Design and fabrication of a linear generator for vibration energy harvesting

Energy harvesting device which scavenges energy from the ambient and powers micro systems is receiving more and more attentions. In this paper, a linear generator for vibration energy harvesting is designed and fabricated. Volume of the generator core is 60.8 cm³, the mass of the device is 338 g, and the designed resonance frequency is 41 Hz. The vibration energy from an ordinary air compressor is recycled by the device. Amplitude of the vibration excitation is 43 μm at a frequency of 60 Hz. Experiments demonstrate that the device can generate more than 1 mW in this non-resonance case. In theory, the output power of 40 mW can be achieved in the resonance case.