Hongping Hu

A piezoelectric power harvester with adjustable frequency through axial preloads

We study the technique to adjust the performance of a piezoelectric bimorph vibrating in the flexural mode through axial preloads, which is useful for a power harvester to effectively scavenge energy from ambient mechanical vibrations/noise with varying-frequency spectra. The external circuit connected to the bimorph is simplified as an impedance in the analysis. Analytical solutions are derived. The analyses show that resonance happens when the natural frequency of the bimorph is adjusted adjacent to the external driving frequency by preloading, and the output power density can be raised many more times in that case. The mechanism for an axial preload to improve the bimorph performance at varying-frequency vibrations is examined in detail.

A spiral-shaped harvester with an improved harvesting element and an adaptive storage circuit

A piezoelectric energy harvester consists of a spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph to transfer mechanical energy into electric energy, an electrochemical battery to store the scavenged electric energy, and a rectifier together with a step-down dc-dc converter to connect the two components as an integrated system. A spiral-shaped harvesting structure is studied in this paper because it is very useful in the microminiaturization of advanced sensing technology. The aim of employing a step-down dc-dc converter in the storage circuit is to match the optimal output voltage of the piezoelectric bimorph with the battery voltage for efficient charging. In order to raise the output power density of a harvesting element, moreover, we apply a synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI) in parallel with the piezoelectric bimorph to artificially extend the closed-circuit interval of the rectifier. Numerical results show that the introduction of a dc-dc converter in the storage circuit or a SSHI in the harvesting structure can raise the charging efficiency several times higher than a harvester without a dc-dc converter or an SSHI

Nonlinear interface between the piezoelectric harvesting structure and the modulating circuit of an energy harvester with a real storage battery

This paper studies the performance of an energy harvester with a piezoelectric bimorph (PB) and a real electrochemical battery (ECB), both are connected as an integrated system through a rectified dc-dc converter (DDC). A vibrating PB can scavenge energy from the operating environment by the electromechanical coupling. A DDC can effectively match the optimal output voltage of the harvesting structure to the battery voltage. To raise the output power density of PB, a synchronized switch harvesting inductor (SSHI) is used in parallel with the harvesting structure to reverse the voltage through charge transfer between the output electrodes at the transition moments from closed-to open-circuit. Voltage reversal results in earlier arrival of rectifier conduction because the output voltage phases of any two adjacent closed-circuit states are just opposite each other. In principle, a PB is with a smaller, flexural stiffness under closed-circuit condition than under open-circuit condition. Thus, the PB subjected to longer closed-circuit condition will be easier to be accelerated. A larger flexural velocity makes the PB to deflect with larger amplitude, which implies that more mechanical energy will be converted into an electric one. Nonlinear interface between the vibrating PB and the modulating circuit is analyzed in detail, and the effects of SSHI and DDC on the charging efficiency of the storage battery are researched numerically. It was found that the introduction of a DDC in the modulating circuit and an SSHI in the harvesting structure can raise the charging efficiency by several times.

Adjusting the resonant frequency of a PVDF bimorph power harvester through a corrugation-shaped harvesting structure

We propose a corrugated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) bimorph power harvester with the harvesting structure fixed at the two edges in the corrugation direction and free at the other edges. The resonant frequency of a corrugated PVDF bimorph is readily adjusted through changing either its geometrical configuration or the span length, which can keep the harvester operating at the optimal state in environments with different ambient vibrations. The governing equations of a PVDF bimorph with a corrugation shape, are derived from the transfer-matrix technique. Statistical results show that the adaptability of a harvester to the operating environment can be improved greatly by designing the harvesting structure with adjustable resonant frequency.

A piezoelectric energy harvester based on flow-induced flexural vibration of a circular cylinder

This article proposes a new piezoelectric structure for energy harvesting from flow-induced vibrations. It consists of a properly poled and electroded flexible ceramic cylinder. When it is in a flow perpendicular to its axis, the flow exerts a transverse force on the cylinder due to asymmetric vortex shedding, which drives the cylinder into flexural vibrations with an electrical output. A one-dimensional model is derived for the motion of the cylinder, which allows an analytical solution from which the basic behaviors of the energy harvester are calculated and examined. For a cylinder of 40 cm in length and 1 cm in diameter in flowing air with a speed of 5 m/s, the output power is of the order of 10 − 3 W . It becomes significantly higher if the flow speed is increased.

A system of two piezoelectric transducers and a storage circuit for wireless energy transmission through a thin metal wall

A system to wirelessly convey electric energy through a thin metal wall is proposed in the paper, where 2 piezoelectric transducers are used to realize energy transformation between electric and mechanical, and a rechargeable battery is employed to store the transmitted energy. To integrate them as a whole, an interface of a modulating circuit is applied between the transducer system and the storage battery. In addition, a synchronized switch harvesting on inductor in parallel with the transducer system is introduced to artificially extend the closed interval of the modulating circuit. The process of transmitting energy is computed, and the performance of the transducer system is optimized in detail for a prescribed external electric source. The results obtained are useful for understanding and designing wireless energy supply systems.

Nonlinear characteristics of a circular plate piezoelectric harvester with relatively large deflection near resonance

Based on the von Karman thin circular plate theory, we report in this paper the analysis of the nonlinear behavior of a power harvester consisting of a circular piezoelectric plate and an electric resistance. Dependence of the output power of the harvester upon driving frequency for different electric loads and different applied forces is obtained. Numerical results show that the output power exhibits multi- valuedness and a jump phenomenon near resonance.

The effects of first-order strain gradient in micro piezoelectric-bimorph power harvesters

The effects of first-order strain gradient in micro piezoelectric-bimorph (PB) power harvesters are investigated by including the first-order gradient terms in the energy density functions. For a PB, the gradient effects can be focused on the analysis of the strain gradient effect in the thickness direction through choosing the strains and the electric displacements as the independent constitutive variables. It is shown theoretically that the first-order gradient effects have raised the natural frequency of the PB and effectively enhanced the output power density of the harvester.

Analysis of a piezoelectric power harvester with adjustable frequency by precise electric field method

A power harvester with adjustable frequency, which consists of a hinged¿hinged piezoelectric bimorph and a concentrated mass, is studied by the precise electric field method (PEFM), taking into account a distribution of the electric field over the thickness. Usually, using the equivalent electric field method (EEFM), the electric field is approximated as a constant value in the piezoelectric layer. Charge on the upper electrode (UEC) of the bimorph is often assumed as output charge. However, different output charge can be obtained by integrating on electric displacement over the electrode with different thickness coordinates. Therefore, an average charge (AC) on thickness is often assumed as the output value. This method is denoted EEFM AC. The flexural vibration of the bimorph is calculated by the three methods and their results are compared. Numerical results illustrate that EEFM UEC overestimates resonant frequency, output power, and efficiency. EEFM AC can accurately calculate the output power and efficiency, but underestimates resonant frequency. The performance of the harvester, which depends on concentrated mass weight, position, and circuit load, is analyzed using PEFM. The resonant frequency can be modulated 924 Hz by moving the concentrated mass along the bimorph. This feature suggests that the natural frequency of the harvester can be adjusted conveniently to adapt to frequency fluctuation of the ambient vibration.

Solutions of nonlinear thickness-shear vibrations of an infinite isotropic plate with the homotopy analysis method

As a preliminary attempt for the study on nonlinear vibrations of a finite crystal plate, the thickness-shear mode of an infinite and isotropic plate is investigated. By including nonlinear constitutive relations and strain components, we have established nonlinear equations of thickness-shear vibrations. Through further assuming the mode shape of linear vibrations, we utilized the standard Galerkin approximation to obtain a nonlinear ordinary differential equation depending only on time. We solved this nonlinear equation and obtained its amplitude–frequency relation by the homotopy analysis method (HAM). The accuracy of the present results is shown by comparison between our results and the perturbation method. Numerical results show that the homotopy analysis solutions can be adjusted to improve the accuracy. These equations and results are useful in verifying the available methods and improving our further solution strategy for the coupled nonlinear vibrations of finite piezoelectric plates.