US20100198412A1

US20100198412A1 - Adaptive vehicle energy harvesting

Info

Publication number: US20100198412A1
Application number: US12/626,854
Authority: US
Inventors: Brian S. Hendrickson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Solarwindow Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2008-11-26
Filing date: 2009-11-27
Publication date: 2010-08-05
Also published as: US20140260227A1; EP2424759A1; CA2782019A1; CN102292540A; US20100192561A1; US8661806B2; CN102292540B; CN102292247A; WO2010063012A1; EP2409032A1; WO2010063013A1; CA2781882A1; EP2424759A4; EP2409032A4

Abstract

A vehicle energy harvester and method of harvesting vehicle energy is provided. The vehicle energy harvester includes a first unit that accepts as an input a measure of mass, speed or velocity of a vehicle, a second unit that accepts or computes a rate of acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle based on the measure of speed or velocity, a third unit that compares at least one of the measure of mass, speed, velocity, and acceleration or deceleration to at least one of an acceleration value, a mass value, or a speed value, and a fourth unit that adjusts a reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparison by the third unit.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/118,339, filed Nov. 26, 2008, and entitled “ADAPTIVE, LOW-IMPACT VEHICLE ENERGY HARVESTER”, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/118,334, filed Nov. 26, 2008, and entitled “ADAPTIVE VEHICLE ENERGY HARVESTER”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward devices and methods of harvesting vehicle energy, and more specifically, toward devices and methods of adaptively harvesting vehicle energy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Very few devices that capture energy from passing vehicles have been implemented, despite numerous designs put forth by various parties over the years. Vehicle energy harvester designs have taken many forms, ranging from spinning drums inlayed in roadways to compressible bumps that drive hydraulic fluid, in each case actuating a generator or pump to convert energy. Many of these embodiments require mechanical contrivances that limit real-world implementation. They also have limited real-world usefulness, because they have little or no ability to compensate for variation in operating conditions. For example, vehicle mass and speed upon encountering the energy harvester are among the quantities that vary from vehicle to vehicle, and the responsiveness of a harvester to them has a substantial effect on efficiency and ultimate utility.
Many conventional vehicle energy harvesters are predicated on assumptions about the mass and speed of incident vehicles. Whether consisting of a single interaction point (e.g. a roller), a series of interaction points (e.g. a plurality of bumps), or an extended, continuous interaction (e.g. a deformable bladder), these conventional devices have an inherent minimum input threshold before they will activate. A piston in the road, for example, will only depress and capture vehicle energy if the vehicle is sufficiently heavy. A lighter vehicle will fail to depress that piston and might be undesirably deflected or halted without any meaningful energy capture. A heavier vehicle, however, will easily depress the piston as it passes by without experiencing any noticeable slowing. Had the piston provided more resistance, it could have captured even more energy from the large vehicle. If vehicle speed regulation is a concern, the heavier vehicle will continue moving at a potentially excessive speed. Therefore there exists a need for a vehicle energy harvester to be adaptive to the characteristics of the vehicles that encounter it. The improved responsiveness would increase system efficiency in the real-world and would broaden potential vehicle energy harvesting use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These problems and others are addressed by the present invention.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the optimal energy transfer rate and therefore resistance presented by the harvester to a vehicle is based on a maximum allowable vehicle deceleration rate. The vehicle energy harvester monitors a vehicle velocity signal over time and determines the vehicle acceleration rate. The harvester then compares the vehicle acceleration rate to one or more pre-determined values. If the vehicle acceleration rate is below the preset value or values, the energy harvester adjusts to increase the resistance imposed on the moving vehicle. If the vehicle acceleration rate exceeds preset value or values, the energy harvester adjusts to decrease the resistance imposed on the moving vehicle. If at any time the energy harvester determines that the vehicle has slowed below a preset point, the energy harvester may reduce or eliminate resistance on the vehicle. Limiting maximum acceleration rates ensures that vehicle operators are not subjected to unsafe forces that could compromise their health and/or ability to control their vehicles. The lower limit to vehicle speed prevents the energy harvester from prematurely stopping a vehicle and requiring it to power through or across the vehicle energy harvester using additional energy. The vehicle energy harvester may also base its adaptive resistance on an upper speed limit.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the adaptive resistance of an energy harvester to vehicle motion is based on the speed of the vehicle prior to or as it encounters the vehicle energy harvester and on a desired final speed of the vehicle as it moves beyond the energy harvester. The energy harvester determines the appropriate resistance to impose on the moving vehicle to slow it from its initial measured speed to a configurable final speed. In this embodiment, the deceleration of a vehicle as it interacts with the energy harvester may be limited to a maximum value. The limitation of deceleration rate could ensure the safety and comfort of vehicle occupants and possible cargo.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the resistance presented to a vehicle by an energy harvester is based on one or more signals that are functions of vehicle speed and/or acceleration prior to or during the interaction of the vehicle with the energy harvester. Depending on applications, a vehicle energy harvester may not be able to directly measure the speed or acceleration of a moving vehicle. In such instances, alternative measures, such as of fluid flow rates or shaft rotation speeds within the energy harvester may be correlated to vehicle speed and/or acceleration, allowing a proxy measure from which to adjust energy harvester resistance.
Another embodiment is directed to a controller system adapted to operate with a vehicle energy harvester. The controller system may include one or more sensors that monitor variables in and around the vehicle energy harvester and produces an output that the vehicle energy harvester can use to adjust its rate of energy take-off from passing vehicles. In some cases, the controller system may directly measure at least one of vehicle mass, velocity, and acceleration. In other cases, the controller system may measure variables within and around the vehicle energy harvester that correlate to at least one of vehicle mass, velocity, and acceleration.
The embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle energy harvester that is adaptive to the characteristics of the vehicles that encounter it. The improved responsiveness may increase system efficiency in the real-world and may broaden potential vehicle energy harvesting use. The embodiments of the present invention also provide an ability to monitor or regulate the speed of moving vehicles.
For example, an embodiment of the present invention is directed to a vehicle energy harvester controller that accepts as an input at least one of a measure of a vehicle mass, a velocity, and an acceleration and produces an output that can be used to adjust a reaction force imparted by a vehicle energy harvester on a vehicle based on the one or more measures.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a vehicle energy harvester comprising a comparing unit that compares at least one of a measure of mass, velocity, and a rate of change of velocity of a vehicle to at least one of a mass value, a velocity value, and a rate of change of velocity value; and an output unit that provides an output that allows a device intended to capture or convert energy from the vehicle to adjust a reaction force imparted by said device on the vehicle based on said comparison by the comparing unit.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of harvesting vehicle energy, the method comprising comparing at least one of a measure of mass, velocity, and a rate of change of velocity of a vehicle to at least one of a mass value, a velocity value, and a rate of change of velocity value; and adjusting a reaction force imparted by a vehicle energy harvester on a vehicle based on the comparing.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a vehicle energy harvester comprising a first unit that accepts as an input at least one of a measure of a mass, a speed and a velocity of a vehicle; a second unit that computes a rate of one of acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the at least one of the measure of mass, speed, and velocity; a third unit that compares at least one of the measure of mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, and deceleration to at least one of an acceleration value, a mass value, a speed value, and a target speed of the vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester; and a fourth unit that adjusts a reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparison by the third unit.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a vehicle energy harvester comprising a first unit that accepts as an input at least one of a measure of mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, and deceleration of a vehicle; a second unit that compares the at least one of the measure of mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, and deceleration to at least one of an acceleration value, a speed value, and a target speed of vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester; and a third unit that provides an output that allows a device intended to capture or convert energy from a moving vehicle to adjust the reaction force imparted by said device on the vehicle based on said comparison by the third unit.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of harvesting vehicle energy, the method comprising accepting as an input a measure of speed or velocity of a vehicle; computing a rate of acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle based on the measure of speed or velocity; comparing at least one of the measure of speed, velocity, and acceleration or deceleration to at least one of an acceleration value and a speed value; and adjusting a reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and features of embodiments of the present invention will be better understood after a reading of the following detailed description, together with the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating a vehicle energy harvester according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a vehicle energy harvester according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating a vehicle energy harvester according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating a vehicle energy harvester according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating a vehicle energy harvester according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-5 illustrate exemplary embodiments of a vehicle energy harvester.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary embodiment of the vehicle energy harvester includes harvester mechanics for harvesting the energy of a vehicle or object. Examples of harvester mechanics are described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3-5 below.
As exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 1, an embodiment of a vehicle energy harvester determines the speed and acceleration of a moving vehicle and adjusts resistance based on a least one of maximum vehicle acceleration, minimum speed, and desired final speed. As exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 2, another embodiment of a vehicle energy harvester indirectly calculates speed based on one or more inputs from the energy harvester system and vehicle travelway. The speed and computed acceleration are then used to adjust vehicle energy harvester resistance based on one or more configurable vehicle motion limits.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment is directed to a vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller includes a comparison logic unit 12 that accepts as an input a measure of at least one of a speed or velocity 14 of a vehicle and an acceleration or deceleration 16 of a vehicle. The speed or velocity 14 can be measured by, for example, a speed sensor 18 that detects vehicle motion. The acceleration or deceleration 16 of the vehicle can be input from a separate sensor, or a time derivative unit 20 can be provided that calculates the acceleration based on the speed or velocity 14 measured by the speed sensor 18.
The comparison logic unit 12 of the vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller compares at least one of the measured input (e.g., speed 14 and/or acceleration 16) to at least one of an acceleration value 22 and a speed value 24, which may be set internal to or remotely from the energy harvester. The acceleration value 22 can be, for example, a predetermined allowable acceleration or maximum acceleration. The speed 24 can be, for example, a predetermined allowable speed or minimum speed.
In another exemplary embodiment, the comparison logic unit 12 of the vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller also can receive an input of a desired final speed 26, which may be set internal to or remotely from the energy harvester.
In another exemplary embodiment, the comparison logic unit 12 of the vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller incorporates a direct or indirect measure of vehicle mass m.
The harvester mechanics 10 of the vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller adjusts the reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparison by the comparison logic unit 12. Particularly, the comparison logic unit 12 can provide an output, such as a control signal 28, to a device intended to capture or convert energy from a moving vehicle to control or adjust the reaction force imparted by the device on the vehicle based on the comparison.
The comparison logic unit 12 can be, for example, included in the controller 122 or in communication with the controller 122, which is exemplarily illustrated in FIGS. 3-5.
In other exemplary embodiments, the comparison logic unit 12 of the vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller may determine or calculate one or more of, for example, the speed or velocity 14 of a vehicle, the rate of change of velocity over time (i.e., the acceleration or deceleration 16) of a vehicle, the direct or indirect measure of vehicle mass m of a vehicle, etc. In other exemplary embodiments, the comparison logic unit 12 of the vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller may receive as an input one or more of, for example, the speed or velocity 14 of a vehicle, the acceleration or deceleration 16 of a vehicle, the direct or indirect measure of vehicle mass m of a vehicle, etc.
In another exemplary embodiment, the comparison logic unit 12 can compare at least one of that measure of speed or velocity 14, and acceleration or deceleration 16 to at least one of an acceleration value 22, a speed value 24, and a target speed or desired final speed 26 of vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester, which may be set internal to or remotely from the energy harvester. The vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller can adjust the reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparison by the comparison logic unit 12.
In another exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a vehicle energy harvester or harvester controller accepts as an input a measure of speed or velocity of a vehicle from a speed calculation unit 18A. In this embodiment, rather than sensing the speed using a speed sensor, the speed calculation unit 18A can calculate the speed based on, for example, the fluid flow 30 in hydraulic lines of the vehicle energy harvester, the shaft rotations 32 of the vehicle energy harvester, and/or position sensors 34 that detect the position of the vehicle, among other things.
The embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle energy harvester that is adaptive to the characteristics of the vehicles that encounter it. The improved responsiveness may increase system efficiency in the real-world and may broaden potential vehicle energy harvesting use. The embodiments of the present invention also provide an ability to monitor or regulate the speed of moving vehicles.
Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 3-5 illustrate exemplary embodiments of a vehicle energy harvester 100.
With reference to FIGS. 3-5, an exemplary embodiment of the vehicle energy harvester 100 includes two channels 102 disposed longitudinally in a roadway that contain a number of resilient hydraulic lines 104. The channels 102 can be deep enough that a resilient, durable cover may be placed over each set of lines 104 and have a top surface just below the surface of the greater roadway. Dividing the hydraulic lines 104 into two sets near either edge of a lane minimizes the contact area between the resilient, durable cover and potentially damaging road equipment such as street cleaners and snow plows. Instead, a conventional pavement surface between the channels largely supports those equipment loads. The present invention is not limited to the exemplary vehicle energy harvester mechanics. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the present invention can be incorporated into other harvester mechanics.
The lines 104 are connected to a pressurized fluid reservoir 106 through check valves 108 at the line inlets 104 a. Another set of check valves 110 at the line outlets 104 b connect the lines 104 to a fluid manifold 112 with a single outlet 112 a. The outlet 112 a communicates with a hydraulic motor 114. The outlet 112 a may also communicate with an inline flow meter 116 or other sensors 118. A hydraulic line 120 provides a return from the hydraulic motor 114 to the fluid reservoir 106.
During operation of an embodiment, each wheel W on a vehicle of appropriate size will depress the resilient cover and collapse a portion of hydraulic lines 104 underneath. As each wheel W continues to roll along, a slug of fluid in the line 104 will be forced to flow along the line 104 and towards the hydraulic motor 114. The interaction between wheel W and resilient cover will impart a reaction force on the wheel W, which will have a horizontal component that will act to slow the wheel's translation. As forces act on each of the wheels W, the vehicle as a whole will slow down, corresponding to the energy that has been drawn from the vehicle by the energy harvesting device. The energy transferred to the flowing pressurized fluid may be stored in an accumulator (not shown) for later use or converted through the hydraulic motor 114 to another form such as electricity.
In another embodiment, the vehicle energy harvester 100 can adjust the reaction force imparted on an incident vehicle in response to the motion characteristics of that vehicle.
For example, the energy harvester 100 may include a flow meter 116 at the outlet 112 a of hydraulic line manifold 112, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The vehicle energy harvester 100 can monitor this flow meter 116 over time and, from it, approximate the speed and acceleration or deceleration of a vehicle as it interacts with the vehicle energy harvester 100, for example, using controller 122. The comparison logic unit 12, which is described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, can be included, for example, in the controller 122 or in communication with the controller 122.
If a vehicle is massive enough that its reaction force with the energy harvester 100 slows the vehicle far less than it safely could, the vehicle energy harvester 100 may increase its resistance to the vehicle's motion until it reaches an operational or safety limit. Similarly, if a less massive vehicle encounters the energy harvester 100 and begins to decelerate too quickly, the energy harvester 100 may decrease the resistance presented to the vehicle. In one embodiment, the vehicle energy harvester 100 resistance is varied using a throttle 124 that restricts fluid flow from the resilient lines 104 by an adjustable amount.
In another embodiment, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the hydraulic motor 114 is connected to a separately-excited generator 126 with torque control 128. The vehicle energy harvester 100 adjusts the back torque of the generator 126 in response to the flow meter 116 or other signals, which alters fluid flow through the hydraulic motor 114 and thereby varies the reacting force against the wheels W of a vehicle.
In another embodiment, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a generator 126 is coupled to the hydraulic motor 114 through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) (not shown). Higher CVT ratios cause the generator 126 to spin faster for a given flow rate in the resilient tubes 104, producing more back torque to resist the flow of fluid through the tubes 104. The energy harvester 100 may vary the CVT ratio, and therefore harvester resistance to motion, based on measures such as flow rate or direct vehicle speed or mass. Alternatively, the vehicle energy harvester 100 may vary generator speed per flow rate by altering a variable displacement hydraulic pump that drives the generator 126.
In another exemplary embodiment, if the energy harvester's resistance to vehicle motion becomes sufficient, one or more vehicle wheels W may climb their corresponding depressions in their resilient tubes 104 and cease to transfer meaningful energy to the harvesting device 100. In that case, the energy harvester 100 may sense a diminished flow rate and reduce the resistance to fluid flow until the wheels W depress the tubes 104 once more and fluid flow rate increases to an appropriate amount.
In applications where safe speed regulation may be a concern, the vehicle energy harvester 100 can adjust its resistance to help ensure that a vehicle departs it at a safe speed. In such cases, the vehicle energy harvester 100 may use measures like flow rate to determine the necessary deceleration required to slow a vehicle to a target speed. That deceleration may be limited to a configurable value deemed safe for the vehicle and its occupants.
The present invention has been described herein in terms of several preferred embodiments. However, modifications and additions to these embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It is intended that all such modifications and additions comprise a part of the present invention to the extent that they fall within the scope of the several claims appended hereto.
Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “lateral”, “left”, “right” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the descriptors of relative spatial relationships used herein interpreted accordingly.
Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the invention may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, the corresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.
The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.
Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention can include a computer readable media embodying a method for comparing at least one of a measure of velocity and a rate of change of velocity of a vehicle to at least one of a velocity value and a rate of change of velocity value; and adjusting a reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparing. The embodied method can include receiving an input of the at least one of the measure of velocity, the rate of change of velocity of the vehicle, and a mass of the vehicle, and determining the at least one of the measure of velocity, the rate of change of velocity of the vehicle, and the mass of the vehicle. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to illustrated examples and any means for performing the functionality described herein are included in embodiments of the invention.
While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and/or actions of the method claims in accordance with the embodiments of the invention described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A vehicle energy harvester controller that accepts as an input at least one of a measure of a vehicle mass, a velocity, and an acceleration and produces an output that can be used to adjust a reaction force imparted by a vehicle energy harvester on a vehicle based on the one or more measures.

2. The vehicle energy harvester controller of claim 1, wherein the controller determines at least one of vehicle mass, velocity or acceleration based on an indirect measure of vehicle mass, velocity, or acceleration.

3. The vehicle energy harvester controller of claim 1, wherein the output based on the one or more measures is determined by a pre-set algorithm.

4. The vehicle energy harvester controller of claim 1, wherein the output based on the one or more measures is determined by a look-up table.

5. The vehicle energy harvester controller of claim 1, wherein the output based on the one or more measures is adjusted one of remotely and in real time.

6. A vehicle energy harvester comprising:

a comparing unit that compares at least one of a measure of mass, velocity, and a rate of change of velocity of a vehicle to at least one of a mass value, a velocity value, and a rate of change of velocity value; and

an output unit that provides an output that allows a device intended to capture or convert energy from the vehicle to adjust a reaction force imparted by said device on the vehicle based on said comparison by the comparing unit.

7. A method of harvesting vehicle energy, the method comprising:

comparing at least one of a measure of mass, velocity, and a rate of change of velocity of a vehicle to at least one of a mass value, a velocity value, and a rate of change of velocity value; and

adjusting a reaction force imparted by a vehicle energy harvester on a vehicle based on the comparing.

8. A method of harvesting vehicle energy, the method comprising:

comparing at least one of a measure of mass, velocity, and a rate of change of velocity of a vehicle to at least one of a mass value, velocity value and a rate of change of velocity value; and

outputting an output that allows a device intended to capture or convert energy from the moving vehicle to adjust a reaction force imparted by said device on the vehicle based on said comparing.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising one of:

receiving an input of the at least one of the measure of mass, velocity, and the rate of change of velocity of the vehicle, and

determining the at least one of the measure of mass, velocity, and the rate of change of velocity of the vehicle.

10. A vehicle energy harvester comprising:

a first unit that accepts as an input at least one of a measure of a mass, a speed and a velocity of a vehicle;

a second unit that computes a rate of one of acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the at least one of the measure of mass, speed, and velocity;

a third unit that compares at least one of the measure of mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, and deceleration to at least one of an acceleration value, a mass value, a speed value, and a target speed of the vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester; and

a fourth unit that adjusts a reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparison by the third unit.

11. The vehicle energy harvester of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the mass value, the acceleration value, the speed value, and the target speed of the vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester is set internal to or remotely from the energy harvester.

12. A vehicle energy harvester comprising:

a first unit that accepts as an input at least one of a measure of mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, and deceleration of a vehicle;

a second unit that compares the at least one of the measure of mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, and deceleration to at least one of an acceleration value, a speed value, and a target speed of vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester; and

a third unit that provides an output that allows a device intended to capture or convert energy from a moving vehicle to adjust the reaction force imparted by said device on the vehicle based on said comparison by the third unit.

13. The vehicle energy harvester of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the acceleration value, the speed value, and the target speed of the vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester is set internal to or remotely from the energy harvester.

14. The vehicle energy harvester of claim 12, wherein the fourth unit adjusts a reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on a direct or indirect measure of vehicle mass.

15. A method of harvesting vehicle energy, the method comprising:

accepting as an input a measure of speed or velocity of a vehicle;

computing a rate of acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle based on the measure of speed or velocity;

comparing at least one of the measure of speed, velocity, and acceleration or deceleration to at least one of an acceleration value and a speed value; and

adjusting a reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle based on the comparing.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the acceleration value, the speed value, and the target speed of the vehicle upon moving beyond the energy harvester is set internal to or remotely from the energy harvester.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein reaction force imparted by the vehicle energy harvester on the vehicle is adjusted based on a direct or indirect measure of vehicle mass.