A vibration energy harvester based on an oscillating gear mechanism for self-powered applications in drain monitoring

Abstract The drainage pipe network constitutes a vital component of urban infrastructure, often exposed to the effects of soil composition, sewage, and various forms of erosion. The presence of high pressure can result in the deterioration of pipe walls, leading to rupture and subsequent occurrence of significant disasters, such as ground subsidence. Long-term environmental monitoring of pipeline networks is an effective means of disaster prevention. However, the sustainable power supply of the monitoring sensors is a key factor restricting their application. To address this issue, the paper proposes a novel vibration energy harvester. This harvester is a swing gear mechanism that can collect the vibration energy caused by the water surge inside the pipeline, which can supply power to the sensors. The gear set and sliding groove will facilitate the conversion of the swing to rotary motion. The rotary motion will be achieved through an increase in gear speed, which will in turn drive the disk on the array of magnets rotating. The rotating magnets will produce a cycle of an alternating magnetic field. An induced current will be produced by tightly fitting an array of coils in the alternating magnetic field. Subsequently, the motion conversion relationship model was established to obtain the relationship graph between the swing motion and the angular acceleration and angular velocity of the electromagnetic induction disc with time. The cloud diagram of the distribution of magnetic force lines and magnetic field strength at the disc and the fixed disc was simulated and analyzed based on the Ansys-Maxwell simulation software. This provided an effective basis for the improvement of the efficiency of the energy harvester.