Rotational vibration energy harvester for self-powered wireless sensing of powertrains
A patented system for self-powered sensing in powertrain applications, using a self-tuned rotational vibration energy harvester
Vibration energy is abundant during the operation of a powertrain system due to perturbations of the rotational speed.
This oscillatory energy can be converted into small amounts of electrical energy to power wireless sensors. Moreover, vibration energy is present in inaccessible locations - to reach with wires and / or install batteries - and when paired with a wireless communication module, a fully integrated self-powered sensing unit can be formed.
Potential applications of Vibration Energy Harvesting (VEH) are extensive and include powertrains found in automotive, wind turbines, marine and aerospace applications.
Enabling self-powered wireless monitoring allows parameters such as temperature, forcing etc. to be measured. As a result, the machine’s health can be monitored in a sophisticated way, reducing maintenance and downtime while enabling operation to be optimised.
Current limitations of commercial devices
The main limitations in the state of the art are:
- Lack of rotational VEH - most VEH are translational and cannot target rotational vibration energy
- Reduced VEH frequency range of operation
Benefits of the new technology
Our technolgy offers several benefits including:
- It allows monitoring of parameters from powertrain locations that are currently not accessible and / or powered
- Unlike existing VEH, it is a broadband device, ie. it operates within a wide rotational speed range
- It allows for the deployment of sensors across the powertrain - without wiring looms to enhance powertrain performance, energy efficiency and predictive maintenance - by collecting accurate data locally
System components
The figure at the head of the page depicts a system schematic of self-powered sensing for powertrain applications. A number of remote sensors can be powered combining one or more VEH.
Current technology status
The system has been tested through a wide speed range, and the benefits over existing commercial VEH have been validated. These include:
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Reduced mass and volume size
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Broad operating rotational speed range
- Sufficient harvested power for remote sensing
The technology is protected via a patent application. More details about the device can be provided to interested parties under a confidentiality agreement.
We are looking to engage with automotive, aerospace, marine and industrial machinery end-users to better understand their requirements for self-powered wireless sensing and how our technology could be integrated into their systems.
We are also interested in engaging with Tier 2 suppliers to the above industry sectors to explore further technology development and / or product development opportunities.
If you are interested in learning more about this technology, please get in touch, we would be delighted to open a discussion with you.
