Energy harvester
US9647578B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 15, 2013 |
| Grant date | May 9, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 1, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10N30/306
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An energy harvester having a converter suitable for converting a variation of the energy to be harvested into a corresponding excess of electrical charges. There is a circuit for collecting the excess of electrical charges, the circuit is equipped with a controllable switch and a control device for the switch designed to control the switching of this switch to its closed position. The control device is suitable for exerting a force which stresses the electrical contacts towards one another. The force varies continually as a function of the quantity of electrical charges present on the first terminal and bringing the electrical contacts to bear on one another only when the excess of electrical charges exceeds a predetermined threshold, and/or for ionizing the electrically insulating medium to produce an electrical arc between the two electrical contacts only when the excess of electrical charges exceeds the predetermined threshold.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.