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US 6,433,465 B1Granted
Energy-harvesting device using electrostrictive polymers
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsWilliam H. McKnight, Wayne C. McGinnis
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Abstract
The electrical response phenomenon of electrostrictive polymers is used to harvest electrical power from the general movement of objects such as from human walking motion, for example. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the polymer material is incorporated into the soles of footwear and is either full- or partial-wave rectified and then if desired converted to a direct current (DC) voltage level for suitable battery charging and the like.
Claims14
An apparatus comprising:
- an article of clothing that is subjected to flexure when worn;
- a layer of electrostrictive polymer that is part of an ion-exchange polymer-metal composite, said layer incorporated into said clothing at a juncture wherein said clothing is typically flexed when worn so that said polymer is also flexed;
- and
- a rectifier circuit incorporated into said clothing and operably coupled to said electrostrictive layer for converting alternating current voltage generated by said polymer when flexed into direct current voltage.
1 more element
An energy-generating shoe comprising:
- a sole;
- a section of said sole in which a plurality of laminated electroded layers of electrostrictive polymer are electrically coupled in series and are disposed in a sinuous path to enhance flexure of said layers, said electroded layers of electrostrictive polymer being placed within said sole so that when said sole is flexed during walking said electrostrictive polymer is also flexed, thereby generating alternating current voltage energy;
- a rectifier circuit incorporated within said sole and operably coupled to said electostrictive polymer for converting said alternating current voltage generated by said polymer into direct current voltage;
- and
- an output power cord operably coupled to said rectifier circuit and exiting said shoe.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.