Artificial intelligence based optimization for vibration energy harvesting applications

This paper deals with optimization studies based on artificial intelligence methods. These modern optimization methods can be very useful for design improving of an electromagnetic vibration energy harvester. The vibration energy harvester is a complex mechatronic device which harvests electrical energy from ambient mechanical vibrations. The harvester design consists of a precise mechanical resonator, electromagnetic converter and electronics. The optimization study of such complex mechatronic device is complicated however artificial intelligence methods can be used for set up of optimal harvester parameters. Used optimization strategies are applied to optimize the design of the electro-magnetic vibration energy harvester according to multi-objective fitness functions. Optimization results of the harvester are summarized in this paper. Presented optimization algorithms can be used for a design of new energy harvesting systems or for improving on existing energy harvesting systems.     

Model-based design and test of vibration energy harvester for aircraft application

This paper deals with a development process of a vibration energy harvesting device in aircraft applications. The vibration energy harvester uses ambient energy of mechanical vibration and it provides an autonomous source of energy for wireless sensors or autonomous applications. This application presents a complex engineering problem and the vibration energy harvester consists of precise mechanical part, electro-mechanical converter, electronics and a powered application. It can be perceive as a mechatronic system and a mechatronic approach was used for development of our vibration energy harvester. An essential step of development process is simulation modeling which is based on mechatronic approach. Presented model-based design of vibration energy harvester is very useful during development process and the whole development process of the autonomous energy source is presented in this paper. The main aim of the paper is an introduction of our development methodology and our approach is presented on a sample of the vibration energy harvester for aircraft applications under project ESPOSA.     

基于GMM的轨道无线传感网络能量收集装置研究

随着轨道无线传感器网络技术的推广,改善无线传感器的供电问题显的刻不容缓。研究一种基于超磁致伸缩材料（GMM）的轨道振动能量收集器,将收集器安装于钢轨与轨道板之间,收集钢轨的振动能。建立车辆轨道垂向耦合模型,将钢轨垂向位移和支反力作为能量收集器的激振源。利用超磁致伸缩材料的维拉里效应,将振动能转换为电能。经过MATLAB理论分析,能量收集器大致能收集到能量大约237.1584 J。收集的电能足以解决无线传感器的供电问题。     

A micro electromagnetic low level vibration energy harvester based on MEMS technology

This paper presents a micro electromagnetic energy harvester which can convert low level vibration energy to electrical power. It mainly consists of an electroplated copper planar spring, a permanent magnet and a copper planar coil with high aspect ratio. Mechanical simulation shows that the natural frequency of the magnet-spring system is 94.5 Hz. The resonant vibration amplitude of the magnet is 259.1 μm when the input vibration amplitude is 14 μm and the magnet-spring system is at resonance. Electromagnetic simulation shows that the linewidth and the turns of the coil influence the induced voltage greatly. The optimized electromagnetic vibration energy harvester can generate 0.7 μW of maximal output power with peak–peak voltage of 42.6 mV in an input vibration frequency of 94.5 Hz and input acceleration of 4.94 m/s² (this vibration is a kind of low level ambient vibration). A prototype (not optimized) has been fabricated using MEMS micromachining technology. The testing results show that the prototype can generate induced voltage (peak–peak) of 18 mV and output power of 0.61 μW for 14.9 m/s² external acceleration at its resonant frequency of 55 Hz (this vibration is not in a low ambient vibration level).     

谐振频率转换机制振动能采集器研究进展

环境振动能采集器可为低功耗系统提供绿色环保、可再生能源,具有寿命长久、能量密度高、微型、易集成等优势.能量采集环境具有随机振动频率低、频域广、振源幅值小且多方向性等特点,频率转换机制可有效解决采集器与环境振动频率不匹配问题,提高其能量转换效率.发电装置中的拾振结构频变方式主要分为接触式和非接触式,具体操作方法包括直接或间接碰撞拾振体、驱使振动体形变、磁力耦合调频等.综合比较了各类频率转换机制的优缺点及其实用性,指出了低宽频、高效能、智能化是未来振动能采集微电源的研究趋势.     

基于振动能量采集器的无源无线传感节点技术研究

随着以MEMS技术为依托,结合压电效应的振动能量采集技术的日臻完善,如何利用振动能量采集器构成高效的无源无线传感节点成为近期研究热点,而能量采集器输出的电能储存控制和低功耗发射技术是实现该节点的难点。在设计出对储能电容电压具有双阈值检测与控制功能的低功耗电路基础上,给出了一种自报警、无源无线低功耗传感节点。实验表明,在频率52 Hz正弦振动、振动加速度幅值为5 gn激励下,经过125 s的能量储存,节点能够以+10 dBm功率在16 ms内完成发射及无线报警,发射距离可达1.31 km。该节点构成的无线传感网络可广泛应用于石油管线、桥梁和军事侦察等外部供电极度受限环境的现场监控等用途。     

具有时滞反馈控制的双稳态压电-电磁式俘能器的随机动力学

本文研究了色噪声激励下具有时滞反馈控制的双稳态压电-电磁混合式俘能器的动力学特性.首先,建立了非线性双稳态压电-电磁俘能器的集中参数型机电耦合运动方程,并基于能量包线随机平均法推导得到系统稳态概率密度函数和平均输出功率表达式,通过蒙特卡洛数值方法验证了理论解的正确性.其次,分析了时滞和反馈增益系数对系统输出功率的影响.研究结果表明：在一定参数范围内,随着位移时滞与速度时滞的增加,输出功率出现周期性变化,并在特定的时滞与反馈增益组合下达到最大值;调节反馈增益系数可以改变输出功率的相位和大小.说明通过合理地设置时滞反馈控制可以提高俘能器的采集功率,为随机激励下非线性振动俘能器的设计和优化提供一定的理论依据.     

Unimorph and bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester stimulated by β-emitting radioisotopes: a modeling study

We use energy methods and lumped-element modelling in the analysis and optimization of a miniaturized aluminum nitride based piezoelectric energy harvester which utilizes tritiated silicon as an uninterrupted energy source. Tritiated silicon serves as a radioisotope source which emits energetic β particles that results in an electrostatic force between the radioactive source and collector that traps the emitted particles. The generated electrostatic force will drive the charging and actuating cycles of the piezoelectric cantilever leading to a continuous charge–discharge cycles, thus inducing vibrations in the piezoelectric cantilever. The energy generated from the piezoelectric thin-film is appropriately rectified and stored to provide continuous and uninterrupted electrical power to a low-power devices. The modelled results have been benchmarked against available experimental data for a unimorph piezoelectric harvester with very good agreement. Furthermore, the model was applied to a bimorph piezoelectric harvester, showing that the output power can be doubled in relation to a unimorph design. Moreover, the model accounts for the entire range of design and operating factors such as the ambient medium and associated damping losses, current leakage, and device scaling.     

一种振动自供能无线传感器的电源管理电路

针对振动能量采集器的输出功率过低不足以直接驱动无线传感器的问题,设计了振动自供能无线传感器的电源管理电路,根据调谐和阻抗变换原理对能量采集器进行了阻抗匹配,以最大功率对储能超级电容进行充电,对能量存储和电源管理电路的充放电特性进行了理论分析和实验验证。结果表明,该电路大幅度提高了采集器的输出功率和对储能超级电容充电的效率,当0.47 F超级电容电压达到0.6 V时,能量瞬间释放电路控制超级电容瞬间放电,成功驱动最大功耗为75 mW的无线传感器工作。     

Design,fabrication and testing of a piezoelectric energy microgenerator

This article presents the design, fabrication and characterization of a micromachined energy harvester utilizing aluminium nitride (AlN) as a piezoelectric thin film material for energy conversion of random vibrational excitations. The harvester was designed and fabricated using silicon micromachining technology where AlN is sandwiched between two electrodes on top of a silicon cantilever beam which is terminated by a silicon seismic mass. The harvester generates electric power when subjected to mechanical vibrations. The generated electrical response of the device was experimentally evaluated at various acceleration levels. A maximum power of 34.78 μW was obtained for the device with a seismic mass of 5.6 × 5.6 mm² at an acceleration value of 2 g. Various fabricated devices were tested and evaluated in terms of the generated electrical power as well as the resonant frequency.     

一种宽频的磁式压电振动能量采集器

基于环境能量采集的压电振动能量采集器为无线传感器和微机电系统的长期供能提供了一种有效解决方案.目前研制的压电式振动能量采集器存在工作频率高,且频带窄的问题.给出了一种通过磁力的引入使其在低频下工作的、宽频的压电振动能量采集器,并搭建了测试系统对器件进行分析测试.在压电悬臂梁上放置永磁铁取代传统的质量块,同时在悬臂梁的上...     

Towards a complementary balanced energy harvesting solution for low power embedded systems

The specific technical challenges associated with the design of an ambient energy powered electronic system currently requires thorough knowledge of the environment of deployment, energy harvester characteristics and power path management. In this work, a novel flexible model for ambient energy harvesters is presented that allows decoupling of the harvester’s physical principles and electrical behavior using a three dimensional function. The model can be adapted to all existing harvesters, resulting in a design methodology for generic ambient energy powered systems using the presented model. We also present a solution for the mathematical problem involved with the optimization of generator sizes when more than two harvesters are used, and demonstrate the ease of use of this solution for implementations on embedded systems with few system resources. Concrete examples are included to demonstrate the versatility of the presented design in the development of electronic appliances on system level.     

Modeling the performance of a micromachined piezoelectric energy harvester

Piezoelectric energy microgenerators are devices that generate continuously electricity when they are subjected to varying mechanical strain due to e.g. ambient vibrations. This paper presents the mathematical analysis, modelling and validation of a miniaturized piezoelectric energy harvester based on ambient random vibrations. Aluminium nitride as piezoelectric material is arranged between two electrodes. The device design includes a silicon cantilever on which AlN film is deposited and which features a seismic mass at the end of the cantilever. Euler–Bernoulli energy approach and Hamilton’s principle are applied for device modeling and analysis of the operation of the device at various acceleration values. The model shows good agreement with the experimental findings, thus giving confidence into model. Both mechanical and electrical characteristics are considered and compared with the experimental data, and good agreement is obtained. The developed analytical model can be applied for the design of piezoelectric microgenerators with enhanced performance.     

Theoretical analysis and experimental study for nonlinear hybrid piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvester

A nonlinear hybrid piezoelectric (PE) and electromagnetic (EM) energy harvester is proposed, and its working model is established. Then the vibration response, output power, voltage and current of nonlinear hybrid energy harvester subjected to harmonic excitation are derived by the method of harmonic balance, and their normalized forms are obtained by the defined dimensionless parameters. Through numerical simulation and experimental test, the effects of nonlinear factor, load resistance, excitation frequency and the excitation acceleration on amplitude and electrical performances of hybrid energy harvester are studied, which shows that the numerical results are in agreement with that of experimental tests. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the bigger nonlinear factor, the lower resonant frequency; moreover, there is an optimal nonlinear factor that make the harvester output the maximum power. In addition, the output power of nonlinear hybrid energy harvester reaches the maximum at the optimal loads of PE and EM elements, which can be altered by the excitation acceleration. Meanwhile, the resonant frequency corresponding to the maximum power rises firstly and then falls with PE load enhancing, while it rises with EM load decreasing; furthermore, the frequency lowers with the acceleration increasing. Besides, the larger acceleration is, the bigger power output and the wider 3 dB bandwidth are. Compared with performances of linear hybrid energy harvester, the designed nonlinear energy harvester not only can reduce the resonant frequency and enlarger the bandwidth but also improve the output power.     

Design and realization of an ultra‐low power sensing RF energy harvesting module with its RF and DC sub‐components

Herein, design, development, and analysis of ultra‐low power sensing energy harvesting modules and their subcomponents for ISM band applications have been studied with a holistic approach in an effort to achieve a feasible and high efficient RF energy harvesting performance. The complete harvester system designed and developed here consists of a zero‐bias RF energy rectifying antenna (rectenna), DC boost converters and energy storage super‐capacitors. Compared with the counterpart energy sources, the surrounding or transmitted wireless energy has low intensity which requires designs with high efficiency. To achieve a successful harvester performance, rectifier circuits with high sensitivity Schottky diodes and proper impedance matching circuits are designed. Dedicated RF signals at various levels from nanowatts to miliwatts are applied at the input of the rectenna and the measured input power versus the scavenged DC output voltage are tabulated. Furthermore, by connecting the rectifier to a high gain antenna and using a RF signal transmitter, the wireless RF power harvesting performance at 2.4 GHz was tested up to 5 m. The performance of the rectenna is analyzed for both low‐power detection and efficiencies. Impedance matching network is implemented to reduce the reflected input RF power, DC to DC converters are evaluated for their compatibility to the rectifiers, and super‐capacitor behaviors are investigated for their charging and storage capabilities. The measured results indicate that a wide operating power range with an ultra‐low power sensing and conversion performance have been achieved by optimizing the efficiency of the Schottky rectifier as low as ?50 dBm. The system can be used for battery free applications or expanding battery life for ultra‐low power electronics, such as; RFID, LoRa, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and low power remote sensor systems.     

High efficiency,wide load bandwidth piezoelectric energy scavenging by a hybrid nonlinear approach

Energy harvesting from ambient energy sources and particularly vibrations have been of significant interest over the last decades for powering consumer electronics. However, vibration energy harvesters that use the piezoelectric effect feature limited output power and load dependency. The purpose of this paper is to present a hybrid technique that consists of combining two nonlinear techniques for enhancing the conversion abilities while providing a relative load independency. Although the proposed scheme relies on the use of two existing approaches, it will be shown that the operation of the overall system is different from the behavior of the two techniques taken separately, allowing four energy extraction cycles per vibration period. Theoretical analysis validated through experimental results indicates that the proposed scheme allows harvesting up to 6 times more energy while having a relative independency from the load connected to the harvester.     

Micro harvester using isotropic charging of electrets deposited on vertical sidewalls for conversion of 3D vibrational energy

The design and fabrication process of an integrated micro energy harvester capable of harvesting electrical energy from low amplitude mechanical vibrations is presented. A specific feature of the presented energy harvester design is its capability to harvest vibrational energy from different directions (3D). This is done through an innovative approach of electrets placed on vertical sidewalls, allowing miniaturization of 3D capacitive energy harvester fabrication on monolithic CMOS substrates. A new simple electret charging method using ionic hair-dryers is used. The charging performance of SiO₂ and CYTOP electrets are characterized for electrets in horizontal arrangement and electrets deposited on vertical sidewalls.     

A magnetoelectric-based broadband vibration energy harvester for powering wireless sensors

Scavenging vibration energy directly from environments is an attractive technique for potentially powering small and/or wireless electronic devices in a smart structure and system.In this paper,a novel broadband vibration energy harvester is designed and analyzed,which consists of three cantilever beams,two magnetoelectric(ME) transducers and a magnetic circuit.A theoretical model is developed to analyze the effects of the structure parameters on the frequency response and the electrical output for achievin...