Received 29 November 2008; accepted 14 February 2009; published online 10 March 2009
We propose a concept for true wide bandwidth vibration energy harvesting. Our approach exploits
nonlinear stretching of fixed-fixed beams in an off-resonance mode, effectively expanding the
operational frequency range well beyond the narrow bandwidth of linear resonators. Our initial
prototype demonstrates operation between 160400 Hz, without the need for frequency tuning. A
simple dynamic model shows good agreement with measurements. Optimized device geometry will
allow for even lower frequency operation starting at 60 Hz at strain levels above 1e-3 ideal for
piezoelectric transduction. 2009 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.3097207
Harvesting power from the environment is an attractive
alternative to battery-operated systems, especially for longterm, low-power sensing applications.19 Vibration energy
harvesting, among other methods, to realize robust, lowpower, and self-sustaining systems has been pursued on both
macro-24 and microscales57 in recent years. The approach is
practical especially where mechanical vibrations from infrastructures or vehicles are abundant.8 However, conventional
vibration energy harvesters are designed as linear resonant
structures with narrow operating bandwidths e.g., Fig. 1a,
rendering them impractical when deployed in a real world
environment with stochastic or varying vibration spectra. Recent attempts to extend the operational bandwidth of resonant harvestersthrough additional hardware or continuous
active resonance tuning4,5have made only small gains in
bandwidth using linear system dynamics.
Here, we propose an alternative concept for largedeflection based i.e., nonlinear vibration energy harvesters
that can be used specifically to realize self-powered sensor
nodes. Unlike conventional vibration-to-electric conversion
systems, these piezoelectric-based microscale devices will
not require any design customization, mechanical trimming,
or resonance tuning. This substantial advantage is obtained
simply because our devices are designed to operate offresonance Fig. 1bwith the target minimum proof mass
deflection being equal to the input vibration amplitude.
Moreover, instead of relying on cantilevers that bend to generate strain energy localized only near their base Fig. 1c,
we utilize fixed-fixed thin beams that get stretched by large
deflections, generating optimal strain from a much larger surface area over the actuator Fig. 1d. This approach will
allow effective and practical energy harvesting at low frequencies using microscale devices. Correspondingly, the vibration energy harvesters utilizing proposed mechanical
platformnamed here as Smart Sand for its eventual
small volumeoffer a potential for substantial increase in
energy density over linear resonant harvesters.
In this letter, we present a model and experimental verification for the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the Smart
Sand platform. We later augment this model to include electrical power generation through a piezoelectric transducer,
and demonstrate the wide-bandwidth energy harvesting capability of the platform.
a
0003-6951/2009/9410/103505/3/$25.00
dx
d2y
d 2x
+ kx = 1m 2 .
2 +b
dt
dt
dt
94, 103505-1
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103505-2
FIG. 3. Color online a Increasing tether length lowers f c to 40 Hz simulated for vibrations with 50 m deflections but reduces strain levels on the
tether. Here, we observe a broadening of the main resonance, in addition to
the off-resonance operation. b Very thin tethers L = 2000 m, W
= 125 m, and H = 0.1 m are required to achieve the target 1 millistrain
for input deflections of 100 m 1 g at 50 Hz at low frequencies. A pure
silicon proof mass m = 9.3 103 gr moves f c to about 110 Hz; a partially
tungsten proof mass m = 54.3 103 gr for the same dimensions lowers it
to 60 Hz.
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103505-3
demonstrated a theoretical model that agrees well with experiments from initial prototypes, and have shown that it is
possible to optimize operational bandwidth for either large
displacement or large strain at low frequencies. Stretching, as
opposed to bending, enables almost the entire surface of the
tether to be used for active piezoelectric energy conversion.
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