Summary: The invention converts ambient vibrations into electrical form as a potential means of extending battery life. Because of its bistable transduction and synchronized extraction, there has been a ~100X increase in harvested power, especially for broadband variations compared to other harvesters using the same input.
Description: A potential means of extending battery life is the use of miniature renewable self-contained power supply units, which can convert ambient vibrations from existing sources in their environment into electrical form, and use this harvested energy to supplement batteries and/or other energy storage elements. This invention employs a unique nonlinear, self-tuning, bistable vibration energy harvester capable of harvesting energy from broadband and varying-amplitude sources, combined with synchronized energy extraction circuits using electronic breaker switches for efficient harvesting.
Advantage: • Extends battery life by effectively converting ambient vibrations into electrical energy • Combines nonlinear bistable transduction with synchronized extraction • Piezoelectric harvester with a simple micro-engineered design allowing a variety of material choices for ease of implementation • ~100X increased harvested power, especially for broadband variations, compared to other harvesters using the same input, due to bistable transduction and synchronized extraction • Presents a completely mechanical, zero-energy-cost method to increase range of excitation amplitudes over which the system remains bistable, further doubling the efficiency over varying amplitude excitations • Presents for the first time an accurate mathematical model for a bistable transducer by augmenting the Butterworth van Dyke piezoelectric model to capture external magnetic forces
Application: Remote sensors that can harvest ambient mechanical vibrations/energy to extend their battery life.
References: Conference proceedings: “Piezoelectric-based Broadband Bistable Vibration Energy Harvester and SCE/SSHI-based High-Power Extraction”, Kanishka Aman Singh, Ratnesh Kumar and Robert J. Weber, 11th IEEE International Conference on Networking, Sensing and Control, Miami, FL
Journal publication: “A Broadband Bistable Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with Nonlinear High-Power Extraction,” Kanishka Aman Singh, Ratnesh Kumar and Robert J. Weber, IEEE Transactions of Power Electronics, in press, accepted Dec 2014.
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