Reliability assessment of electromechanical energy harvesting systems establishment of devices' key characteristics for application in safety-critical systems

Energy harvesting systems are alternative electric power sources for supplying low-power electronics from their ambient. In the case of electromechanical energy conversion, the ambient energy to be considered is mechanical vibrations. This paper deals with establishment of methodology for initial estimation of reliability and dependability characteristics of electromagnetic vibration energy harvesting devices. The methodology presented takes advantage of reliability prediction handbooks — e.g. MIL-217F and NSWC-11-whose methods and data are a useful aid while estimating reliability predictions of brand new devices. The failure rates and MTTF predicted by this reliability assessment shown to be promising in comparison with conventional batteries. Those are a major competitors of energy harvesters when aiming to supply autonomous sensor systems. Nevertheless, all the presented data are only rough analytic predictions that necessitate further improvements and experimental verification. Accelerated life testing could promisingly be used to gain more accurate estimates and show trustworthy compliance with required MTTF and service life.