MCB Clean Room Solutions, LLC has been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR Phase I and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Grants.
MCB uVEH Test Prototype
MCB is developing a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) piezo electric micro-vibrational energy harvester (uVEH) to power wireless sensors. It converts environmental vibrations into electricity. The device performance has been initially tuned to 120 Hz vibrations and it operates at 3 V and 0.1-1 mW from a single piezo element. The fully packaged device footprint is less than 1 sq cm and it has a volume of less than 1 cu cm. The MCB uVEH is aimed at either replacing or recharging batteries.
MCB's patent-pending novel architecture will produce ~100X the power of other single-element uVEH devices, and will meet the required operating parameters of wireless sensors that other single-element micro-energy harvesters have been unable to. NSF work focused on initial prototyping and electrical characterization, while NYSERDA work focused on specific building applications (data management centers). MCB is currently prototyping test parts and pursing partners for application system insertion and testing.
Wireless sensors networking is a broad market with high growth opportunity due to the huge potential in cost and energy savings in many areas such as industry, defense, and consumer markets. Some examples of applications include bridge (integrity) monitoring, air quality in HVAC systems, equipment monitoring, medical implants or mobile personal health monitoring, automotive sensors (particularly tire monitors), and chemical and biological monitoring of buildings and public spaces.