TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an energy harvester that converting bending of a mechanical structure to electricity.

BACKGROUND

This patent application relates to energy harvester that is based on converting bending of a body to electricity. For example, bending may be caused by bending of human limb, bending of tire (tyre), bending of sport devices such as balls and rackets. Applications may use such Bending Energy Harvester in order to power devices such as sensors that are attached to a body that go through bending or relative movement between different parts of the device. The body may be automobile, airplane wings, human limb or animal limbs for powering devices for tracking or health monitoring of livestock. Another example is to use such Bending Energy Harvester is for converting bending of a wing, mast or tree for harvesting power from wind and from water such as sea waves.

Patent KR101692022B1 disclose a broadband and high efficient energy harvester attached to a wheel of a vehicle to convert vibration energy of the vehicle into electric energy. According to an embodiment of this invention, the energy harvester converts the vibration energy of a wheel of a vehicle into electric energy. The energy harvester for a tire wheel of a vehicle comprises: a housing; a permanent magnet; a coil; and an energy storage unit. The housing is formed in a cylindrical curved shape and is arranged in a wheel of a vehicle along a circumferential direction. The permanent magnet is provided inside the housing. The coil is wound to be separated from an outer surface of the housing to perform a pendulum motion between both ends of the housing. The energy storage unit is electrically connected to the coil, and stores energy received from the coil.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,009,310B2 disclose an autonomous power source comprises a power harvester mounted on a movable structure as shown inFIGS. 1aand 1b. The power harvester includes a coil, a magnet, and a low-friction ferrofluidic bearing in contact with the magnet, arranged such that the magnet and coil move with respect to each other when the structure is in motion such that an electrical current is produced in the coil. This current is converted to power and stored in an energy storage system and is thus available to power electronic circuitry. The magnet and bearing are preferably enclosed within a closed linear or circular tube, with the coil mounted around the exterior of the tube. The power harvester and battery are combined with one or more sensors and a wireless transmitter to form a tire pressure monitoring system.

Patent JP2017506491A relates to an energy harvesting device that resonant beam comprising piezoelectric material as shown inFIG. 1c, that may be mounted on an automobile wheel or tire such that the vibration caused by the movement of the wheel or tire generates electric power to power devices placed inside the tire.

Patent KR101692022B1 and JP2017506491A are based on a pendulum movement that is sensitive to random vibration of the wheel. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,009,310B2 the magnet is fixed to a bearing that slides during wheel rotation. This movement generates random movement of the magnet relative to the coil that generates electricity in the coil.

SUMMARY

The present invention is related to energy harvester that is based on converting bending into electricity. Bending may be generated by bending of a body or by rotation of one part of the body relative to the other part such that bending is induced on the Bending Energy Harvester. The bending of the Bending Energy Harvester is used to generate electricity using electromagnetic device that comprises coil, core and magnets. In one embodiment the bending of the Bending Energy Harvester is translated into continues movement of the magnet relative to the electromagnetic device. In another embodiment the bending of the Bending Energy Harvester toggles between two states such that in each state the magnetic flux in the electromagnetic device is reversed. The patent demonstrates such Bending Energy Harvester using several non-limiting configurations that exemplifies the operation of such a Bending Energy Harvester. It is clear that these configurations are meant only to exemplify the operation of an energy that is based on bending of a body that results in movement of a magnet relative to an electromagnetic device or to exemplify the operation of a Bending Energy Harvester that is based on bending of a body that results in toggling between two states such that in each state the magnetic flux in the electromagnetic device is reversed.

