1. A device for generating electricity by acceleration of andor changes in orientation of the device, the device comprising first and second principle components, wherein:
the first principle component is mounted relative to the housing for resilient deformation and to generate electricity when so deformed;
the second principle component is rotationally mounted relative to the housing for rotation relative to the housing and the first component, the center of mass of the second component being offset from its axis of rotation; and
the two components are arranged to interact with each other during at least part of the rotational path of the second component to deform the first component and thereby generate electricity.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first component is mounted as a cantilever with one end substantially fixedly mounted relative to the housing.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the deformation is bending.
4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first component comprises a substrate of a resiliently deformable material.
5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first component comprises electricity-generating material that generates electricity when it is subject to the deformation.
6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first andor second component comprises one or more magnets.
7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the or each magnet is arranged such that during at least part of the rotational path of the second component, at least one magnet on one of the first and second component interacts with the other of the first and second component, or a magnet thereon, to deform the first component and thereby generate electricity.
8. A device according to claim 1, wherein both the first and second components comprise at least one respective magnet, the magnet on each component interacting with that on the respective other component along at least part of the rotational path of the second component to deform the first component.
9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first component is arranged, upon receiving an initial displacement, to vibrate at the natural frequency of the electricity-generating material.
10. A device operable to generate electrical energy by means of first and second principal components, the device being able to generate electrical power through relative rotational motion around a rotational axis of the first and second principal component, wherein:
the first principal component is fixedly attached to a body of the device;
the second principal component is rotatable in relation to the first principal component in use; and
the center of mass of the second principal component is offset with respect to the axis of relative rotation such that the action of either inertia or gravity or a combination thereof on the second principal component creates relative rotational motion between the first and second principal component.
11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the first principal component comprises one or more piezoelectric elements, each of these piezoelectric elements carrying one or more permanent magnets, and the second principal component comprises one or more permanent magnets arranged in a way that the interaction between the magnet(s) carried by the piezoelectric element(s) and the magnet(s) carried by the second principal component, in use, leads to a deformation of the piezoelectric element(s), and this deformation is used to generate electrical power.
12. A device according to claim 10, wherein the first principal component comprises one or more permanent magnets, and the second principal component comprises one or more piezoelectric elements each of these piezoelectric elements carrying one or more permanent magnets, arranged in a way that the interaction between the magnet(s) carried by the piezoelectric element(s) and the magnet(s) carried by the second principal component, in use, leads to a deformation of the piezoelectric element(s), and this deformation is used to generate electrical power.
13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the piezoelectric element is left to vibrate at its natural frequency after receiving an initial excitation due to the interaction between the magnet(s) carried by the piezoelectric element(s) and the magnet(s) carried by the second principal component, in use.
14. A device according to claim 10, wherein the mass distribution of the second principal component is such that the resulting center of mass of the second principal component is offset from the axis of relative rotational motion between the first and second principal components.
15. A device according to claim 10, wherein the second principal component comprises a discrete eccentric mass in a way that the center of mass of the second principal component is offset from the axis of relative rotational motion between the first and second principal components.
16. A device according to claim 1, further comprising an electrical circuit operable to regulate electricity generated by the device.
17. A device according to claim 16, wherein the electrical circuit operable to regulate electricity is arranged to carry out one, more or all of the following or any combination thereof:
rectification from AC electricity to DC electricity;
converting electricity at a varying voltage to electricity at a more constant voltage;
storing energy generated by the device;
limiting the current supplied to a load so as to prevent damage to the generator or load or for some other purpose; and
supplying power to an attached load.
18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the attached load is a wireless sensor.
19. A device according to claim 1; wherein the first principal component is attached internally or externally to a car tire or a human or animal body or to any other source of motion.
20. (canceled)
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for preserving interest and participation in a sports tournament comprising:
a. Establishing a series of sporting events divided into a plurality of rounds, the outcome of each round determining which teams compete with each other in subsequent sporting events;
b. Dividing the tournament rounds into two or more phases, each phase containing a plurality of rounds, where each subsequent phase begins with fewer teams than the previous phase;
c. Providing an entry form to each participant, featuring a plurality of teams arranged according to a tournament format;
d. Making, per participant, outcome predictions for each sporting event and entering those outcome predictions on the entry form;
e. Assigning a point value for each correct outcome prediction on the entry form;
f. Determining the results of each tournament round;
g. At the end of each phase, determining which teams advance to the subsequent phase;
h. For those participants who did not correctly predict which teams would advance to the next phase, allowing the participants one or more corrections on their entry form by replacing one or more incorrect team predictions with the team that actually advances to the next phase;
i. For those participants who make a team correction, allowing derivative corrections on their entry form on any outcome predictions that involves the newly-added team;
j. Calculating a point total for each participant based upon the accuracy of their outcome predictions and the number of corrections issued.
2. The method according to claim 1, where the sports tournament is arranged in a single-elimination format.
3. The method according to claim 2, where the number of teams at the beginning of the tournament is equal to 2n, where n is a positive integer greater than 1.
4. The method according to claim 3, where the sports tournament is divided into a first phase and a second phase.
5. The method according to claim 4, where the second phase begins when exactly eight teams remain.
6. The method according to claim 1, where the sports tournament is arranged in a multiple-elimination format.
7. The method according to claim 1, where one or more phases are arranged in a round-robin format.
8. The method according to claim 1, where the sports tournament is arranged with staggered starting rounds.
9. The method according to claim 5, where participants need only predict which teams advance to the second phase and not the outcome of individual sporting events in the first phase.
10. The method according to claim 1, where each participant is allowed one correction.
11. The method according to claim 10, where each participant is allowed to make further corrections for a monetary fee.
12. The method according to claim 11, where the monetary fee is in the form of a charitable donation;
13. The method according to claim 10, where each participant is allowed to make further corrections by redeeming a promotional code.
14. The method according to claim 1, where winners are selected by ranking participants by point totals.