A vehicle door includes an electrically-powered latch and a user input feature that can be actuated by a user to cause the electrically-powered latch to unlatch. An electrical energy storage device is operably connected to the electrically-powered latch, and a piezoelectric device is mounted to the door. The piezoelectric device can be manually actuated by a user to charge the electrical energy storage device, and electrical energy from the electrical energy storage device can be utilized to actuate the electrically-powered latch to thereby unlatch the latch. The user input feature may comprise a switch or sensor located adjacent a door handle/latch release on an inside and/or an outside of the vehicle door. The electrical energy storage device may comprise an emergency battery, capacitor, or other electrical device.
Piezo based energy harvesting for E-latch systems
2019-09-24
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B60J WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES , Fenster, Windschutzscheiben und bewegbare Dächer, Türen oder Ähnliches für Fahrzeuge / H02N Elektrische Maschinen, soweit nicht anderweitig vorgesehen , ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR / E05B LOCKS , Schlösser |
Rotational broadband energy-harvesting-unit based on a combination of piezo – and magnetoelectrics
TIBKAT | 2013
|Analysis of Designer / Tailored Linear Aero-Piezo-Viscoelastic Energy Harvesting (AIAA 2016-0486)
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2016
|