Feasibility study of kinetic, thermoelectric and RF energy harvesting powered sensor system Keting Zhaoa, Jiangyin Huanga, Hongye Xua and mentor Dr. Jingtong Hua Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA a
Team: Keting Zhao, Hongye Xu, Jiangyin Huang (left to right)
Keting Zhao is an electrical engineering student concentrating in communication and signal processing with a minor in computer science. She is interested in pursuing further training in signal processing and robotics controls. Hongye Xu is a computer engineering student concentrating in digital system and computational modeling. He is interested in studying further about neural network and machine learning. Jiangyin Huang is an electrical engineering student concentrating in communication and signal processing. He wants to learn deeper into computer vision and signal analyzing during his graduate level education.
Dr. Jingtong Hu
Dr. Jingtong Hu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His main research interests include embedded systems, FPGA, and cyber-physical systems. He is a recipient of Employer Diversity Recognition Award from Pitt Career Center.
Significance Statement
Using the combination of kinetic, thermoelectric and RF energy harvesting to power a communication system has not yet been tested. This feasibility study of this system will further indicate the feasibility of implementing the energy harvesting communication system into devices or equipment which involve in human daily activities for long-term usage.
Category: Device Design
Keywords: Energy Harvesting, Software Duty Cycle, Power ORing Achitecture Abbreviation: microcontroller unit (MCU), radio frequency energy harvester (RFEH), kinetic energy harvester (KEH), thermoelectric energy harvester (THE), piezoelectric energy harvester (PEEH), electromagnetic energy harvester(EMEH), low power mode (LPM)
114 Undergraduate Research at the Swanson School of Engineering
Abstract
Batteryless and wireless energy harvesting systems are critical to internet of things (IoT) vision as well as the sustainability of long-lived, untethered systems. The systems can be implemented into wearable devices, which are used for monitoring vital body signals. They can also help the process of making insectwearable devices that monitor changes in the environment. In general, this kind of system can be divided into three levels: energy harvesting subsystems (EH), an embedded microcontroller unit (MCU), and peripherals (sensors, radios, etc.) [1]. This research will provide a feasibility study of integrating all the levels mentioned above. This paper will focus on the radio frequency energy harvester (RFEH), kinetic energy harvester (KEH) and thermoelectric energy harvester (THE) as well as an instruction on designing the rest of the system to be compatible with all three EHs and able to handle frequent power shortages during the process. The reason for choosing KEH, TEH and RFEH as power sources is because these energy are closely related to the human activities. Thus, this feasibility study could contribute towards further studies on energy harvesting communication system within wearable devices. The main result of this study indicates a positive and promising future of integrating multiple energy harvesters into a wearable communication system.
1. Introduction
The IoT serves to relate mechanical and digital machines through a large interconnected system, which, in some cases, must collect data on even the minutest details. This is costly in both the number of devices required and the power to run them. It stands to reason that in order to progress the field something must be introduced to combat this limiting factor. To that end, the feasibility of designing these devices to harvest ambient energy instead of being supplied from a separate device comes to mind. There are a number of methods to perform this such as TEH, KEH and RFEH, but the uncertainty comes from whether it is feasible to rely on such methods. It would only be unfeasible if these combined systems cannot generate enough power. Radio frequency energy harvesting is a technique that harvests energy from the electromagnetic field in the air and converts it into the electrical domain, voltage and current. TEH generates voltage when differing temperatures are placed side by side. For the energy harvester, this study will follow the insight that is provided by Leonov’s research on TEH of human body heat [2] and Gorlatova’s research on KEH of human activities [3] as well as Lu’s survey research paper on RFEH [4]. For integrating the sensor, we will take reference from the research Mementos: System Support for LongRunning Computation on RFID-Scale Devices [5]. This study will show whether energy harvesting methods can sustain the needs of IoT devices.
