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World First for
Perpetual Source of Power
Perpetuum has launched the
world’s first effective vibration energy harvester to power
wireless and battery-free devices capable of sending large
amounts of data from many types of industrial equipment. The
PMG7 high-performance microgenerator enables users to power
sensors, microprocessors and transmitters for accurately
monitoring the condition of plant equipment and machinery
without the need for batteries, expensive cabling or
maintenance. The solution is now available to OEMs, sensor
manufacturers and end-users in all industries, allowing them to
make significant cost savings.
The microgenerator converts kinetic energy from the vibration
of the equipment running at mains frequency (50 or 60Hz) into
electrical energy. It can generate up to 5mW which is enough to
power a wireless transmitter sending up to 6Kbytes of critical
data every few minutes, or smaller amounts of data, such as a
temperature reading, several times a second. It is a practical
device which can operate in most industrial environments and at
minimal vibration levels (25mg).
The PMG7 allows operators to continually monitor plant
equipment, providing data about the condition of equipment like
pumps, motors, and blowers. As a result, the data can be used to
optimize the efficiency and availability of a plant, increase
the cost-efficiency of maintenance work, prevent accidents and
obtain significant savings in energy costs. According to the ARC
advisory group, this is a market, which can expect significant
growth in the next three years, reaching almost £700 million by
the end of 2007.
RLW Inc of State College, Pa., selected the Perpetuum
microgenerator to power its S5NAP wireless sensor nodes. These
devices have been used to demonstrate that the PMG7 can provide
the necessary energy for demanding sensor applications such as
accelerometers.
© 2005 Webcom Communications Corp.
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