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Nokia Targets Mobile Kinetic Energy Charging
justice4all writes "Nokia has filed a US patent for a phone charger that harvests kinetic energy. The technology has been used in laptops, PDAs, and GPS receivers, according to Nokia. Essentially, the mobile devices would be powered in part through the movements of their owners."
...if my laptop is running low on power, I should shake the hell out of it? Can do!
Living With a Nerd
I'm aware that many Europeans and Asians would benefit from this technology, but American outside NYC will never get much current out. Any wonder Nokia dominates the European and Asian markets but preforms dismally over here?
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
Comment removed based on user account deletion
The independent claims in the application (20100045241, filed August 20, 2008) center on the use of the battery's mass to generate electricity via one or more piezoelectric elements. It's always nice to see a liability turned into an asset. While this is just an application, and the claims may differ substantially in the issued patent (should one issue at all), here is the first independent claim:
1. An apparatus comprising:
a device housing;
a holder configured to retain a battery;
a first piezoelectric element coupling the holder to the device housing and configured to receive, as a result of acceleration of the device housing and along a first axis, a first portion of a force of imposed by a mass of a battery retained in the holder;
a second piezoelectric element coupling the holder to the device housing and configured to receive, as a result of the device housing acceleration and along a second axis that is non-parallel to the first axis, a second portion of the force imposed by the mass of the battery retained in the holder; and
a controller configured to receive electrical energy output by the first and second piezoelectric elements in response to the first and second force portions and to make the received electrical energy available for at least one of:
satisfying at least part of an electrical load satisfiable by the battery retained in the holder, and
recharging the battery retained in the holder.
So it's key to (a) use the battery as the mass, and (b) generate electrical energy from two nonparallel piezoelectric elements. Note that nowhere does the claim mention a phone, just "a device," so this could have relatively wide applicability -- should it issue as written.
Why not plug a hydraulic pump that generates power to your heart/arteries that way you have mobile power until you die, you won't be needing the device after that anyways...
Seiko has been making watches powered solely by kinetic motion for over two decades now. http://www.seikowatches.com/technology/kinetic/index.html
Mechanical watches have had auto winding movements for over a century. Seiko have had self charging quartz watches for decades. It seems that any new kinetic charging system would just be an evolution of these.
UNIX/Linux Consulting
Typographical errors occur more often than one would think in patent applications. Often they're because the typist is unfamiliar with technical terms or can't read the inventor's handwriting. Or, maybe, the typist is daydreaming about a lobster dinner:
The same day the kinetic energy patent application was published, the USPTO published this one: SOFT BUTTER MEMORY CONFIGURATION IN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.
It, of course, refers to a "soft buffer" memory configuration, but which patent is likely to have less prior art?
I mean would you get a better charge by carrying the phone in your hand than on your belt because it moves more? Maybe even on your shoes but then picking up a call is not much fun.
Maybe even on your shoes but then picking up a call is not much fun.
Missed it by that much.
I was at a conference in Europe a few years ago and they had an afternoon section devoted to power scavenging. Most devices produced nanowatts of power. The problem is extracting the power from random motion. A fixed length cantilever (the simplest design) will only produce meaningful power when at resonance. Complex arrays can extract more power, but the cost-benefit ratio rises quickly. The only device that broke the milliwatt was NASA's micro (milli?) jet turbine (it might have broke the Watt barrier as well, I can't remember exactly). However, the turbine was made out of a stack of twenty 3-inch wafers. At $10 per wafer (very cheap wafer), you're starting cost is $200. So it is very costly to build, but could be extremely useful in many applications.
Sorry about that, Chief.