Design Article
Energy harvester produces power from local environment, eliminating batteries in wireless sensors
Jim Drew, Eliminating Batteries in Wireless Sensors, Linear Technology
5/2/2011 10:12 AM EDT
Introduction
Recent advances in ultralow power microcontrollers have produced devices that offer unprecedented levels of integration for the amount of power they require to operate. These are systems on a chip with aggressive power saving schemes, such as shutting down power to idle functions. In fact, so little power is needed to run these devices that many sensors are going wireless, since they can readily run from batteries. Unfortunately, batteries must be regularly replaced, which is a costly and cumbersome maintenance project. A more effective wireless power solution may be to harvest ambient mechanical, thermal, or electro-magnetic energy in the sensor’s local environment.
The LTC3588-1 shown in Figure 1 is a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high impedance sources such as piezoelectric transducers. It contains a low loss full wave bridge rectifier and a high efficiency synchronous buck converter, which transfer energy from an input storage device to an output at a regulated voltage capable of supporting loads up to 100mA. The LTC3588-1 is available in 10-lead MSE and 3mm × 3mm DFN packages.
Next: Application examples
Recent advances in ultralow power microcontrollers have produced devices that offer unprecedented levels of integration for the amount of power they require to operate. These are systems on a chip with aggressive power saving schemes, such as shutting down power to idle functions. In fact, so little power is needed to run these devices that many sensors are going wireless, since they can readily run from batteries. Unfortunately, batteries must be regularly replaced, which is a costly and cumbersome maintenance project. A more effective wireless power solution may be to harvest ambient mechanical, thermal, or electro-magnetic energy in the sensor’s local environment.
The LTC3588-1 shown in Figure 1 is a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high impedance sources such as piezoelectric transducers. It contains a low loss full wave bridge rectifier and a high efficiency synchronous buck converter, which transfer energy from an input storage device to an output at a regulated voltage capable of supporting loads up to 100mA. The LTC3588-1 is available in 10-lead MSE and 3mm × 3mm DFN packages.
Ambient energy sources
Ambient energy sources include light, heat differentials, vibrating beams, transmitted RF signals or any other source that can produce an electrical charge through a transducer.
For instance,
• Small solar panels have been powering handheld electronic devices for years and can produce 100s of mW/cm² in direct sunlight and 100s of μW/cm² in indirect light.
• Seebeck devices convert heat energy into electrical energy where a temperature gradient is present. Sources of heat energy vary from body heat, which can produce 10s of μW/cm² to a furnace exhaust stack where surface temperatures can produce 10s of mW/cm².
• Piezoelectric devices produce energy by either compression or deflection of the device. Piezoelectric elements can produce 100s of μW/cm² depending on their size and construction.
• RF energy harvesting is collected by an antenna and can produce 100s of pW/cm².
Successfully designing a completely self-contained wireless sensor system requires power-saving microcontrollers and transducers that consume minimal electrical energy from low energy environments. Now that both are readily available, the missing link is the high efficiency power conversion product capable of converting the transducer output to a usable voltage.
Figure 2 shows an energy harvesting power system that includes the energy source/transducer, an energy storage element and a means to convert this stored energy into a useful regulated voltage. There may also be a need for a voltage rectifier network between the energy transducer and the energy storage element to prevent energy from back-feeding into the transducer or to rectify an AC signal in the case of a piezoelectric device.
Ambient energy sources include light, heat differentials, vibrating beams, transmitted RF signals or any other source that can produce an electrical charge through a transducer.
For instance,
• Small solar panels have been powering handheld electronic devices for years and can produce 100s of mW/cm² in direct sunlight and 100s of μW/cm² in indirect light.
• Seebeck devices convert heat energy into electrical energy where a temperature gradient is present. Sources of heat energy vary from body heat, which can produce 10s of μW/cm² to a furnace exhaust stack where surface temperatures can produce 10s of mW/cm².
• Piezoelectric devices produce energy by either compression or deflection of the device. Piezoelectric elements can produce 100s of μW/cm² depending on their size and construction.
• RF energy harvesting is collected by an antenna and can produce 100s of pW/cm².
Successfully designing a completely self-contained wireless sensor system requires power-saving microcontrollers and transducers that consume minimal electrical energy from low energy environments. Now that both are readily available, the missing link is the high efficiency power conversion product capable of converting the transducer output to a usable voltage.
Figure 2 shows an energy harvesting power system that includes the energy source/transducer, an energy storage element and a means to convert this stored energy into a useful regulated voltage. There may also be a need for a voltage rectifier network between the energy transducer and the energy storage element to prevent energy from back-feeding into the transducer or to rectify an AC signal in the case of a piezoelectric device.
Next: Application examples
|
|
|
|
|
Navigate to related information
iniewski
5/11/2011 10:52 AM EDT
Jim, interesting article, I am editing a book on energy harvesting, would you be interested in contributing a chapter? kris.iniewski@gmail.com
Sign in to Reply
tjordan54
5/11/2011 1:23 PM EDT
It's all frequency!
Sign in to Reply
anne-francoise.pele
7/24/2012 5:47 AM EDT
Click on the link below to check out the collection of the Design Articles, Case Studies, Product How-To articles, Teardowns, etc... related to energy scavenging that have been published on Smart Energy Designline.
Click here: http://www.eetimes.com/design/smart-energy-design/4372778/Energy-harvesting---Design-archive
Check back frequently. The list will be updated as new articles arrive.
Sign in to Reply
Fredrodriguez55
11/1/2012 12:44 AM EDT
I have read somewhere that such energy harvesters have some environmental side effects, which may be harmful in the long run. However, I have not seen any empirical results of similar devices, nor for this current device being featured above. Would you be able to provide references to expert opinions, specifically engineers or consultants in the field? It would be great to have some references apart from the ones I find on the web. Books, or journals would be great to have.
Sign in to Reply
iniewski
11/1/2012 10:19 AM EDT
What could be harmful about energy harvesting??? If anything it saves energy so it is beneficial to environment...Kris
Sign in to Reply