Enhancing Power Harvesting using a Tuned Auxiliary Structure

Future, self-contained sensors and processing units will need onboard, renewable power supplies to be truly autonomous. One way of supplying such power is through energy harvesting, a process by which ambient forms of energy are converted into electricity. One energy harvesting technique involves converting kinetic energy, in the form of vibrations, into electrical energy through the use of piezoelectric materials. This study examines the use of auxiliary structures, consisting of a mechanical fixture and a lead zirconate/lead titanate (PZT) piezoelectric element, which can be attached to any vibrating system. Adjusting various parameters of these structures can maximize the strain induced in the attached PZT element and improve power output.