POWER GENERATOR FOR PISTON INSTRUMENTATION

摘要

A piston assembly for monitoring at least one operating condition of an internal combustion engine and/or piston during use of the piston in the engine, for example during an engine test, is provided. The piston assembly includes an electronic instrumentation unit coupled to the piston for collecting data related to the operating conditions. Instead of a battery or wireless power transfer system, the piston assembly includes a thermoelectric module to provide energy to the electronic instrumentation unit. One side of the thermoelectric module is coupled to an undercrown surface of the piston, which is typically hot due its proximity to the combustion chamber. The opposite side of the thermoelectric module is cooled by a cooling fluid, such as a spray of cooling oil. The temperature flux at the thermoelectric module is converted into electrical energy and used to power the electronic instrumentation unit.

主权项

1. A piston assembly, comprising:
a piston including a combustion bowl surface for exposure to heat from a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine; said piston including an undercrown surface facing opposite said combustion bowl surface for exposure to a cooling medium; an electronic instrumentation unit coupled to said piston for monitoring at least one condition of said piston and/or the engine; and a thermoelectric module coupled to said electronic instrumentation unit and said undercrown surface of said piston for exposure to the cooling medium and the heat from the combustion chamber, wherein said thermoelectric module converts a temperature difference between the cooling medium and the heat from the combustion chamber into energy and transfers the energy to said electronic instrumentation unit.