US Patent 9385636 Transport vehicle, charging system and electricity-generating tire

A transport vehicle includes a driving unit, a wheel and a charging system. The charging system includes an electricity-generating tire and a converting unit. The electricity-generating tire has a tire body mounted on the wheel, and a piezoelectricity generating unit disposed at the tire body and configured to output electricity when the piezoelectricity generating unit is subjected to mechanical forces attributed to movement of the tire body on a ground surface. The converting unit operates to convert the electricity outputted by the piezoelectricity generating unit into a form of energy for storage in an energy storing unit.