Design of a Triboelectric Nanogenerator-Based Sensor for Velocity-Displacement Detection of High-Speed Switches

Electric power switches play a crucial role in the protection and electrical energy switching of the power transmission and distribution systems. Among them, the operation mechanism based on electromagnetic, or spring force serves as the core of the switch equipment. Monitoring its mechanical performance is an essential aspect to enhance the operational capabilities of the switches. Furthermore, the opening speed of high-speed switches is particularly important to guarantee the breaking performance of circuit breakers. In this article, we propose a novel velocity-displacement (VD) sensing method for high-speed switch based on sliding-mode triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). An easy-to-integrate VD sensor is then designed according to the simulation results. The sensor consists of a fixed part, including comb-shaped electrodes and sliding track, etc., and a moving part integrated on the insulating pull rod. The output of the designed VD sensor is compared with the switch's actual moving process captured by a high-speed camera. The results show that this sensor can effectively monitor the displacement and velocity of high-speed switches under various operation conditions. The average errors are less than 3% and 10% in displacement and velocity sensing, respectively. This work explores the application potential of TENG-based sensor in power transmission and distribution systems and proves its feasibility.