A wideband energy harvesting device using snap-through buckling for mechanical frequency-up conversion

Abstract

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a novel approach to harvest energy from ambient vibration of which frequency is normally very low and varying. A natural phenomenon known as snap-through buckling is adapted to achieve highly efficient energy harvesting even at off-resonance input conditions. The proposed device was tested at low frequency vibration environment (1-50 Hz) in which resonance of cantilever beams at state transition was experimentally verified by using millimeter scale prototype device to prove the proposed mechanical frequency-up conversion concept. A maximum power of 41.7 ¿W was generated from a single piezoelectric cantilever beam.