Les Réseaux de Capteurs Sans Fils (RCSFs) sont composés d'une multitude de nœuds, chacun étant capable de réaliser des mesures (température, pression, etc) et de communiquer par radio fréquence. Ces réseaux forment une pierre angulaire de l'Internet des Objets, en étant au cœur de nombreuses applications, par exemple de domotique ou d'agriculture de précision. La limite d'utilisation des RCSFs provient souvent de leurs durées de vie restreintes, les rendant peu intéressants pour des applications nécessitants de longues périodes de fonctionnement en autonomie. En effet, les RCSFs traditionnels sont alimentés par des piles individuelles équipant chaque nœud, et les nœuds sont ainsi condamnés à une durée de vie finie et courte par rapport aux besoins de certaines applications. De plus, changer les piles n'est pas toujours réalisable si le réseau est dense, ou si les nœuds sont déployés dans des environnements les rendant difficile d'accès. Une solution plus prometteuse est d'équiper chaque nœud d'un ou de plusieurs récupérateur(s) d'énergie individuel(s), et ainsi de le rendre capable de s'alimenter exclusivement à partir de l'énergie récoltée dans son environnent. Plusieurs sources d'énergie sont possibles, telles que le vent ou le solaire. Étant donné que les sources d'énergie sont typiquement dynamiques et non contrôlées, ne pas tomber en panne d'alimentation et nécessaire pour garantir un fonctionnement fiable. Comme l'augmentation de la qualité de service engendre souvent une augmentation de la puissance consommée, une solution simple est de configurer la qualité de service au déploiement à une valeur constante suffisamment faible pour éviter la panne d'alimentation. Cependant, cette solution ne permet pas d'exploiter pleinement l'énergie récoltée, et mène ainsi à un gaspillage d'énergie important ainsi qu'à de faibles qualités de service au vu de l'énergie récoltée. Une solution plus efficace est d'adapter dynamiquement la puissance consommée, et donc la qualité de service. Cette adaptation est faite par un composant logiciel appelé gestionnaire d'énergie. Dans cette thèse, deux nouvelles approches pour l'adaptation en ligne sont proposées, l'une s'appuyant sur la théorie du contrôle floue, et l'autre sur l'apprentissage par renforcement. De plus, comme la communication est souvent la tâche la plus énergivore dans les RCSFs, les wake-up receivers sont utilisées dans cette thèse pour réduire le coût des communications. Un modèle analytique générique a été proposé pour étudier différents protocoles de contrôle d'accès au support (Medium Access Control -- MAC), et combiné à des résultats expérimentaux pour évaluer les wake-up receivers. Aussi, un nouveau protocole MAC permettant la sélection opportuniste de relais a été proposé. Enfin, la combinaison des wake-up receivers et de la récolte d'énergie a été étudiée expérimentalement avec un cas pratique. / Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are made of multiple sensor devices which measure physical value (e.g. temperature, pressure...) and communicate wirelessly. These networks form a key enabling technology of many Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as smart building and precision farming. The bottleneck of long-term WSN applications is typically the energy. Indeed, traditional WSNs are powered by individual batteries and a significant effort was devoted to maximizing the lifetime of these devices. However, as the batteries can only store a finite amount of energy, the network is still doomed to die, and changing the batteries is not always possible if the network is dense or if the nodes are deployed in a harsh environment. A promising solution is to enable each node to harvest energy directly in its environment, using individual energy harvesters. As most of the energy sources are dynamic and uncontrolled, avoiding power failures of the nodes is critical to enable reliable networks. Increasing the quality of service typically requires increasing the power consumption, and a simple solution is to set the quality of service of the nodes to a constant value low enough to avoid power failures. However, this solution does not fully exploits the available energy and therefore leads to high energy waste and poor quality of service regarding the available environmental energy. A more efficient solution is online adaptation of the node power consumption, which is performed by an energy manager on each node. In this thesis, two new approaches for online adaptation of the nodes energy consumption were proposed, relying on fuzzy control theory and reinforcement learning. Moreover, as communications are typically the most energy consuming task of a WSN node, emerging wake-up receivers were leveraged to reduce the energy cost of communications. A generic analytical framework for evaluating Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols was proposed, and it was combined to experiments to evaluate emerging wake-up receivers. A new opportunistic MAC protocol was also introduced for "on-the-fly" relay selection. Finally wake-up receivers and energy harvesting were combined and experimentally evaluated in a practical use case.

Abstract This thesis presents measuring techniques as well as measured and simulated results with the aim of helping the design of photovoltaic energy harvesting systems. Therefore, cost-effective measurement setups were developed for collecting the amount of irradiation, for both stationary and moving photovoltaic (PV) installations. The impact of the time resolution of solar radiation data on estimating the available solar energy was investigated. For moving PV installations, the dynamics and the rate of changes in the available irradiation were studied in order to analyse the effects on maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms. In addition, possibilities for harvesting PV energy in indoor environments were also investigated. The main contribution of this thesis is the effective testing of PV cells and complete PV panels: instead of measuring the characteristic I-V (Current-Voltage) response under strictly controlled artificial illumination, photovoltaics are simply biased externally. Then, with the help of synchronized thermography (ST), infrared (IR) images of the PV panel self-heating are recorded. In the obtained IR-images, defected areas are seen as cold spots, since they are not biased by the external power supply. From the calculated temperature variations, the size of the defect area can be calculated and, thus, the loss in output power can be estimated. The method is shown to work both with and without glass encapsulation. / Tiivistelmä Tämä työ esittelee mittaustekniikoita ja mitattuja ja simuloituja tuloksia aurinkoenergian keruujärjestelmien suunnittelun avuksi. Työtä varten kehitettiin kustannustehokas mittausjärjestelmä, jonka avulla arvioitiin aurinkoenergian määrää sekä stationaarisen että liikkuvan valokennon tapauksissa. Näiden lisäksi tutkittiin mittaustaajuuden vaikutusta arvioitaessa saatavilla olevan aurinkoenergian määrää. Liikkuvan PV (photovoltaic)-asennuksen avulla tutkittiin saatavilla olevan aurinkoenergian vaihtelun suuruutta ja nopeutta tarkoituksena analysoida näiden vaikutuksia käytettäviin MPPT-algoritmeihin. Tämä lisäksi tutkittiin myös valoenergian keruumahdollisuuksia sisätiloissa. Työn tärkein kontribuutio on valokennojen ja kokonaisten valopaneelien toiminnallisuuden testaamisen tehostaminen. Tyypillisesti PV:n toiminnallisuus varmistetaan tarkasti määritetyssä ympäristössä suoritetun I-V -ominaiskäyrämittauksen avulla. Tämän työn menetelmä on yksinkertaisesti biasoida PV:t ulkoisesti, minkä jälkeen ST (synchronized thermpgraphy) -kuvauksen avulla määritetään PV-paneelien itselämpenemistä kuvaavat infrapunakuvat. Paneelin vioittuneet alueet erottuvat IR-kuvissa kylminä alueina ulkoisen biasoinnin puuttuessa. IR-kuvista havaituista lämpötilavaihteluista on mahdollista määrittää vioittuneen alueen koko ja siten arvioida myös menetettyä lähtötehoa. Kyseisen metodin toimivuus osoitettiin niin lasikoteloiduilla kuin ilman sitä olevilla PV-paneeleilla.

Afin d’accomplir les promesses des récupérateurs d’énergie vibratoire (VEHs) qui s’imposent comme unealternative majeure pour garantir l’autonomie des capteurs pour la surveillance, leurs performances en termes debande passante et puissance récupérable doivent être améliorées. Dans cette thèse, à la différence des VEHs classiqueslinéaires et multimodales ou non-linéaires et mono-fréquence, on propose une approche de récupérationd’énergie basée sur des réseaux d’aimants couplés en lévitation ou élastiquement guidés combinant les avantagesdes non-linéarités et des interactions modales. Une étude bibliographique sur les récupérateurs d’énergie vibratoireest effectuée. En particulier, les inconvénients des récupérateurs linéaires et les techniques de réglage de fréquencesont présentées. De plus, les méthodes non-linéaires sont présentées pour définir une procédure de résolution permettantl’étude de la dynamique des récupérateurs non-linéaires. Les équations du mouvement qui contiennentla non-linéarité magnétique, la non-linéarité géométrique et l’amortissement électromagnétique sont résolus enutilisant la méthode de la balance harmonique couplée avec la méthode asymptotique numérique. Une méthodologied’optimisation multi-objectif basée sur l’algorithme Non Sorting Genetic Algorithm est appliquée afin decalculer les solutions optimales pour maximiser les performances du récupérateur d’énergie. Grâce au couplagenon-linéaire et aux interactions modales, pour le cas des trois aimants couplés, l’approche proposée permet la récupérationde l’énergie vibratoire dans la gamme fréquentielle 4;6 - 14;5 Hz, avec une bande passante d’environ190 % et une puissance normalisée de 20,2 mWcm-3g-2. / In order to accomplish the promises of vibration energy harvesters (VEHs) as a major alternative to powersensors, their performances in terms of frequency bandwidth and harvested power have to be improved. In thisthesis, unlike classical VEHs either linear and multimodal or nonlinear and mono-frequency, we propose a vibrationenergy harvesting approach based on arrays of coupled levitated or elastically guided magnets combining thebenefits of nonlinearities and modal interactions.A review of VEHs is carried out. Particularly, the design issues of linear harvesters are addressed and frequencytuning techniques are presented. A review of nonlinear methods is also presented in order to define a solving procedureenabling the investigation of the dynamics of nonlinear VEHs. The equations of motion which include themagnetic nonlinearity, the geometric nonlinearity and the electromagnetic damping are solved using the harmonicbalance method coupled with the asymptotic numerical method. A multi-objective optimization procedure isintroduced and performed using a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm for the cases of small magnet arraysin order to select the optimal solutions in term of performances by bringing the eigenmodes close to each other interms of frequencies and amplitudes. Thanks to the nonlinear coupling and the modal interactions even for onlythree coupled magnets, the proposed method enable harvesting the vibration energy in the operating frequencyrange of 4.6–14.5 Hz, with a bandwidth of 190 % and a normalized power of 20:2mWcm-3g-2.

Significant advances in wind turbine technology have increased the need for maintenance through condition monitoring. Indeed condition monitoring techniques exist and are deployed on wind turbines across Europe and America but are limited in scope. The sensors and monitoring devices used can be very expensive to deploy, further increasing costs within the wind industry. The work outlined in this thesis primarily investigates potential low-cost alternatives in the laboratory environment using vibration-based and modal testing techniques that could be used to monitor the condition of wind turbine blades. The main contributions of this thesis are: (1) the review of vibration-based condition monitoring for changing natural frequency identification; (2) the application of low-cost piezoelectric sounders with proof mass for sensing and measuring vibrations which provide information on structural health; (3) the application of low-cost miniature Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) accelerometers for detecting and measuring defects in micro wind turbine blades in laboratory experiments; (4) development of an in-service calibration technique for arbitrarily positioned MEMS accelerometers on a medium-sized wind turbine blade. This allowed for easier aligning of coordinate systems and setting the accelerometer calibration values using samples taken over a period of time; (5) laboratory validation of low-cost modal analysis techniques on a medium-sized wind turbine blade; (6) mimicked ice-loading and laboratory measurement of vibration characteristics using MEMS accelerometers on a real wind turbine blade and (7) conceptualisation and systems design of a novel embedded monitoring system that can be installed at manufacture, is self-powered, has signal processing capability and can operate remotely. By applying the conclusions of this work, which demonstrates that low-cost consumer electronics specifically MEMS accelerometers can measure the vibration characteristics of wind turbine blades, the implementation and deployment of these devices can contribute towards reducing the rising costs of condition monitoring within the wind industry.

La quantité d'énergie disponible dans les batteries et le nombre limité de cycles de recharge compliquent singulièrement la conception de réseaux de capteurs sans fil (WSN) autonomes. La récupération d'énergie dans l'environnement direct des nœuds et un stockage d'énergie à base de supercondensateurs sont aujourd'hui considérés comme solutions potentielles pour atteindre une durée de vie du réseau théoriquement infinie. Un gestionnaire d'énergie (PM pour ''Power Manager'') est embarqué dans chaque nœud afin de permettre un fonctionnement en neutralité énergétique (ENO), ce qui veut dire que les énergies récupérées et consommées par un nœud sont équivalentes sur le long terme. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons de nouveaux PMs qui adaptent dynamiquement l'intervalle de réveil des nœuds en fonction de l'énergie récupérée. La faible complexité de nos PMs, leur indépendance vis-à-vis du type de source d'énergie récupérée et leur faible empreinte mémoire facilitent leur implantation sur une plate-forme réelle de réseaux de capteurs sans fil. Par ailleurs, lorsque l'on considère un réseau multi-sauts, une variation trop fréquente de l'intervalle de réveil peut s'avérer pénalisante pour l'établissement de rendez-vous entre les nœuds et risque de fortement dégrader la qualité de services globale. Nous proposons donc un gestionnaire d'énergie (WVR-PM) qui limite autant que possible ces variations et qui permet d'améliorer le débit de près de 60% par rapport aux PMs de l'état de l'art tout en diminuant de 45% l'énergie consommée par une communication réussie. / The limited energy and recharge cycles of batteries are crippling the design of autonomous Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). To overcome this issue, everlasting harvested energy and supercapacitor-based energy storage are considered as potential solutions to achieve a theoretically infinite lifetime. A Power Manager (PM) is embedded in each WSN node to respect the Energy Neutral Operation condition (ENO), which means harvested energy is equal to consumed energy for a long period. In this thesis, a set of PMs are proposed for energy harvesting WSN nodes to adapt their average consumed energy by changing the wake-up interval according to the available harvested energy. Our PMs are low complexity, independent of energy sources, small memory footprint and therefore, can be easily implemented on a real EH-WSN node. Another issue addressed in this thesis when considering a multi-hop EH-WSN is the effect of wake-up interval variations to the global QoS. Due to its low harvested energy, a relay node is impractical to synchronize with a transmitter if its wake-up interval regularly changes, therefore degrading the global QoS. A new power manager, named Wake-up Variation Reduction power manager (WVR-PM) is proposed to reduce the variations of the wake-up interval. By using WVR-PM, the throughput of a multi-hop EH-WSN can be improved up to 59% compare to state-of-the-art PMs while the average consumed energy for one successful communication is reduced by 45%.

Harvesting energy became one of the most prominent research topics around the world, not only for research institutes and universities but also for technology companies as well. Mainly focused on internet of things (IoT) applications, harvesting energy is a crucial factor for reducing costs that come with the use of batteries and increasing the devices’ working time. Simultaneous lightwave information and power transfer is a technique that seeks to use wireless optical communication to achieve both fundamental objectives in modern communication systems. This work presents the main techniques that are used to achieve SLIPT, a novel circuit that improves the standard methods and applications employing this circuit.

abstract: The structural and electronic properties of compositionally complex semiconductors have long been of both theoretical interest and engineering importance. As a new class of materials with an intrinsic compositional complexity, medium entropy alloys (MEAs) are immensely studied mainly for their excellent mechanical properties. The electronic properties of MEAs, however, are less well investigated. In this thesis, various properties such as electronic, spin, and thermal properties of two three-dimensional (3D) and two two-dimensional (2D) compositionally complex semiconductors are demonstrated to have promising various applications in photovoltaic, thermoelectric, and spin quantum bits (qubits).3D semiconducting Si-Ge-Sn and C3BN alloys is firstly introduced. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Monte Carlo simulations show that the Si1/3Ge1/3Sn1/3 MEA exhibits a large local distortion effect yet no chemical short-range order. Single vacancies in this MEA can be stabilized by bond reformations while the alloy retains semiconducting. DFT and molecular dynamics calculations predict that increasing the compositional disorder in SiyGeySnx MEAs enhances their electrical conductivity while weakens the thermal conductivity at room temperature, making the SiyGeySnx MEAs promising functional materials for thermoelectric devices. Furthermore, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center analog in C3BN (NV-C3BN) is studied to explore its applications in quantum computers. This analog possesses similar properties to the NV center in diamond such as a highly localized spin density and strong hyperfine interactions, making C3BN suitable for hosting spin qubits. The analog also displays two zero-phonon-line energies corresponding to wavelengths close to the ideal telecommunication band width, useful for quantum communications. 2D semiconducting transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) and PtPN are also investigated. The quaternary compositionally complex TMCs show tunable properties such as in-plane lattice constants, band gaps, and band alignment, using a high through-put workflow from DFT calculations in conjunction with the virtual crystal approximation. A novel 2D semiconductor PtPN of direct bandgap is also predicted, based on pentagonal tessellation. The work in the thesis offers guidance to the experimental realization of these novel semiconductors, which serve as valuable prototypes of other compositionally complex systems from other elements. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2020

The diploma thesis deals with a design of a tester device, a selection and verification of a suitable method for comparing the piezoelectric properties of tested PVDF samples. In the introduction, a basic overview of the theory is important to understand the issue and the various branches of use of PVDF in the field of energy harvesting. The tester device includes a unimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam with tip mass, whose properties are described by three models: a model with N degrees of freedom reduced to one degree of freedom (NDOF), a single degree of freedom model (SDOF), both created in Matlab and a model for verifying results in FEM ANSYS Workbench program. The voltage time response and the voltage frequency response of the models is compared with each other. For two different PVDF samples, the voltage response to harmonic excitation is measured using a tester device, and the piezoelectric properties of one of them are determined using the NDOF and SDOF models.

This master thesis deals with design and numerical modelling of piezoceramic sensor, which is placed on a rail, in order to generate electrical energy, which can be used for wireless monitoring of railway traffic and to monitor the condition of the railway. The thesis is divided into three parts. Theoretically background of piezoelectric energy harvesting is described in first part, where some previous application of piezoelectric generator in railway area are shown. In the second part, parametric analysis of numerical model is performed, which directly leads to finding best location on a rail, where piezoelectric generator should be placed. For this analysis the homogenized model of MFC sensor was used. Results of the numerical model were then compared with the results of the conducted experiment. The third part presented own design of piezoceramic sensor, which is placed onto most suitable location on a rail. Results from numerical analysis shown eligibility of using piezoceramic sensor to monitor the railway traffic.

Masters thesis deals with design and practical implementation of wireless sensor module. The primary requirement for this module is its energy self-sufficiency. In this context, the work gets to the subject of "energy harvesting". Then, in terms of energy requirements, several wireless communication platforms which are favorable for the selected application, are compared. From mentioned technologies was chosen communication platform IQRF. The next parts deals with initial prototype of sensor module, which will be demonstrated as the application of measuring wind direction. This paper describes the hardware and software solution. Followed by a detailed analysis of its properties in terms of energy requirements. Based on the obtained measurements resource parameters are set.