JP2009240086A - Power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a power generator in which the use operation is efficiently converted into electric energy. <P>SOLUTION: The power generator includes: a writing pressure power generating part 30 that generates an electromotive force in response to the writing pressure applied to a pen tip 201 of a stylus pen 10; a thermal power generating part 40 that generates the electromotive force obtained by thermoelectrically converting the body temperature of a user gripping the stylus pen 10; an optical power generating part 50 that generates the photoelectrically converted electromotive force according to the amount of light received under the environment using the stylus pen 10; and a vibration power generating part 60 that generates the electromotive force according to vibration generated when the stylus pen 10 is used. Accordingly, not only mechanical vibration can be converted simply into the electric energy, but also the use operation can be converted efficiently into the electric energy unlike conventional generators. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power generator suitable for use in, for example, an electromagnetically coupled stylus pen.

  An electromagnetically coupled stylus pen that is cordless and does not require battery replacement is known. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a power generation element that generates power by mechanical vibration inside a housing and a rechargeable battery that charges generated power generated by the power generation element, and is supplied with power from the rechargeable battery. An electromagnetically coupled stylus pen that generates an electromagnetic field in response to a pen operation on a tablet is disclosed.

JP-A-7-72965

  By the way, since the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 only converts mechanical vibration related to the use operation into electric energy, there is a problem that the use operation cannot be efficiently converted into electric energy.

This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and it aims at providing the electric power generating apparatus which can convert use operation into an electrical energy efficiently.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first power generation means for generating an electromotive force corresponding to the writing pressure and the electromotive force generated by thermoelectric conversion according to the body temperature of the user gripped during use are generated. A second power generation means for generating power, a third power generation means for generating an electromotive force photoelectrically converted according to the amount of received light in a use environment, and a fourth power generation for generating an electromotive force according to vibration generated by a use operation. And a charge output generating means for storing each electromotive force generated by the first to fourth power generation means to generate a charge output.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention that is dependent on the first aspect, the first power generation means is composed of a piezoelectric element that generates an electromotive force in accordance with the writing pressure.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, which is dependent on the first aspect, the second power generation means is composed of a sheet-like thermoelectric element array wound around a portion held by a user. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, which is dependent on the first aspect, the third power generation means is composed of a sheet-like solar cell element array wound around the casing.

  In the invention according to claim 5, which is dependent on claim 1, the fourth power generation means reciprocally moves between the plurality of stators and the plurality of stators in accordance with vibrations generated by a use operation. Inductive power generation means for generating electromagnetic induction electromotive force by interaction with the mover, and piezoelectric power generation means for generating electromotive force in response to the mover reciprocating due to vibration generated by use operation pressing the moving end portion; It is characterized by providing.

  In the present invention, the use operation can be efficiently converted into electric energy.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a stylus pen 10 including a power generation device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the stylus pen 10 corresponding to the position AA ′ shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the stylus pen 10 has a pencil-shaped housing 100 in appearance, a pen tip portion 20 provided at the tip of the housing 100, and the pen tip portion 20. A pressure generating unit 30 that engages with the thermoelectric generator, a part that functions as a grip that is gripped by the user during pen operation, and a thermoelectric generator 40 that is wound around the housing 100, and the thermoelectric generator 40. The photovoltaic power generation unit 50 wound around the casing 100, the vibration power generation unit 60 disposed inside the casing 100, and charging the rechargeable battery based on the power generation output of each of the power generation units 30 to 60, A circuit unit 70 for supplying power to the pen tip unit 20 is provided.

  The pen tip 20 includes a pen tip 201 and an electromagnetic field generator 202, as shown in FIG. The spherical pen tip 201 is connected to the tip of an action jig 301 (described later), and slides backward according to the writing pressure. In other words, when pointing a tablet (not shown), when the pen tip 201 is pressed against the tablet, the pen tip 201 is retracted accordingly. The electromagnetic field generation unit 202 has a micro switch (not shown) at its tip, and is configured such that the micro switch is turned on by the pen tip 201 that moves backward in accordance with the writing pressure. The electromagnetic field generation unit 202 generates an electromagnetic field when a micro switch provided at the tip is turned on by the pen tip 201.

  The writing pressure power generation unit 30 includes an action jig 301 that slides backward according to the writing pressure applied to the pen tip 201, and a piezoelectric element 302 that is pressed by the action jig 301. The piezoelectric element 302 has a known bimorph structure in which, for example, two piezoelectric ceramics are bonded together, and is bent by being pressed by an action jig 301 that slides backward in accordance with the pen pressure applied to the pen tip 201. And an electromotive force corresponding to this is generated. The piezoelectric element 302 is supported and fixed by a flexible support member 600 that is a component of the vibration power generation unit 60 described later.

  The thermoelectric generator 40 provided at a grip portion gripped by the user when operating the pen is composed of a thermoelectric element array 400 wound around the casing 100. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the thermoelectric element array 400 is a series-parallel connection of a plurality of thermoelectric elements formed by PN junction of a P-type semiconductor 402 and an N-type semiconductor 403 via an electrode 401. That is, in the thermoelectric element array 400, a number of thermoelectric elements necessary for obtaining a predetermined output voltage are connected in series and the number of thermoelectric elements necessary for obtaining a predetermined output current are connected in parallel.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, such a thermoelectric element array 400 is sandwiched between a low-temperature side sheet member 404 having a low thermoelectricity provided inside and a high-temperature side sheet member 405 having a low thermoelectricity provided outside. And wound around the outer peripheral surface of the housing 100. According to such a structure, the high temperature side sheet member 405 efficiently conducts the user's body temperature by being held by the user during the pen operation, while the low temperature side sheet member 404 prevents the temperature increase due to the body temperature. The thermoelectric element array 400 generates a thermoelectromotive force by thermoelectric conversion (Seebeck effect) according to the temperature difference between the outside air temperature and the body temperature.

  The photovoltaic unit 50 includes a sheet-like solar cell element array 500 wound around the casing 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the solar cell element array 500 includes an uppermost protective film / collector electrode 501, a transparent electrode 502, an amorphous silicon layer (p layer 503, i layer 504 and n layer 505), and a back electrode 506. The solar cell elements to be formed are two-dimensionally arranged and formed into a sheet shape, and generate a photovoltaic current corresponding to the amount of received light.

  The vibration power generation unit 60 includes constituent elements 600 to 608 disposed inside the housing 100. The structure of the vibration power generation unit 60 will be described with reference to FIG. 5A is a sectional view (longitudinal sectional view) of the vibration power generation unit 60 corresponding to the position AA ′ shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B is a position BB ′ shown in FIG. FIG. 7C is a front view showing the structure of the stator 608. FIG.

  The flexible support member 600 supports and fixes the piezoelectric element 302 (see FIG. 2) and the piezoelectric element 602 of the pen pressure power generation unit 30 described above, while the flexible support member 601 supports the piezoelectric element 603. Support and fix. The piezoelectric elements 602 and 603 both have a bimorph structure similar to that of the piezoelectric element 302 described above, and generate an electromotive force according to the applied pressure. On the surfaces of the piezoelectric element 602 and the piezoelectric element 603 facing each other, permanent magnets 604 and 605 having polarities repelling a mover 607 (permanent magnet) described later are mounted.

  One end of a guide tube 606 that holds the movable element 607 movably is fixed to the permanent magnets 604 and 605 that are mounted on the surfaces of the piezoelectric elements 602 and 603. For example, a guide rail 606a that engages with a groove of the mover 607 is provided on a cylindrical guide cylinder 606 formed of a non-magnetic material such as a resin material, as illustrated in FIG. The mover 607 is a permanent magnet formed in a substantially columnar shape, and a groove that engages with the guide rail 606a is engraved therein.

  When the user swings the stylus pen 10 left and right or up and down, the mover 607 moves reciprocally in the guide tube 606 accordingly. For example, when it moves to the left, it repels the permanent magnet 604 disposed on the left end side of the guide cylinder 606, thereby pressing the piezoelectric element 602 to generate an electromotive force, while moving to the right In this case, it repels against the permanent magnet 605 disposed on the right end side of the guide tube 606, thereby pressing the piezoelectric element 603 and generating an electromotive force.

  In the six stators 608-1 to 608-6 having the guide cylinder 606 as a concentric axis, an electromotive force is generated by electromagnetic induction with the mover 607 moving in the guide cylinder 606. As shown in FIG. 5C, one stator includes semi-annular upper / lower ferrite cores 608 a-1 to 608 a-2 that are gripped and fixed to the guide tube 606 with a gap G therebetween, and upper portions thereof. / Upper / lower coils 608b-1 to 608b-2 wound around the lower ferrite cores 608a-1 to 608a-2, respectively. In these stators 608-1 to 608-6, the upper coils 608 b-1 and the lower coils 608 b-1 are connected in series to output an electromotive force.

  As described above, in the vibration power generation unit 60, when the stylus pen 10 vibrates left and right (or up and down) according to the pen operation, the mover 607 moves reciprocally in the guide tube 606 according to the vibration. When the stators 608-1 to 608-6 generate electromotive force due to electromagnetic induction and the mover 607 moves to the left end (or right end) of the guide cylinder 606, the permanent magnet 604 (or the permanent magnet 605). ), And the piezoelectric element 602 (or the piezoelectric element 603) generates an electromotive force by the pressure.

  Next, the configuration of the circuit unit 70 provided at the end of the housing 100 of the stylus pen 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The circuit unit 70 includes a full-wave rectifier circuit 71, a backflow prevention circuit 72, a storage circuit 73, and a charging unit 74. The full wave rectification circuit 71 performs full wave rectification on each electromotive force of the pen pressure power generation unit 30 and the vibration power generation unit 60 and supplies the rectified power to the power storage circuit 73. The backflow prevention circuit 72 includes a diode that prevents backflow of electromotive currents of the thermoelectric generator 40 and the photovoltaic unit 50, and the thermoelectromotive current output from the thermoelectric element array 400 of the thermoelectric generator 40 and the photovoltaic unit 50 The photovoltaic current output from the solar cell element array 500 is supplied to the storage circuit 73.

  The power storage circuit 73 includes a capacitor that stores the outputs of the full-wave rectifier circuit 71 and the backflow prevention circuit 72. The charging unit 74 generates a charging output boosted to a predetermined voltage based on the electric charge stored in the power storage circuit 73 and charges a built-in rechargeable battery. It supplies to the field generation part 202. In the electromagnetic field generation unit 202, the pen tip 201 (see FIG. 2) contacts the micro switch at the tip, and generates an electromagnetic field when the micro switch is turned on.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the thermoelectric generator 30 generates the electromotive force according to the pen pressure applied to the pen tip 201 of the stylus pen 10, and the thermoelectric power is based on the body temperature of the user holding the stylus pen 10. When using the thermoelectric generator 40 that generates the converted electromotive force, the photovoltaic unit 50 that generates the electromotive force photoelectrically converted according to the amount of received light in the environment where the stylus pen 10 is used, and the stylus pen 10 Since the vibration power generation unit 60 that generates an electromotive force according to the generated vibration is provided, the use operation can be efficiently converted into electric energy.

  In particular, in the vibration power generation unit 60, the mover 607 moves in the guide cylinder 606 according to the vibration of the stylus pen 10, so that the stators 608-1 to 608-6 generate electromotive force due to electromagnetic induction, and the mover When 607 moves to the left end (or right end) of the guide tube 606, it repels the permanent magnet 604 (or permanent magnet 605), and the piezoelectric element 602 (or piezoelectric element 603) generates electromotive force by the pressing. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently convert the vibration of the pen into electric energy.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the power generation device according to the present invention is applied to the stylus pen 10 has been described. However, the gist of the present invention is not limited thereto, and examples thereof include a mobile phone, a portable electronic device, and a cordless mouse. In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention is applicable to all electronic devices that are driven by a rechargeable battery and are held by a user's hand to perform various use operations.

It is a side view which shows the external appearance structure of the stylus pen 10 by one Embodiment by this invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of a stylus pen 10. FIG. It is a figure which shows the external appearance and sectional structure of the thermoelectric element array. It is a figure which shows the external appearance and sectional structure of the solar cell element array. 4 is a diagram for explaining a structure of a vibration power generation unit 60. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a circuit unit 70. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Stylus pen 20 Pen tip part 30 Writing pressure power generation part 40 Thermoelectric power generation part 50 Photoelectric power generation part 60 Vibration power generation part 70 Circuit part 100 Case

Claims (5)

First power generation means for generating an electromotive force according to the writing pressure;
A second power generation means for generating an electromotive force that is thermoelectrically converted according to a user's body temperature held during use;
A third power generation means for generating an electromotive force that is photoelectrically converted according to the amount of received light in a use environment;
A fourth power generation means for generating an electromotive force in response to vibration generated by the use operation;
A power generation apparatus comprising: charge output generation means for storing each electromotive force generated by the first to fourth power generation means to generate a charge output. The power generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first power generation unit includes a piezoelectric element that generates an electromotive force according to a writing pressure. The power generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second power generation unit includes a sheet-shaped thermoelectric element array wound around a portion held by a user. The power generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third power generation unit includes a sheet-like solar cell element array wound around the casing. The fourth power generation means includes:
Inductive power generation means for generating electromagnetic induction electromotive force by interaction between a plurality of stators and a movable element that reciprocates between the plurality of stators in response to vibrations generated in use operation;
The generator according to claim 1, further comprising: a piezoelectric generator that generates an electromotive force in response to a mover that reciprocates due to vibration generated by a use operation pressing the moving end.

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