Wireless Energy Harvesting and Storage
Overview
Energy storing and harvesting textiles are currently being developed at Drexel University. Antennas are tuned to harvest or scavenge energy at 2.4 GHz from the WiFi frequency band. The antenna is fully knitted from conductive yarns on industrial knitting machines. The antenna is connected to a small circuit that can collect the harvested signals for specific applications. This harvested energy can either be used to power other textile devices, or can be stored in a supercapacitor, which is embedded in the same piece of fabric. Custom fitted pockets can be made to house non-textile components, and conductive leads can be knitted as a part of the fabric to connect all system components.
Applications
- Power other wearable electronics
- Power small portable electronics
- Can be incorporated into interiors to store charge collected from other renewable sources
- Flexible and stretchable electronic applications
Advantages
- Passive system, no need for the wearer to be moving to harvest energy
- When no WiFi is available, devices can draw power from the energy storage device
- Mass customization in terms of size, material, and device configuration
- Manufacturing processes are readily scalable
Intellectual Property and Development Status
United States Patent Pending- 14/906,915
United States Patent Pending- 14/643,715
References
S. Herbert, D. Patron, T. Kurzweg, A. Fontecchio, K. R. Dandekar and G. Dion: “The Creation of Deformation Sensor Using “Smart” Fabrics: Applications to In Vivo Monitoring of Pregnant Women”, Smart Fabrics & Wearable Technology, San Francisco, CA, 2013.
D. Patron, T. Kurzweg, A. Fontecchio, G. Dion and K. R. Dandekar: “Wireless Strain Sensor through a Flexible Tag Antenna Employing Inductively-Coupled RFID Microchip”, IEEE Wireless and Microwave Technology Conference, Orlando FL, 2014.
K. Jost, G. Dion, Y. Gogotsi, “Textile Energy Storage in Perspective,” Review Article in Issue on Flexible Energy Storage and Conversion, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Feb. 2014, Accepted
K. Jost, D. Stenger, C.R. Perez, J.K. McDonough, K. Lian, Y. Gogotsi, G. Dion, “Knitted and screen printed carbon fiber textile-supercapacitors for applications in wearable electronics,” Energy and Environmental Science, Vol. 6 (2013) 2698 – 2705
K. Jost, C.R. Perez, J.K. McDonough, V. Presser, M. Heon, G. Dion, Y. Gogotsi, “Carbon Coated Textiles for Flexible Energy Storage in Smart Garments.” Energy and Environmental Science. 2011, 4, 5060-5067
Commercialization Opportunities
Contact Information
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