Patent ID: 8311632

Claim:
A power generator for converting mechanical energy to electrical energy, the generator comprising: a housing that defines a chamber; a phase changing dielectric fluid contained within the chamber of the housing; a moveable surface, coupled to the housing, that defines the volume of the phase changing dielectric fluid, wherein as the moveable surface moves from a first position toward a second position, the volume of the phase changing dielectric fluid is changed, such that the phase changing dielectric fluid transitions at least in part between a first phase with a first dielectric constant and a second phase with a second dielectric constant; and a capacitor within the chamber of the housing, the capacitor comprising a first plate and a second plate that define a space between them that contains a portion of the phase changing dielectric fluid, wherein the plates have a first voltage across them when the dielectric fluid is in the first phase and have a second voltage across them when the dielectric fluid is in the second phase.