Towards a Green and Self-Powered Internet of Things Using Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting

Abstract

Internet of things (IoT) is a revolutionizing technology which aims to create an ecosystem of connected objects and embedded devices and provide ubiquitous connectivity between trillions of not only smart devices but also simple sensors and actuators. Although recent advancements in miniaturization of devices with higher computational capabilities and ultra-low power communication technologies have enabled the vast deployment of sensors and actuators everywhere, such an evolution calls for fundamental changes in hardware design, software, network architecture, data analytic, data storage and power sources. A large portion of IoT devices cannot be powered by batteries only anymore, as they will be installed in hard to reach areas and regular battery replacement and maintenance are infeasible. A viable solution is to scavenge and harvest energy from environment and then provide enough energy to the devices to perform their operations. This will significantly increase the device life time and eliminate the need for the battery as an energy source. This survey aims at providing a comprehensive study on energy harvesting techniques as alternative and promising solutions to power IoT devices. We present the main design challenges of IoT devices in terms of energy and power and provide design considerations for a successful implementations of self-powered IoT devices. We then specifically focus on piezoelectric energy harvesting and RF energy harvesting as most promising solutions to power IoT devices and present the main challenges and research directions. We also shed light on the security challenges of energy harvesting enabled IoT systems and green big data.

Surgical management of breast cancer in China: the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center experience

“…The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) [5]- [7] and the piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) [8]- [10], for example, could exploit random mechanical energy into the powering source. Recent works have shown the promising concept in the potential applications of wireless or flexible electronic devices [11]- [15], internet of things (IoTs) [16]- [18], healthcare and medical areas [19]- [22]. Besides nanogenerators, there are other self-powered sensing concepts based on various mechanisms like the photovoltaic (PV) [15], [23]- [25], thermoelectric/pyroelectric [23], [26]- [29], electromagnetic [30], [31], and electrochemical effects [32], [33].…”

Overview on 5G Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting

“…IoT is distinct from WSN as it has specific characteristics. In particular, IoT energy sources have the following characteristics [50]:…”

“…• Harvesting energy from heat is based on thermal energy generator, which uses the difference of temperatures to generate electricity. However, it has a low efficiency(5-10%) [50] and needs a temperature difference of 30 • C. The power density in this case is about 135 mW/cm 2 at 10 • C [66].…”

“…This has a high energy density, which is about 50 µJ/N [66]. An example of piezoelectric EH for IoT applications can be found in [50].…”

Design of a New Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Handrail With Vibration and Force Excitations

“…With rapid development of Internet of Things, more and more miniaturized and low-power electronic products have entered into our daily life. As compared with the traditional battery power-supply method, the use of energy scavenged from the ambient environment has emerged as a convenient and promising way to power miniaturized and low-power electronic devices [1]. Public buses and subways are the main approach of urban transportation, which provide sufficient energy sources for harvesting.…”