Integration of wearable power generator structures

Dr. Maeve Duffy, Nick Popa

With increasing numbers of portable electronic devices carried per person comes increasing numbers of batteries to be maintained. The integration of wearable generator structures provides a means for tapping parasitic power that is normally dissipated; e.g. in the shoes while walking. The main objective of this work is to develop unobtrusive electromagnetic generator structures, which can offer higher power levels than piezoelectric based devices. The main challenge is to design structures that will not impact on the user's normal gait. Work to date has investigated power levels achievable with discrete magnets and wire coils; power levels of up to 8 mW have been measured on unit structures, with 50 mW predicted for multiple units fitted in a pair of shoes. The main focus of this work is to apply electronic interconnect technologies to improve generator performance. This includes the application of winding technologies such as PCB and FLEX, and the inclusion of electrodeposited soft magnetic material in order to enhance magnetic flux gradients.

Start date: 1st of October 2004. This project has been completed.

Project collaborators: Tyndall National Institute

Project Publication

Conference
N. Popa, M. Duffy, “Design of a Wearable Generator with a Magnetic Core”, Proceedings of the 40th Universities Power Engineering Conference, UPEC2005, University College Cork, paper no. 193, CD ROM, pp. 745–749, September 2005.

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