Spinning Inertia Energy Scavenger by Thin-Film Alt

To address the Army need for an inertial energy harvester in spin stabilized small- and medium-caliber munitions to power fuze electronics and initiation circuits, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Spinning Inertia Energy Scavenger by Thin-film Alternator (SIESTA). This proposed MEMS fabricated device is based on the rotational alternation of electric induced charge. The innovation in the new system design and use of a new material, as well as POC’s proprietary technology of the “charge swing”, will enable the SIESTA device to harvest more than 100 mJ of energy in a volume that does not exceed 1.4 cm3. As a result, this technology offers high energy density (better than 60 mJ/cm3), small size (less than 1.5 cm3), and the capability to work in a wide frequency range and sustain high acceleration during launch, which directly addresses the requirements of the OICW and OCSW acquisition programs. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of SIESTA by the analysis of computer based models as well as assemble and test a proof-of-concept prototype. In Phase II, POC plans to develop a prototype of TRL 4-5 to show how the approach solves the problem.