INERTIAL ENERGY SCAVENGER

摘要

The present invention provides an inertial energy scavenger that includes at least one piezoelectric element held by a housing, a proof mass that is movable within the housing in a direction parallel to the piezoelectric element, and a mechanical assembly disposed between the proof mass and the piezoelectric element. The mechanical assembly transfers work from the proof mass to the piezoelectric element, where the work from the proof mass is a first force along a first distance and the work to the piezoelectric element is a second force along a second distance. The first distance is greater than the second distance and the first force is smaller than the second force. Force amplification is determined by the geometry of the mechanical transfer assembly and can range anywhere from just above 1 to at least 10, where some embodiments include a bi-lever configuration, a tube-shaped configuration and a reverse actuation configuration.