Energy Scavenging Combining Piezoelectric and Pyroelectric Effects
The piezoelectric effect is well known and used for vibration energy harvesting applications. The pyroelectric effect is also used to generate electrical power if there is an environment that has cyclic temperature changes. In this study, increasing generated electrical power by use of a combination of piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects is investigated. As a sample case it is aimed to utilize this piezoelectric and pyroelectric effect for a new sensor application. The results of the tests indicate that energy from vibrations and heat can have a significant interaction depending on the frequencies at which each effect occurs. In some cases, energy from vibrations and energy from heat can be detrimental when combined. Therefore both parameters have to be tuned properly to optimize scavenging energy. It was determined that at the best tested parameters the rate of charge increases by approximately 12%.