An electromagnetic micro power generator for low-frequency environmental vibrations

This paper presents an electromagnetic (EM) vibration-to-electrical power generator which can efficiently scavenge energy from low-frequency external vibrations. The reported generator up-converts low-frequency environmental vibrations to a much higher frequency through a novel electro-mechanical frequency up-converter using a magnet, and hence provides efficient energy conversion even at low frequencies. Power is generated by means of electromagnetic induction using a magnet and coils on top of resonating cantilever beams. The expected maximum power from a single cantilever is 2.5 /spl mu/W in vacuum. The proposed system has been tested in milliscale and the frequency up-conversion technique has been verified.