Development of sustainable FBG sensor for environmental monitoring through vibration energy harvesting

Recently, Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors have been utilized for environmental monitoring applications. FBG sensors operate by creating a periodic modulation in the refractive index within a fiber core that acts as a Bragg wavelength filter for an injected light source. External parameters that disturb the gratings induces a shift in the Bragg wavelength, signifying a parametric change. Normally, the light source of the FGB sensors are powered by conventional batteries. However, this may pose a challenge if the device was to be placed in remote areas where battery replacement can be inconvenient. Hence, the concept of vibration energy harvesting was applied as a solution for a green and sustainable power output. This paper highlights the basic principles of a FBG sensor and proposes a novel electromagnetic vibration energy harvesting design to power the light source of a FGB sensor. The proposed design was shown to be capable of producing sufficient output power for the sensor under a vibration input of 0.05 g.