Modeling and Analysis of a Pendulum based Converter for Energy Harvesting from Random Vibration

Challenges associated with implementing energy harvesters as an alternative power supply for wireless networks are mainly related to their performance under ambient sources. In this paper, a vibration energy harvester, which is able to generate relatively high level and regular output under any applied excitations, is presented. The converter operating principle is based on including an intermediate storage stage in form of mechanical energy similarly to conventional harvesters in wrist watches. The converter is composed of a pendulum, a spiral torsion spring, gear set and a DC generator. The dynamic behaviour of the pendulum is studied based on finite element analysis including the effect of friction at the joint. A physical model of the converter components is developed and evaluated comparing the experimental results to demonstrate its validity.