Systematic Design of a Piezo-Electric Stack Energy Harvester From Walking Locomotion

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddharth Balasubramanian ◽  
Haili Liu ◽  
Ya Wang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Modeling And Simulation ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Mathematical Formulation ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Human Walking ◽  
Systematic Design ◽  
Walking Locomotion ◽  
Piezo Electric

This paper presents a systematic design of a piezoelectric stack energy harvester from human walking locomotion. The proposed footstep energy harvester is a mobile energy harvesting device that comprises of four sets of piezo-electric stack with force amplification frame assembly with associated power electronics. The objective of this work is to optimize the output power from each piezo-electric stack for which a high-efficiency force amplification frame was developed. Considering the nature of the application, High-Strength A514 Alloy Steel was chosen as the frame material and SONOX SP 505 as the piezo-electric stack in d33 configuration. The mathematical formulation of real-time human walking force excitation was also vital in the study. In this paper, a real-time equation of human Vertical Ground Reaction Forces (VGRF) was used for the systematic modeling and simulation process. Following the success of piezoelectric electro-mechanical modeling and simulation, a prototype of four sets of force-amplification frames each with a piezoelectric stack installed inside were fabricated and assembled into a unique constrainer box — such an assembled device was fit into the heel of a 12″ Field and Stream® boot to effectively convert kinetic energy from walking locomotion to electricity and therefore, to power a wireless sensor. The uniqueness of the work is to develop an easy-fit footstep energy harvester with much higher power density than similar design in the literature. In particular, the developed energy harvesting device is not visible externally and does not affect the walking gait pattern of the user. Moreover, our design only adds 0.25 kg to the self-weight of 0.85 kg of the boot. A peak power of 130 mW and peak Voltage of 118 V was recorded for an 80 kg person walking. This type of energy harvester will find its application in clean-energy generation in remote areas without electricity access.

Synchronized Switch Harvesting on Inductor Interface to Promote Piezoelectric Stack Energy Harvesting From Human Walking

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinxiao Zhang ◽  
Haili Liu ◽  
Ya Wang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Power Flow ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Human Walking ◽  
Storage Device ◽  
Power Conditioning ◽  
Interface Circuits ◽  
Walking Locomotion ◽  
Conditioning Circuit

In this paper, a self-supported power conditioning circuit is developed for a footstep energy harvester, which consists of a monolithic multilayer piezoelectric stack with a force amplification frame to extract electricity from human walking locomotion. Based on a synchronized switch energy harvesting on inductance (SSHI) interface and a peak detector topology, the power conditioning circuit is designed to optimize the power flow from the piezoelectric stack to the energy storage device under real-time human walking excitation instead of a simple sine waveform input, as reported in most literatures. The unique properties of human walking locomotion and multilayer piezoelectric stack both impose complications for circuit design. Three common interface circuits, e.g. standard energy harvesting (SEH) circuit, series-SSHI and parallel-SSHI are compared in experiments to find which one is the best suit for the real-time-footstep energy harvester. Experimental results show that the use of parallel-SSHI circuit interface produces 85% more power than the SEH counterpart, while the use of series-SSHI circuit demonstrates the similar performance in comparison to the SEH interface. The reasons for such a huge efficiency improvement by using the parallel-SSHI interface are detailed in this paper.

scholarly journals Boosting the efficiency of a footstep piezoelectric-stack energy harvester using the synchronized switch technology

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 813-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haili Liu ◽  
Rui Hua ◽  
Yang Lu ◽  
Ya Wang ◽  
Emre Salman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Power Flow ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Human Walking ◽  
Storage Device ◽  
Power Conditioning ◽  
Interface Circuits ◽  
Walking Locomotion ◽  
Standard Energy

In this article, the self-supported power conditioning circuits are studied for a footstep energy harvester, which consists of a monolithic multilayer piezoelectric stack with a force amplification frame to extract electricity from human walking locomotion. Based on the synchronized switch harvesting on inductance (SSHI) technology, the power conditioning circuits are designed to optimize the power flow from the piezoelectric stack to the energy storage device under real-time human walking excitation instead of a simple sine waveform input, as reported in most literatures. The unique properties of human walking locomotion and multilayer piezoelectric stack both impose complications for circuit design. Three common interface circuits, for example, standard energy harvesting circuit, series-SSHI, and parallel-SSHI, are compared in terms of their output power to find the best candidate for the real-time-footstep energy harvester. Experimental results show that the use of parallel-SSHI circuit interface produces 74% more power than the standard energy harvesting counterpart, while the use of series-SSHI circuit demonstrates a similar performance in comparison to the standard energy harvesting interface. The reasons for such a huge efficiency improvement using the parallel-SSHI interface are detailed in this article.

Deformable force amplification frame promoting piezoelectric stack energy harvesting: Parametric model, experiments and energy analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 827-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wusi Chen ◽  
Ya Wang ◽  
Wei Deng
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Modeling And Simulation ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Parametric Model ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Amplification Ratio ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Original Frame ◽  
Walking Locomotion

This article presents a nonlinear parametric model of force amplification ratio and an electromechanical model to couple the deformable frame with the piezoelectric stack in order to promote high-efficiency energy harvesting from human walking locomotion. Two improved frames (Frames I and II) are developed based on the modeling and simulation results. The experiments verified these modeling and simulation results that improved frames demonstrate a higher amplification ratio (8.4 for Frame II and 8.0 for Frame I), in comparison to the original frame (3.5). The experiments also verified these results that under the simulated walking excitation (100 N, ~1.4 Hz), the piezoelectric stack coupled with Frame II produces 4.1 mJ energy during each step, higher than the stand-alone stack (0.16 mJ) and the stack with the original frame (0.64 mJ). Note that the energy conversion efficiency of Frame II (9.1%) is even lower than that of Frame I (10.7%) and the stand-alone stack (25.8%). As such, this article concludes that the energy output of the piezoelectric stack depends largely on the frame deformations in terms of seven coupled frame parameters, instead of only one frame parameter (tilt angle), as commonly used in the referenced literature.

Self-Resonant Energy Harvester With a Passively Tuned Sliding Mass

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongjip Kim ◽  
Arthur Smith ◽  
Oumar Barry ◽  
Lei Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Equations Of Motion ◽  
Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations ◽  
Mathematical Formulation ◽  
Excitation Frequency ◽  
Resonant Energy ◽  
Parametric Studies ◽  
The Galerkin Method ◽  
The Mathematical Model

Abstract Passive tuning phenomenon with a sliding mass on a vibrating beam has been observed and studied in the literature. Such a phenomenon can be extended to self-resonant energy harvesting, where the natural frequency can be favorably adjusted to the excitation frequency for enhanced energy harvesting. In this paper, we consider the nonlinear dynamic coupling of a piezoelectric clamped-clamped beam with sliding mass and study experimentally and numerically how these nonlinear interactions affect the performance of the energy harvester. We derive the mathematical model using the extended Hamilton principle. The governing equations of motion are obtained as three coupled nonlinear partial differential equations. The Galerkin method is employed to obtain a reduced order model. Our mathematical formulation is validated via experiments and the results show very good agreement between the simulation and the experiment. Parametric studies are carried out to examine how key parameters affect the performance of the energy harvester. The findings suggest that a passively tuned mechanism with a small sliding mass can increase the power output even when the excitation frequency is far off the original resonance.

Simply supported FPEDs connected by springs for broadband energy harvesting

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 201-210
Author(s):  
Yoshikazu Tanaka ◽  
Satoru Odake ◽  
Jun Miyake ◽  
Hidemi Mutsuda ◽  
Atanas A. Popov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Vibrational Energy ◽  
Functional Materials ◽  
Vibration Energy ◽  
Theoretical Evaluation ◽  
Vibration Energy Harvester ◽  
Polyvinylidene Difluoride ◽  
Simply Supported

Energy harvesting methods that use functional materials have attracted interest because they can take advantage of an abundant but underutilized energy source. Most vibration energy harvester designs operate most effectively around their resonant frequency. However, in practice, the frequency band for ambient vibrational energy is typically broad. The development of technologies for broadband energy harvesting is therefore desirable. The authors previously proposed an energy harvester, called a flexible piezoelectric device (FPED), that consists of a piezoelectric film (polyvinylidene difluoride) and a soft material, such as silicon rubber or polyethylene terephthalate. The authors also proposed a system based on FPEDs for broadband energy harvesting. The system consisted of cantilevered FPEDs, with each FPED connected via a spring. Simply supported FPEDs also have potential for broadband energy harvesting, and here, a theoretical evaluation method is proposed for such a system. Experiments are conducted to validate the derived model.

scholarly journals Electrode and electrolyte configurations for low frequency motion energy harvesting based on reverse electrowetting

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pashupati R. Adhikari ◽  
Nishat T. Tasneem ◽  
Russell C. Reid ◽  
Ifana Mahbub
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Bias Voltage ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Maximum Output ◽  
Electrowetting On Dielectric ◽  
External Bias ◽  
Motion Energy ◽  
Ac Current ◽  
Self Powered

AbstractIncreasing demand for self-powered wearable sensors has spurred an urgent need to develop energy harvesting systems that can reliably and sufficiently power these devices. Within the last decade, reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric (REWOD)-based mechanical motion energy harvesting has been developed, where an electrolyte is modulated (repeatedly squeezed) between two dissimilar electrodes under an externally applied mechanical force to generate an AC current. In this work, we explored various combinations of electrolyte concentrations, dielectrics, and dielectric thicknesses to generate maximum output power employing REWOD energy harvester. With the objective of implementing a fully self-powered wearable sensor, a “zero applied-bias-voltage” approach was adopted. Three different concentrations of sodium chloride aqueous solutions (NaCl-0.1 M, NaCl-0.5 M, and NaCl-1.0 M) were used as electrolytes. Likewise, electrodes were fabricated with three different dielectric thicknesses (100 nm, 150 nm, and 200 nm) of Al2O3 and SiO2 with an additional layer of CYTOP for surface hydrophobicity. The REWOD energy harvester and its electrode–electrolyte layers were modeled using lumped components that include a resistor, a capacitor, and a current source representing the harvester. Without using any external bias voltage, AC current generation with a power density of 53.3 nW/cm2 was demonstrated at an external excitation frequency of 3 Hz with an optimal external load. The experimental results were analytically verified using the derived theoretical model. Superior performance of the harvester in terms of the figure-of-merit comparing previously reported works is demonstrated. The novelty of this work lies in the combination of an analytical modeling method and experimental validation that together can be used to increase the REWOD harvested power extensively without requiring any external bias voltage.

scholarly journals Piezoelectric Impact Energy Harvester Based on the Composite Spherical Particle Chain for Self-Powered Sensors

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3151
Author(s):  
Shuo Yang ◽  
Bin Wu ◽  
Xiucheng Liu ◽  
Mingzhi Li ◽  
Heying Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Spherical Particle ◽  
Impact Energy ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Composite Particle ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽  
Particle Chain ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Self Powered ◽  
Particle Chains

In this study, a novel piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) based on the array composite spherical particle chain was constructed and explored in detail through simulation and experimental verification. The power test of the PEH based on array composite particle chains in the self-powered system was realized. Firstly, the model of PEH based on the composite spherical particle chain was constructed to theoretically realize the collection, transformation, and storage of impact energy, and the advantages of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting were verified. Secondly, an experimental system was established to test the performance of the PEH, including the stability of the system under a continuous impact load, the power adjustment under different resistances, and the influence of the number of particle chains on the energy harvesting efficiency. Finally, a self-powered supply system was established with the PEH composed of three composite particle chains to realize the power supply of the microelectronic components. This paper presents a method of collecting impact energy based on particle chain structure, and lays an experimental foundation for the application of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document