Self‐Powered Sensor for Flow Velocity Measurements Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Under the increasing urgency for global water resource exploration, conventional flow velocity measurement instruments are inadequate to meet the demands of long‐term monitoring in complex environments. This article proposes a self‐powered aquatic flow velocity sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology, enabling the detection of water flow velocities. The signal processing circuit designed in this article can step down the high voltage signals generated by the TENG, exceeding 400 V, to approximately 1.7 V, while maintaining the ability to accurately reflect variations in flow velocity. In addressing the issue of flow velocity signal jitter in complex aquatic environments, data processing was performed using a Time‐Frequency Cooperative Adaptive Edge Detection Algorithm. Post‐processing results showed a deviation of 0 Hz in the primary frequency component compared to the original signal, with a spectral root mean square error of 0.058, indicating accurate reconstruction of flow velocity information. The sensor's effective measurement range spans from 0.1 to 2.4 m/s, adequately fulfilling the flow velocity monitoring requirements across a variety of common aquatic environments. This article offers a low‐cost, self‐powered innovative solution for dynamic water resource monitoring, demonstrating broad application prospects in hydraulic engineering, hydrological monitoring, and related fields.