Micro Energy Harvesting via Piezoelectric and Electromagnetic Dynamics for Higher Power Output

• Published in: ICSIMA 2023 - 9th IEEE International Conference on Smart Instrumentation, Measurement and Applications
• Main Author: Tahir M.S.M.; Wahid A.N.; Hanif N.H.H.M.; Janin Z.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85183468892&doi=10.1109%2fICSIMA59853.2023.10373504&partnerID=40&md5=b95bb82b0220d0c02ed4f3559762ed14

Micro enery harvesting is a promising technology for powering small-scale electronic devices using ambient sources which are normally vibrating at low frequencies. Limitations arise when relying solely on a single energy conversion mechanism, such as the exclusive use of piezoelectric beams. Piezoelectric beams excel at high-frequency energy conversion, leaving low-frequency vibrations untapped. To address this issue, a hybrid energy harvester integrating both piezoelectric beams and magnetic coils emerges as a solution to complement the capability of a piezoelectric harvester. In this work, a copper wound coil is added to an energy harvester assembly that consist of a piezoelectric beam, an eccentric mass and NdFeB permanent magnets that act as proof mass. Each time the eccentric mass passes the beam, the magnets at a fixed distance, repel each other. This simultaneously change magnetic flux around the wound copper coil to generate a larger amount of current. This proposed hybrid configuration produced the highest energy output as compared to the piezoelectric only or electromagnetic only energy harvester, when subjected to a 5 Hz vibration input. This research demonstrated the ability of the hybrid energy harvester to produce electrical power at a low frequency input, which provides optimistic possibility to cater for the energy demand for wearable electronic and wireless devices. © 2023 IEEE.