Energy Harvesting Overview

A key barrier to the widespread adoption of wireless sensing networks has been the problem of keeping the nodes batteries charged. MicroStrain, Inc. has overcome this barrier and is a leader in adaptive energy harvesting electronics for wireless sensor networks.

Our patented electronics feature smart comparator switches which consume only nanoampere levels of current to control when to permit a wireless sensing node to operate. This insures that the energy checkbook is balanced, in other words, the system waits until there is sufficient energy to perform a programmed task.

Fully integrated energy harvesting wireless sensors have been developed for the helicopter control rod, or pitch link. Piezoelectric materials bonded directly to the pitch link were used to harvest strain energy for operation during flight. This work demonstrated, for the first time, that an energy harvesting wireless sensor for rotating helicopter components could be operated indefinitely, using only the strain energy of operation for power.

We have also developed vibration energy harvesters tuned to resonate at the predominant frequencies of the machine to which they were affixed. These harvesters were demonstrated, in Navy shipboard applications, to be effective under ambient conditions of very low vibration amplitude (30 milliGs) and low vibration frequency (53 Hz).

For more information on MicroStrain energy harvesting contact energyharvesting@microstrain.com or see the White Papers section below.

Energy Harvesting Products