Introducing arc-shaped piezoelectric elements into energy harvesters

Abstract Piezoelectric energy harvesting is envisioned as an ideal complement to batteries for long-life operation of wireless or remote electronic devices. Most piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) utilize piezoelectric plates or discs as the energy transducing elements, and they cannot generate enough power for most potential applications. In this study, we explore a new way of using arc-shaped piezoelectric patches as the core transducing elements in energy harvesters to improve their performance. An analytical model is developed via the Castigliano’s theorem to elucidate the low stiffness characteristic of the arc-shaped structure. A finite element analysis is conducted, and the results indicate that high and evenly-distributed stress can be easily induced in the arc-shaped PEHs. Prototypes are fabricated with arc-shaped piezoelectric elements and flat piezoelectric plates, respectively, and tested under the same conditions. The experimental data demonstrate that the arc-shaped PEHs are capable of generating 2.55–4.25 times as much power as the equivalent flat-plate PEHs. This study lays the foundation to enhance energy harvester performance by utilizing arc-shaped piezoelectric structures.

[1]  D. Guyomar,et al.  Toward energy harvesting using active materials and conversion improvement by nonlinear processing , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[2]  Daniel J. Inman,et al.  Design and modeling of a flexible longitudinal zigzag structure for enhanced vibration energy harvesting , 2017 .

[3]  Wei-Hsin Liao,et al.  Design and analysis of a piezoelectric energy harvester for rotational motion system , 2016 .

[4]  Asan Gani Abdul Muthalif,et al.  Optimal piezoelectric beam shape for single and broadband vibration energy harvesting: Modeling, simulation and experimental results , 2015 .

[5]  Alper Erturk,et al.  Nonlinear M-shaped broadband piezoelectric energy harvester for very low base accelerations: primary and secondary resonances , 2015 .

[6]  Huan Xue,et al.  A spiral-shaped harvester with an improved harvesting element and an adaptive storage circuit , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[7]  Zhengbao Yang,et al.  Comparison of PZN-PT, PMN-PT single crystals and PZT ceramic for vibration energy harvesting , 2016 .

[8]  D. Markley,et al.  Energy Harvesting Using a Piezoelectric “Cymbal” Transducer in Dynamic Environment , 2004 .

[9]  H. A. Kim,et al.  Modelling of piezoelectrically actuated bistable composites , 2011 .

[10]  Mickaël Lallart,et al.  Nonlinear technique and self-powered circuit for efficient piezoelectric energy harvesting under unloaded cases , 2017 .

[11]  Bill J. Van Heyst,et al.  A comprehensive review on vibration based micro power generators using electromagnetic and piezoelectric transducer mechanisms , 2015 .

[12]  Daniel J. Inman,et al.  Powering pacemakers from heartbeat vibrations using linear and nonlinear energy harvesters , 2012 .

[13]  Steve Dunn,et al.  Piezoelectric nanogenerators – a review of nanostructured piezoelectric energy harvesters , 2015 .

[14]  Elena Blokhina,et al.  Electrostatic vibration energy harvester with combined effect of electrical nonlinearities and mechanical impact , 2014 .

[15]  S. Timoshenko,et al.  Elements Of Strength Of Materials , 1935 .

[16]  Tao Dong,et al.  Electrostatic Energy Harvester Employing Conductive Droplet and Thin-Film Electret , 2014, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[17]  Ann Marie Sastry,et al.  Powering MEMS portable devices—a review of non-regenerative and regenerative power supply systems with special emphasis on piezoelectric energy harvesting systems , 2008 .

[18]  H C Lin,et al.  Analysis of an array of piezoelectric energy harvesters connected in series , 2013 .

[19]  Young-Hoon Kwon,et al.  Optimized piezoelectric and structural properties of (Bi,Na)TiO3–(Bi,K)TiO3 ceramics for energy harvester applications , 2016 .

[20]  Yang Zhu,et al.  Theoretical and experimental investigation of a nonlinear compressive-mode energy harvester with high power output under weak excitations , 2015 .

[21]  Jae Yeong Park,et al.  Design and experiment of a human-limb driven, frequency up-converted electromagnetic energy harvester , 2015 .

[22]  Stephen G. Burrow,et al.  Power Conditioning for Energy Harvesting – Case Studies and Commercial Products , 2015 .

[23]  Daniel J. Inman,et al.  A Distributed Parameter Electromechanical Model for Cantilevered Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters , 2008 .

[24]  Paul K. Wright,et al.  Alternative Geometries for Increasing Power Density in Vibration Energy Scavenging for Wireless Sensor Networks , 2005 .

[25]  Zhengbao Yang,et al.  High-efficiency compressive-mode energy harvester enhanced by a multi-stage force amplification mechanism , 2014 .

[26]  Christopher R. Bowen,et al.  Piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials and structures for energy harvesting applications , 2014 .

[27]  In-Ho Kim,et al.  A performance-enhanced energy harvester for low frequency vibration utilizing a corrugated cantilevered beam , 2014 .

[28]  Zhengbao Yang,et al.  Charge Redistribution in Flextensional Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters , 2014 .

[29]  Paul M. Weaver,et al.  Charge redistribution in piezoelectric energy harvesters , 2012 .

[30]  Wei-Hsin Liao,et al.  Magnetic-spring based energy harvesting from human motions: Design, modeling and experiments , 2017 .

[31]  Jiong Tang,et al.  Multi-directional energy harvesting by piezoelectric cantilever-pendulum with internal resonance , 2015 .

[32]  R. A. Shimansky,et al.  Transverse Stiffness of a Sinusoidally Corrugated Plate , 1995 .

[33]  Sang-Gook Kim,et al.  Ultra-wide bandwidth piezoelectric energy harvesting , 2011 .