Patent ID: 8616162

Claim:
A free piston linear alternator comprising: a cylinder including a pair of bounce chambers, a pair of scavenging chambers, a pair of opposed pistons and a combustion chamber disposed between the opposed pistons, each of the pistons axially opposed from each other and having a respective slide portion and a respective head portion including a proximate end and a distal end; the scavenging chambers configured to draw intake air when the pistons linearly translate away from the combustion chamber, each scavenging chamber disposed between an outer wall of the cylinder, an outer wall of the respective slide portion and the proximate end of the respective head portion; each of the respective head portions of the pistons including a respective first element disposed thereon to maximize heat transfer from the respective first element to the intake air drawn into the adjacent respective scavenging chamber, the respective first element interacting with a respective second element located on the outer wall of the cylinder to generate electric current when each of the pistons linearly translate; and each of the bounce chambers disposed between respective ones of the distal ends of the head portions of the pistons and a respective closed outer end of the cylinder and comprising substantially constrained air configured to return respective ones of the pistons to a respective first position from a respective second position after combustion.