Engineering @ Business

Emhart/Tech Briefs Contest Winners 2005 - Entry Power Generating Shock Absorber

Description:
Electric and electric-gas hybrid vehicles will soon become the norm on our roads. With these new vehicles comes the opportunity to collect previously lost energy in a vehicle whose suspension is constantly in motion. A conventional automotive shock absorber dampens suspension movement to produce a controlled action that keeps the tire firmly on the road. This is done by converting the kinetic energy into heat energy, which is then absorbed by the shock’s oil. The Power-Generating Shock Absorber (PGSA) converts this kinetic energy into electricity instead of heat through the use of a Linear Motion Electromagnetic System (LMES). The LMES uses a dense permanent magnet stack embedded in the main piston, a switchable series of stator coil windings, a rectifier, and an electronic control system to manage the varying electrical output and dampening load. The electricity generated by each PGSA can then be combined with electricity from other power generation systems (e.g. regenerative braking) and stored in the vehicle’s batteries. (Read all scource )

Electromagnetic linear generator and shock absorber
Patent no. US2003034697 (US6,952,060)

More: Power-Generating_Shock_Absorber

Comment:
Imagine your Shock Absorber can generate electricity, we can use these energy to reduce the load on Engine. This sound good for EV (Electric Vehicle) I will recommend this product to OEM soon. I think the product is not cheap too.