Piezoelectric-based Energy Scavenging for Wireless Sensors

The smaller warcraft envisioned by The Electric Warships and Combat Vehicles Future Naval Capability need to reduce the size and weight of shipboard systems such as auxiliary systems, sensors, or other items embedded within the propeller or its associated hub, ducting, or shaft. Wireless sensors based on MEMS technologies offer enormous potential for meeting these needs by eliminating heavy, costly and failure-prone wiring, and reducing sensor size, weight and power. TPL proposes to develop a MEMS Electrical Power System for embedded propulsion train sensors. The approach will combine a piezoelectric micropower generator (MPG) developed at Washington State University to harvest ambient vibrational energy, with TPL's patented volumetric micro-supercapacitors to store the energy and deliver it as needed for high power transients. This approach integrates energy harvesting and energy storage in a single hybrid device that delivers longevity with high power density without the need for refueling or recharging. The unique combination of energy harvesting and microsupercapacitors is the ONLY way to meet the disparate energy generation, storage and delivery needs for embedded wireless sensors with a minimum volume, and a minimum weight system. Supercapacitors enable more than AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE reduction in size compared with energy harvesting systems alone.