Energy storage circuit for piezoelectric energy harvest system

• Main Author: Tan, Janice Yuan Zhen
• Other Authors: Hu Junhui
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/18022
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Vibration energy harvesting is an attractive technique for potential powering of wireless sensors and low power devices. While the technique can be employed to harvest energy from vibrations and vibrating structures, a general requirement independent of the energy transfer mechanism is that the vibration energy harvesting devices operate in resonance at the excitation frequency. Most energy harvesting devices developed to date are single resonance frequency based, and while recent efforts have been made to broaden the frequency range of energy harvesting devices, what is lacking is a robust tuneable energy harvesting technique. Present study, piezoelectric devices will be investigated and experimentally tested to determine the abilities to transform ambient vibration into electrical energy and their capabilities. The experimental results estimate the power efficiencies. The results presented shows the potential of the piezoelectric materials for use in power harvesting application, provide a means of choosing the piezoelectric device to be used. Piezoelectric materials can be used as a means of transforming ambient vibrations into electrical energy that can be stored and used to power devices. Piezoelectric power generation can provide a convenient alternative to traditional power sources used to operate certain types of sensors/actuators, telemetry and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). However, the energy produced by these materials is in many cases far too small to directly power an electrical device. Therefore, much of the research into power harvesting has focused on methods of accumulating the energy until a sufficient amount is present, allowing the intended electronics to be powered.