Design and analysis of a plane vibration-based electromagnetic generator using a magnetic spring and ferrofluid

This paper describes the design and characterization of a plane vibration-based electromagnetic generator that is capable of converting low-frequency vibration energy into electrical energy. A magnetic spring is formed by a magnetic attractive force between fixed and movable permanent magnets. The ferrofluid is employed on the bottom of the movable permanent magnet to suspend it and reduce the mechanical damping as a fluid lubricant. When the electromagnetic generator with a ferrofluid of 0.3 g was operated under a resonance condition, the output power reached 0.27 mW, and the power density of the electromagnetic generator was 5.68 µW/cm2. The electromagnetic generator was also used to harvest energy from human motion. The measured average load powers of the electromagnetic generator from human waist motion were 0.835 mW and 1.3 mW during walking and jogging, respectively.