A new single stage AC-DC converter for low voltage electromagnetic energy harvesting

In this paper, a direct AC-DC converter for electromagnetic microgenerators is presented. In recent years, researchers have developed a number of microgenerator configurations that are capable of producing an AC voltage of a few hundred millivolts. However, little work has been reported on conversion of such low voltages to a steady DC voltage required by most devices. The authors present a new converter topology that can be used for such low voltage, low power energy harvesting. It utilizes the bidirectional current capability of MOSFETs to avoid the use of front-end bridge rectifier. The converter offers a resistive load to the microgenerator making it suitable for optimum energy harvesting. Simulation and experimental results are depicted to verify the operation of the converter.