Increased frequency power generation using low-frequency ambient vibrations

An electrical power generator, comprising:

• a housing;
• an inertial mass mounted in said housing, said inertial mass being capable of at least limited movement within said housing in response to vibration of said housing;
• and
• a transducer mounted within said housing and being coupled to said inertial mass such that said transducer undergoes oscillatory motion in response to the movement of said inertial mass resulting from the vibration,
• wherein said transducer is an electromagnetic transducer comprising a moving coil encircling a magnetic core, said core being fixed within said housing and said coil being suspended within said housing such that said coil can be coupled to said inertial mass and can undergo oscillatory motion relative to said core in response to the movement of said inertial mass.

An electrical power generator, comprising:

• a housing;
• an inertial mass mounted in said housing, said inertial mass being capable of at least limited movement within said housing in response to vibration of said housing;
• and
• a transducer mounted within said housing and being coupled to said inertial mass such that said transducer undergoes oscillatory motion in response to the movement of said inertial mass resulting from the vibration,
• wherein said transducer is an electrostatic element having a variable capacitance and wherein the movement of said inertial mass varies the capacitance of said electrostatic element.

An electrical power generator, comprising:

• a housing;
• an inertial mass mounted in said housing, said inertial mass being capable of at least limited movement within said housing in response to vibration of said housing;
• and
• a transducer mounted within said housing and being coupled to said inertial mass such that said transducer undergoes oscillatory motion in response to the movement of said inertial mass resulting from the vibration,
• wherein said transducer includes a magnetostrictive material attached to a piezoelectric element such that a change in magnetic field impinging on the magnetostrictive material induces strain in the piezoelectric element.

An increased frequency power generator, comprising:

• a housing;
• an inertial mass mounted in said housing, said inertial mass being capable of at least limited movement within said housing in response to low frequency vibration of said housing;
• and
• first and second transducers mounted in said housing, said first transducer being positioned within said housing adjacent a first side of said inertial mass and said second transducer being positioned within said housing adjacent a second side of said inertial mass, wherein said inertial mass is suspended within said housing between said first and second transducers such that said inertial mass can be magnetically coupled to only one of said transducers at a time and is capable of alternately coupling and decoupling with each transducer in response to the vibration imparted on said housing;
• wherein said transducers each includes at least one magnetic element suspended within said housing for oscillatory movement upon decoupling of said inertial mass from that transducer;
• and
• wherein each suspended magnetic element vibrates upon decoupling at a frequency that is greater than the low frequency vibration.