Novel Structure for Electromagnetic Micro-Power Harvester

Abstract

Energy harvester could supply electronic devices such as implantable biomedical systems. Among the different methods of energy harvesting, the mechanical approach with the electromagnetic transduction method converts mechanical vibrations into output electrical power. In this research, an electromagnetic micro-generator is designed. The proposed device consists of a spring and a planar coil, designed using the Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, and also, a magnet and magnetic core. Different configurations are proposed to optimize the output power of the micro-generator. An innovative structure for the magnetic core is used to maximize the output power. The results show that the output power is increased up to 1.0344 μW and the power density is 2.94 μW/cm3. The attained output power is higher than that reported in the literature. The proposed energy harvester is a suitable replacement for limited lifetime supplies.