Sensor and/or power harvesting apparatus having a wide dynamic range for responding to a driving rotational input

• Main Authors: Clausen, Cathleen M, Taylor, Edward J, Colby, Edward G, Dames, Andrew N
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.08.2018
• Subjects: BLASTING; CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORSOR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MEASURING; MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUIDLEVEL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METERING BY VOLUME; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PHYSICS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; TESTING; WEAPONS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

Sensor and/or power-harvesting apparatus are provided for sensing and/or harvesting energy across a relatively wide dynamic range of a driving rotational input. The apparatus may include a rotor magnet (10, 62) responsive to a driving rotational input (14, 64). Utilization of a togging effect or a magnetic spring effect results in certain rapid-rotation events where the rotor magnet can rapidly rotate regardless of a low rate of rotation of the driving rotational input. A coil assembly (28, 75) is magnetically coupled to the rotor magnet to generate a signal in response to rotation of the rotor magnet during the rapid-rotation events. This signal may be used to harvest electrical energy and/or may be processed to determine characteristics of the driving rotational input.