Vibration Energy Harvesting with Printed P(VDF:TrFE) Transducers to Power Condition Monitoring Sensors for Industrial and Manufacturing Equipment

Abstract

A vibration energy harvesting system based on fully printed piezoelectric transducers is realized. The transducers have a butterfly‐like architecture based on two single‐optimized cantilevers with a resonance frequency tuned to 49.5 Hz and can be easily mounted to an industrial engine. By comparing single‐ and multistack configurations of the piezoelectric layers combined with full‐wave or voltage doubler rectifiers, the power transfer characteristics and impedance can be matched to the electrical requirements of the sensing circuitry. A single stack with 21 μm thickness results in the maximum power output of 14.4 μW at a vibration velocity of 11.5 mm s−1, typical for industrial engines. The system is used to power a wireless sensor node on a 1 kW rotary pump in normal operation. The system can harvest up to 138 mJ within 24 h, sufficient for daily remote monitoring of the engine's vibration spectrum and temperature state. The system is thus suitable as a low‐cost, ecofriendly power source for industrial IoT applications.