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US 7,679,271 B2Granted
Piezoelectric powered vehicles and motors
AssigneeDrexel University
InventorsVladimir Genis, Alexandre Soukhomlinoff
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AssigneeDrexel University
InventorsVladimir Genis, Alexandre Soukhomlinoff
Estimating the term…
One or more piezoelectric elements are employed to generate electrical energy from one or both of the mechanical energy of a moving part of a conventional engine or vehicle or the combustion energy of an internal combustion engine. The generated electrical energy can be stored and used to power an electric motor in order to supplement the power generated by the conventional engine.
A piezoelectric system for use in vehicles, said system comprising:
A piezoelectric system for use in a vehicle, comprising:
A method for generating mechanical energy in a vehicle comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Electric machines in general using piezoelectric effect, electrostriction or magnetostriction: producing electrical output from mechanical input,…
Characterised by the architecture of the hybrid electric vehicle: parallel type
Auxiliary drives: directly from oscillating movements due to vehicle running motion, e.g. suspension movement
Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect: hybrid vehicles
Term ended 26 Apr 2026 (estimated)
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of motors. In particular the invention relates to motors and vehicles powered at least in part by a piezoelectric element.
2. Description of the Related Technology
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an engine provided with one or more piezoelectric elements associated with one or more moving parts of the engine.
FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of an engine that utilizes a combustion chamber provided with one or more piezoelectric elements.
FIG. 3 shows a diagram of an experimental setup to demonstrate the ability of the piezoelectric elements to generate energy under simulated conditions.
In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a motor. The motor includes an engine and a piezoelectric element associated with a moving part of said engine in a manner whereby said piezoelectric element generates electrical energy as a result of movement of the moving part of the engine. The engine may be an electric-powered engine to which at least some electricity is supplied by the piezoelectric element.
In another embodiment, the motor of the present invention is a hybrid piezoelectric motor (HPEM™) that uses one or more piezoelectric devices for generating electrical power for an electric motor in order to supplement the power generated by an engine that employs a non-electric power source. The non-electric engine may be powered, for example, by conventional fuels, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, oil, ethanol, methanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), bio-diesel, and hydrogen.
Use of piezoelectric devices for powering a supplemental electric motor permits mechanical energy of the conventional engine to be converted to supplemental electrical energy without requiring significant changes in the design of existing engines. Using piezoelectric elements for generating supplemental power can significantly improve the cost-effectiveness of hybrid motors and simplify the charging system for hybrid electric vehicles.