This application claims the priority benefit of China application serial no. 201910788551.1, filed on Aug. 26, 2019. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device capable of converting mechanical energy into electric energy.
Piezoelectric effect is a phenomenon in which mechanical energy and electric energy are exchanged. There are two kinds of piezoelectric effects. In positive piezoelectric effect, assisting charge is caused by deformation of the piezoelectric material. In short, the positive piezoelectric effect is roughly a process in which mechanical energy is converted into electric energy. In reverse piezoelectric effect, an electric field is applied to the surface of the piezoelectric material, and the piezoelectric material is elongated in the direction of the electric field to generate deformation. In short, the reverse piezoelectric effect is roughly a process in which electric energy is converted into mechanical energy. Currently, there are important applications of piezoelectric materials in speakers, radios, microbalances, and optical devices.
However, the existing piezoelectric materials are rarely used in electronic products such as projectors and computers, or in home appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators. As a result, existing electronic devices cannot effectively utilize the mechanical energy generated when the products are operated.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Further, the information disclosed in the Background section does not mean that one or more problems to be resolved by one or more embodiments of the invention were acknowledged by a person of ordinary skill in the art.
The disclosure provides an electronic device and an electric energy conversion method, which can convert mechanical energy generated during operation of a moving component into electric energy through a transducer system to supply a part of electric energy required for operation of the electronic device.
An electronic device of the disclosure includes at least one moving component, a transducer system, a charging and discharging system, and a power supply system. The transducer system has at least one piezoelectric membrane and a storage unit. The at least one piezoelectric membrane is disposed on the at least one moving component, and the storage unit is electrically coupled to the at least one piezoelectric membrane. The charging and discharging system is electrically coupled to the at least one moving component and the transducer system. The power supply system is electrically coupled to the at least one moving component, the transducer system, and the charging and discharging system to provide main electric energy. Specifically, the at least one moving component starts to operate, the at least one moving component leads the at least one piezoelectric membrane to be deformed elastically to generate assisting charge. The assisting charge is adapted to be transmitted to the storage unit for charging and discharging.
The electric energy conversion method of the present disclosure is adapted for an electronic device including at least one moving component, a transducer system, a charging and discharging system, and a power supply system, wherein the transducer system includes at least one piezoelectric membrane and a storage unit, and the piezoelectric membrane is disposed on the at least one moving component. Specifically, the power supply system provides the main electric energy to the at least one moving component, the transducer system, and the charging and discharging system; the at least one moving component starts to operate; the at least one moving component leads the at least one piezoelectric membrane to be deformed elastically and generates assisting charge; and the storage unit receives transmission of the assisting charge for charging and discharging.
Based on the above, the electronic device of the present disclosure disposes the piezoelectric membrane of the transducer system on a moving component capable of generating mechanical energy, and when the moving component starts to operate, the piezoelectric membrane is elastically deformed to generate assisting charge and the assisting charge is transmitted to the storage unit, thereby converting the mechanical energy into electric energy. The assisting charge in the storage unit can be adjusted by the charging and discharging system, and can be stored as backup electric energy, or can be outputted to the moving component or other electronic components in the electronic device to supply a part of the electric energy required for operation, thereby saving power. On the other hand, the transducer system can further detect the storage voltage of the storage unit, and by detecting the voltage change, it can be determined whether the moving component is abnormal.
Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the further technological features disclosed by the embodiments of the present invention wherein there are shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of modes best suited to carry out the invention.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. On the other hand, the drawings are only schematic and the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Similarly, the terms “facing,” “faces” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect facing, and “adjacent to” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass directly and indirectly “adjacent to”. Therefore, the description of “A” component facing “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component directly faces “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Also, the description of “A” component “adjacent to” “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component is directly “adjacent to” “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Referring to
The at least one moving component 110 includes, for example, a fan, a color wheel, a speaker, or other components that generate vibration/rotation/swing. The transducer system 120 includes at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 and a storage unit 122. The at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 is disposed on the at least one moving component 110, and the storage unit 122 is electrically coupled to the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121. In detail, please refer to
The charging and discharging system 130 is electrically coupled to the at least one moving component 110 and the transducer system 120. The charging and discharging system 130 is configured to manage the power of the storage unit 122, that is, the assisting charge generated by the piezoelectric membrane 121, for example, to transmit the power of the storage unit 122 to the at least one moving component 110 or other components to provide a part of electric energy.
The power supply system 140 is electrically coupled to the at least one moving component 110, the transducer system 120, and the charging and discharging system 130 to provide main electric energy. In detail, the power supply system 140 includes a power source 141 and a conversion unit 142. The power source 141 is, for example, configured for providing high voltage alternating current and transmitting the high voltage alternating current to the conversion unit 142. The conversion unit 142 is, for example, an AC/DC converter, and can be used to convert AC power into DC power and transmit the DC power to the at least one moving component 110, the transducer system 120, and the charging and discharging system 130 to supply the basic electric energy required for operation of the at least one moving component 110, the transducer system 120 and the charging and discharging system 130.
Specifically, when at least one moving component 110 starts to operate and generates mechanical energy, the at least one moving component 110 leads the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 to be deformed elastically to generate assisting charge, and the assisting charge is adapted to be transmitted to the storage unit 122 for charging and discharging.
Please refer to
In an embodiment, the detecting unit 123 is configured to measure an output voltage of the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 during elastic deformation, and the determining unit 124 determines whether the output voltage is zero according to the value returned by the detecting unit 123 to determine whether the at least one moving component 110 is abnormal. When the output voltage is not zero, it means that the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 continues to be deformed to generate the assisting charge, which indicates that the at least one moving component 110 is still in operation. When the output voltage is zero, it means that the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 does not generate the assisting charge and has no deformation, which indicates that the at least one moving component 110 is abnormal and does not operate.
In another embodiment, the detecting unit 123 is configured to measure the storage voltage of the storage unit 122, and the determining unit 124 determines whether the storage voltage rises according to the value returned by the detecting unit 123 to determine whether the at least one moving component 110 is abnormal. When the storage voltage rises, it means that the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 continues to be deformed to input the assisting charge into the storage unit 122, which indicates that the at least one moving component 110 is still in operation. When the storage voltage does not continue to rise, it means that the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 does not generate the assisting charge, which indicates that the at least one moving component 110 is abnormal and does not operate.
Further, the transducer system 120 determines whether the storage voltage of the storage unit 122 reaches the rated value through the determining unit 124. When the storage voltage of the storage unit 122 is less than the rated value, charging operation is performed, and the assisting charge is accumulated in the storage unit 122. When the storage voltage of the storage unit 122 reaches the rated value, discharging operation is performed, and the assisting charge is transmitted to the charging and discharging system 130, and the charging and discharging system 130 is configured to transmit the assisting charge to the at least one moving component 110 or other components.
The projector at least includes a light source module 210, a light valve module 220 and a projection lens module 230, wherein the light source module 210 is configured to generate an illumination beam L1, the light valve module 220 is disposed on the transmission path of the illumination beam L1 and is configured to convert the illumination beam L1 into the image beam L2. The projection lens module 230 is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam L2 and is configured to project the image beam L2 as the image IM. The light source module 210 is disposed in the casing of the projector, and the light source module 210 includes, for example, a high-intensity halogen bulb to generate the illumination beam L1. The light source module 210 may include a plurality of visible light emitting components, a plurality of non-visible light emitting components, or a combination of the above. The visible light emitting component may be a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode (LD), but is not limited thereto. The visible light emitting component may include a blue light emitting component, and the non-visible light emitting component may include an ultraviolet light emitting diode, but is not limited thereto.
In addition, the projector has a plurality of moving components 110, and the plurality of moving components 110 are a fan 110a, a color wheel 110b and a speaker 110c, respectively. The fan 110a is used to guide external cool air into the projector or to guide the interior hot air to be blown out of the projector to achieve heat dissipation and cooling effect. The color wheel 110b is disposed on the transmission path of the illumination beam L1 for converting the color of the light beam or filtering a part of the color of the light beam through the filter. The speaker 110c is used to play various prompts or sound effects of the projector.
In detail, the illumination beam L1 generated by the light source module 210 can pass through the color wheel 110b, and then convert the illumination beam L1 into the image beam L2 through the light valve module 220 to transmit the converted beam to the projection lens module 230. The projection lens module 230 is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam L2, and the image beam L2 is projected through the projection lens module 230 onto the screen or the wall to form the image IM.
The light valve module 220 may include, but is not limited to, a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD), a Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS), or a Liquid Crystal Display Panel (LCD panel). However, in other embodiments, the light valve module 220 can also be a transmissive liquid crystal panel or other spatial light modulator. In this embodiment, the light valve module 220 may have one or more light valves, and the detailed steps and implementation methods corresponding to different numbers of light valves may be sufficiently taught, suggested, and described by common knowledge in the art, so further details are not incorporated herein. The projection lens module 230 is, for example, a combination of one or more optical lenses having a refractive power. The optical lenses, for example, includes a non-planar lens such as a biconcave lens, a lenticular lens, a meniscus lens, a convexo-concave lens, a plano-convex lens, a Plano-concave lens, or the like or various combinations of the above. The present disclosure provides no limitation to the form and type of the projection lens module 230.
Further, the power supply system 140 supplies the main electric energy to activate the projector to start the operation, and the plurality of piezoelectric membranes 121 of the transducer system 120 are respectively disposed on the fan 110a, the color wheel 110b and the speaker 110c. Through the moving of the fan 110a, the color wheel 110b and the speaker 110c, each of the piezoelectric membranes 121 is used to generate a wobble or vibration, thereby generating assisting charge, and the assisting charge is transmitted to the moving components 110 (the fan 110a, the color wheel 110b, and the speaker 110c) or other components after being adjusted by the charging and discharging system 130 to supply a part of the electric energy.
Referring to
Referring to
The detecting unit 123 of the transducer system 120 is electrically coupled to the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 for measuring the output voltage of the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 when swinging, and converting the output voltage into a corresponding rotating speed, thereby determining, by the determining unit 124, whether the rotation frequency of the fan 110a or the color wheel 110b is abnormal. For example, when the rotation speed of the fan 110a or the color wheel 110b is 500 rpm, the at least one piezoelectric membrane 121 swings and is deformed to generate an output voltage of 0.3V. When the output voltage of 0.3V is maintained constant, it means that the rotation speed 500 rpm of the fan 110a or the color wheel 110b maintains unchanged, and it can be determined that the rotation frequency is normal. When the output voltage changes to be greater than or smaller than 0.3V, it means that the rotation speed of the fan 110a or the color wheel 110b is greater than or smaller than 500 rpm, then it can be determined that the rotation frequency of the fan 110a or the color wheel 110b is abnormal. After the rotation frequency of the fan 110a or the color wheel 110b is determined to be abnormal, the transducer system 120 returns an abnormal signal.
Referring to
In summary, the electronic device of the present disclosure disposes the piezoelectric membrane of the transducer system on a moving component capable of generating mechanical energy, and when the moving component starts to operate, the piezoelectric membrane is elastically deformed to generate assisting charge and the assisting charge is transmitted to the storage unit, thereby converting the mechanical energy into electric energy. Additionally, the assisting charge in the storage unit can be adjusted by the charging and discharging system, and can be stored as backup electric energy, or can be outputted to the moving component or other electronic components in the electronic device to supply a part of the electric energy required for operation.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiments disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its best mode practical application, thereby to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, the term “the invention”, “the present invention” or the like does not necessarily limit the claim scope to a specific embodiment, and the reference to particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure of any patent issued from this disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiments described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Moreover, no element and component in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201910788551.1 | Aug 2019 | CN | national |