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AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsAmit Lal, Hui Li, James P. Blanchard, Douglass L. Henderson
Estimating the term…
An activator has a base on which is mounted an elastically deformable micromechanical element that has a section that is free to be displaced toward the base. An absorber of radioactively emitted particles is formed on the base or the displaceable section of the deformable element and a source is formed on the other of the displaceable section or the base facing the absorber across a small gap. The radioactive source emits charged particles such as electrons, resulting in a buildup of charge on the absorber, drawing the absorber and source together and storing mechanical energy as the deformable element is bent. When the force between the absorber and the source is sufficient to bring the absorber into effective electrical contact with the source, discharge of the charge between the source and absorber allows the deformable element to spring back, releasing the mechanical energy stored in the element. An electrical generator such as a piezoelectric transducer may be secured to the deformable element to convert the released mechanical energy to electrical energy that can be used to provide power to electronic circuits.
An activator comprising:
A power generator comprising:
A micromechanical power generator comprising:
A method of generating electrical power suited for use in microelectromechanical systems comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.