Patent ID: 7415874

Claim:
A method for generating electrical energy within a tyre, comprising: associating a housing including a piezoelectric element with a tyre portion in correspondence with a tyre tread area, the piezoelectric element being disposed substantially along a plane orthogonal to a radial direction of said tyre and having a first end substantially fixed to said housing and a second end fixed to a loading mass, a gap being formed between at least one inner wall of said housing and an outer surface of said loading mass; rotating said tyre on a rolling surface at a first rotation speed lower than a given speed, so as to cause said loading mass to oscillate within said gap, thereby leading to a first deformation of said piezoelectric element during said tyre rotation; rotating said tyre on said rolling surface at a second rotation speed higher than said given speed, so as to cause said loading mass to contact said inner wall during a first fraction of a complete tyre revolution, during said first fraction said tread area corresponding to said tyre portion being not in contact with the rolling surface, and to cause said loading mass to oscillate within said gap during a second fraction of a complete tyre revolution, during said second fraction said tread area corresponding to said tyre portion being in contact with the rolling surface, thereby leading to a second deformation of said piezoelectric element during said tyre rotation; and collecting electrical energy generated from said first and said second deformations of said piezoelectric element.