Accelerating IoT. A magnetostrictive vibrational power generator to replace batteries and its future prospects

Abstract

One of the big problems for IoT is the power supply (battery) for wireless communication. The vibrational power generator which we developed has features that are simple and robust, with high output and high sensitivity, and is expected to perfectly solve the problem of the power source. Actually, many companies have started commercialization research for practical applications using the generator. In this paper, the following are described: the Fe-Ga alloy, which is the basis for the electrical and mechanical energy conversion, the structure of the device and the power generation principle, the output characteristics of the micro device, which substitutes for a coin cell and its practical structure. Then, the battery-free IoT realized by the generator, and the problems and future prospects for the popularization are explained.