A Wideband Magnetic Frequency Up-Converter Energy Harvester

Many sensor applications require small and noninvasive methods of powering, such as marine animal tracking and implantable healthcare monitoring. In such cases, energy harvesting is a viable solution. Vibrational energy harvesting is abundantly available in the environment. These vibrations usually are low in frequency and amplitude. Conventional vibrational harvesters convert the environmental vibrations into electrical signals; however, they suffer from low-voltage outputs and narrow bandwidths, limiting the harvesting to a small range of frequencies. Herein, a new mechanical harvester is introduced using a magnetic frequency up-converter. It is implemented using attractive-force magnetic coupling between a soft magnet and a permanent magnet to convert low-frequency vibrations into high-frequency pulses. Combined with a piezoelectric generator, the harvester generates a high output voltage for an extended bandwidth of operation. The proposed harvester shows a 50.15% increase in output voltage at the resonant frequency (12.2 Hz), resulting in 14.79 V at 1.0 g, with a maximum peak voltage of 16.28 V. The bandwidth of operation ranges from 10.77 to 22.16 Hz (11.39 Hz), which when compared with a single-beam harvester shows an increase of 3250% in the bandwidth, where the average power is greater for 92.56% of this bandwidth.