Energy Harvesting Management Unit for Wearable Devices

Abstract

Energy harvesting materials and systems have become a popular study topic that is rapidly expanding. The harvesters will be used for a variety of applications, including distributed wireless sensor nodes for structural health monitoring, embedded and implanted sensor nodes for medical applications, recharging large system batteries, monitoring pressure in automobiles, powering unmanned vehicles, and running security systems in domestic settings. Components and devices at micro-macro sizes, spanning materials, electronics, and integration, have recently been developed. Energy harvesting has piqued public attention in recent years, with the number of study reports steadily increasing over the previous decade. In this paper an energy harvesting from body heat is presented. The harvesters will be used for a many of purposes. The sensing system is self-powered by harvesting thermal energy from human body heat via a thermoelectric generator (TEG) coupled to a low voltage, self-starting boost converter and integrated power management system.