Optimum Piezoelectric Bending Beam Structures for Energy Harvesting using Shoe Inserts

The small amount of power demanded by many present-day electronic devices opens up the possibility to convert part of the energy present in the environment into electrical energy, using several methods. One such method is to use piezoelectric film-bending beams inside a shoe, and use part of the mechanical energy employed during normal walking activity. This study analyzes several bending beam structures suitable for the intended application (shoe inserts and walking-type excitation) and obtains the resulting strain for each type as a function of their geometrical parameters and material properties. As a result, the optimum configuration can be selected.