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Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.

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Main Author: Robinson, Simon
Other Authors: Niesler, Thomas
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2023
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access_status_str Open Access
author Robinson, Simon
author2 Niesler, Thomas
author_browse Niesler, Thomas
Robinson, Simon
author_facet Niesler, Thomas
Robinson, Simon
author_sort Robinson, Simon
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127105
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:40:54.381Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127105 Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation Robinson, Simon Niesler, Thomas Wolhuter, Riaan Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Endangered species -- Detection Prototypes, Engineering Accelerometers Sensor networks Tracking (Engineering) -- Energy consumption Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This project aimed to evaluate the potential of a previously developed kinetic energy harvester as a means to improve the battery life and prolong the deployment of an animal-borne sensor. It builds on animal-borne sensor hardware which was developed previously and forms a part of the ongoing RhinoNET research project. This project has already lead to the development of a GPS enabled animal-borne sensor with accelerometer-based on-board behaviour classification, and which can communicate over a LORA radio network. This project extends this work by extending the existing hardware and integrating a kinetic energy harvester and associated energy management circuitry into the sensor. Energy management software for this updated animal-borne sensor is included, in order to allow the minimisation of its energy usage. This updated sensor and software are tested by practical measurement of the energy output of the kinetic energy harvester and the energy consumption of the animal-borne sensor. Because physical measurements on rhinoceros was not possible, this evaluation was achieved first t hrough s imulation. A rhinoceros behaviour model was designed based on previously gathered behaviour data and used to simulate the operation of the entire animal-borne sensor when subjected to rhinoceros activity. This included the modelling of the energy management software of the sensor, the energy consumption of the sensor, and the energy generation of the kinetic energy harvester. Subsequently, the energy generation of the kinetic energy harvester was measured on a human volunteer. Through this combination of practical measurement and simulation, it was estimated that, when attached to a rhinoceros, the kinetic energy harvester would generate on average 14J of energy per day, which is enough to power the sensor and transmit a GPS location update four times. Alternatively, it can increase the battery life of the sensor by between 3 and 60 days, depending on the frequency of GPS updates. The simulation also showed that when compared to a naïve approach, the energy management software could reduce the energy usage of the animal-borne sensor from 1548.09J to 507.2J per day. It was observed that the energy output waveform of the energy harvester is not ideal for charging a lithium-polymer battery, as used in the prototype. Therefore, future work should include consideration of other energy storage technologies. If these could be found, the integration of the energy harvester would in principle allow indefinite operation of the animal-borne sensor. AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Hierdie projek het ten doel om die potensiaal van ’n voorheen ontwikkelde kinetiese energie generator te evalueer as ’n manier om die batterylewe van ’n diergedraagdex sensor te verbeter en die ontplooiing daarom te ondersoek. Dit bou voort op dier-gedraagde sensor hardeware wat voorheen ontwikkel is en vorm deel van die voortgesette RhinoNET navorsingsprojek. Hierdie projek het reeds gelei tot die ontwikkeling van ’n GPS-geaktiveerde dier-gedraagde sensor met versnellingsmeter-gebaseerde gedragsklassifikasie aan boord, en wat oor ’n LORA-radionetwerk kan kommunikeer. Hierdie projek bou voort op hierdie werk deur die bestaande hardeware uit te brei en ’n kinetiese energie generator met gepaardgaande energiebestuur in die sensor te integreer. Dit ontwikkel ook energiebestuursagteware vir hierdie opgedateerde dier-gedraagde sensor, om die vermindering van sy energieverbruik moontlik te maak. Hierdie opgedateerde sensor en sagteware word getoets deur praktiese meting van die energie-uitset van die kinetiese energie generator en die energieverbruik van die diere-gedraagde sensor. Omdat fisiese metings o p r enosters n ie moontlik was nie, is hierdie evaluasie eers deur simulasie uitgevoer. ’n Renostergedragsmodel is ontwerp gebaseer op voorheen versamelde gedragsdata en gebruik om die werking van die hele dier-gedraagde sensor te simuleer wanneer dit aan renosteraktiwiteit onderwerp word. Dit het die modellering van die energiebestuursagteware van die sensor, die energieverbruik van die sensor en die energieopwekking van die kinetiese energie generator ingesluit. Vervolgens is die energie-opwekking van die kinetiese energie generator op ’n menslike vrywilliger gemeet. Deur hierdie kombinasie van praktiese meting en simulasie, is beraam dat wanneer dit aan ’n renoster geheg is, die kinetiese energie generator gemiddeld 14J energie per dag sou opwek, wat genoeg is om die sensor aan te dryf en ’n GPS-liggingsopdatering vier keer uit te stuur. Alternatiewelik kan dit die batterylewe van die sensor met tussen 3 en 60 dae verleng, afhangende van die frekwensie van GPS-opdaterings. Die simulasie het ook getoon dat in vergelyking met ’n naïewe benadering, die energiebestuursagteware die energieverbruik van die dier-gedraagde sensor van 1548.09J tot 507.2J per dag kan verminder. Daar is waargeneem dat die energie-uitset golfvorm van die energie stroper nie ideaal is vir die laai van ’n litium-polimeer battery soos gebruik in die prototipe nie. Daarom moet toekomstige werk oorweging van ander energiebergingstegnologieë insluit. As dit gevind kon word, sou die integrasie van die energie generator in beginsel onbepaalde werking van die dier-gedraagde sensor moontlik maak. Masters 2023-03-02T08:27:45Z 2023-05-18T07:04:31Z 2023-03-02T08:27:45Z 2023-05-18T07:04:31Z 2023-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127105 en_ZA en_ZA Stellenbosch University xviii, 84 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Endangered species -- Detection
Prototypes, Engineering
Accelerometers
Sensor networks
Tracking (Engineering) -- Energy consumption
Robinson, Simon
Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation
title Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation
title_full Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation
title_fullStr Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation
title_full_unstemmed Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation
title_short Development and evaluation of an animal-borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation
title_sort development and evaluation of an animal borne sensor prototype with integrated kinetic energy harvesting for rhinoceros conservation
topic Endangered species -- Detection
Prototypes, Engineering
Accelerometers
Sensor networks
Tracking (Engineering) -- Energy consumption
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127105
work_keys_str_mv AT robinsonsimon developmentandevaluationofananimalbornesensorprototypewithintegratedkineticenergyharvestingforrhinocerosconservation