Frequency tunable, flexible and low cost piezoelectric micro-generator for energy harvesting

Abstract

The conversion of vibrations into electrical energy for powering low-power small electronic components has been investigated by researchers from different disciplines in the last decade. Among the possible mechanisms, piezoelectricity has received particular attention. In the field of low frequency cantileverbased vibration energy harvesters, the proof mass is essential in order to reduce the resonance frequency and increase the stress along the beam to increase the output power. In this work, a manufacturing process of a micro generator is proposed to easily modify and increase the dimensions of the cantilever, and thus tune its resonance frequency. The effect of the position of the mass on the performances of this flexible piezoelectric energy harvester is also studied. For a proof mass at 8 cm from clamping, we obtain a resonance frequency of 9.9 Hz, a maximum power of 127 μW against a resonance frequency of 16 Hz and a maximum power of 72 μW with a mass at 4 cm. This shows that the maximum power extracted varies in for a constant acceleration of 1 g (9.81 m/s 2 ), as expected theoretically. These ≅ 1 ! promising results show that the prototype can be considered for a low power application as an energy harvesting-based micro-generator.

Self-powered communicating wireless sensor with flexible aero-piezoelectric energy harvester

“…Most of the process steps were performed in a standard clean room environment. The basic fabrication process of PZT micro-generators is detailed in previous paper [18]. The fabrication process begins with the deposition of a PZT thin film on a commercial aluminum foil by a chemical solution deposition (CSD) process.…”

“…To increase the energy efficiency of the generator, we used the interdigitated electrodes structure (IDE). This structure allows to reduce the linear capacitance of the generator and thus increase the harvested power [18]. To design the IDE structure, the PZT films must be separated from the aluminum foil and transferred onto an insulating polymer in order to remove the ground plane.…”

A Simple Model of the Energy Harvester within a Linear and Hysteresis Approach

“…Various mechanisms for maintaining resonance modes by means of vibrating oscillating systems with tunable characteristics were considered in the works [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. However, the systems considered in these works require precision parameter tuning, which is not always feasible in real technical systems.…”

A Bibliometric Analysis of Low-Cost Piezoelectric Micro-Energy Harvesting Systems from Ambient Energy Sources: Current Trends, Issues and Suggestions

“…The research interest in low-cost piezoelectric micro-energy harvesting (PMEH) devices in energy harvesters has grown significantly over the last decade, and it has become one of the most interesting trends in future low-power sensor applications [1][2][3]. The topic of low-cost PMEH has risen to prominence as a fascinating new topic in terms of application and the need for alternative energy sources for the electrical powering of various microelectronics devices [4,5].…”