Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to domestic energy saving. More specifically, it relates to an independent energy recovery device capable of passively recovering kinetic energy and transforming it into electrical energy for domestic and non-domestic use.

Prior art

According to the most commonly used definition, kinetic energy is defined as the energy of a body in motion.

This energy has been exploited for centuries through devices such as the “dynamo” of bicycles, but only recently it has become clear that sources of kinetic energy are available from any movement of bodies, even from the simple trampling of users on a floor or from the flow of vehicles on a street.

The cases of application of this simple principle have recently jumped to the eyes thanks to the news reports with experiments related to spinning bikes provided with alternators and connected to accumulators or sophisticated suspended floors provided with springs adapted to capture the kinetic energy produced by trampling, such as of “intelligent” motorway sections capable of absorbing the vibrations of vehicular traffic and transforming them into accumulable electrical energy.

At present, the aforementioned inventions have a field of applicability limited to road and motorway networks, to large private and public spaces due to the significant costs of installing main elements and accessories, such as sensors, inverters, accumulators and connection cables.

An example is the subject of the patent application CN104467535B of D. ZHONGXIA, M. MAOSONG, L. JUMBIAO, H. RONGLING, H. LI. The invention relates to a device for generating piezoelectric energy with a multilayer oscillator for collecting the passive kinetic energy of a vehicle.

A multilayer oscillating piezoelectric energy generation device is provided for collecting the passive kinetic energy of a road vehicle. According to the power generation device, a plurality of piezoelectric oscillators are stacked in the vertical direction and the stacking number is determined according to the constraint of a longitudinal dimension so that the amount of energy generated when the wheels act from time to time can be increased. In addition, the distribution of the contact points is designed according to the size of the tires. According to the device, piezoelectric oscillators are used for power generation, the energy conversion efficiency is high, an independent pressure block is used to transmit the wheel pressure, after the piezoelectric oscillators generate the maximum displacement, the pressure of the wheels is supported by a shell composed of a cover plate and a base, and therefore since the overall mass of the vehicle in kinetic oscillation acts directly on the piezoelectric oscillators, damage to the oscillators can be avoided.

Another example is the subject of the patent application US8013497B2 of K. FUJIMOTO.

The invention relates to a piezoelectric power generator

The invention provides a piezoelectric power generator which includes a support body, a piezoelectric element and a bias compressive stress applying element. The piezoelectric element is placed on the support body. The piezoelectric element has a piezoelectric plate which is polarized in the thickness direction and first and second electrodes which are each provided on a surface of the piezoelectric plate. The bias compressive stress applying member is supported on the side above the piezoelectric member by the support body. The bias compressive stress applying element applies a bias compressive stress to the piezoelectric element that acts in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric plate, so that the magnitude of a compressive stress in the piezoelectric plate changes with a change in externally applied stress.

The object of the present patent is to make this type of technology usable more immediately to a very wide audience, also offering the possibility of recovering kinetic energy by transforming it into electricity with a compact, ready-to-use, modular, expandable and freely installable device.

Even more advantageously, the device allows the possibility of automatically connecting to a home automation network or other private and/or public electronic control network.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention, an independent passive energy storage device is provided which can be installed at a floor which effectively solves the above drawbacks. Said device consists of a watertight casing of composite material inside which all the components necessary for said device to be ready for use are housed.

The floor device is able to generate electrical energy by transforming the kinetic energy that makes it move and/or vibrate, by means of a piezoelectric force transducer then connected to an inverter that regulates the frequency thereof and transforms the output from direct into alternating current and vice versa. The device lends itself to a very wide range of applications. In fact, it can be used to power systems in proximity to a pedestrian or vehicle access, alarms, anti-theft systems, lighting, intercoms and the like. The device can be mounted in proximity to communication infrastructures, exploiting the kinetic energy generated by vibrations and air displacements induced by vehicles in transit, for powering electric/electronic devices and lighting, some examples are railways, subways, highways, galleries and the like. In the same way, the device can be applied to power electronic systems such as interphones, video intercoms, doorbells and the like when installed in proximity to stairs and/or the elevator shaft of a building. The device is also able to act as a power bank for other electronic devices if made available to users who practice sports and who start the same to generate kinetic energy. Furthermore, the device allows acting as an anti-theft system, in this case it is provided with a loudspeaker with high consumption efficiency, adapted to send an acoustic alarm signal when the device is shaken generating sufficient electrical energy.

The device is implemented in such a way as to be modular and easily associable with other devices similar to it for the purpose of a greater and more significant production of electrical energy.

The device comprises a watertight connection which allows a solid and watertight connection with the output cables for electrical energy, further guaranteeing the solidity thereof through a locking mechanism adapted to keep the cables in position and to allow release through a mechanical movement. The casing that encloses all the components of the device is robust and watertight and, in one embodiment, has at least a retaining device configured to allow stable and reversible engagement, of said device with electrical or electronic devices to be powered and positioned above said outer casing such as, by way of example, spinning bikes or other physical exercise machines. In this embodiment it is possible to hypothesize an advantageous exploitation of the device of the present invention as flooring for a gym in which treadmills, spinning bikes, rowing machines or other similar machinery are installed.

The device can also be implemented in various embodiments depending on the ultimate use of the device and to allow the housing of a greater or lesser number of units of said connection device. The device includes a connection device that allows connection to a smart network wirelessly, operating with frequencies that avoid disturbing people and animals and other electronic devices. The connection device allows connecting to a home automation network to obtain diagnostic information relating to the operating status of the device itself and to obtain estimates relating to the efficiency of current production and the production of electricity over time. Through a smart network such as home automation, it is also possible to turn the device on or off by activating a special switch even remotely.

The advantages offered by the present invention are clear in the light of the above description and will be even clearer from the accompanying figures and the related detailed description.

Description of the figures

The invention will hereinafter be described in at least a preferred embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying figures, in which:

- FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of the independent passive energy storage device 100;

- FIGURE 2 shows a view of the operation of an embodiment of said independent passive energy storage device 100.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will now be described purely by way of non-limiting or binding example with the aid of the figures, which illustrate some embodiments relative to the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIG. 1, a detail view of said independent floor passive energy storage device 100 according to the present invention is shown. In FIG. 1 as in the following description, the embodiment of the present invention considered to be the best to date is illustrated.

Said independent passive energy storage device 100 comprises at least an outer casing 101, at least a watertight connection 102, at least a recess with internal electrical connection 103, at least a wired connector 104, at least a storage battery 105, at least a piezoelectric force transducer 106, at least an inverter 107, at least a connection device 108, at least a set of LED lights 109, at least a switch 110, at least a locking mechanism 111, at least a retaining device 112, at least a loudspeaker 113.

Said outer casing 101 is solid, resistant to shocks and prolonged stresses, watertight and with a high degree of tightness even for dusts, said casing has a retaining device 112 configured to allow stable and reversible engagement, of said device 100 with electrical or electronic devices to be powered and positioned above said outer casing 101 such as, by way of example, spinning bikes or other physical exercise machines.

Said watertight connection 102 guarantees the exit of an electric cable adapted to transmit the electric current generated through said piezoelectric force transducer 106 starting from kinetic energy, and modulated and converted into direct or alternating current, by said inverter 107. Said watertight connection 102 has said locking mechanism 111 to prevent accidental disconnection of the electric output cable. Said recess with internal electrical connection 103 allows the possibility of rigidly coupling several devices to each other avoiding wired connections, while when a wired connection is required, the connection is guaranteed through said wired connector 104. Said storage battery 105 allows to temporarily accumulate the converted electrical energy in the event that said watertight connection 102 is disconnected for any reason, and/or to power said set of low energy consumption LED lights 109, adapted to send a visual signal of any malfunctions and/or of the correct operating status.

Said connection device 108 allows wireless and/or wired connection to a public and/or domestic control network, such as a home automation network, and said switch 110 allows the device to be turned off by instantly blocking the energy supply from said piezoelectric force transducer 106 to said watertight connection 102. In a preferred embodiment, said loudspeaker 113 is implemented for sending alarm signals and is directly connected to the device from which it draws electrical power.

With reference to FIG. 2 @@@view of the operation of an embodiment of said independent passive energy storage device 100 purely by way of non-limiting or binding example. The following detailed description refers to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Said independent passive energy storage device 100 in the embodiment presented in FIG. 2 is mounted in proximity to a rail 200, both on an independent lighting device 202 and on at least a lighting device 204 mounted in a station 203. In this embodiment, said independent passive energy storage device 100 exploits the continuous vibrations induced by the passage of the train 201 to produce electrical energy through said piezoelectric force transducer 106 and send it to said independent lighting device 202 through said watertight connection 102. Said independent passive energy storage device 100 also exploits the vibrations induced by the combined action of said train 201 and of the people present in said station 203 which, with the vibration induced by their trampling, provide a valuable kinetic contribution for its operation and the power supply of said lighting device 204.

It is apparent that the application in proximity to a railway is only one example of the many forms of use of the device object of the present invention. On a much smaller scale, it can, in fact, be installed at the entrance thresholds of condominiums or private houses or even below the tread of a staircase, thus exploiting the passage of residents of the residence where the device is installed, to supply energy at no cost to all systems in common use such as, by way of non-limiting example, elevators, lifts, condominium lighting, alarm system, anti-theft system in the case of commercial businesses, shutters and roller shutters, irrigation and more. On a domestic scale, a version of the device object of the invention can easily be installed on the floor of the corridor or kitchen, which are notoriously the most “lived in” areas of an apartment, thus supplying, at least partially, the domestic systems and reducing in this way the energy bill of families.

Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variants may be made to the invention described thus far which are apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection that is provided by the appended claims.