Harvesting kinetic energy from rain gauge tipping motion using electromagnetic induction

James, MA; Dutton, M; Mileiko, S; Balsamo, D

doi:10.1109/SENSORS60989.2024.10784885

Harvesting kinetic energy from rain gauge tipping motion using electromagnetic induction

Lookup NU author(s): Mark Dutton, Dr Sergey Mileiko, Dr Domenico Balsamo

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

Measuring rainfall is crucial for making well-informed decisions across various sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure, flood monitoring and warnings, and climate research. This paper presents a self-powered tipping bucket rain gauge (TBRG) designed to transmit data when most needed-during stormy, dark conditions when solar energy is unavailable. It leverages the mechanical motion of the internal tipping bucket to harvest and convert kinetic energy into electrical energy. The theoretical analysis and design choices confirmed the feasibility of harnessing the TBRG's kinetic energy from its tipping bucket motion. Experimental results highlight the harvester's potential to accumulate charge over time and support real-time data transmission.