Frequency up-converted piezoelectric energy harvester for ultralow-frequency and ultrawide-frequency-range operation

In this paper we present an analytical investigation of a nonlinear energy harvester device. The device is composed of a cantilever beam partially covered by piezoelectric ceramics in a bimorph configuration with a magnetic lumped mass attached to the beam’s free end. The model accounts for the nonlinearity coming from the piezoelectric constitutive equations in addition to the nonlinear effect arising from the magnetic field generated by the magnetic properties of the tip mass and additional magnetic sources in the vicinity of the beam. The electromechanical coupled equations are solved numerically through the initial value problems for ordinary differential equations. The electrical power output is calculated by varying the amplitude of the base acceleration, the distance between the magnets and the load resistor. The stability of the system is also investigated. From the numerical results it is found that the influence of the parameters investigated in the frequency range of operation of the device and the nonlinear effects present on the device energy harvester extend the useful frequency range of these.

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A Wideband Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Design by Using Multiple Non-Uniform Bimorphs

Vibration ◽

10.3390/vibration1010008 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 93-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alireza Keshmiri ◽

Nan Wu

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvester ◽

Vibrational Energy ◽

Adomian Decomposition Method ◽

Wide Frequency Range ◽

Ambient Vibration ◽

Frequency Range ◽

Piezoelectric Energy ◽

Adomian Decomposition ◽

New Energy ◽

Operational Frequency

This paper presents an analytical approach for the development of a new wideband piezoelectric energy harvesting system. The proposed model is based on Adomian decomposition method to derive the dynamic response of the general non-uniform smart structures under external environmental excitations over a wide frequency domain efficiently harvesting the subsequent vibrational energy. The steady-state response of a nonlinearly tapered piezoelectric harvester subjected to harmonic base motion is obtained, and the higher potential electromechanical outputs compared with traditional uniform harvester are analytically derived. Afterward, a group of nonlinearly tapered cantilevers with the same volume and length but different taper ratios and surface bonded piezoelectric layers are assembled together in order to build a broadband piezoelectric energy harvester. Through numerical studies, it is proven that with the proposed non-uniform configuration, the new energy harvester design can function effectively and efficiently with high voltage output over a wide frequency range. The designed wideband harvester can automatically activate one of the non-uniform bimorphs to resonate at particular ambient vibration frequencies and eventually reach the maximum electromechanical output. Based on the proposed theoretical model, an optimum structural design for the wideband piezoelectric energy harvester in the required operational frequency range can be efficiently achieved.

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Design and optimisation of magnetically-tunable hybrid piezoelectric-triboelectric energy harvester

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83776-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Satish Rao Ganapathy ◽

Hanim Salleh ◽

Mohammad Khairul Azwan Azhar

Keyword(s):

Low Power ◽

Peak Power ◽

Energy Harvester ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Frequency Range ◽

Design Factor ◽

Voltage Generation ◽

Future Work ◽

Design Factors ◽

Extension Length

AbstractThe demand for energy harvesting technologies has been increasing over the years that can be attributed to its significance to low power applications. One of the key problems associated with the available vibration-based harvester is the maximum peak power can only be achieved when the device frequency matches the source frequency to generate low usable power. Therefore, in this study, a magnetically-tunable hybrid piezoelectric-triboelectric energy harvester (MT-HPTEH) was designed and optimised. Four key design factors: mass placement, triboelectric surface area, extension length and magnetic stiffness were investigated and optimised. The voltage generation from piezoelectric and triboelectric mechanisms was determined individually to understand the effect of each design factor on the mechanisms. An output power of 659 µW at 180 kΩ at 44 Hz was obtained from the optimised MT-HPTEH with a theoretical–experimental discrepancy of less than 10%. The added magnetically-tunable feature enabled the harvester to work at the desired frequency range with an open circuit voltage between 7.800 and 20.314 V and a frequency range from 38 to 54 Hz. This MT-HPTEH can power at least six wireless sensor networks and can be used for low power applications such as RFID tags. Future work may include designing of energy-saving and sustainable harvester.

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A Multi-Mode Broadband Vibration Energy Harvester Composed of Symmetrically Distributed U-Shaped Cantilever Beams

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi12020203 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 203

Author(s):

Xiaohua Huang ◽

Cheng Zhang ◽

Keren Dai

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvester ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Vibration Energy ◽

Cantilever Beams ◽

Resonant Frequencies ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Piezoelectric Energy ◽

Straight Beam ◽

Resonance Frequencies

Using the piezoelectric effect to harvest energy from surrounding vibrations is a promising alternative solution for powering small electronic devices such as wireless sensors and portable devices. A conventional piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) can only efficiently collect energy within a small range around the resonance frequency. To realize broadband vibration energy harvesting, the idea of multiple-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) PEH to realize multiple resonant frequencies within a certain range has been recently proposed and some preliminary research has validated its feasibility. Therefore, this paper proposed a multi-DOF wideband PEH based on the frequency interval shortening mechanism to realize five resonance frequencies close enough to each other. The PEH consists of five tip masses, two U-shaped cantilever beams and a straight beam, and tuning of the resonance frequencies is realized by specific parameter design. The electrical characteristics of the PEH are analyzed by simulation and experiment, validating that the PEH can effectively expand the operating bandwidth and collect vibration energy in the low frequency. Experimental results show that the PEH has five low-frequency resonant frequencies, which are 13, 15, 18, 21 and 24 Hz; under the action of 0.5 g acceleration, the maximum output power is 52.2, 49.4, 61.3, 39.2 and 32.1 μW, respectively. In view of the difference between the simulation and the experimental results, this paper conducted an error analysis and revealed that the material parameters and parasitic capacitance are important factors that affect the simulation results. Based on the analysis, the simulation is improved for better agreement with experiments.

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Effect of various shapes of single proof mass and multiple proof masses on piezoelectric energy harvester for powering mobile phone devices

Ferroelectrics ◽

10.1080/00150193.2021.1916355 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 577 (1) ◽

pp. 105-124

Author(s):

P. Mangaiyarkarasi ◽

P. Lakshmi

Keyword(s):

Mobile Phone ◽

Energy Harvester ◽

Proof Mass ◽

Piezoelectric Energy

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Research on a Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with Rotating Magnetic Excitation

Journal of Electronic Materials ◽

10.1007/s11664-021-08910-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhe Wang ◽

Lipeng He ◽

Zheng Zhang ◽

Ziming Zhou ◽

Jianwen Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvester ◽

Magnetic Excitation ◽

Piezoelectric Energy

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Stochastic dynamics of a piezoelectric energy harvester with fractional damping under Gaussian colored noise excitation

Applied Mathematical Modelling ◽

10.1016/j.apm.2021.03.032 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ying Zhang ◽

Zirui Jiao ◽

Xiaxia Duan ◽

Yong Xu

Keyword(s):

Colored Noise ◽

Energy Harvester ◽

Stochastic Dynamics ◽

Fractional Damping ◽

Piezoelectric Energy ◽

Gaussian Colored Noise

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Analytical Modeling of a Doubly Clamped Flexible Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with Axial Excitation and Its Experimental Characterization

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21113861 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 3861

Author(s):

Jie Mei ◽

Qiong Fan ◽

Lijie Li ◽

Dingfang Chen ◽

Lin Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Output Power ◽

Power Output ◽

Output Voltage ◽

Energy Harvester ◽

Load Resistance ◽

Engineering Practice ◽

Maximum Output ◽

Widespread Application ◽

Piezoelectric Energy ◽

Axial Excitation

With the rapid development of wearable electronics, novel power solutions are required to adapt to flexible surfaces for widespread applications, thus flexible energy harvesters have been extensively studied for their flexibility and stretchability. However, poor power output and insufficient sensitivity to environmental changes limit its widespread application in engineering practice. A doubly clamped flexible piezoelectric energy harvester (FPEH) with axial excitation is therefore proposed for higher power output in a low-frequency vibration environment. Combining the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the D’Alembert principle, the differential dynamic equation of the doubly clamped energy harvester is derived, in which the excitation mode of axial load with pre-deformation is considered. A numerical solution of voltage amplitude and average power is obtained using the Rayleigh–Ritz method. Output power of 22.5 μW at 27.1 Hz, with the optimal load resistance being 1 MΩ, is determined by the frequency sweeping analysis. In order to power electronic devices, the converted alternating electric energy should be rectified into direct current energy. By connecting to the MDA2500 standard rectified electric bridge, a rectified DC output voltage across the 1 MΩ load resistor is characterized to be 2.39 V. For further validation of the mechanical-electrical dynamical model of the doubly clamped flexible piezoelectric energy harvester, its output performances, including both its frequency response and resistance load matching performances, are experimentally characterized. From the experimental results, the maximum output power is 1.38 μW, with a load resistance of 5.7 MΩ at 27 Hz, and the rectified DC output voltage reaches 1.84 V, which shows coincidence with simulation results and is proved to be sufficient for powering LED electronics.

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Piezoelectric Impact Energy Harvester Based on the Composite Spherical Particle Chain for Self-Powered Sensors

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21093151 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (9) ◽

pp. 3151

Author(s):

Shuo Yang ◽

Bin Wu ◽

Xiucheng Liu ◽

Mingzhi Li ◽

Heying Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Spherical Particle ◽

Impact Energy ◽

Energy Harvester ◽

Composite Particle ◽

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽

Particle Chain ◽

Piezoelectric Energy ◽

Self Powered ◽

Particle Chains

In this study, a novel piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) based on the array composite spherical particle chain was constructed and explored in detail through simulation and experimental verification. The power test of the PEH based on array composite particle chains in the self-powered system was realized. Firstly, the model of PEH based on the composite spherical particle chain was constructed to theoretically realize the collection, transformation, and storage of impact energy, and the advantages of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting were verified. Secondly, an experimental system was established to test the performance of the PEH, including the stability of the system under a continuous impact load, the power adjustment under different resistances, and the influence of the number of particle chains on the energy harvesting efficiency. Finally, a self-powered supply system was established with the PEH composed of three composite particle chains to realize the power supply of the microelectronic components. This paper presents a method of collecting impact energy based on particle chain structure, and lays an experimental foundation for the application of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting.

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