阅读说明：本技术 从移动元件中收集能量的脉冲发生器 (Pulse generator for collecting energy from moving elements ) 是由 亚斯·维勒特 亚历克斯·马特斯金 纳达夫·伦伯格 于 2018-03-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种脉冲发生器包括一安装件用以保持两个主体靠近彼此。两个磁性元件可移动地保持在所述安装件中,并且所述磁性元件以两个稳定状态之一来彼此对准。一线圈在所述安装件中围绕所述磁性元件,及一施力装置施加一力至所述第一磁性元件,以导致所述第一磁性元件终止所述当前对准并且从而所述第一磁性元件及所述第二磁性元件重新对准至其它的稳定状态。所述磁体的移动在所述线圈中产生一脉冲,所述脉冲可以通过适当的电路检测并且使用。所述装置可以用于计数旋转或线性移动,或用于提供开关或不需要一单独电源的远程控制。(An impulse generator includes a mounting member for holding two bodies adjacent to each other. Two magnetic elements are movably held in the mount and the magnetic elements are aligned with each other in one of two stable states. A coil in the mount surrounds the magnetic elements, and a force applying device applies a force to the first magnetic element to cause the first magnetic element to terminate the current alignment and thereby realign the first and second magnetic elements to other stable states. The movement of the magnet produces a pulse in the coil which can be detected and used by appropriate circuitry. The device may be used for counting rotational or linear movements, or for providing a switch or remote control that does not require a separate power source.)

1. A pulse generator, comprising:

a mount configured to hold the two bodies close to each other;

a first magnetic element and a second magnetic element movably retained in the mount such that the magnetic elements are aligned with one another in a first alignment in one of two stable states;

a coil in the mount surrounding the magnetic element;

a force applying device for applying a force to the first magnetic element, the force causing the first magnetic element to terminate the first alignment and causing the first and second magnetic elements to realign in the second stable state, thereby generating a pulse in the coil.

2. The pulse generator of claim 1, wherein: the force applying device is configured to provide a magnetic field that is misaligned with the first magnetic element to apply the force.

3. The pulse generator of claim 2, wherein: the force applying device comprises a third magnetic element.

4. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in: the first magnetic element, the second magnetic element, and the third magnetic element are each a permanent magnet.

5. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in: each of the two stable states comprises an opposite magnetic field orientation and wherein an intermediate position between the two stable states has a higher potential energy than the potential energy of the stable position.

6. The pulse generator of claim 1, wherein: the force application device is configured to gradually apply the magnetic field to the first magnetic element.

7. The pulse generator of claim 1, wherein: the magnetic element includes a row of at least two magnetic balls confined in at least one cavity in the mount, and wherein in two stable positions each magnetic ball is magnetically aligned with an adjacent magnetic ball in the row.

8. The pulse generator of claim 7, wherein: the pulse generator has a plurality of magnetic balls at successive odd and even positions in the row, and wherein the two stable positions are:

a) a north magnetic hemisphere of a respective ball at an odd row position facing a south magnetic hemisphere of a ball at an even row position; and

b) a south magnetic hemisphere of a ball in an odd row position faces a north magnetic hemisphere of a ball in an even row position.

9. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in: the magnetic element comprises an ordered row of at least two magnetic cylinders magnetized throughout their length and confined to at least one cavity, and wherein in two stable positions each magnetic cylinder is magnetically aligned with an adjacent magnetic cylinder in the row.

10. The pulse generator as set forth in claim 9, wherein: the pulse generator has a plurality of magnetic cylinders at successive odd and even positions in the row, and wherein the two stable positions are:

a) a north magnetic half of a cylinder at an odd row position facing a south magnetic half of a cylinder at an even row position; and

b) a south magnetic half of a cylinder at an odd column position faces a north magnetic half of a cylinder at an even column position.

11. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in: further comprising a counter, wherein said coil is connected to said counter to enable said counter to count and store a number of pulses.

12. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in: further comprising a transmitter, wherein the coil is connected to the transmitter to transmit a signal in response to one or more of the pulses.

13. The pulse generator as set forth in claim 12, wherein: the pulse generator is in a remote control, and the signal is configured to cause operation of a remote device.

14. The pulse generator as set forth in claim 12, wherein: the pulse generator is in an internet of things device and the signal is configured for a local radio network.

15. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in: the force applying means is part of a rotating element such that the pulse generator counts the rotation of the rotating element.

16. The pulse generator as set forth in claim 15, wherein: the force applying means comprises two oppositely arranged magnets circumferentially spaced apart on the rotatable member.

17. A pulse generator as defined in claim 15 or 16, wherein: the pulse generator is coupled to a second pulse generator aligned with the force applying device.

18. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the claims 15 to 17, characterized in: further comprising a single turn encoder for measuring the angular position of the rotating member.

19. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 14, characterized in: the force applying device is part of a measuring system for measuring linear movement of a moving element along a track.

20. The pulse generator as set forth in claim 19, wherein: the force applying means comprises a plurality of magnets evenly spaced along the linearly moving element.

21. The pulse generator as set forth in claim 19, wherein: the force applying means comprises a plurality of magnets evenly spaced along the track.

22. A pulse generator as defined in claim 20 or 21, wherein: the plurality of magnets have alternating magnetic properties.

23. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the claims 15 to 22, characterized in: further comprising an electronic interface, said electronic interface being operated by said electrical pulses.

24. The pulse generator as set forth in claim 23, wherein: at each electrical pulse, the electronic interface is configured to perform the following actions:

a) reading a previous storage location of the mobile element from a memory;

b) calculating increment or decrement;

c) updating a current position of the element; and

d) storing the current position of the element.

25. An apparatus for measuring rotation of a shaft, comprising:

a pulse generator according to any one of claims 1 to 14; and

a rotating shaft; and wherein the force applying means is located on the rotating shaft to generate pulses in accordance with rotation of the rotating shaft.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein: the force applying means comprises two oppositely arranged magnets circumferentially spaced apart on the axis of rotation.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 or 26, wherein: further comprising a second pulse generator aligned with the force applying device.

28. The apparatus of any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein: further comprising a single turn encoder for measuring the angular position of the rotating shaft.

29. An apparatus for measuring linear motion of a moving member on a track, comprising:

the pulser of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the mount is located on the moving component, and the force application device comprises a plurality of alternately polarized magnets that are evenly spaced along the track.

30. Impulse generator as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 24, characterized in: the force applying means comprises a rotatable disc surface facing the mounting member.

Field of the invention and background

The present invention relates to a pulse generator that harvests energy from a moving element, and more generally to a device that does not require a power source or battery to generate electrical pulses due to the displacement of a moving member.

An example of such a device is a wiegand wire, such as described in us patent 006191687B1 to Dlugos et al. In this example, the wiegand wire is capable of generating one pulse each time a magnetic field of alternating direction is applied. The energy of each pulse may then activate an electronic circuit to count the occurrences of the pulse and accumulate the results in a non-volatile memory.

Another example of a wiegand wire application is described in U.S. patent 8,283,914B2 to Mehnert et al. In this patent, the wiegand wire pulse is used to determine the position of the shaft or linearly moving element.

Another type of pulse generator is described by Netzer in us patent 6,628,741B 2. In this patent, the reed relay is placed in a magnetic field and the resulting contact between the two ferromagnetic components produces a changing magnetic field and pulse in the surrounding coil.

In all of the above pulse generator types, the electrical pulses are very short and the energy generated by the electrical pulses is extremely small. For example, available wiegand wire is capable of producing approximately 10 nanometer coulombs (Nano coulombs) at 5 volts (Volt), which is equivalent to 1.25 micro watts (micro-watt) of available power. The design of electronic circuits activated by such small amounts of energy requires specially designed electronic devices. Thus, these devices have the disadvantage that they require the development of expensive and specific electronic interfaces for specific applications.

Another type of pulse generator is described in U.S. patent 8,461,830B2 to Villaret. In this patent, an electrical pulse is generated by the movement of a small core of magnetizable material within a coil, which is caused by the proximity of a permanent magnet. This type of generator is capable of generating higher energy electrical pulses. For example, a pulse generator for an encoder can generate 20 microcoulombs (Micro coulombs) at 5 volts, corresponding to 50 microwatts of available power.

However, such generators have a certain mechanical complexity, requiring springs and magnetizable cores that are precisely manufactured and mounted. In addition, relatively strong forces or torques are required on the moving elements. In the case of use as a motor feedback device (encoder), force or torque disturbances must be eliminated during normal operation of the feedback device. For this reason, a blocking mechanism is also required, thereby increasing complexity and cost.

Furthermore, a mechanical stop is required to stop the moving core after entering the coil. The impact of the core against the mechanical stop requires a carefully designed damping material and can limit the useful life of the device.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple yet robust pulse generator that collects energy from a moving element and is capable of generating an amount of energy to suit the application requirements.

Embodiments of the present invention can provide two separate magnetic elements that are aligned with each other in two stable states. When forced out of one of the stable states they may realign to the other stable state, the movement involved in the realignment generating an electrical pulse in the surrounding coil or winding.

The two magnetic elements may be rotatable and may be rotated between two relative positions with their poles aligned.

The present device comprises a suitably shaped magnetic element, which may typically be a permanent magnet, confined in a cavity and organized in a bi-stable arrangement (i.e. an arrangement with two different stable states). In the absence of an external force, such as from a magnetic field, the intermediate position has a higher potential energy, so that the device remains in the same stable state. To generate an electrical pulse, while the device is in a given first stable state, a force, such as a magnetic field, is gradually applied, which tends to move the device towards the second stable state, i.e. to increase the potential energy of the current position and to decrease the potential energy to the second stable state. Each time the device reaches the transition position of highest potential, i.e. it crosses the top of the energy barrier, the device element then starts accelerating towards the second stable state. According to magnetic law and enxiao's theorem, as the magnetic element approaches the second stable state, the attractive force toward the second stable state rapidly increases until it is mechanically stopped by the cavity wall, or magnetically stopped by the rising potential energy as it surpasses and reaches the subsequent potential barrier.

The result is therefore an abrupt transition movement from the first stable state to the second stable state. This sudden movement results in a rapidly changing magnetic field.

A coil may surround the magnetic element of the device and the rapidly changing magnetic field may induce an electrical pulse in the coil.

By applying magnetic fields in alternating directions, the device can generate electrical pulses of alternating sign. This may be achieved, for example, by moving the permanent magnet towards the device from different directions.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pulse generator comprising:

a mount configured to hold the two bodies close to each other;

a first magnetic element and a second magnetic element movably retained in the mount such that the magnetic elements are aligned with one another in a first alignment in one of two stable states;

a coil in the mount surrounding the magnetic element;

a force applying device for applying a force to the first magnetic element, the force causing the first magnetic element to terminate the first alignment and causing the first and second magnetic elements to realign in the second stable state, thereby generating a pulse in the coil.

In one embodiment, the force applying device is configured to provide a magnetic field that is misaligned with the first magnetic element to apply the force.

In one embodiment, the force applying means comprises a third magnetic element.

In one embodiment, the first magnetic element, the second magnetic element, and the third magnetic element are each permanent magnets.

In one embodiment, each of the two stable states comprises an opposite magnetic field orientation, and wherein an intermediate position between the two stable states has a higher potential energy than a potential energy of the stable position.

In one embodiment, the force applying device is configured to gradually apply the magnetic field to the first magnetic element.

In one embodiment, the magnetic element comprises a row of at least two magnetic balls confined in at least one cavity in the mount, and wherein in two stable positions each magnetic ball is magnetically aligned with an adjacent magnetic ball in the row.

One embodiment may place a plurality of magnetic balls at successive odd and even positions in the row, and wherein the two stable positions are:

a) a north magnetic hemisphere of a respective ball at an odd row position facing a south magnetic hemisphere of a ball at an even row position; and

b) a south magnetic hemisphere of a ball in an odd row position faces a north magnetic hemisphere of a ball in an even row position.

In one embodiment, the magnetic element comprises an ordered row of at least two magnetic cylinders magnetized throughout their length and confined to at least one cavity, and wherein in two stable positions, each magnetic cylinder is magnetically aligned with an adjacent magnetic cylinder in the row.

In one embodiment, the plurality of magnetic cylinders are on consecutive odd and even positions in the row. The two stable positions are:

a) a north magnetic half of a cylinder at an odd row position facing a south magnetic half of a cylinder at an even row position; and

b) a south magnetic half of a cylinder at an odd column position faces a north magnetic half of a cylinder at an even column position.

Embodiments may include a counter, wherein the coil is connected to the counter to enable the counter to count and store a number of pulses.