Feasibility Study of Micro Thermoelectric Power Supply for Aircraft Sensor Node

Energy-autonomous smart sensors are one of the opportunities to save weight and improve efficiency of future aircraft. These sensors can be deployed anywhere in the aircraft to monitor its structure, systems and installations. Thus, acting as "nerve endings" for overall aircraft health monitoring and maintenance management. These sensors can, thanks to their prospectively high reliability and low demands on maintenance, potentially act as "deploy and forget" devices. An essential component which enables this "deploy and forget" operation is energy harvester used as autonomous power supply. This paper deals with feasibility study for development of thermoelectric power supply for aircraft-specific smart sensor. The presented study describes state-of-the-art commercial technologies and discusses considerations to introduce energy-autonomous smart sensors into aerospace environment. Attention has been paid to preliminary design of the power supply, general considerations for its functions and available COTS components.