A Self-Powered Wireless Sensor System Using An Energy Harvester for Rotating Shaft Applications

In this paper, we present a self-powered wireless sensor system (WSS) integrated with an energy harvester (EH) to enable battery-free real-time monitoring of rotating shafts in ships. The EH implementation involved the use of multiple flexible coils and magnets, resulting in a power capability of 0.5 W. Subsequently, a comprehensive WSS was designed, incorporating four sensors, specifically tailored for the rotary shaft. To validate the system’s performance, the designed WSS was successfully deployed on a small-scale test bench system with a 200 mm shaft diameter, demonstrating real-time monitoring of the propulsion shaft status without the need for a battery.