The topic of the dissertation is focused on research and design of a concept of a device for the efficient conversion of sliding mechanical motion into electrical energy using the electromagnetic principle. The generator (harvester) works in the field of converting immediately supplied electrical power in the range Pout = 100–10,000 W. A linear combustion unit is considered as a mechanical drive. The proposed assembly can find application in the automotive industry as a series hybrid drive unit or as a range extender for a battery electric vehicle. It can also be used as a stationary generator of electrical energy.
The research is divided into three areas:
1. The first area deals with the design of the electromagnetic part of the linear generator, the solution of the magnetic circuit and the adaptation of the dynamics of movement for optimal energy transformation.
2. The second area is focused on the drive unit itself, its structural design and the design of a control system ensuring optimal function of the harvester.
3. The third area concentrates on the coupling of an electromagnetic generator and a linear drive, for example a free-piston linear engine, and on the coexistence of both parts, both theoretically described and experimentally verified.
The experimental verification of the linear generator was carried out on a laboratory model of the used linear generators. Furthermore, an electronic circuit for controlling the power consumption based on a PFC circuit was investigated and designed.