Energy Harvesting from Upper-Limb Pulling Motions for Miniaturized Human-Powered Generators
1
Healthcare Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Deokjin-dong Jeonju 664-14, Korea
2
Biomedical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Deokjin-dong Jeonju 664-14, Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Vittorio M.N. Passaro
Sensors 2015, 15(7), 15853-15867; https://doi.org/10.3390/s150715853
Received: 5 June 2015 / Revised: 27 June 2015 / Accepted: 30 June 2015 / Published: 3 July 2015
(This article belongs to the Section Physical Sensors)
The human-powered self-generator provides the best solution for individuals who need an instantaneous power supply for travel, outdoor, and emergency use, since it is less dependent on weather conditions and occupies less space than other renewable power supplies. However, many commercial portable self-generators that employ hand-cranking are not used as much as expected in daily lives although they have enough output capacity due to their intensive workload. This study proposes a portable human-powered generator which is designed to obtain mechanical energy from an upper limb pulling motion for improved human motion economy as well as efficient human-mechanical power transfer. A coreless axial-flux permanent magnet machine (APMM) and a flywheel magnet rotor were used in conjunction with a one-way clutched power transmission system in order to obtain effective power from the pulling motion. The developed prototype showed an average energy conversion efficiency of 30.98% and an average output power of 0.32 W with a maximum of 1.89 W. Its small form factor (50 mm × 32 mm × 43.5 mm, 0.05 kg) and the substantial electricity produced verify the effectiveness of the proposed method in the utilization of human power. It is expected that the developed generator could provide a mobile power supply.
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Keywords:
human-powered generator; pulling energy harvester; human kinetics; flywheel magnet rotor; coreless coil
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MDPI and ACS Style
Yeo, J.; Ryu, M.-h.; Yang, Y. Energy Harvesting from Upper-Limb Pulling Motions for Miniaturized Human-Powered Generators. Sensors 2015, 15, 15853-15867. https://doi.org/10.3390/s150715853
AMA Style
Yeo J, Ryu M-h, Yang Y. Energy Harvesting from Upper-Limb Pulling Motions for Miniaturized Human-Powered Generators. Sensors. 2015; 15(7):15853-15867. https://doi.org/10.3390/s150715853
Chicago/Turabian StyleYeo, Jeongjin; Ryu, Mun-ho; Yang, Yoonseok. 2015. "Energy Harvesting from Upper-Limb Pulling Motions for Miniaturized Human-Powered Generators" Sensors 15, no. 7: 15853-15867. https://doi.org/10.3390/s150715853
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