Abstract
This paper proposes an electric power self-supply module for the wireless sensor network (WSN) sensor node. The module includes an electromagnetic vibration energy harvester based on micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology and a processing circuit. The vibration energy harvester presented in this paper is fabricated by an integrated microfabrication process and consists of four similar and relatively independent beam vibration elements. The main functions of the processing circuit are to convert the output of the harvester from unstable alternating current (AC) to stable direct current (DC), charge the super capacitor, and ensure the stable output of the super capacitor. The preliminary test results of the harvester chip show that the chip can output discontinuous pulse voltage, and the range of the voltage value is from tens to hundreds of millivolts in the vibration frequency range of 10–90 Hz. The maximum value that can be reached is 563 mV (at the vibration frequency of 18 Hz). The results of the test show that the harvester can output a relatively high voltage, which can meet the general electric power demand of a WSN sensor node.
Highlights
IntroductionThe wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of a large number of sensor nodes; the energy supply for the system is an important issue
As the core technology of the Internet of Things (IoT), the wireless sensor network (WSN) has become a topic of lively debate in recent years, and the scope of applications involving a WSN is rapidly expanding to include equipment monitoring, environmental information acquisition, detecting the link of entities, etc.The WSN consists of a large number of sensor nodes; the energy supply for the system is an important issue
A new electromagnetic vibration energy harvester based on micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology has been designed, fabricated, and tested
Summary
The WSN consists of a large number of sensor nodes; the energy supply for the system is an important issue. Because battery life is limited, and it is hard to replace the batteries of a large quantity of sensor nodes regularly, the technology for harvesting energy from the environment around the sensor nodes has important significance. With the wide application of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensors in WSN nodes, the general energy consumption of the WSN sensor node has been reduced to microwatts. Using an energy harvester with a power management strategy to achieve electric power self-supply is considered to be an effective way to solve the problem of the WSN node power supply. Considering that vibration energy widely exists around WSN sensor nodes, such as bridges, buildings, and vehicles, it is rational to harvest vibration energy for the power supply
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