US 12,431,736 B2
Self-powered sensor unit for food packaging machine
Gabriele Borelli, Spilamberto (IT)
Assigned to Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A., Pully (CH)
Appl. No. 17/999,622
Filed by Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A., Pully (CH)
PCT Filed May 21, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/063628
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 22, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/239612, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 2, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20176590 (EP), filed on May 26, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0238827 A1, Jul. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. H02J 50/10 (2016.01); H02J 50/00 (2016.01)
CPC H02J 50/10 (2016.02) [H02J 50/001 (2020.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor unit for mounting in vicinity of an electric motor in a food packaging machine, said sensor unit comprising:
at least one sensor device configured to generate sensor data representative of an environmental parameter of the food packaging machine,
a wireless transmitter for transmitting the sensor data,
a power source for providing energy to the at least one sensor device and the wireless transmitter,
an energy storage component configured to store at least a portion of the energy harvested by the power source, and
a housing comprising a mounting structure having a mounting surface, the mounting structure comprising through-holes configured to receive fasteners for attachment to the food packaging machine in the vicinity of the electric motor, wherein the at least one sensor device, the wireless transmitter, the power source, and the energy storage component are positioned in the housing,
wherein the power source comprises at least one receiving coil configured to harvest energy from a magnetic field generated by the electric motor,
wherein the power source is configured to harvest energy from the magnetic field over a contiguous range of frequencies of the magnetic field of at least 10 Hz, and
wherein the power source is configured to generate a minimum of 100 μW of energy from the magnetic field generated by the electric motor.