Generation performance of self-biased dielectric elastomer generator based on charge pump circuit

Abstract

In order to study the power generation characteristics of a self-biased dielectric elastomer generator (DEG), a charge pump circuit applied to a DEG was designed based on the charge pump principle after analyzing the structure and power generation mechanism of DEG. A self-biased DEG model was established in MATLAB/Simulink software. The model was simulated and the factors on the output voltage of DEG, such as the series and capacitance of the charge pump circuit, were studied. Furthermore, the corresponding test platform was built. Then, the comparative analysis between the test results and simulation results was studied. The test and simulation results show that the combination of the charge pump circuit and DEG could realize the function of self-biased power generation. The larger the charge pump series, the higher the output voltage of DEG. The test study found that the output voltage of DEG was higher when the charge pump series was 3. The larger the capacitance of the charge pump, the lower the output voltage of DEG. When the capacitance of the charge pump was too large, the boosted voltage of DEG was not obvious. However, if the input voltage was low, the output voltage of DEG was high when the charge pump capacitance value was large. The above results provide the basis for further study of the self-biased DEG.