An autonomous low-power management system for energy harvesting from a miniaturized spherical piezoelectric transducer

Daher Diab (1) , Fabrice Lefebvre (1) , Georges Nassar (1, 2) , Nikolay Smagin , Samih Isber (3) , Fawaz El Omar (4) , Adnan Naja (4)

1 MAMINA - IEMN - Matériaux et Acoustiques pour MIcro et NAno systèmes intégrés - IEMN
2 INSA Hauts-De-France - INSA Institut National des Sciences Appliquées Hauts-de-France
3 AUB - American University of Beirut [Beyrouth]
4 LU / ULB - الجامعة اللبنانية [بيروت] = Lebanese University [Beirut] = Université libanaise [Beyrouth]

A new spherical vibrational energy harvesting device with an additional low power management circuit for optimizing the power transfer from the mechanical vibrations to a storage capacitor is presented. The device is devoted to underwater wireless sensor network applications due to its broadband vibrational energy harvesting, sensing, and communicating facilities. The sensing node container consists of two acrylic glass (PMMA) half-spherical shells and a Pz26 piezoelectric ring clamped between the shells. The energy harvesting, the management circuit, and communication electronics were fitted within the hollow portion of the sphere. A simulation model of the energy extraction and management system using SPICE has been developed. This simulation shows the feasibility and efficiency of the low power extraction circuit; a level of the necessary stored voltage was set at 3 V. The numerical model was validated by underwater experimental measurements; a voltage of 3 V was obtained at the terminals of a storage capacitor (47 µF) which was sufficient to supply the communication electronics. Power harvesting performances were measured relative to the transmitter/sensor distance and the incident acoustical field excitation voltage. Finally, 175 µW of harvested power has been measured with an excitation voltage of 8 Vpp at 5 cm distance from the emitter.

Domaines: Micro et nanotechnologies/Microélectronique; Acoustique [physics.class-ph]; Energie électrique

Daher Diab, Fabrice Lefebvre, Georges Nassar, Nikolay Smagin, Samih Isber, et al.. An autonomous low-power management system for energy harvesting from a miniaturized spherical piezoelectric transducer. Review of Scientific Instruments, 2019, 90 (7), pp.075004. ⟨10.1063/1.5084267⟩. ⟨hal-03139114⟩