A triboelectric nanogenerator energy harvesting system based on load-aware control for input power from 2.4 μW to 15.6 μW

• Main Authors: Rawy, Karim, Sharma, Ruchi, Yoon, Hong-Joon, Khan, Usman, Kim, Sang-Woo, Kim, Tony Tae-Hyoung
• Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering; Energy Harvesting; Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154723
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper presents a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) energy harvesting system for ultra-low power applications. We propose a load-aware control algorithm to improve the power conversion efficiency as well as the voltage conversion efficiency. The control algorithm minimizes the conduction and switching losses within a switched capacitor charge pump (SCCP) by modulating its switching frequency based on the load condition. Furthermore, a hysteresis input regulation control was developed for preventing breakdown. The overall system was optimized by utilizing a compact spice model from the physical mechanisms of the employed TENG. The fabricated test chip in 65-nm process technology provides a regulated output voltage of 1.2 V with power conversion efficiency of 88% at 30 Hz excitation frequency when the TENG output voltage is 2.5 V.