M. H. Ansari

Modeling and experimental verification of a fan-folded vibration energy harvester for leadless pacemakers

This paper studies energy harvesting from heartbeat vibrations for powering leadless pacemakers. Unlike traditional pacemakers, leadless pacemakers are implanted inside the heart and the pacemaker is in direct contact with the myocardium. A leadless pacemaker is in the shape of a cylinder. Thus, in order to utilize the available 3-dimensional space for the energy harvester, we choose a fan-folded 3D energy harvester. The proposed device consists of several piezoelectric beams stacked on top of each other. The volume of the energy harvester is 1 cm3 and its dimensions are 2 cm × 0.5 cm × 1 cm. Although high natural frequency is generally a major concern with micro-scale energy harvesters, by utilizing the fan-folded geometry and adding tip mass and link mass to the configuration, we reduced the natural frequency to the desired range. This fan-folded design makes it possible to generate more than  10 μW of power per cubic centimeter. The proposed device is compatible with Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Although the proposed device is a linear energy harvester, it is relatively insensitive to the heart rate. The natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the device are calculated analytically. The accuracy of the analytical model is verified by experimental investigations. We use a closed loop shaker system to precisely replicate heartbeat vibrations in vitro.

Experimental investigation of fan-folded piezoelectric energy harvesters for powering pacemakers

This paper studies the fabrication and testing of a magnet free piezoelectric energy harvester (EH) for powering biomedical devices and sensors inside the body. The design for the EH is a fan-folded structure consisting of bimorph piezoelectric beams folding on top of each other. An actual size experimental prototype is fabricated to verify the developed analytical models. The model is verified by matching the analytical results of the tip acceleration frequency response functions (FRF) and voltage FRF with the experimental results. The generated electricity is measured when the EH is excited by the heartbeat. A closed loop shaker system is utilized to reproduce the heartbeat vibrations. Achieving low fundamental natural frequency is a key factor to generate sufficient energy for pacemakers using heartbeat vibrations. It is shown that the natural frequency of the small-scale device is less than 20 Hz due to its unique fan-folded design. The experimental results show that the small-scale EH generates sufficient power for state of the art pacemakers. The 1 cm3 EH with18.4 gr tip mass generates more than16 μW of power from a normal heartbeat waveform. The robustness of the device to the heart rate is also studied by measuring the relation between the power output and the heart rate.

Heartbeat Energy Harvesting Using the Fan-Folded Piezoelectric Beam Geometry

A three dimensional piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is designed to generate electricity from heartbeat vibrations. The device consists of several bimorph piezoelectric beams stacked on top of each other. These horizontal bimorph beams are connected to each other by rigid vertical beams making a fan-folded geometry. One end of the design is clamped and the other end is free.One major problem in micro-scale piezoelectric energy harvesters is their high natural frequency. The same challenge is faced in development of a compact vibration energy harvester for the low frequency heartbeat vibrations. One way to decrease the natural frequency is to increase the length of the bimorph beam. This approach is not usually practical due to size limitations. By utilizing the fan-folded geometry, the natural frequency is decreased while the size constraints are observed. The required size limit of the energy harvester is 1 cm by 1 cm by 1 cm.In this paper, the natural frequencies and mode shapes of fan-folded energy harvesters are analytically derived. The electro-mechanical coupling has been included in the model for the piezoelectric beam. The design criteria for the device are discussed.Copyright

Energy Harvesting From Controlled Buckling of a Horizontal Piezoelectric Beam

A piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is designed to generate electricity under the weight of passing crowds. The piezoelectric beam buckles to a controlled extent when the device is stepped on. The device is a seven bar mechanism. The upper and lower bars as well as the lateral links are rigid. The middle horizontal beam is a bimorph piezoelectric beam. Damages to the piezoelectric beam are avoided by constraining its axial deformation. This constrain is implemented by limiting squeezing of the mechanism. When a person moves over the mechanism or steps off the devices it causes the bimorph to buckle or return to the unbuckled condition. The transitions result in vibrations of the piezoelectric beam and thus generate energy.In this paper, the energy harvester is analytically modeled. The electro-mechanical coupling and the geometric nonlinearities have been included in the model for the piezoelectric beam. The design criteria for the device are discussed. It is demonstrated that the device can be realized with commonly used piezoelectric patches and can generate hundreds of milliwatts of power. A three part beam is also investigated. The effect of design parameters on the generated power and required tolerances are illustrated.The proposed device could be implemented in the sidewalks producing energy from the weight of people passing over it. Other possible applications are portable smart phones chargers and shoe hill energy harvesting. Dance floor of a club is another applicable example for using this harvester. The main advantage of using horizontal configuration instead of a vertical arrangement is the ease of placement in the pavements.© 2014 ASME

Nonlinear Thermally Buckled Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

A thermally buckled piezoelectric energy harvester is designed to power biomedical devices inside the body. The energy harvester (EN) uses the vibrations inside the body to generate the electricity needed for powering biomedical sensors and devices. The piezoelectric beam consists of a brass substrate and two piezoelectric patches attached to the top and the bottom of the substrate. The bimorph beam is inside a rigid frame. The bimorph beam is buckled due to the difference in the coefficient of the thermal expansion of the beam and the frame.Inside the body, most of the energy content come from the low-frequency vibrations (less than 50 Hz). Having high natural frequency is a major problem in Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) energy harvesters. Considering the small size of the EN, 1 cm3, the natural frequency is expected to be high. In our design, the natural frequency is lowered significantly by using a buckled beam. A mass is also used in the middle of the beam to decrease the natural frequency even more. Since the beam is buckled, the design is bistable and nonlinear which increases the output power.In this paper, the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the EN are analytically derived. The geometric nonlinearities are included in the electromechanical coupled governing equations. The governing equations are solved and it is shown that the device generates sufficient electricity to power biomedical sensors and devices inside the human body.Copyright

Energy harvesting from heartbeat using piezoelectric beams with fan-folded configuration and added tip mass

A fan-folded piezoelectric energy harvester is designed to generate electricity using heartbeat vibrations. This energy harvester consists of several bimorph beams stacked on top of each other making a fan-folded shape. Each beam has a brass substrate and two piezoelectric patches attached on both sides of it. These beams are connected to each other by rigid beams. One end of the device is clamped to the wall and the other end is free to vibrate. A tip mass is placed at the free end to enhance the output power of the device and reduce the natural frequency of the system.High natural frequency is one major concern about the microscaled energy harvesters. The size for this energy harvester is 1 cm by 1 cm by 1 cm, which makes the natural frequency very high. By utilizing the fan-folded geometry and adding tip mass and link mass to the configuration, this natural frequency is reduced to the desired range.The generated electricity can be used to power up a pacemaker. If enough electricity is generated, the pacemaker operates without having a battery and the patient does not need to have a surgery every seven to ten years to have the battery replaced. The power needed for a pacemaker to operate is about 1 microwatt. In this paper, the natural frequencies and mode shapes of fan-folded energy harvesters with added tip mass and link mass are analytically derived. The electro-mechanical coupling has been included in the model and the expression for the multi-mode power frequency response function is calculated.Copyright

Analyzing the frequency band gap in functionally graded materials with harmonically varying material properties

The design and modeling of a bar made of functionally graded materials are studied in this paper. The material properties of the bar are harmonically varied along the bar. The bar is mathematically modeled and its governing equation is derived. The mode shapes and the natural frequencies of the system are calculated analytically using the boundary conditions at the two ends of the bar. The wave propagation in the bar is studied and the frequency band gap of the system is found. It is shown that by varying the material properties of the bar, we can design a system with a desired frequency band gap.

Piezoelectric energy harvesting from heartbeat vibrations for leadless pacemakers

This paper studies energy harvesting from heartbeat vibrations using fan-folded piezoelectric beams. The generated energy from the heartbeat can be used to power a leadless pacemaker. In order to utilize the available 3 dimensional space to the energy harvester, we chose the fan-folded design. The proposed device consists of several piezoelectric beams stacked on top of each other. The size for this energy harvester is 2 cm by 0.5 cm by 1 cm, which makes the natural frequency very high. High natural frequency is one major concern about the micro-scaled energy harvesters. By utilizing the fan-folded geometry and adding tip mass and link mass to the configuration, this natural frequency is reduced to the desired range. This fan-folded design makes it possible to generate more than 10 μW of power. The proposed device does not incorporate magnets and is thus Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible. Although our device is a linear energy harvester, it is shown that the device is relatively insensitive to the heartrate. The natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the device are calculated. An analytical solution is presented and the method is verified by experimental investigation. We use a closed loop shaker controller and a shaker to simulate the heartbeat vibrations. The developed analytical model is verified through comparison of theoretical and experimental tip displacement and acceleration frequency response functions.