Design study of a magnetoelectric-electromagnetic vibration energy converter for energy harvesting

The aim of this paper is to design a combination of a magnetoelectric-electromagnetic (ME-EM) vibration converter in order to reach an improved energy outcome. In this paper, the influence of magnets polarization and magnetoelectric transducer and coil direction are investigated. For this purpose, a finite element model is developed using one coil, one ME transducer in a magnetic circuit. Simulation results show that a better magnetic field distribution and variation is reached, if the magnetic circuit magnets are placed in attraction. Radial polarization shows decisive advantages in comparison with axial polarization. The placement of coil parallel to the magnetic circuit direction and the magnetization of the ME transducer along its width is the optimal direction relative to the magnetic circuit

Energy Harvesting for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems

Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs) predict over- and underinflated tires, and warn the driver in critical situations. Today, battery powered TPMSs suffer from limited energy. New sensor features such as friction determination or aquaplaning detection require even more energy and would significantly decrease the TPMS lifetime. Harvesting electrical energy inside the tire of a vehicle has been considered as a promising alternative to overcome the limited lifetime of a battery. However, it is a real challenge to design a system, that generates electrical energy at low velocities while being robust at 200 km/h where radial accelerations up to 20000 m/s2 occur. This work focusses on developing different electromechanical energy transducers that meet the high requirements of the automotive sector. Different approaches are addressed on how the change of acceleration and strain within the tire can be used to provide mechanical energy to the energy harvester. The energy harvester converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy. In this thesis, piezoelectric and electromagnetic transducers are discussed in depth, modelled as electromechanical networks. Since the transducers provide energy in the form of an AC voltage, but sensors require a DC voltage, various common interface circuits are compared, using LTspice and applying method of the stochastic signal analysis. Furthermore, a buck-boost converter concept for the electromagnetic energy harvester is optimized and improved. Experiments on a tire test rig validate the theoretically determined output and confirm that well designed energy harvesters in the tire can generate much more energy than required by an TPMS not only at high velocities but also at velocities as low as 20 km/h

Self-powered weigh-in-motion system combining vibration energy harvesting and self-sensing composite pavements

Overloaded vehicles are the primary cause of accelerated degradation of road infrastructures. In this context, although weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems are most efficient to enforce weight regulations, current technologies require costly investments limiting their extensive implementation. Recent advances in multifunctional composites enabled cost-efficient alternatives in the form of smart pavements. Nevertheless, the need for a stable power supply still represents a major practical limitation. This work presents a novel proof-of-concept self-sustainable WIM technology combining smart pavements and vibration-based energy harvesting (EH). The feasibility of piezoelectric bimorph cantilevered beams to harvest traffic-induced vibrations is firstly investigated, followed by the demonstration of the proposed technology under laboratory conditions. The main original contributions of this work comprise (i) the development of a new self-powered data acquisition system, (ii) a novel approach for the fabrication and electromechanical testing of the piezoresistive composite pavement, and (iii) laboratory feasibility analysis of the developed EH unit to conduct traffic load identification through electrical resistivity measurements of the smart pavement. While the presented results conclude the need for dense EH networks or combinations of different EH technologies to attain complete self-sustainability, this work represents an initial feasibility evidence paving the way towards the development of self-powered low-cost WIM systems

Design methodology for application-specific electromagnetic energy harvesters

For energy harvesters to be used efficiently, they have to be adapted to the respective application. For kinetic excitations, electromagnetic harvesters are very promising as they allow a high degree of freedom in the design which in turn permits optimally adapted designs. A corresponding design methodology has been developed in a current research project. It is implemented as a design tool in MATLAB®, which performs an automated comparison between different basic structures. Prior to presenting first results of these structural comparisons, the general structure of the design process is explained. It is shown that the application-specific requirements are most important for the evaluation of the basic structures

Design and Modelling of a Novel Hybrid Vibration Converter based on Electromagnetic and Magnetoelectric Principles

Supplying wireless sensors from ambient energy is nowadays highly demanded for a higher flexibility of use and low system maintenance costs. Vibration sources are thereby especially attractive due to their availability and the relatively high energy density they can provide. The aim of this work is to realize a hybrid energy converter for vibration sources having low amplitude and low frequency. The idea is to combine two diverse harvesters to realize a higher energy density and at the same time to improve the converter reliability. We focus on the design, modeling, and test of the hybrid vibration converter. For an appropriate converter design, the vibration profiles of several ambient vibration sources are characterized. The results show that the typical frequency and acceleration ranges are between 5 Hz to 60 Hz and 0.1 g to 1.5 g respectively. The proposed converter is based on the magnetoelectric (ME) and electromagnetic (EM) principles. These two principles can be easily combined within almost the same volume, because they generate energy form the same varying magnetic field coupled to the mechanical vibration of the source. Thereby, the energy density is improved as the ME converter is incorporated within the relatively large coil housing of the electromagnetic converter. The proposed converter is based on the use of a magnetic spring instead of the typically used mechanical springs, which applies the repulsive force to the seismic mass of the converter. The applied vibration is transmitted to the converter based on the magnetic spring principle instead of the conventional mechanical springs. Due to the nonlinearity of the magnetic spring, the converter is able to operate for a frequency bandwidth instead of resonant frequency which is the case while using a mechanical spring. Hence, this leads to realize a high converter efficiency even under random vibrations characterized by frequency bandwidth. As well, using magnetic spring principle enables to adjust the resonant frequency of the converter relative to the applied vibration source easily by just adjusting the moving magnet size. For the converter design, a parametric study is conducted using finite element analysis. Two main criteria are thereby taken into account, which are the compactness and the efficiency of the converter. Parameters affecting these two criteria are classified in mechanical, electromagnetic and magnetoelectric parameters. Results show that the combination of the EM and ME principles leads to an improvement of the energy output compared to a single EM or ME converter. The novel hybrid converter is realized and tested under harmonic and real vibration profiles. It comprises two main parts: A fixed part, where the coils and the ME transducer are fixed in order to ensure a good reliability of the converter by avoiding wire movements. A moving part, where the moving magnet of the magnetic spring and the magnetic circuit are placed. The presented converter is reliable and compact, which is able to harvest energy with a maximum output power density of 0.11 mW/cm³ within a frequency bandwidth of 12 Hz for a resonance frequency of 24 Hz under an applied harmonic vibration with an amplitude of 1 mm.Die Versorgung von drahtlosen Sensoren aus der Umgebungsenergie ermöglicht heutzutage eine hohe Einsatzflexibilität und die Senkung des Systemwartungsaufwands. Schwingungsquellen sind aufgrund ihrer Verfügbarkeit und der damit erreichbaren Energiedichte besonders attraktiv. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, einen hybriden Energiewandler für Vibrationsquellen mit geringer Amplitude und niedriger Frequenz zu realisieren. Der Ansatz dabei ist, zwei verschiedene Wandler zu kombinieren, um eine höhere Energiedichte zu erreichen und die Zuverlässigkeit zu verbessern. Der Entwurf konzentriert sich auf die Modellierung und den Test des hybriden Vibrationswandlers. Für einen geeigneten Wandlerentwurf werden die Schwingungsprofileigenschaften mehrerer Umgebungsschwingungsquellen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die typische Frequenz zwischen 5 Hz und 60 Hz und der Beschleunigungsbereich zwischen 0,1 g und 1,5 g liegen. Der vorgeschlagene Wandler kombiniert das magnetoelektrischen (ME) Prinzip mit dem elektromagnetischen (EM) Prinzip. Diese beiden Prinzipien können innerhalb des fast gleichen Volumens leicht integriert werden, da sie Energie aus der Variation des gleichen Magnetfeldes, das mit der mechanischen Schwingung gekoppelt ist, erzeugen können. Dadurch wird die Energiedichte verbessert, da der ME-Wandler in das relativ große Spulengehäuse des elektromagnetischen Wandlers eingesetzt werden kann. Darüber hinaus basiert der vorgeschlagene Wandler auf der Verwendung von Magnetfedern, um die Repulsivkraft auf die seismische Masse zu realisieren. Aufgrund der Nichtlinearität der Magnetfeder, kann der Wandler in einem breiteren Frequenzbereich betrieben werden, anstatt nur bei der Resonanzfrequenz, wie es bei der Verwendung einer mechanischen Feder der Fall ist. Dies führt dazu, dass der Wandler auch bei zufälligen breitbandigen Schwingungsquellen effizient betrieben werden kann. Darüber hinaus ermöglicht die Verwendung des Magnetfederprinzips eine einfache Einstellung der Resonanzfrequenz des Wandlers in Bezug auf die Schwingungsquelle, durch Einstellen der Größe des beweglichen Magneten. Für den Wandlerentwurf wird eine Parameterstudie mit Hilfe der Finite-Elemente-Analyse durchgeführt. Zwei Hauptkriterien werden dabei berücksichtigt: Die Kompaktheit und die Energieeffizienz des Wandlers. Parameter die diese beiden Kriterien beeinflussen, können in mechanische, elektromagnetische und magnetoelektrische unterteilt werden. Die Ergebnisse haben gezeigt, dass die Kombination der EM- und ME-Prinzipien zu einer Verbesserung der Energieausbeute im Vergleich zu einem einzelnen EM- oder ME-Wandler geführt hat. Der neuartige Hybrid-Wandler wurde realisiert und unter harmonischen und realen Schwingungsprofilen getestet. Der Wandler besteht aus zwei Hauptteilen: Ein festes Teil, an dem die Spulen und der ME-Wandler befestigt sind, um eine hohe Zuverlässigkeit zu gewährleisten indem auf einen beweglichen Draht verzichtet wird, und ein bewegliches Teil, das sich aus einem beweglichen Magneten zusammensetzt. Der vorgestellte Wandler ist zuverlässig, kompakt und in der Lage, Energie mit einer maximalen Ausgangsleistungsdichte von 0,11 mW/cm 3 und einer Bandbreite von 12 Hz bei einer Resonanzfrequenz von 24 Hz unter einer angelegten harmonischen Schwingung mit einer Amplitude von 1 mm zu gewinnen

Symmetry in Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism plays a crucial role in basic and applied physics research. The discovery of electromagnetism as the unifying theory for electricity and magnetism represents a cornerstone in modern physics. Symmetry was crucial to the concept of unification: electromagnetism was soon formulated as a gauge theory in which local phase symmetry explained its mathematical formulation. This early connection between symmetry and electromagnetism shows that a symmetry-based approach to many electromagnetic phenomena is recurrent, even today. Moreover, many recent technological advances are based on the control of electromagnetic radiation in nearly all its spectra and scales, the manipulation of matter–radiation interactions with unprecedented levels of sophistication, or new generations of electromagnetic materials. This is a fertile field for applications and for basic understanding in which symmetry, as in the past, bridges apparently unrelated phenomena―from condensed matter to high-energy physics. In this book, we present modern contributions in which symmetry proves its value as a key tool. From dual-symmetry electrodynamics to applications to sustainable smart buildings, or magnetocardiography, we can find a plentiful crop, full of exciting examples of modern approaches to electromagnetism. In all cases, symmetry sheds light on the theoretical and applied works presented in this book

Double smart energy harvesting system for self-powered industrial IoT

312 p. 335 p. (confidencial)Future factories would be based on the Industry 4.0 paradigm. IndustrialInternet of Things (IIoT) represent a part of the solution in this field. Asautonomous systems, powering challenges could be solved using energy harvestingtechnology. The present thesis work combines two alternatives of energy input andmanagement on a single architecture. A mini-reactor and an indoor photovoltaiccell as energy harvesters and a double power manager with AC/DC and DC/DCconverters controlled by a low power single controller. Furthermore, theaforementioned energy management is improved with artificial intelligencetechniques, which allows a smart and optimal energy management. Besides, theharvested energy is going to be stored in a low power supercapacitor. The workconcludes with the integration of these solutions making IIoT self-powered devices.IK4 Teknike

Characterizing the Effective Bandwidth of Nonlinear Vibratory Energy Harvesters Possessing Multiple Stable Equilibria

In the last few years, advances in micro-fabrication technologies have lead to the development of low-power electronic devices spanning critical fields related to sensing, data transmission, and medical implants. Unfortunately, effective utilization of these devices is currently hindered by their reliance on batteries. In many of these applications, batteries may not be a viable choice as they have a fixed storage capacity and need to be constantly replaced or recharged. In light of such challenges, several novel concepts for micro-power generation have been recently introduced to harness, otherwise, wasted ambient energy from the environment and maintain these low-power devices. Vibratory energy harvesting is one such concept which has received significant attention in recent years. While linear vibratory energy harvesters have been well studied in the literature and their performance metrics have been established, recent research has focused on deliberate introduction of stiffness nonlinearities into the design of these devices. It has been shown that, nonlinear energy harvesters have a wider steady-state frequency bandwidth as compared to their linear counterparts, leading to the premise that they can used to improve performance, and decrease sensitivity to variations in the design and excitation parameters. This dissertation aims to investigate this premise by developing an analytical framework to study the influence of stiffness nonlinearities on the performance and effective bandwidth of nonlinear vibratory energy harvesters. To achieve this goal, the dissertation is divided into three parts. The first part investigates the performance of bi-stable energy harvesters possessing a symmetric quartic potential energy function under harmonic excitations and carries out a detailed analysis to define their effective frequency bandwidth. The second part investigates the relative performance of mono- and bi-stable energy harvesters under optimal electric loading conditions. The third part investigates the response and performance of tri-stable energy harvesters possessing a symmetric hexic potential function under harmonic excitations and provides a detailed analysis to approximate their effective frequency bandwidth. As a platform to achieve these objectives, a piezoelectric nonlinear energy harvester consisting of a uni-morph cantilever beam is considered. Stiffness nonlinearities are introduced into the harvester’s design by applying a static magnetic field near the tip of the beam. Experimental studies performed on the proposed harvester are presented to validate some of the theoretical findings. Since nonlinear energy harvesters exhibit complex and non-unique responses, it is demonstrated that a careful choice of the design parameters namely, the shape of the potential function and the electromechanical coupling is necessary to widen their effective frequency bandwidth. Specifically, it is shown that, decreasing the electromechanical coupling and/or designing the potential energy function to have shallow wells, widens the effective frequency bandwidth for a given excitation level. However, this comes at the expense of the output power which decreases under these design conditions. It is also shown that the ratio between the mechanical period and time constant of the harvesting circuit has negligible influence on the effective frequency bandwidth but has considerable effect on the associated magnitude of the output power