Energy harvesting device having self-powered touch sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9419544-B2
Application number	US-201414166354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2014
Priority date	Jan 28, 2013
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

Provided is an energy harvesting device having a self-powered touch sensor so that the energy harvesting device is capable of sensing pressure due to an external touch without using external power and harvesting and storing energy generated in response to the touch pressure. The energy harvesting device includes first and second electrodes facing each other, an energy generation layer disposed on the first electrode, and an elastic layer disposed on the second electrode layer, the elastic layer facing the energy generation layer and being configured to be elastically deformed according to pressure applied to the elastic layer. The energy generation layer is configured to generate energy according to the pressure applied to the energy generation layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy harvesting device having a self-powered touch sensor comprising:
first and second electrodes facing each other;
an energy generation layer disposed on the first electrode; and
an elastic layer disposed on the second electrode layer, the elastic layer facing the energy generation layer, the elastic layer being configured to be elastically deformed according to pressure applied to the elastic layer,
wherein the energy generation layer is configured to generate energy according to the pressure applied to the energy generation layer.

2. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the energy generation layer comprises a piezoelectric film configured to generate electricity in response to the pressure applied thereto or an electrostatic film having a surface that is electrically charged.

3. The energy harvesting device of claim 2 , wherein the piezoelectric film comprises ZnO, GaN, ZnMgO, InN, BTO, PZT, PVDF, or a polymer including piezoelectric nanoparticles and the electrostatic film comprises a material having a natural surface potential and selected from among fluorinate polymer, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), or polypropylene, or comprises a material having a surface that is artificially polarized and selected from among quartz or SiO 2 .

4. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the elastic layer has a porous nanostructure comprising protrusions which protrude toward the first electrode, and further comprising pores which are defined between the protrusions.

5. The energy harvesting device of claim 4 , wherein each of the pores has a diameter of about 500 nm to about 2 μm and a depth of about 1 μm to about 8 μm.

6. The energy harvesting device of claim 4 , wherein each of the protrusions has a rectangular shape and protrudes vertically toward the first electrode.

7. The energy harvesting device of claim 4 , wherein each of the protrusions has a pyramidal shape with a width gradually increasing in a direction moving from the energy generation layer towards the second electrode and gradually decreasing in a direction moving from the second electrode towards the energy generation layer.

8. The energy harvesting device of claim 4 , wherein the protrusions comprise first protrusions that are in contact with a surface of the energy generation layer and second protrusions that are spaced apart from the surface of the energy generation layer.

9. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second electrodes is formed of a transparent material.

10. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second electrodes comprises a stretchable electrode formed by spray-coating a metal nanotube or a carbon nanotube.

11. The energy harvesting device of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode comprises an array of first electrodes arranged in a pattern in which the first electrodes are parallel to each other and extend linearly in a first direction, and the second electrode comprises an array of second electrodes arranged in a pattern in which the second electrodes are parallel to each other and extend linearly in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

12. An energy harvesting device having a self-powered touch sensor comprising:
first and second electrodes facing each other;
an elastic layer disposed on the second electrode and comprising protrusions protruding toward the first electrode and pores between the protrusions; and
an energy generation layer disposed along a surface of the elastic layer,
wherein the energy generation layer is configured to generate energy according to the pressure applied to the energy generation layer, and
the elastic layer is configured to be elastically deformed according to pressure applied to the elastic layer.

13. The energy harvesting device of claim 12 , wherein the energy generation layer comprises a piezoelectric film configured to generate electricity in response to pressure applied thereto or an electrostatic film having a surface that is electrically charged.

14. The energy harvesting device of claim 13 , wherein the piezoelectric film comprises ZnO, GaN, ZnMgO, InN, BTO, PZT, PVDF, or a polymer including piezoelectric nanoparticles and the electrostatic film comprises a material having a natural surface potential and selected from among fluorinate polymer, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), or polypropylene, or comprises a material having a surface that is artificially polarized and selected from among quartz or SiO 2 .

15. The energy harvesting device of claim 12 , wherein each of the protrusions has a rectangular shape and protrudes vertically toward the first electrode.

16. The energy harvesting device of claim 12 , wherein each of the protrusions has a pyramidal shape with a width gradually increasing in a direction moving from the energy generation layer towards the second electrode and gradually decreasing in a direction moving from the second electrode towards the energy generation layer.

17. The energy harvesting device of claim 12 , wherein the protrusions comprise first protrusions that are in contact with a surface of the first electrode and second protrusions that are spaced apart from the second electrode.

18. The energy harvesting device of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second electrodes is formed of a transparent material.

19. The energy harvesting device of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second electrodes comprises a stretchable electrode formed by spray-coating a metal nanotube or a carbon nanotube.

20. The energy harvesting device of claim 12 , wherein the first electrode comprises an array of first electrodes arranged in a pattern in which the first electrodes are parallel to each other and extend linearly in a first direction, and the second electrode comprises an array of second electrodes arranged in a pattern in which the second electrodes are parallel to each other and extend linearly in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyun-Jin
• Park Young-Jun
• Park Steve

Classifications

• H02N1/08 Primary

  with conductive charge carrier, i.e. capacitor machines · CPC title

• H02N2/18 Primary

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

• H01L41/113

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N30/30

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

• H10N30/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title