Thermoelectric power generation system using temperature difference and nanofriction and application thereof

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of power generation and energy storage, and discloses a power generation and energy supply system utilizing temperature difference and nanometer friction and application thereof, which comprises the following steps: a friction nanometer power generation unit is in solid-liquid contact with flowing seawater to generate electricity, slip to generate electricity or respond to animal limb deformation, and pulse alternating current signals are generated; a first energy supply management unit determines whether the residual energy is used to charge an energy storage battery based on the current capacity of a super capacitor; if the energy storage battery is determined to be charged, the discharge power of the energy storage battery is obtained, the discharge power and the residual energy are traversed in historical load data, and it is determined whether the residual energy meets the energy supply condition; a second energy supply management unit determines coupled supplementary energy based on a discharge coupling model, the current capacity, the discharge power and the residual energy; and an environment sensing communication unit determines whether to enter a dormant energy storage state based on target capacity and the motion environment of penguins. The application ensures the reliability of power generation and energy storage when penguins are tracked.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of power generation and energy storage technology, and more specifically, to a power generation and energy supply system that utilizes temperature difference and nano-friction, and its application. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of polar marine animal tracking, marine environmental monitoring, and low-power positioning and communication technologies, using environmental energy harvesting to continuously power miniature tracking devices has become an important technological direction for reducing the use of chemical batteries and extending the equipment's operating cycle.

[0003] Existing patent application CN115956517A discloses a hybrid self-powered animal tracker based on vibration energy harvesting technology. This tracker collects the mechanical energy generated by the animal's movement to achieve self-power. However, due to the low-frequency, high-damping swimming posture of penguins in polar waters, primarily using streamlined gliding, it is difficult to efficiently drive such a mechanical vibration harvesting structure. Triboelectric nanogenerators can generate electricity using seawater flow, animal limb movement, and external contact deformation. However, the electricity generated by triboelectric nanogenerators is typically intermittent and fluctuating. Changes in seawater flow velocity, animal movement amplitude, and contact frequency result in variations in the obtained electricity, making it difficult to directly serve as a continuous power source for a stable load. Especially when environmental sensing, data recording, and communication positioning loads coexist, the system needs to maintain low-power operation for extended periods while providing higher power for short periods during communication positioning, making it difficult to simultaneously meet both continuous and instantaneous power supply requirements.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design a power generation system that utilizes temperature difference and nano-friction to solve the problems existing in the current technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention proposes a power generation system and its application that utilizes temperature difference and nano-friction to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] This invention proposes a power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction, comprising: The triboelectric nanogenerator is configured to generate electrical signals through solid-liquid contact, slip electrification, or in response to animal limb deformation by interacting with flowing seawater, and to produce pulsed alternating current signals. The first power supply management unit is configured to acquire the electrical energy of the triboelectric nanogenerator and charge the supercapacitor, determine whether to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining electrical energy based on the current capacity of the supercapacitor, and if it is determined to charge the energy storage battery, acquire the discharge power of the energy storage battery, iterate through the historical load data with the discharge power and the remaining electrical energy, and determine whether the remaining electrical energy meets the power supply conditions. The second power supply management unit is configured to determine the coupling supplementary energy based on the discharge coupling model, the current capacity, the discharge power, and the remaining electrical energy if it is determined that the power supply conditions are not met, control the supercapacitor to supply energy to the energy storage battery based on the coupling supplementary energy, and determine the target capacity of the supercapacitor. An environmental sensing communication unit is configured to determine whether to enter a dormant energy storage state based on the target capacity and the penguin's movement environment. If the dormant energy storage state is determined, the unit continues to acquire electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator.

[0007] Furthermore, the aforementioned system for generating electricity using temperature difference and nano-triboelectricity also includes: The triboelectric nanogenerator unit comprises a bottom layer of adhered hydrogel electrode layer, a middle insulating dielectric layer, and a top layer of superhydrophobic biomimetic triboelectric layer. The bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer is a dual-network polymer hydrogel, doped with antifreeze conductive ions and biomimetic adhesive groups. The bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer is used to achieve in-situ adhesion of water molecules at the displacement interface with the penguin's body surface and serves as a sensing electrode. The intermediate insulating dielectric layer covers the bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer, and the intermediate insulating dielectric layer is a polyimide or polydimethylsiloxane film. The top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer is made of superhydrophobic silicone rubber.

[0008] Furthermore, when determining whether to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining electrical energy, the following steps are taken: If the current capacity of the supercapacitor exceeds the capacitance threshold, the first power management unit determines to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining power. If the current capacity of the supercapacitor does not exceed the capacitance threshold, the first power management unit determines that the remaining power will not be used to charge the energy storage battery, and determines the current capacity as the target capacity.

[0009] Furthermore, if it is determined that the energy storage battery is being charged, the following steps are included: The historical load data includes several historical discharge powers and several historical remaining power, with each historical discharge power corresponding to a historical remaining power. If the historical load data contains historical discharge power and historical remaining power corresponding to the discharge power and the remaining power, the first power supply management unit determines that the remaining power meets the power supply conditions and sets the current capacity as the target capacity. If the historical load data does not contain historical discharge power and historical remaining power corresponding to the discharge power and the remaining power, the first power supply management unit determines that the remaining power does not meet the power supply conditions.

[0010] Furthermore, if it is determined that the power supply conditions are not met, the following applies: The second power management unit acquires the coupled dataset, divides the coupled dataset into a training set and a test set, acquires a random forest model, trains the random forest model based on the training set and the test set, and determines the discharge coupling model based on the training results. The current capacity, the discharge power, and the remaining electrical energy are substituted into the discharge coupling model to determine the coupled supplementary energy.

[0011] Furthermore, when determining the discharge coupling model based on the training results, the following steps are included: If the mean square error of the currently trained random forest model is less than the mean square error of the previously trained random forest model, then stop iterative training and determine the currently trained random forest model as the discharge coupling model. If the mean squared error of the currently trained random forest model is greater than or equal to the mean squared error of the previously trained random forest model, then the learning rate of the random forest model is adjusted and training continues.

[0012] Furthermore, if it is determined that the power supply conditions are not met, the following steps are also included: The target capacity is the current capacity minus the capacity used to power the energy storage battery.

[0013] Furthermore, in determining whether to enter a dormant energy storage state, the following steps are taken: If the target capacity reaches the energy threshold of Argos communication, and the penguin's movement environment is in the air, the environmental perception communication unit determines that it will not enter the hibernation energy storage state and sends a short pulse signal for communication positioning; otherwise, it determines that it will enter the hibernation energy storage state.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: By using triboelectric nanogenerators to generate electricity through solid-liquid contact, sliding, or in response to animal limb deformation, the environmental mechanical energy generated during seawater flow and penguin movement is converted into pulsed AC signals. This allows the system to continuously obtain supplementary power even in environments lacking external power, reducing reliance on energy storage batteries. The system determines whether to supply remaining energy to the energy storage battery based on the current capacity of the supercapacitor, allocating the collected energy according to instantaneous communication needs and continuous low-power requirements. When the current capacity of the supercapacitor does not meet the requirements, priority is given to accumulating supercapacitor energy, avoiding insufficient communication and positioning energy due to premature diversion to the energy storage battery. Utilizing remaining energy to supplement the energy storage battery improves the overall utilization rate of collected energy. By traversing historical load data for discharge power and remaining energy, it is possible to determine whether the remaining energy meets the power supply conditions based on the actual load status, reducing the occurrence of repeated connection, stop, or invalid conversion during the energy storage battery charging process due to insufficient input power. The coupling energy is determined based on a discharge coupling model. The supercapacitor is responsible for supplementing the shortfall between the current remaining electrical energy and the energy demand of the energy storage battery, balancing the energy replenishment needs of the energy storage battery and the capacity maintenance requirements of the supercapacitor. This reduces the risk of unstable charging of the energy storage battery due to insufficient replenishment energy. Communication control is performed based on the energy storage state after energy allocation, improving the reliability of power supply for communication and ensuring energy storage stability during penguin tracking.

[0015] On the other hand, this application also provides an application of a system for generating electricity using temperature difference and nano-triboelectricity, for using the above-mentioned system for generating electricity using temperature difference and nano-triboelectricity, including: A biomimetic gas-inspired gel encapsulation cavity is disposed on the back of a penguin. The biomimetic gas-inspired gel encapsulation cavity is connected to a waterproof radio frequency antenna, a triboelectric nanogenerator negative electrode, and a triboelectric nanogenerator positive electrode. The biomimetic gas gel encapsulation cavity is equipped with a positive electrode input terminal and a negative electrode input terminal of a triboelectric nanogenerator. The positive electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator is connected to the lower friction plate electrode lead-out end, the bottom layer of the adhesive hydrogel electrode layer and the lower patch biomimetic friction layer; the negative electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator is connected to the upper friction plate electrode lead-out end, the middle insulating dielectric layer and the top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer. The waterproof RF antenna is connected to the RF antenna feed terminal, which is connected to the positive electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator, the negative electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator, the thermoelectric power collection input terminal, the rectifier step-down circuit, the energy storage battery, the central controller, and the supercapacitor.

[0016] Furthermore, the application of the aforementioned system for generating electricity using temperature difference and nano-triboelectricity also includes: The thermoelectric power collection input terminal is connected to the thermoelectric power output terminal, the thermoelectric power output terminal is set in the aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer, the thermoelectric power output terminal is connected to the cold end heat dissipation layer, and the lower end of the cold end heat dissipation layer is connected to the thermoelectric generator sheet. The aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer is provided with a flexible photovoltaic material layer and a thermally conductive coupling layer at the hot end; The thermally conductive coupling layer at the hot end is equipped with a shape memory alloy temperature control switch.

[0017] It is understandable that the above-mentioned system for generating electricity using temperature difference and nano-friction has the same beneficial effects, and will not be elaborated further here. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 A functional block diagram of a power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a penguin-based power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the penguin's structure after its body surface has been peeled off; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the negative electrode and positive electrode of the triboelectric nanogenerator provided in the embodiments of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of triboelectric power generation and thermoelectric power generation provided in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] In the diagram: 1. Aerogel-inspired encapsulation cavity; 2. Positive electrode of triboelectric nanogenerator; 3. Negative electrode of triboelectric nanogenerator; 4. Waterproof RF antenna; 7. Upper triboelectric electrode lead-out terminal; 8. Lower triboelectric electrode lead-out terminal; 9. Intermediate insulating dielectric layer; 10. Bottom layer adhered hydrogel electrode layer; 11. Lower patch bionic triboelectric layer; 12. Top layer superhydrophobic bionic triboelectric layer; 13. Positive electrode input terminal of triboelectric nanogenerator; 14. Negative electrode input terminal of triboelectric nanogenerator; 15. Thermoelectric power collection input terminal; 16. Rectifier and step-down circuit; 17. Energy storage battery; 18. Central controller; 19. Supercapacitor; 21. RF antenna feed-out terminal; 24. Flexible photovoltaic material layer; 25. Waterproof encapsulation layer of aerogel; 26. Thermoelectric generator sheet; 27. Hot-end thermally conductive coupling layer; 28. Cold-end heat dissipation layer; 29. ​​Shape memory alloy temperature control switch; 30. Thermoelectric power output terminal. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] See Figure 1 As shown in some embodiments of this application, a power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-triboelectricity includes: The triboelectric nanogenerator is configured to generate electrical signals through solid-liquid contact, slip electrification, or in response to animal limb deformation by interacting with flowing seawater, and to produce pulsed alternating current signals. The first power supply management unit is configured to acquire electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator and charge the supercapacitor. Based on the current capacity of the supercapacitor, it determines whether to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining electrical energy. If it is determined to charge the energy storage battery, it acquires the discharge power of the energy storage battery, iterates through the historical load data with the discharge power and the remaining electrical energy, and determines whether the remaining electrical energy meets the power supply conditions. The second power supply management unit is configured to determine the coupling supplementary energy based on the discharge coupling model, current capacity, discharge power and remaining power if it is determined that the power supply conditions are not met, control the supercapacitor to supply power to the energy storage battery based on the coupling supplementary energy, and determine the target capacity of the supercapacitor. The environmental sensing and communication unit is configured to determine whether to enter a dormant energy storage state based on the target capacity and the penguin's movement environment. If it is determined to enter a dormant energy storage state, it will continue to acquire electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator.

[0024] Specifically, the power supply system provided in this embodiment is suitable for low-power tracking devices carried by polar marine animals, especially for animals such as emperor penguins and king penguins that frequently change their movement environments between extremely cold air, ice surfaces, and seawater. When penguins move underwater, they typically exhibit continuous gliding and flapping wing propulsion, with a low movement frequency. Furthermore, seawater provides strong damping for mechanical vibrations, making it difficult to generate continuous and stable mechanical vibrations using conventional vibration power generation methods such as pendulums or spring oscillators. Therefore, this embodiment does not rely on the reciprocating motion of an independent oscillator, but instead utilizes the contact and slippage between seawater and friction materials, as well as the contact, separation, or bending processes caused by the penguin's own limb deformation, to generate pulsed alternating current signals.

[0025] In this embodiment, solid-liquid contact electrification occurs when seawater comes into contact with the surface of the friction material. The different electron affinities of the seawater and the friction material lead to charge transfer at the contact interface. After the seawater leaves the surface of the friction material, the charge remaining on the surface causes induced charge movement, thus creating a potential difference. Slip electrification occurs when seawater flows along the surface of the friction material, causing the contact area between the seawater and the friction material to continuously change, resulting in a change in the surface charge distribution and generating an electrical signal. Response to animal limb deformation, such as a penguin flapping its wings, walking, shaking, or bending its body, causes the friction material to come into contact and separate, thereby changing the contact area and sensing distance of the friction interface and generating alternating pulsed electrical signals.

[0026] The pulsed alternating current signal output by the triboelectric nanogenerator is intermittent. The number of pulses generated per unit time is greater when the penguin flaps its wings rapidly or when the seawater flow is high; the number of pulses generated per unit time decreases when the penguin is stationary, gliding, or when the external seawater flow is weak. The triboelectric nanogenerator consists of a bottom layer of adhered hydrogel electrodes, a middle insulating dielectric layer, and a top layer of superhydrophobic biomimetic triboelectric layer.

[0027] The bottom-layer adhesive hydrogel electrode layer employs a dual-network polymer hydrogel (such as a crosslinked system of polyacrylic acid and polyvinyl alcohol). Its internal network is doped with a high concentration of antifreeze conductive ions (such as lithium chloride or a glycerol-water binary system) and biomimetic adhesion groups (such as tannic acid or dopamine). The antifreeze conductive ions lower the freezing temperature of free water within the hydrogel and form ionic conductive pathways within the hydrogel, enabling the bottom-layer adhesive hydrogel electrode layer to function as a sensing electrode. The biomimetic adhesion groups utilize tannic acid groups, dopamine groups, or groups with similar multi-point adhesion properties. An intermediate insulating dielectric layer covers the bottom-layer adhesive hydrogel electrode layer, isolating it from external seawater and maintaining the potential difference between the triboelectric surface charge and the sensing electrode. The intermediate insulating dielectric layer can be made of polyimide film or polydimethylsiloxane film. Polyimide film has good insulation and low-temperature resistance, while polydimethylsiloxane film has good flexibility and waterproof properties; the choice can be made based on the application environment and the bending requirements of the material layer.

[0028] The top-layer superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer is made of micro-nano roughened superhydrophobic silicone rubber, which can be directly exposed to the external environment. It generates high-voltage, low-current pulsed AC signals through solid-liquid contact and slip electrification with flowing seawater, or in response to animal limb deformation. In this embodiment, biomimetic adhesion groups replace some water molecules at the adhesion interface and form multi-point interactions with the feather keratin or surface microstructures on the penguin's body, thereby improving the in-situ adhesion stability in humid and underwater environments.

[0029] After acquiring electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator, the first power management unit prioritizes using this energy to charge the supercapacitor. The supercapacitor stores the intermittent electrical energy generated by the triboelectric nanogenerator and provides the energy base for the instantaneous power required for communication and positioning. The energy storage battery provides a relatively stable low-power energy for the continuously operating environmental sensing and control processes. The first power management unit obtains the current capacity of the supercapacitor. The current capacity represents the usable capacity value that the supercapacitor has stored using electrical energy. The first power management unit compares the current capacity of the supercapacitor with a capacitance threshold. If the current capacity of the supercapacitor exceeds the capacitance threshold, the first power management unit determines to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining electrical energy generated by the triboelectric nanogenerator. If the current capacity of the supercapacitor does not exceed the capacitance threshold, the first power management unit determines not to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining electrical energy and sets the current capacity as the target capacity.

[0030] The remaining electrical energy refers to the electrical energy generated by the triboelectric nanogenerators, excluding the energy used to charge the supercapacitor to its capacitance threshold or maintain its capacity. If the current capacity does not exceed the capacitance threshold, it indicates that the supercapacitor has not yet met its priority energy storage requirements. In this case, the collected electrical energy continues to be supplied to the supercapacitor instead of being diverted to the energy storage battery. This avoids the energy being consumed during the charging process of the energy storage battery, preventing the supercapacitor from being unable to provide sufficient instantaneous energy after the penguin enters a suitable communication environment. The capacitance threshold can be set to 85%-95% of the effective capacity of the supercapacitor; in this embodiment, it is preferably set to 90%. When the capacitance threshold is set to 90%, the supercapacitor is only allowed to allocate subsequent remaining electrical energy to the energy storage battery after reaching a higher capacity. This not only reserves sufficient energy for communication positioning but also avoids requiring the supercapacitor to be fully charged before recharging the energy storage battery.

[0031] If the current capacity of the supercapacitor exceeds the capacitance threshold, the first power management unit acquires the discharge power of the energy storage battery. The discharge power of the energy storage battery characterizes its current power supply to the environmental sensing communication unit and other low-power loads. The first power management unit iterates through historical load data, including the acquired discharge power and remaining energy. Historical load data includes several historical discharge powers and several historical remaining energy values, with each historical discharge power corresponding to one historical remaining energy value. This historical load data records which remaining energy values ​​can stably support battery charging under different battery load conditions. Stable support means that under the corresponding historical discharge power, after the remaining energy is input, the energy storage battery can maintain effective charging without repeated charging and stopping due to insufficient input power, and without causing the supercapacitor's capacity to fall below the communication energy storage requirements.

[0032] Historical load data can be established in advance through simulation experiments. That is, firstly, the energy storage battery is controlled to operate at multiple discharge power states. Then, by simulating seawater flow and animal limb deformation, the triboelectric nanogenerator generates electrical energy at different levels, and the remaining electrical energy in each test cycle is recorded. For combinations that can continuously charge the energy storage battery at the corresponding discharge power, their historical discharge power and historical remaining electrical energy are used as a set of historical load data, ultimately forming a comprehensive historical data record. If the historical load data contains historical discharge power and historical remaining electrical energy corresponding to the current discharge power and remaining electrical energy, the first power supply management unit determines that the remaining electrical energy meets the power supply conditions and sets the current capacity of the supercapacitor as the target capacity. In other words, under similar discharge power and remaining electrical energy conditions, historical operating results have proven that the remaining electrical energy can independently support the charging of the energy storage battery, without requiring additional power from the supercapacitor.

[0033] If the historical load data does not contain historical discharge power and historical remaining energy corresponding to the current discharge power and remaining energy, the first power supply management unit determines that the remaining energy does not meet the power supply conditions. This does not necessarily mean that the remaining energy value is zero, but rather that the combination of the current remaining energy and the current energy storage battery discharge power has not been proven by historical load data to form a stable power supply. For example, when the energy storage battery discharge power is high, even if there is some remaining energy, this remaining energy may only be able to offset part of the energy storage battery's discharge and cannot form an effective charge. It should be noted that determining that the remaining energy does not meet the power supply conditions means that the remaining energy is insufficient to meet the release requirements of the energy storage battery.

[0034] If it is determined that the remaining electrical energy is insufficient to meet the power supply conditions, the second power supply management unit acquires the coupled dataset and divides it into a training set and a test set. Each data point in the coupled dataset includes the current capacity and operating time of the supercapacitor, as well as the discharge power, remaining electrical energy, and corresponding coupled supplementary energy, operating time, and number of discharges of the energy storage battery. Coupled supplementary energy is the additional energy provided by the supercapacitor to enable the energy storage battery to reach a power supply state under the current discharge power and remaining electrical energy conditions. Coupled supplementary energy is used to make up for the shortfall between the remaining electrical energy and the current load demand, rather than enabling the supercapacitor to continuously replace the remaining electrical energy to supply power to the energy storage battery.

[0035] This embodiment employs a random forest model because the relationship between current capacity, discharge power, remaining energy, and coupled supplementary energy may not be a simple linear one. For example, when the current capacity of the supercapacitor is high, it can provide more supplementary energy; however, when the current capacity is close to the lower limit of communication capacity, even if the energy storage battery discharge power is high, the supplementary energy cannot be increased indefinitely. The random forest model can form branching decisions based on different input intervals to adapt to various load combinations. When determining the discharge coupling model based on the training results, the mean squared error of the currently trained random forest model and the previously trained random forest model are calculated separately. The mean squared error is used to characterize the deviation of the model prediction.

[0036] If the mean squared error (MSE) of the currently trained random forest model is less than that of the previously trained model, it indicates that the current model has reduced the prediction error compared to the previous training result. In this case, iterative training can be stopped, and the current model can be designated as a discharge-coupled model. If the MSE of the currently trained random forest model is greater than or equal to that of the previously trained model, it indicates that the current training has not met the error reduction requirements. In this case, the learning rate of the random forest model should be adjusted, and training should continue. The learning rate controls the adjustment magnitude of model parameters during adjacent training processes. It can be achieved by adjusting the number of decision trees added per iteration, the sample extraction ratio, the feature extraction ratio, or the equivalent training step size. A learning rate that is too large indicates significant changes in the model during adjacent training, which can easily cause fluctuations in the MSE. A learning rate that is too small indicates slow model changes. Adjusting the learning rate based on the current MSE relative to the previous MSE ensures the stability of the model's predictions. To avoid continuous training, a maximum number of training iterations can be set. When the maximum number of training iterations is reached, the model with the smallest mean squared error among the already trained random forest models can be selected as the candidate model. The maximum number of training iterations is not specifically limited here.

[0037] Once the discharge coupling model is determined, the second power management unit substitutes the current capacity of the supercapacitor, the discharge power of the energy storage battery, and the remaining energy into the discharge coupling model to determine the coupling replenishment energy. Based on this replenishment energy, the supercapacitor is controlled to supply energy to the energy storage battery. When the supercapacitor supplies energy to the energy storage battery, it can release the corresponding energy all at once according to the coupling replenishment energy, or it can release it in several smaller energy supply stages. If it is determined that the remaining energy is insufficient to meet the power supply conditions, the target capacity of the supercapacitor is the current capacity minus the capacity required to supply energy to the energy storage battery. This target capacity is used to subsequently determine whether communication positioning can be performed.

[0038] The environmental sensing and communication unit determines whether to enter a dormant energy storage state based on the target capacity and the penguin's movement environment. The penguin's movement environment includes both air and water. This environment can be determined by humidity and pressure sensors based on the detection results of moisture levels, environmental impedance, and external pressure. In other words, when the penguin is in the air, its humidity and environmental impedance will change, thus distinguishing its movement environment. If the target capacity of the supercapacitor reaches the energy threshold for Argos (Argos Iridium device) communication, and the penguin's movement environment is in the air, the environmental sensing and communication unit determines not to enter a dormant energy storage state and sends a short pulse signal for communication positioning. The Argos communication energy threshold is the minimum available energy required to complete one communication positioning operation. The energy threshold can be dynamically set according to the actual usage scenario; in this embodiment, it is set to 3.3V. If the target capacity does not reach the Argos communication energy threshold, even if the penguin is in the air, it is determined to enter a dormant energy storage state. In this case, communication positioning is not performed, and the unit continues to acquire electrical energy generated by the triboelectric nanogenerator until the target capacity meets the communication requirements.

[0039] If the target capacity reaches the energy threshold for Argos communication, but the penguin is still in the water, it is also determined to enter a dormant energy storage state. Since seawater attenuates the short-pulse communication signal, and transmitting in water not only results in a low communication success rate but also consumes the energy stored in the supercapacitor, this embodiment uses both target capacity and the motion environment as common conditions. In the dormant energy storage state, the environmental sensing communication unit stops communication and positioning. Simultaneously, the triboelectric nanogenerator continues to generate electricity through solid-liquid contact with seawater, slip-based charging, or in response to penguin limb deformation. After the short-pulse communication signal is emitted, the environmental sensing communication unit re-acquires the supercapacitor's capacity and uses it as the basis for the capacity in the next judgment cycle.

[0040] In summary, by using triboelectric nanogenerators to generate electricity through solid-liquid contact, sliding, or in response to animal limb deformation, the environmental mechanical energy generated during seawater flow and penguin movement is converted into pulsed AC signals. This allows the system to continuously obtain supplementary power even in environments lacking external power, reducing reliance on energy storage batteries. The system determines whether to supply remaining energy to the energy storage battery based on the current capacity of the supercapacitor, allocating the collected energy according to instantaneous communication needs and continuous low-power requirements. When the current capacity of the supercapacitor is insufficient, priority is given to accumulating its energy, avoiding premature diversion to the energy storage battery and resulting in insufficient communication and positioning energy. Utilizing remaining energy to supplement the energy storage battery improves the overall utilization rate of collected energy. By traversing historical load data for discharge power and remaining energy, the system can determine whether the remaining energy meets the power supply conditions based on the actual load status, reducing the likelihood of repeated connection, disconnection, or invalid conversion during the energy storage battery charging process due to insufficient input power. The coupling energy is determined based on a discharge coupling model. The supercapacitor is responsible for supplementing the shortfall between the current remaining electrical energy and the energy demand of the energy storage battery, balancing the energy replenishment needs of the energy storage battery and the capacity maintenance requirements of the supercapacitor. This reduces the risk of unstable charging of the energy storage battery due to insufficient replenishment energy. Communication control is performed based on the energy storage state after energy allocation, improving the reliability of power supply for communication and ensuring energy storage stability during penguin tracking.

[0041] Based on another preferred embodiment described above, see [link to preferred embodiment]. Figure 2-5 As shown, this embodiment provides an application of a system for generating electricity using temperature difference and nano-triboelectricity, used to apply the above-mentioned system for generating electricity using temperature difference and nano-triboelectricity, including: A biomimetic gas gel encapsulation cavity 1 is set on the back of a penguin. The biomimetic gas gel encapsulation cavity 1 is connected to a waterproof radio frequency antenna 4, a triboelectric nanogenerator negative electrode 3, and a triboelectric nanogenerator positive electrode 2. The biomimetic gas gel encapsulation cavity 1 is provided with a positive electrode input terminal 13 and a negative electrode input terminal 14 of a triboelectric nanogenerator; The positive electrode input terminal 13 of the triboelectric nanogenerator is connected to the lower friction plate electrode lead-out terminal 8, the bottom layer of the adhesive hydrogel electrode layer 10 and the lower patch biomimetic friction layer 11. The negative electrode input terminal 14 of the triboelectric nanogenerator is connected to the upper friction plate electrode lead-out terminal 7, the middle insulating dielectric layer 9 and the top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer 12. The waterproof RF antenna 4 is connected to the RF antenna feed terminal 21. The RF antenna feed terminal 21 is connected to the positive electrode input terminal 13 of the triboelectric nanogenerator, the negative electrode input terminal 14 of the triboelectric nanogenerator, the thermoelectric energy harvesting input terminal 15, the rectifier step-down circuit 16, the energy storage battery 17, the central controller 18, and the supercapacitor 19.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, the application of the thermal difference and nano-triboelectric power generation system further includes: The thermoelectric power collection input terminal 15 is connected to the thermoelectric power output terminal 30. The thermoelectric power output terminal 30 is set in the aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer 25. The thermoelectric power output terminal 30 is connected to the cold end heat dissipation layer 28. The lower end of the cold end heat dissipation layer 28 is connected to the thermoelectric generator 26. The aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer 25 is provided with a flexible photovoltaic material layer 24 and a thermally conductive coupling layer 27. A shape memory alloy temperature control switch 29 is provided in the thermally conductive coupling layer 27 at the hot end.

[0043] Specifically, the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 is positioned on the penguin's back, connecting a waterproof RF antenna 4, a triboelectric nanogenerator negative electrode 3, and a triboelectric nanogenerator positive electrode 2. The biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 centrally encapsulates the power supply, energy storage, control, and communication components, forming an integrated device suitable for penguin carrying. The long axis of the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 aligns with the penguin's swimming direction, with rounded transitions at the front and rear ends to reduce water resistance and eddies during underwater movement. The side of the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 closest to the penguin's back is designated as a flexible bonding surface, while the side furthest from the back is designated as the external waterproof surface. The flexible bonding surface adapts to the curvature of the penguin's back, preventing the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 from bearing forces only at localized points. The external waterproof surface can be potted with a biocompatible and low-temperature resistant elastic material, with continuous sealing at the edges.

[0044] The overall size and mass of the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 should be designed according to the penguin's body shape, ensuring that the device does not significantly restrict the penguin's back bending or increase underwater movement resistance due to excessive mass. For Emperor or King penguins of different sizes, the length, width, and thickness of the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 can be adjusted, while maintaining its flat, streamlined structure. The waterproof radio frequency antenna 4 is located on the outside of the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1, positioned where it can be exposed to air after the penguin emerges from the water. The exterior of the waterproof radio frequency antenna 4 is covered with a flexible waterproof material to prevent water ingress into the feed connection area after immersion in seawater.

[0045] The positive electrode 2 of the triboelectric nanogenerator is positioned near the wing root of the penguin's flapping wing, while the negative electrode 3 is positioned on the penguin's torso corresponding to the positive electrode 2. When the penguin flaps its wings, the positive and negative electrodes 2 and 3 separate. When the penguin folds its wings or flaps its torso, they come into contact and rub against each other, thus forming a contact-separation power generation process. The positive and negative electrodes 2 and 3 can also generate solid-liquid contact charging and slip charging when seawater flows over their outer surfaces, allowing the penguin to generate electricity while gliding or swimming underwater, without relying entirely on direct contact between the positive and negative electrodes.

[0046] The biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 is equipped with a positive electrode input terminal 13 and a negative electrode input terminal 14 of a triboelectric nanogenerator. These terminals are used to input the electrical energy generated by the positive and negative electrodes 2 and 3 of the triboelectric nanogenerator into the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1. The positive and negative electrodes 2 and 3 are connected to the biomimetic gel encapsulation cavity 1 using flexible, waterproof, lightweight wires. These lightweight wires are arranged along the penguin's body surface and have a pre-existing extension length near the wing root to prevent the electrodes or input terminals from being pulled when the penguin flaps its wings.

[0047] The positive electrode input terminal 13 of the triboelectric nanogenerator connects to the lower friction plate electrode lead-out terminal 8, the bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer 10, and the lower patch biomimetic friction layer 11. The negative electrode input terminal 14 of the triboelectric nanogenerator connects to the upper friction plate electrode lead-out terminal 7, the intermediate insulating dielectric layer 9, and the top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer 12. The bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer 10 is located on the side closer to the penguin's body surface, used to form in-situ adhesion with the penguin's body surface, and serves as a sensing electrode. The intermediate insulating dielectric layer 9 covers the bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer 10, used to isolate external seawater. The top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer 12 is located on the side away from the penguin's body surface, used to contact and slide with seawater or the corresponding friction plate.

[0048] The lower biomimetic friction layer 11 and the top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer 12 form contacting friction surfaces. When the penguin flaps its wings, the lower biomimetic friction layer 11 and the top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer 12 come into contact and rub against each other; when the penguin flaps its wings, the two friction surfaces separate, creating a potential change between the upper friction electrode lead-out end 7 and the lower friction electrode lead-out end 8. The bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer 10 is a dual-network polymer hydrogel doped with antifreeze conductive ions and biomimetic adhesive groups. The intermediate insulating dielectric layer 9 is a polyimide film or a polydimethylsiloxane film. The top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer 12 and the lower biomimetic friction layer 11 are made of superhydrophobic silicone rubber with micro-nano rough surfaces.

[0049] A waterproof RF antenna 4 is connected to the RF antenna feed terminal 21. The RF antenna feed terminal 21 is connected to the positive electrode input terminal 13, the negative electrode input terminal 14, the thermoelectric energy harvesting input terminal 15, the rectifier-buck circuit 16, the energy storage battery 17, the central controller 18, and the supercapacitor 19 of the triboelectric nanogenerator. These connections indicate that a complete electrical path from energy input, energy conversion, energy storage, central control, to RF feed is formed inside the biomimetic biogel encapsulation cavity 1. The positive electrode input terminal 13 and the negative electrode input terminal 14 of the triboelectric nanogenerator receive the pulsed AC signal generated by triboelectric generation and input the signal to the rectifier-buck circuit 16. The rectifier-buck circuit 16 is used to convert the high-voltage, micro-current pulsed AC signal generated by the positive electrode 2 and the negative electrode 3 of the triboelectric nanogenerator into low-voltage electrical energy suitable for storage and use. The rectifier-buck circuit 16 is a full-wave rectifier bridge composed of low-leakage-current Schottky diodes. The output terminals of the rectifier-buck circuit 16 are connected to the supercapacitor 19 and the energy storage battery 17, respectively. The supercapacitor 19 preferentially receives triboelectric power and is used to provide instantaneous power for communication processes, while the energy storage battery 17 provides power for the central controller 18 and continuous environmental monitoring.

[0050] The central controller 18 acquires the capacity of the supercapacitor 19, the status of the energy storage battery 17, and the penguin's movement environment, and controls the energy distribution between the supercapacitor 19 and the energy storage battery 17 according to the power supply logic. The central controller 18 is also connected to the communication path corresponding to the feed end 21 of the radio frequency antenna. When the supercapacitor 19 reaches the Argos communication energy threshold and the penguin is in the air, it controls the waterproof radio frequency antenna 4 to emit a short communication positioning pulse signal.

[0051] The thermoelectric generator 26 is a bismuth telluride-based flexible thermoelectric device that utilizes the temperature difference between its two sides to create an output potential difference. One side of the thermoelectric generator 26 faces the penguin's body surface, and the other side faces the external seawater or air. The penguin's body surface temperature is typically higher than the temperature of the extremely cold external air or seawater; therefore, the side of the thermoelectric generator 26 closest to the penguin's body surface forms the hot end, and the side closest to the external environment forms the cold end. An aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer 25 covers the thermoelectric generator 26 and its electrical connection edges to isolate it from seawater and reduce direct heat transfer from around the thermoelectric generator 26. The aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer 25 has low thermal conductivity, which reduces thermal short circuits between the hot and cold ends formed by the edge encapsulation material, thereby concentrating the temperature difference as much as possible between the two sides of the thermoelectric generator 26.

[0052] The aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer 25 comprises a flexible photovoltaic material layer 24 and a hot-end thermally conductive coupling layer 27. The hot-end thermally conductive coupling layer 27 is located near the penguin's body surface and is used to transfer heat from the penguin's body surface to the thermoelectric generator 26. The hot-end thermally conductive coupling layer 27 is made of a flexible thermally conductive material and conforms to the curvature of the penguin's back. The cold-end heat dissipation layer 28 is located on the side of the thermoelectric generator 26 away from the penguin's body surface and is used for heat exchange with external seawater or air. The cold-end heat dissipation layer 28 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity and resistance to seawater corrosion.

[0053] The thermoelectric power output terminal 30 is used to extract the electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric generator 26 to the thermoelectric power collection input terminal 15. The thermoelectric power collection input terminal 15 inputs the acquired electrical energy into the power supply path inside the biomimetic gas gel encapsulation cavity 1 to supplement the power supply of the supercapacitor 19 or the energy storage battery 17. A shape memory alloy temperature control switch 29 is installed in the hot end thermally conductive coupling layer 27. The shape memory alloy temperature control switch 29 is installed in the thermoelectric power generation path or the hot end thermally conductive path, and deforms according to the penguin's body surface temperature, so that heat transfer is formed between the hot end thermally conductive coupling layer 27 and the thermoelectric generator 26. When the penguin's body surface temperature rises after vigorous exercise, and the external air or seawater temperature is low, a large temperature difference is formed on both sides of the thermoelectric generator 26 and electrical energy is generated.

[0054] The flexible photovoltaic material layer 24 is disposed on the outer light-receiving surface of the aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer 25. When the penguin is on ice, on the shore, or on the sea surface and there is sunlight, the flexible photovoltaic material layer 24 generates auxiliary power and inputs the power supply path. During polar nights, in low light, or when the penguin is underwater, the output of the flexible photovoltaic material layer 24 decreases. At this time, the positive electrode 2 of the triboelectric nanogenerator, the negative electrode 3 of the triboelectric nanogenerator, and the thermoelectric generator 26 are mainly used to supplement the power.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the specific implementation of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction, characterized in that, include: The triboelectric nanogenerator is configured to generate electrical signals through solid-liquid contact, slip electrification, or in response to animal limb deformation by interacting with flowing seawater, and to produce pulsed alternating current signals. The first power supply management unit is configured to acquire the electrical energy of the triboelectric nanogenerator and charge the supercapacitor, determine whether to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining electrical energy based on the current capacity of the supercapacitor, and if it is determined to charge the energy storage battery, acquire the discharge power of the energy storage battery, iterate through the historical load data with the discharge power and the remaining electrical energy, and determine whether the remaining electrical energy meets the power supply conditions. The second power supply management unit is configured to determine the coupling supplementary energy based on the discharge coupling model, the current capacity, the discharge power, and the remaining electrical energy if it is determined that the power supply conditions are not met, control the supercapacitor to supply energy to the energy storage battery based on the coupling supplementary energy, and determine the target capacity of the supercapacitor. An environmental sensing communication unit is configured to determine whether to enter a dormant energy storage state based on the target capacity and the penguin's movement environment. If the dormant energy storage state is determined, the unit continues to acquire electrical energy from the triboelectric nanogenerator.

2. The power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The triboelectric nanogenerator unit comprises a bottom layer of adhered hydrogel electrode layer, a middle insulating dielectric layer, and a top layer of superhydrophobic biomimetic triboelectric layer. The bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer is a dual-network polymer hydrogel, doped with antifreeze conductive ions and biomimetic adhesive groups. The bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer is used to achieve in-situ adhesion of water molecules at the displacement interface with the penguin's body surface and serves as a sensing electrode. The intermediate insulating dielectric layer covers the bottom adhesive hydrogel electrode layer, and the intermediate insulating dielectric layer is a polyimide or polydimethylsiloxane film. The top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer is made of superhydrophobic silicone rubber.

3. The power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction as described in claim 2, characterized in that, When determining whether to use the remaining electrical energy to charge the energy storage battery, the following steps are included: If the current capacity of the supercapacitor exceeds the capacitance threshold, the first power management unit determines to charge the energy storage battery with the remaining power. If the current capacity of the supercapacitor does not exceed the capacitance threshold, the first power management unit determines that the remaining power will not be used to charge the energy storage battery, and determines the current capacity as the target capacity.

4. The power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction as described in claim 3, characterized in that, If it is determined that the energy storage battery is being charged, the following applies: The historical load data includes several historical discharge powers and several historical remaining power, with each historical discharge power corresponding to a historical remaining power. If the historical load data contains historical discharge power and historical remaining power corresponding to the discharge power and the remaining power, the first power supply management unit determines that the remaining power meets the power supply conditions and sets the current capacity as the target capacity. If the historical load data does not contain historical discharge power and historical remaining power corresponding to the discharge power and the remaining power, the first power supply management unit determines that the remaining power does not meet the power supply conditions.

5. The power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction as described in claim 4, characterized in that, If it is determined that the power supply conditions are not met, including: The second power management unit acquires the coupled dataset, divides the coupled dataset into a training set and a test set, acquires a random forest model, trains the random forest model based on the training set and the test set, and determines the discharge coupling model based on the training results. The current capacity, the discharge power, and the remaining electrical energy are substituted into the discharge coupling model to determine the coupled supplementary energy.

6. The power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When determining the discharge coupling model based on the training results, the following are included: If the mean square error of the currently trained random forest model is less than the mean square error of the previously trained random forest model, then stop iterative training and determine the currently trained random forest model as the discharge coupling model. If the mean squared error of the currently trained random forest model is greater than or equal to the mean squared error of the previously trained random forest model, then the learning rate of the random forest model is adjusted and training continues.

7. The power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction as described in claim 6, characterized in that, If it is determined that the power supply conditions are not met, the following further applies: The target capacity is the current capacity minus the capacity used to power the energy storage battery.

8. The power generation system utilizing temperature difference and nano-friction as described in claim 7, characterized in that, When determining whether to enter a dormant energy storage state, the following steps are included: If the target capacity reaches the energy threshold of Argos communication, and the penguin's movement environment is in the air, the environmental perception communication unit determines that it will not enter the hibernation energy storage state and sends a short pulse signal for communication positioning; otherwise, it determines that it will enter the hibernation energy storage state.

9. An application of a thermal difference and nano-triboelectric power generation system, applied to the thermal difference and nano-triboelectric power generation system as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, include: A biomimetic gas-inspired gel encapsulation cavity is disposed on the back of a penguin. The biomimetic gas-inspired gel encapsulation cavity is connected to a waterproof radio frequency antenna, a triboelectric nanogenerator negative electrode, and a triboelectric nanogenerator positive electrode. The biomimetic gas gel encapsulation cavity is equipped with a positive electrode input terminal and a negative electrode input terminal of a triboelectric nanogenerator. The positive electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator is connected to the lower friction plate electrode lead-out end, the bottom layer of the adhesive hydrogel electrode layer and the lower patch biomimetic friction layer; the negative electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator is connected to the upper friction plate electrode lead-out end, the middle insulating dielectric layer and the top superhydrophobic biomimetic friction layer. The waterproof RF antenna is connected to the RF antenna feed terminal, which is connected to the positive electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator, the negative electrode input terminal of the triboelectric nanogenerator, the thermoelectric power collection input terminal, the rectifier step-down circuit, the energy storage battery, the central controller, and the supercapacitor.

10. The application of the thermal difference and nano-triboelectric power generation system according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: The thermoelectric power collection input terminal is connected to the thermoelectric power output terminal, the thermoelectric power output terminal is set in the aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer, the thermoelectric power output terminal is connected to the cold end heat dissipation layer, and the lower end of the cold end heat dissipation layer is connected to the thermoelectric generator sheet. The aerogel waterproof encapsulation layer is provided with a flexible photovoltaic material layer and a thermally conductive coupling layer at the hot end; The thermally conductive coupling layer at the hot end is equipped with a shape memory alloy temperature control switch.

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