Overview
The Door Motion Generator is a device designed to generate electricity from the motion of opening doors. It was created by five freshman students as a final project for GE 1110. The corresponding paper for this project went on to win Best Undergraduate Research Paper at the ASEE Northeast Regional Conference in 2016.
The project aimed to demonstrate everyday energy expenditure and served as mechanical design practice early in undergraduate studies.
Design
The device mounts to a door frame, functioning like a lawnmower pull-start. As the door opens, a cable pulls and rotates a motor. A centrifugal clutch enables the motor to drive when pulled and retracts the cable easily via coil spring as the door closes.
I developed all of its mechanisms, including the pulley system and clutch, sourcing a coil spring from a chainsaw starter, and designing housing and mounting hardware. Due to time and budget constraints, only one prototype was built. Design iteration occurred purely in CAD and was largely focused on reducing the overall size.
Exploded View
Conclusions
The prototype served as an effective proof of concept despite not generating meaningful power. The centrifugal clutch could be replaced with a full-wave rectifier to simplify the system with fewer moving parts.
Full Wave Rectifier
Some doors may see upwards of 1500 opening cycles per day, supporting the concept’s potential with improved design.
The Door Motion Generator team with our advisor, Dr. Maheswaran, at ASEE NE 2016. (Not pictured: Spencer Pozder)