Design of Kinetic-Energy Harvesting Floors

Thitima Jintanawan, Gridsada Phanomchoeng, Surapong Suwankawin, Phatsakorn Kreepoke, Pimsalisa Chetchatree and Chanut U-viengchai
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Thitima Jintanawan: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Gridsada Phanomchoeng: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Surapong Suwankawin: Department of Electrical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Phatsakorn Kreepoke: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Pimsalisa Chetchatree: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Chanut U-viengchai: Department of Electrical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: Alternative energy generated from people’s footsteps in a crowded area is sufficient to power smart electronic devices with low consumption. This paper aims to present the development of an energy harvesting floor—called Genpath—using a rotational electromagnetic (EM) technique to generate electricity from human footsteps. The dynamic models of the electro-mechanical systems were developed using MATLAB ® /Simulink to predict the energy performances of Genpath and help fine-tune the design parameters. The system in Genpath comprises two main parts: the EM generator and the Power Management and Storage (PMS) circuit. For the EM generator, the conversion mechanism for linear translation to rotation was designed by using the rack-pinion and lead-screw mechanism. Based on the simulation analysis, the averaged energy of the lead-screw model is greater than that of the rack-pinion model. Thus, prototype-II of Genpath with 12-V-DC generator, lead-screw mechanism was recently built. It shows better performance when compared to the previous prototype-I of Genpath with 24-V-DC-generator, rack-pinion mechanism. Both prototypes have an allowable displacement of 15 mm. The Genpath prototype-II produces an average energy of up to 702 mJ (or average power of 520 mW) per footstep. The energy provided by Genpath prototype-II is increased by approximately 184% when compared to that of the prototype-I. The efficiency of the EM-generator system is ~26% based on the 2-W power generation from the heel strike of a human’s walk in one step. Then, the PMS circuit was developed to harvest energy into the batteries and to supply the other part to specific loads. The experiment showed that the designed PMS circuit has the overall efficiency of 74.72%. The benefit of the design system is for a lot of applications, such as a wireless sensor and Internet of Thing applications.

Keywords: energy harvesting; electromagnetic generator; energy floor tile; power management system; footstep energy harvesting; piezoelectric; energy harvesting paver (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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