A self-powered mechanical strain energy sensor

Abstract

With the growing use of sensors in various structural and mechanical systems, the powering and communication of these sensors will become a critical factor. Wireless communication electronics are becoming ubiquitous and with the decreasing electrical power requirements for these circuits it is now feasible to generate power from the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy. This paper focuses on the theoretical and experimental analysis of a simple mechanical strain energy sensor with wireless communication. A simple beam bending experiment is given to illustrate some of the characteristics of the self-powered strain energy sensor.