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"That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced."
Scientific American ; Jan. 2 edition, 1909
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8183746 | Methods and apparatus for mechanical reserve power sources for gun-fired munitions, mortars, and gravity dropped weapons A power source including: a power generation device; a mass-spring unit having a mass and an elastic element operatively connected to the power generation device; and one or more retention fingers releasably engaged with the mass-spring unit for retaining the mass-s... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8174167 | Bistable piezoelectric generator The invention concerns a bistable piezoelectric generator comprising at least one element in piezoelectric material, with at least one end fixed at a base and having the other end with a mass capable of making oscillations between two distinct positions, respectivel... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8174168 | Piezoelectric power generating device A piezoelectric power generating device includes a power generating element and a package member. The power generating element includes a plate-like piezoelectric element and a metal plate. The piezoelectric element has a pair of principal surfaces opposite each oth... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8154177 | Wide-band vibration energy harvester with stop A device for harvesting an external source of energy includes an electricity generating device, a flexure, and a first stop. Displacement of the flexure is limited by the first stop. The flexure has a vibration amplitude, wherein the vibration amplitude is amplitude... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8154176 | System and method for resonance frequency tuning of resonant devices Tunable vibration energy scavengers and methods of operating the same are disclosed. The disclosed energy scavengers comprise a beam with a main body, wherein the beam comprises at least one flap and means for changing a shape of the at least one flap, wherein the a... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8143765 | Self-powering headset, devices and related methods In one aspect, the invention relates to a headset that includes an element that generates energy in response to forces. The headset includes at least one vibratable piezoelectric element; a first circuit element in electrical communication with the at least one vibr... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8143767 | Compact thermoacoustic array energy converter A thermoacoustic array energy converter consists of heat driven thermoacoustic prime movers in parallel coupled by means of an acoustic cavity to a piezoelectric electrical generator whose output is rectified and fed to an energy storage element. The prime movers co... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8143766 | Harvesting energy from vehicular vibrations using piezoelectric devices An energy harvesting apparatus for deployment on a vehicle having a frame includes a spring assembly coupled to the frame and configured for compressions and extensions during vehicle travel. A piezoelectric device is mounted on the spring assembly for generating el... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8134281 | Electrical generators for use in unmoored buoys and the like platforms with low-frequency and time-varying oscillatory motions A buoy for generating electrical energy from an upward heave resulting from a passing wave is provided. The buoy including: a body; a first device associated with the body to which a motion of the heave is transferred; and a second device associated with the body to... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8134282 | Wide-band vibration energy harvester with restoring spring A device for harvesting an external source of energy includes an electricity generating device, a flexure, and a restoring spring. The electricity generating device generates electricity based on movement of the flexure. The flexure has a first stable position. When... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8129887 | System and method for harvesting energy from environmental vibrations Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and a method for increasing the harvested energy from a piezoelectric element exposed to environmental vibrations via a two-prong system. In a first prong, a cantilever beam is tapered and shaped so as to increas... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8125122 | Method and circuit for energizing an electrical device A method and a circuit for energizing an electrical device are described. ... | 02/28/2012 |
| 8110964 | Energy harvesting device A piezoelectric energy harvesting device (PEHD) comprising a driving element, conducting element, piezoelectric layer and non-piezoelectric layer capable of converting ambient mechanical energy into electrical energy. The piezoelectric layer may be constructed from ... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8093784 | Piezoelectric power generating element, and method of generating electric power using the piezoelectric power generating element Provided is a relatively easy-to-fabricate piezoelectric power generating element capable of generating a large amount of electric power while comprising a bridge-type vibration beam that is resistant to damage from external vibration. This element comprises a suppo... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8080920 | Piezoelectric vibrational energy harvesting systems incorporating parametric bending mode energy harvesting Vibrational energy harvesting (VEH) structures that include resonant beams each having a fundamental resonance frequency and a parametric mode frequency and including at least one piezoelectric layer for generating electrical charge in response to each of fundamenta... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8076825 | Electret film generator A DC generation and storage device including a power generation section with multiple layers of an electret film. A rectifier is connected to the electret film, which in turn will be connected to a DC to DC converter. A power storage device (e.g., a battery or capac... | 12/13/2011 |
| 8072122 | Self-powered impulse detection system with piezoelectric energy harvester A self-powered impulse detecting system comprising a signal transmitter; an energy storage component; and an energy harvester comprising a top plate configured to receive a stress impulse by an external object on its top surface; a bottom plate positioned opposite t... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8067878 | Bladeless wind power generator In a first embodiment, a wind to energy conversion system is constructed out of a number of modular power units (110), each modular power unit (110) comprised of 36 air jet tunnels (106). Each air jet tunnel (106) is constructed using a c... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8063541 | Holster-integrated piezoelectric energy source for handheld electronic device A holster for a handheld electronic device. The holster has integrated therein one or more piezoelectric elements that provide an output voltage to the handheld electronic device upon insertion of device in the holster. The output voltage can be used to charge the b... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8040023 | Bending transducer for generating electrical energy from mechanical deformations A bending transducer device for generating electrical energy from deformations, and a circuit module which has such a bending transducer. The bending transducer includes at least one electrically deformable, vibration-capable, electrically conductive support structu... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8040021 | Device for the active damping of the vibrations experienced by a fragile part of moving equipment, with autonomous power supply A device for damping of vibrations for an item of equipment comprising a structure to which a first element and a second fragile element having to be protected from the vibrations are coupled. The device comprises first piezoelectric transducer means inserted betwee... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8040022 | Forced vibration piezo generator and piezo actuator Piezoelectric elements for power generation and/or actuation are described. An aspect is directed to generators utilizing piezoelectric elements for electrical power generation. Such a generator can use one or more arrays of piezoelectric cantilevers for electrical ... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8035279 | Electro-mechanical energy conversion devices and systems There are provided methods for creating energy conversion devices based on the giant flexoelectric effect in non-calamitic liquid crystals. By preparing a substance comprising at least one type of non-calamitic liquid crystal molecules and stabilizing the substance ... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8030825 | Piezoelectric generator and method An apparatus and method is provided to produce energy from movement of a user. At least one pair of plates is utilized to secure an array of cymbal transducers therebetween. The array of cymbal transducers is electrically interconnected with signal conditioning circ... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8030826 | Energy regeneration device for suspension system An energy regeneration device for a suspension system may include a transforming body configured to be compressed or elongated by a chassis spring of the suspension system, and at least an electric generating member that are electrically connected each other and con... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8022602 | Piezoelectric resonant power generator A method for generating power in a wellbore includes moving an actuator; inducing an oscillating stress on a piezoelectric component with the actuator; and generating a voltage with the piezoelectric component in response to the induced stress on the piezoelectric c... | 09/20/2011 |
| 8022600 | Piezoelectric power generating mechanism with spring material Oscillators (101a and 101b) are attached to a spring material (100) whose both ends (105a and 105b) are held, and piezoelectric elements (103a, 103b, and 106) are attac... | 09/20/2011 |
| 8022601 | Piezoelectric-coated carbon nanotube generators A generator includes a first conductive layer, a plurality of elongated piezoelectric nanostructures and a conductive electrode. The piezoelectric nanostructures extend upwardly from the first conductive layer and include a carbon nanotube core and a piezoelectric s... | 09/20/2011 |
| 8013497 | Piezoelectric power generator A piezoelectric power generator that includes a support body, a piezoelectric element, and a bias compressive stress applying member. The piezoelectric element is placed on the support body. The piezoelectric element has a piezoelectric plate that is polarized in th... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8008843 | Energy generator systems with a voltage-controlled switch A first energy generating system comprises a ferromagnetic generator coupled to a voltage controlled switch. The ferromagnetic generator includes a ferromagnetic element generating a magnetic field and positioned within a pulse generating coil and near an explosive ... | 08/30/2011 |
| 8004156 | Compact thermoacoustic array energy converter A thermoacoustic array energy converter consists of heat driven thermoacoustic prime movers in parallel coupled by means of an acoustic cavity to a piezoelectric electrical generator whose output is rectified and fed to an energy storage element. The prime movers co... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7999444 | Tidal power generator Power generation technology using tidal power or wave power is provided, especially as related to power generation technology using a piezoelectric element. Power generation technology includes a power generation device for effectively generating electric power in w... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7999445 | Ferroelectric energy generator with voltage-controlled switch A ferroelectric energy generator system comprises an explosive unit, a ferroelectric element, a first and a second output terminal, and a voltage-controlled switch. The explosive unit may include an explosive charge and a detonator which in combination may supply a ... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7999447 | Piezoelectric device employing elastomer material An elastomeric piezoelectric ultracapacitor embodiment is also disclosed. A dielectric elastomer is a polymer that may be configured to operate in a “generator mode.” In generator mode the dielectric elastomer operates like a variable capacitor, and amplifies th... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7999446 | Piezoelectronic device and method of fabricating the same A piezoelectronic device and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The piezoelectronic device of the present invention comprises: a plurality of carbon nanotubes; at least one piezoceramic layer covering the plurality of carbon nanotubes; and a supporting ... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7990024 | Nanogenerator A nanogenerator includes a first frame, a second frame, a first conductor, a second conductor, an array of nano-rods, and an array of electrodes. The second frame engages the first frame. The first conductor is fixed to a first inner surface of the first frame facin... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7982370 | Flexible nanogenerators A small scale electrical generator includes an elongated substrate and a first piezoelectric fine wire. The first piezoelectric fine wire is disposed along a surface of the substrate. The first piezoelectric fine wire has a first end and a spaced-apart second end. A... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7982371 | Polymer metal composite membranes Systems and methods of harvesting and converting naturally occurring energy are described that include exposing a material to an ambient condition and harvesting at least a portion of energy that is created. Energy harvesting from fluidic and flow environments or vi... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7977852 | Method and apparatus for harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations A method of harvesting energy from a vibrational energy source having a varying energy characteristic. The method includes the step of varying a characteristic of a harvesting arrangement arranged to harvest the energy, the characteristic of the harvesting arrangeme... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7969070 | Electroactive polymer transducer An electroactive polymer transducer comprising a membrane formed of an approximately rectangular electroactive polymer portion surrounded by two electrodes, at least two points of the membrane being connected to rigid supports, and comprising at least one deformable... | 06/28/2011 |
