Dual Spring Assisted Hybrid Energy Harvester with Non-Contact Triboelectric Vibration Sensor for Self-Sustainable Vehicle IoTs

In this study, a dual-spring-assisted hybrid energy harvester is proposed, capable of operating under low-acceleration random vibrations over a broader frequency range. The harvester is comprised of an electromagnetic generator (EMG) and a non-contact triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The dual spring structure was applied to enable the simultaneous movement of the magnet and the coil allowing two resonant peaks, thereby effectively widening the overall vibration amplitude and the frequency bandwidth for operation under low random vibrations. Additionally, the non-contact mode TENG as a self-powered vibration sensor showed good sensitivity towards vibration acceleration and frequency without any frictional deterioration. The EMG exhibited a peak power of 71.4 mW (at 0.5 g acceleration) which is enough to be used as a power source to monitor the vehicle vibration and indoor environment parameters in real-time.