Hallbach array-based linear generator for human motion energy harvesting

In this paper, an electromagnetic based human motion energy harvesting device is proposed. It consists of two similar Halbach arrays placed in front of each other to maximize the intensity of the magnetic field within which an attached three coils subsystem oscillates to generate a power supply of up to 19 mW. The device comprises a power electronics submodule which consists of three-phase full-wave bridge rectifier that uses Schottky diodes for AC-DC conversion, followed by a boost converter for DC-DC conversion. The sizing of both the permanent magnets arrays and the coil as well as the location where to place the system on the human body have been adequately set following extensive Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations, in addition of using Matlab and Pspice software tools. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to determine the optimal sizing of the device corresponding to the lowest cost. A wireless accelerometer was placed at different locations of the body of an individual (e.g. lower and upper arms, elbow, ankle, and knee) moving on an indoor treadmill with different speeds to determine the best placement of the device corresponding to the highest power.