Energy Harvesting Chip and the Chip Based Power Supply Development for a Wireless Sensor Network

Area of Science:

• Energy Harvesting
• Wireless Sensor Networks
• Embedded Systems
• Thermal Comfort Monitoring

Background:

• Traditional wireless sensor nodes often rely on batteries, necessitating frequent replacement and maintenance.
• Accurate monitoring of human body comfort requires integrated sensing capabilities for environmental parameters.
• Existing solutions for powering sensor networks can be inefficient and costly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel energy harvesting chip for powering wireless sensor nodes (WSNs) using artificial light.
• To create a battery-less power supply solution for environmental monitoring, specifically human thermal comfort.
• To evaluate the performance and energy efficiency of the energy harvesting WSN in a real-world application.

Main Methods:

• Designed an energy harvesting chip featuring a miniature transformer with a nano-ferrofluid magnetic core.
• Integrated the chip with a wireless sensor node equipped with temperature, humidity, photosensors, and a flow sensor.
• Deployed the energy harvesting WSN in a 24-hour convenience store for one year to collect thermal comfort data (PMV index).

Main Results:

• The energy harvesting chip successfully powered the WSN, achieving measurement precision with less than 6% deviation for temperature and humidity sensors under low light.
• The WSN demonstrated reliable operation over a year, with a packet loss rate of 2.3%, comparable to battery-powered WSNs.
• Implemented feedback control using the WSN resulted in approximately 54% energy savings in the convenience store's air conditioning system.

Conclusions:

• The developed energy harvesting chip provides a viable, battery-less power source for wireless sensor nodes.
• The system effectively monitors human thermal comfort and contributes to energy efficiency through intelligent control.
• This approach offers a sustainable and reliable solution for powering electronic devices and optimizing energy consumption.