Energy Harvesting from Tires

Electrical connector assemblies for harvesting energy from tire and wheel motion without needing batteries. The assemblies have conductors that extend through the tire from inside to outside. This allows harvesting kinetic energy as the tire rotates. The connectors can also be embedded in the tire. The wheel has matching connectors to connect to the tire connectors. This enables harvesting energy from the wheel rotation. The harvested energy can power onboard electronics like sensors. The connectors can also have liquid metal contacts for better electrical connection.

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Power generation device for use in tires that can generate electricity when the tire is in motion. The device has two insulated members with a cushioning material between them. The insulated members come into contact and charge oppositely based on the real contact area. This charge separation generates voltage as the tire deforms. The cushioning material maintains space for the real contact area to change as the tire moves, improving voltage. Adding a weight presses the members for consistent charge separation. The device can be used in tires to generate power during normal driving.

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A triboelectric generator housed inside a tire of a vehicle wheel to generate power as the wheel rotates. The housing has cavities with walls coated with triboelectric materials. As the wheel turns, the cavities open and close actuating the triboelectric generators inside to produce electrical current. The housings can be incorporated into the tire structure to protect the generators from the elements.

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Electricity generation system that harnesses tire deformation during driving to charge batteries or power electric motors without adding weight or requiring external power sources. The system converts the compressive and expansive deformations of the tire into rotary and reciprocating motion to generate electricity. It does this by having mechanisms that only convert the expansion motion after compression, avoiding any negative impact on vehicle performance. The tire deformation is converted into driving force by winding a load transmission member around a rotor that compresses during expansion. Elastic members return torque in the opposite direction when the tire compresses. The rotor and gear sizes are optimized to maximize electricity generation. This allows efficient electricity generation without impacting vehicle performance by leveraging the inherent tire deformation during driving.

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A piezoelectric generator for tires that can harvest electricity from tire compression. The generator uses a flexible piezoelectric device mounted on the inner wall of the tire. When the tire contacts the ground, the piezoelectric material is compressed to generate electricity as the tire deforms. The inner wall and supporting frame prevent the tire from collapsing excessively, while the flexible piezoelectric device allows compression without damage. This steady and stable tire compression provides a consistent power source to recharge vehicle batteries.

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Electrostatic energy generation in tires using friction between specific tire cord fabrics to generate electrical energy during driving. The tire cords have conductive wires surrounded by non-conductive materials. Pairs of cords with different non-conductive materials are arranged side by side to create a bundle. Friction between the cords during tire deformation generates electrostatic energy. This harvested energy can be used to charge vehicle batteries, extending range. The same cords also provide tire pressure sensing capability by collecting electrical signals during driving.

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Tire structure for harvesting energy from tire deformation during driving, to enable self-charging electric vehicles. The tire has spikes attached inside the tire cavity. An attachment layer between the inner tire surface and spike support layer allows the spikes to be coupled to the tire. This allows existing tires to be retrofitted for self-charging. The spikes deform with tire movement to generate electricity. A protection layer covers the spikes inside the tire. The attachment layer cushions the spikes to prevent tire damage. The spike support layer can be steel cord. The spikes have flanges to secure them. The tire deformation generates electrical energy.

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A piezoelectric energy harvesting system for extracting electrical power from vehicle tires without contact. The system involves embedding piezoelectric beams in tire layers to convert tire vibrations into electricity. The beams are connected in parallel sets. A tire-mounted jack receives the generated voltage, a conductive bearing transmits it to a storage unit, and a regulator filters/rectifies the power for vehicle use. The system provides a wire-based energy transmission to protect and efficiently pass the harvested power from the tire while minimizing losses. The beams, jack, bearing, and storage unit are insulated to prevent short circuits.

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A tire with embedded piezoelectric and thermoelectric elements that generate electrical power from tire deformation and heat. The tire has a deformable structure inside the cavity between the tread and sidewalls. The structure contains bendable elements made of piezoelectric material that produce electrical energy when the tire bends. It also has elements made of thermoelectric material that generate electricity from temperature differences. The elements can wirelessly transmit the generated power to external devices. This allows harvesting energy from tire deformation and heat for applications like tire pressure monitoring, temperature sensing, or powering electric vehicles without batteries.

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Compressing tires on vehicles to generate compressed air for power generation and extending battery range. The tires have internal compression chambers that are squeezed by the weight of the vehicle during normal driving. This compresses the air inside the chambers, which can then be extracted through a flow path to power onboard systems like turbines or batteries. The tire weight force is harnessed to compress air without altering standard tire design.

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Electrostatic energy harvesting from tire deformation using specialized tire cord fabric. The fabric contains conductive wires surrounded by non-conductive material. Two different types of fabric are arranged in contact to create a bundle. Friction between the fabrics during tire deformation generates frictional electricity. This can be harvested as a power source to charge vehicle batteries, extending range and efficiency. The fabric can also have sensors to measure tire pressure.

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Electromagnetic generator for harvesting kinetic energy from tire rotation to generate electricity. The generator is mounted inside the tire and has a pendulum-like structure. The key innovation is optimizing the pendulum length to improve power generation regardless of tire size. The pendulum length is adjusted so that an integer multiple of the pendulum period is not an integer multiple of the tire circumference and non-grounded tire length. This prevents the pendulum from being fixed in phase with the tire motion, allowing more effective acceleration by the tire's circumferential acceleration.

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A transportation wheel design that generates electricity by installing piezoelectric or other electricity generators inside inflated tires. When the tire compresses under load, the generators produce electricity. The design involves an inner ring with generators connected to an outer ring by springs inside the tire. The compression force flattens the tire and passes through the springs to generate electricity in the inner ring generators.

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A tire with an integrated electric power generation system that converts strain from tire deformation into electrical energy. The system uses stretchable electrodes and elastic polymer to create a piezoelectric element that generates voltage when stretched. The element is arranged between the tire and wheel rim. An electrical condenser accumulates the generated power. The length of the element is set so that contraction and expansion strains from tire contact and release do not occur simultaneously, maximizing power generation efficiency.

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Powering tire electronics like sensors, transmitters, and rechargeable batteries using the static electricity that builds up in tires during rotation. The tire is designed with conductive segments running from the inner liner to the tread. This allows the static charge to flow through the tire to ground while some is captured in an onboard storage device. Rotating the tire generates charge that can power the electronics.

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