Beacons powered by peltier modules, using heat loss from industrial objects

Abstract

The introduction of automatic production monitoring systems is a manifestation of the fourth industrial revolution. Some such systems use beacons - active transmitters that send a radio signal, allowing for the recognition of a given electronically marked object. Most beacons are battery powered, but there are devices that obtain energy from other sources, such as solar cells or a radio signal sent by a network of transmitters. This text presents the concepts of using heat losses to obtain energy for beacons placed on industrial objects, the temperature of which is higher than the ambient temperature. The voltage at the output of the Peltier module operating as a thermoelectric generator was measured at different values of the resistive load. This allowed to determine the current efficiency of this type of cell and to predict the conditions under which it can operate. The current consumed by the beacon during operation was also measured to determine the energy requirement of the device. The formulas are given for the minimum amount of energy that must be obtained from the thermoelectric generator for one operation cycle of beacon. This will allow the construction of a maintenance-free electronic active tag.