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Micro-scale energy harvesting has emerged as an attractive and increasingly feasible option to alleviate the power supply challenge in a variety of low power applications, such as wireless sensor networks, implantable biomedical devices, etc. While the basic idea and system composition of micro-scale energy harvesting systems have been explored and...
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Citations
... Harvesting ambient thermal energy using TEGs is a convenient means of supplying power to many applications because it is scalable, reliable, and does not employ moving parts in contrast to vibration energy transducers [32]- [34]. Therefore, it is appealing in human bodypowered biomedical devices such as pacemakers, which can be powered from thermal gradient across the human skin [35]- [37]. Also, on-chip TEGs can be used to harvest electrical energy from components waste heat, or any other heat source such as solar radiation or industrial waste heat [38]- [40]. ...
The growing number of energy-autonomous applications raises the need for reliable DC energy harvesting techniques such as Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs). One key issue, however, is the minimum voltage (40-60 mV) required for start-up in small TEG energy harvesting sources. We review in this paper recent start-up solutions for TEG energy harvesting technologies. Different solutions have been categorized into 5 main approaches: external battery, extra-fabrication-process-based, transformers, multisource energy harvesting, and DC-AC-DC conversion using oscillators. The ”DC-AC-DC conversion ring oscillators” approach is then shown to be the most promising solution in line with DC energy harvesting applications because it offers several advantages over other approaches, such as allowing full integration with good performance, compatibility with regular CMOS technology, and lower cost. Then, its different implementations are discussed and a detailed analysis is provided to identify their respective advantages and limitations.
... WBAN loads, such as sensors, processors, communication modules, are predominantly powered using DC voltage [5]. PZT harvester's AC voltage must be rectified and stepped down using a buck converter. ...
The emergence of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) with health monitoring capabilities has revolutionized health care. Implementing fully independent WBAN nodes is important to the long-term viability of this initiative. Regularly recharged and depletable batteries remain a significant impediment in such systems. Energy harvesting (EH) from environmentally clean sources has thus been receiving increasing attention. Nevertheless, the autonomy and optimization of existing WBAN sensor nodes have remained questionable because methods that integrate realistic usage conditions into the design process have been lacking. A plausible method is proposed to establish a framework for designing a sustainable health monitoring node in this work. A Health Monitoring Energy System (HeMeS) tool prototype is consequently developed using comprehensive analytical models and utilized to demonstrate system design space exploration for various patient types, incorporating environmental factors, electronic load activity levels, and system cost/size constraints. It is concluded that the patient-centered system design approach incorporating interactions across transducers, electronics, sensors, user environment and data duty-cycling profiles, is viable, and is in fact appealing in safeguarding truly autonomous and cost-optimal WBANs that are compatible with climate-neutral society.
... Converting ambient energy into electricity to power micronano devices is considered a promising approach, which has the advantages of small size, OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY long life, no pollution and high energy density (Zi and Wang, 2017). In addition, some important system-level and circuit-level works about micro-scale energy harvesting have been reported (Chao et al., 2007;Lu et al., 2011). Piezoelectric and flexoelectric effects are ubiquitous in a wide variety of materials (Ma and Cross, 2001). ...
In the present paper, the output performances of the functionally graded flexoelectric-piezoelectric (FGFP) energy harvesting subjected to an external harmonic excitation, considering the effect of piezoelectric polarization direction, are addressed. Based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam model and generalized Hamiltonian principle, the dynamic governing equations and the corresponding boundary conditions of the functionally graded flexoelectric-piezoelectric energy harvesting are obtained. The natural frequency equation and the closed-form analytical expressions of electromechanical responses are further deduced. The numerical results show that the output performance of the functionally graded flexoelectric-piezoelectric energy harvesting is dependent on the piezoelectric polarization direction, gradient index and structure size. At the nanoscale, the flexoelectric effect dominates the output performances; however, at the microscale, the gradient piezoelectric effect dominates the output performances. At transition scales, from nano to micro, the output performances are very small sometimes, where, in some case, the gradient piezoelectric effect and flexoelectric effect cancel each other. The present study reveals the importance of the piezoelectric polarization direction and gradient index on the output performance of the functionally graded flexoelectric-piezoelectric energy harvesting from nano to micro scales.
... Energy can be harvested from ambient sources such as solar light [9], radio [10], heat [11] and vibrations [12]. In particular, human body-based vibration energy harvesting has been of recent interest in powering wearable electronics for its almost universal availability [13]. ...
... Research on solar panels has focused mainly on materials that increase energy production efficiency; optimization of solar cells on solar panels and energy harvesting are representative examples [17][18][19]. Solar energy harvesting technology is actively used in the construction field [20,21]. A study has been conducted on solar thermal panels that generate hot water using solar heat as a material for exterior building walls, with photovoltaic (PV) technology applied to produce renewable energy from sunlight [22,23]. ...
This study proposes an architectural design for renewable energy production to increase energy independence in the architectural field. Among natural energy sources, solar panels that can be applied to building façades have been developed to use solar energy. To maximize renewable energy generation, solar panels can be adjusted according to the optimal tilt for each month. They can be attached to and detached from the building façade and installed on an existing building elevation. Thus, it is possible to increase the energy independence of old buildings. The solar panel developed in this study increases energy independence and presents a creative “kinetic façade,” in which solar panels move each month according to the optimal tilt angle.
... However, solar energy is dramatically affected by the weather or the indoor light sources, and it also requires a photovoltaic panel. Energy harvesting is mainly used in IoTs to reduce network maintenance costs and replace the use of batteries [8][9][10][11][12][13]. Variations in the environment will cause disturbance to the input energy, and may possibly lead to a system shutdown. ...
This work proposes a dual-domain maximum power tracking (MPPT) technique for multiple-input RF energy harvesting systems. A differential rectifier array is used to implement 4-channel reconfigurable RF to DC power conversion, and an adjustable 4-bit capacitor array is designed to improve the impedance matching between the antennas and the rectifiers. Using the perturbation and observation (P&O) method, both arrays are adaptively configured in the background with the variations of the input energy and output loading. Experimental results show that the proposed circuit successfully tracks the maximum power points while harvesting RF energy, with the peak conversion efficiency of 49.06% when the input energy is −6 dBm. With the proposed dual-domain MPPT, the high efficiency range of the energy harvesting system is greatly extended to 21 dB (−21–0 dBm).
... From the research results of reference [22], we know that one can use a time-multiplexing mechanism to perform energy harvesting and achieve maximum power point tracking (MPPT). References [23][24][25] mention different ways to improve the energy-harvesting systems. ...
... In [24], the design optimization technology is especially introduced for the application of several micro-scale energy-harvesting systems. The application and circuit technology of the multiple-stage rectification and multiple-input multiple-output energy harvesting are introduced. ...
Energy harvesting can be achieved through many different mechanisms. Such technology has been drawing researchers’ attention to its practical applications for a decade, as it can be widely applied to countless scenarios. It steals the show in the modern development of the biomedical electronics, especially implantable applications, as it allows the patients to move freely without restriction. To prolong lifetime of the battery inside/outside a patient’s body, the electrical conversion efficiency of the electronic implant is of primary importance in energy harvesting. The conversion can be achieved by a so-called miniaturized rectification circuit (also known as “rectifier”). This study aims to compare different state-of-the-art techniques focusing on the conversion efficiency of the rectification. Particular emphasis is put on semiconductor-based circuits capable of being integrated with tiny chips on the implants.
... Before designing the dual RF-DC microwave rectifier circuit, a single RF-DC microwave rectifier circuit was designed using Advanced Design system (ADS) 2017 SOFT-WARE, using the structure shown in Figure 2. The single RF-DC microwave rectifier circuit is the most traditional RF-DC rectifier, wherein a receiving antenna converts microwave energy into RF energy in the microwave circuit and then converts it to DC energy by means of the rectifier network, which consists of a Schottky diode, which is then delivered to the load [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Given that a diode is a nonlinear component and produces higher harmonics, a DC filter needs to be introduced between the rectifier network and the load in order to inhibit the harmonic influence and prevent high-frequency energy leakage [19][20][21][22][23][24]. To enhance transmission efficiency, an impedance matching network should be connected between the rectifier circuit and the antenna in order to reduce high-frequency energy reflection. ...
In this paper, a dual-channel RF-DC microwave rectifier circuit is designed with a 2:1 power distribution ratio in a Wilkinson power splitter. The rectifier circuit works at 2.45 Ghz. After impedance matching and tuning, the structure is able to broaden the dynamic power range of the rectifier circuit while maintaining maximum rectifier efficiency. Compared with the HSMS2820 rectifier branch, this design enhances the power dynamic ranges of 60% efficiency and 50% efficiency by 4 dBm and 3 dBm, respectively. Compared with the HSMS2860 rectifier branch, for the efficiency of 60% and efficiency of 50%, the power dynamic range is expanded by 5 dBm and 2 dBm, respectively. This shows that the technology is helpful for improving the stability of energy conversion at the receiver end of microwave wireless energy transmission systems. Finally, the rationality of this conclusion is verified by establishing a mathematical model.
... At present, wired power supplies are typically employed for underground equipment. However, this conventional approach has intrinsic defects, such as the risk of seal wear, electric shocks, short circuits, and so on. 1 Wireless power transfer via magnetic resonance (MR-WPT) represents a promising alternative solution for power transfer [2][3][4] and has numerous advantages compared with other WPT technologies. [5][6][7] Recently, the applications of MR-WPT have expanded to underground fields with the development of safe and reliable charging, potentially eliminating open contacts and hanging cables. ...
Magnetic resonant wireless power transfer (MR-WPT) has several advantages over conventional wired underground power supply methods. However, MR-WPT inevitably encounters metal conductors, which reduce the system efficiency through the eddy loss induced in the conductor by high-frequency electromagnetic waves. In this paper, the effect of resonant frequency variations caused by metal tube interference with the aim of maximizing the system efficiency is studied. According to the variation in the resonant frequency, the system efficiency is analytically derived by an equivalent circuit model. Electromagnetic simulations are carried out to further analyze the metal tube interference on the system. The results demonstrate the existence of an optimal resonant frequency that maximizes the system efficiency. Aluminum tube interference produces a lower optimal resonant frequency and higher efficiency than a 304 stainless-steel tube. When the metal tube is slotted, the optimal slot width and number of slots enhance the maximum efficiency and reduce the optimal resonant frequency and frequency drift. With slot widths of 2 and 8 mm, the system efficiency reaches ∼67% at 40.1 kHz and 55% at 48 kHz, respectively. Finally, different types of slotted tubes are fabricated, and the theoretical results are experimentally verified.
... In addition to energy-efficient use of resources, energy harvesting (EH) technology has emerged to solve the problem of energy shortages in wireless nodes [8][9][10][11][12]. In particular, the methods to design EH systems were proposed in [8,9], and the potential of EH technology as a promising means to enable self-sustainable operations of wireless nodes was discussed in [10][11][12]. ...
... In addition to energy-efficient use of resources, energy harvesting (EH) technology has emerged to solve the problem of energy shortages in wireless nodes [8][9][10][11][12]. In particular, the methods to design EH systems were proposed in [8,9], and the potential of EH technology as a promising means to enable self-sustainable operations of wireless nodes was discussed in [10][11][12]. Recent investigations on energy efficiency optimization have been also reported for wireless-powered networks, in which EH-enabled nodes exist [13][14][15][16][17]. ...
... We decompose the original problem in (9) into N subproblems, which are then solved independently with low computational complexity [32]. In the subproblem, each Tx finds the transmit power to maximize its own SEE while ensuring the minimum EH requirement, which is formulated as follows: ...
In this study, we consider energy-efficient wireless-powered secure communications, in which N sets of transmitter, receiver, and energy harvesting (EH) nodes exist; each EH node is allowed only to harvest energy from the transmitted signals but is not to permitted to decode information. To maximize the sum secrecy energy efficiency (SEE) of the node sets while ensuring minimum EH requirement for each EH node, we propose a distributed transmit power control algorithm using a dual method, where each transmitter adjusts its transmit power iteratively until convergence without sharing information with the other node sets. Through simulations under various environments, we show that the proposed scheme surpasses conventional schemes in terms of the sum SEE and has significantly reduced computation time compared with the optimal scheme, which suggests the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed distributed method.
