An Automated Power Evaluation Workbench for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have high potential in self-powered sensing and energy harvesting applications. In general, TENGs’ internal source resistance is high, and their output power varies under different load resistance values. Therefore, a resistance box is required to evaluate their energy harvesting performance and obtain the power curve under different load values. The load tuning process is usually performed by hand. This repetitive process is time-consuming and error-prone. Consequently, an Automated Power Evaluation Workbench (APEW) is developed, making the resistance switching and power measuring process program-controlled. The resistance value is resolved using the Octal decomposition principle. In addition, a resistance synthesis algorithm is proposed to alter the resistance value with a minimum step of 1 Ohm. The target resistance value is physically synthesized by relay switching, while digital lines control the relays. The proposed APEW is then evaluated experimentally, and the obtained results are compared with those of the traditional manual switching approach. It is deduced that the two power curves are almost identical. Therefore, it is believed that the proposed APEW will play a crucial role in TENG’s further development.