Electricity-generating element unit, electric generator, footwear, and flooring material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9893652-B2
Application number	US-201615152085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2016
Priority date	May 18, 2015
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

An electricity-generating element unit including a plurality of electricity-generating elements, each of the plurality of electricity-generating elements including a first electrode, an intermediate layer, and a second electrode disposed with the intermediate layer being between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a coupling unit coupling the plurality of electricity-generating elements to each other, wherein when an external force is applied to at least one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements to bring the first electrode and the second electrode of the at least one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements close to each other, a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode of the electricity-generating element or each of the electricity-generating elements to which an external force is not applied is increased by the coupling unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electricity-generating device comprising:
a plurality of electricity-generating elements, each of the plurality of electricity-generating elements comprising a first electrode, an intermediate layer, and a second electrode disposed with the intermediate layer being between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a coupling structure coupling the plurality of electricity-generating elements to each other,
wherein when an external force is applied to a first one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements to bring the first electrode and the second electrode of the first one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements close to each other, the coupling structure is configured to transmit a force, in response to the external force, to a second one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements to move the first electrode and the second electrode of the second one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements away from each other.

2. The electricity-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling structure is configured to transmit the force that is in a parallel and opposite direction relative to a direction of the external force applied to the first one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements to the second one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements using a center of gravity of the coupling structure as a fulcrum.

3. The electricity-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the electricity-generating device comprises a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions comprising a respective electricity-generating element and a housing member housing the respective electricity-generating element, and the plurality of regions are coupled to each other by the coupling structure in a manner that a fluid can move among the plurality of regions, and
wherein when the external force is applied to a first one of the plurality of regions to bring the first electrode and the second electrode of the respective electricity-generating element in the first one of the plurality of regions close to each other, the fluid is moved through the coupling device to a second one of the plurality of regions to which the external force is not applied, to increase a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode of the respective electricity-generating element in the second one of the plurality of regions.

4. The electricity-generating device according to claim 3 , wherein the housing member is a member in which the fluid is sealed.

5. The electricity-generating device according to claim 4 , wherein the housing member is a bag made of resin.

6. The electricity-generating device according to claim 3 , wherein the coupling structure contains a hollow part through which the fluid is movable.

7. The electricity-generating device according to claim 3 , wherein the coupling structure has flexibility.

8. The electricity-generating device according to claim 7 , wherein the coupling structure comprises a silicone rubber tube.

9. The electricity-generating device according to claim 3 , wherein the fluid comprises a gas or a liquid.

10. The electricity-generating device according to claim 9 , wherein the fluid comprises a gas.

11. The electricity-generating device according to claim 10 , wherein the gas comprises nitrogen or air.

12. The electricity-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein when a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode of the second one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements is increased, a space is formed between the intermediate layer and the first electrode or between the intermediate layer and the second electrode of the second one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements.

13. The electricity-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer of the first one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements is at least one selected from the group consisting of ceramics, electret dielectric, and rubber.

14. The electricity-generating device according to claim 13 , wherein the rubber comprises a silicone rubber composition.

15. An electric generator comprising
an electricity-generating device, the electricity-generating device comprising:
a plurality of electricity-generating elements, each of the plurality of electricity-generating elements comprising a first electrode, an intermediate layer, and a second electrode disposed with the intermediate layer being between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a coupling structure coupling the plurality of electricity-generating elements to each other,

wherein when an external force is applied to a first one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements to move the first electrode and the second electrode of the first one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements close to each other, the coupling structure is configured to transmit a force, in response to the external force, to a second one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements to move the first electrode and the second electrode of the second one of the plurality of electricity-generating elements away from each other.

16. Footwear comprising
the electric generator according to claim 15 .

17. A flooring material comprising
the electric generator according to claim 15 .

Assignees

• Otagiri Mizuki
• Kondoh Tsuneaki
• Sugawara Tomoaki
• Arizumi Yuko
• Natori Junichiro
• Imai Takahiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Otagiri Mizuki
• Kondoh Tsuneaki
• Sugawara Tomoaki
• Arizumi Yuko
• Natori Junichiro
• Imai Takahiro

Classifications

• F03G5/063

  operated by the leg or foot · CPC title

• H01L41/0477

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02N2/18 Primary

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

• F03G5/06

  other than of endless-walk type · CPC title

• H01L41/183

  Electricity · mapped topic