US 5,703,295 AGranted

Vibration sensing method and apparatus therefor

AssigneesNKK Corporation, Fuji Ceramics Corporation

InventorsNaruo Ishida, Yoshio Saijyo, Shingo Arakawa, Kimiaki Watanabe, Hidehiro Inaba

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Abstract

A vibration sensing apparatus including an acceleration sensor 2 for outputting a sensing signal corresponding to a vibrating acceleration, a level discriminator 3 for generating an output when the output level of the signal from the acceleration sensor 2 exceeds a preset reference level, a display unit 4 for displaying the output of the level discriminator 3, a piezoelectric ceramic power generating unit 5 using piezoelectric ceramics for generating a charge when it is subjected to vibration, and a conversion unit 6 for converting the charge generated by the piezoelectric ceramic power generating unit 5 into DC power, the DC power being supplied to the level discriminator and to the display unit as power to be consumed by them.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A vibration sensing method comprising the steps of:

(a) sensing a signal corresponding to a vibrating acceleration, and outputting the signal;
(b) discriminating, usual a level discriminator, a level of the signal which is outputted in step (a) to generate an output when the level exceeds a preset reference level;
(c) displaying the output generated in step (b) on a display unit;
(d) providing a power generating unit having sheet-shaped piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged as a bimorph structure, one end of each of said piezoelectric ceramic elements being fixed, and a deadweight attached to another end of said piezoelectric ceramic elements, wherein the charge is generated by a bending vibration of said piezoelectric ceramic elements;
(e) generating a charge by the power generating unit when vibration is applied thereto;
(f) converting the charge generated by the power generating unit into DC power;
and
(g) supplying the converted DC power to the level discriminator and to the display unit as spontaneously generated power.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.