Vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvester for wireless sensor node application

Abstract

Due to the rapid proliferation in low-power autonomous wireless electronic systems and gadgets, energy harvesting has gained growing attention over the last couple of years. A wireless system is typically a wireless sensor node (WSN) which comprises a sensor, processing circuit, wireless communication module, microcontroller, on-board memory, and a power supply unit. These WSNs, when operating in conjunction, form a wireless sensor network (WSNW). The finite energy supply from batteries results in repeated recharging or replacement, which is not favorable for a widely spread or a remotely located WSNW. The abundantly available ambient energy in the environment and development in the energy transduction mechanisms by which WSNs can be powered up are the key motivations toward energy harvesting technology. Piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEEHs) convert mechanical vibration energy into electrical energy when subjected to mechanical strain, pressure, or force and are used as a power source in WSNs. This chapter introduces PEEHs with respect to device architecture, conversion mechanism, performance parameters, and implementation. The harvesting devices have been compared in terms of generated power, output voltage, resonant frequencies, internal impedance, and base excitation levels to which PEEHs were subjected.