Design of energy harvesting circuits for ultra-low power applications

• Main Author: Kiu, Derek Si Yong
• Other Authors: Kim Tae Hyoung
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/54627
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This report is a detailed study of the mechanisms that make up energy harvesting circuits, which serve to power ultra-low power applications. It also explores current harvesting methods and its applications to harvesting circuits via piezoelectricity. The first part of the discussion is in relation to the harvesting source, piezoelectricity and various alternatives. Following which, the discussion will be focused on the harvesting interface circuit, which comprises of three main sections: the AC-to-DC converter, control circuitry for voltage regulation and energy storage. Using an existing piezoelectric harvesting solution developed by Linear Technology, I shall examine the working principles of piezoelectric harvesting LTC3588-1 integrated circuit in relation to the aforementioned discussion. In addition, I will elaborate on the process of designing an efficient piezoelectric harvesting circuit using the LTC3588-1, selecting a suitable piezoelectric generator for this circuit and evaluate of the overall efficiency of the harvesting system. Lastly, I will showcase the application of piezoelectric harvesting on a wireless sensor node and make some recommendation on future work.