engleski

Assessment of performances of optimized piezoelectric energy harvesters for wearables

Wearable electronics, generally comprising low-power sensors, often aimed at Internet-of-Things solutions, can be powered by transforming low-level kinetic energy, induced by human motion, into electrical energy generated via piezoelectric energy harvesting principles. Such a design approach can lead to a significant increase of the autonomy of wearable devices. The main drawback in using piezoelectric energy harvesters is the narrow area of optimal operation around their eigenfrequency, which, due to the random nature of human motion, is particularly noticeable in wearable applications. In order to deal with this challenge, in this work the conventional rectangular bimorph cantilever is hence segmented into optimized shapes that allow achieving an increased specific power output and an adaptation to the foreseen applications, whereas the frequency up-conversion principle is employed. A complex coupled-field finite element model is used to simulate the electromechanical response of the resulting harvesters’ designs, and experimental measurements, on a suitably developed experimental set-up, are performed. A wrist-worn kinetic energy harvesting solution is hence proposed, combining the mentioned approaches. It is primarily aimed at powering ultra-low power wearable devices for medical applications, e.g. telemedicine, drug delivery and health monitoring.

Kinetic energy harvesting ; broadband piezoelectric energy harvesting ; wearable technology ; biomedicine ; miniaturized devices

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