INTELLISENSE SYSTEMS INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A20-018

Description

To address the Army’s need for a compact, efficient, field-harvesting power source, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes, in Phase II, to advance development of the Electro-Magnetic Harvester of Energy (ETHER) system that has been proven feasible in Phase I. ETHER is based on a new design that adapts previously developed mature components into a new arrangement to achieve more than 50 mW average power delivery and 2 W peak power under all environmental conditions in a size less than 100 cm3 and with no dimension larger than 15 cm. Specifically, innovations in electric-field and magnetic-field harvesting combined with low-loss rectification and optimal power transfer have resulted in a system that meets all stated Army requirements without requiring connection to line power, large storage batteries, or exposure to solar energy. In Phase I, Intellisense performed theoretical analysis and demonstrated the feasibility of the ETHER technology by producing prototypes that harvested both electric and magnetic fields and by comparing performance of those prototypes with theoretical calculations. The prototypes not only harvested ambient fields for comparison of harvested power to theoretical models, but also included circuitry to efficiently rectify the AC voltages to regulated DC voltages, provided high-efficiency energy storage using ceramic capacitors, and efficiently converted the rectified and stored energy down to a regulated output. In Phase II, Intellisense plans to finalize the prototype into a fieldable, manufacturable system that will serve as a platform for self-powered sensors. Specifically, Intellisense will design features to aid installation and operation, demonstrate and test fully functional ETHER prototypes at Intellisense facilities, provide them for testing at Army-designated facilities, perform qualification testing, and establish production tooling and documentation for volume manufacturing. Because of the maturity of the Phase I design and the proven Phase I results, we envision transitioning the ETHER device to production by the end of the Phase II effort.