Assessment of an energy harvester based on shear mode piezoceramics

Abstract

Piezoceramics energy harvesters can transform ambient vibration energy into electrical signals and thus they are being explored for their potential to create self-powered devices for a variety of applications. However, currently available harvesters suffer from low-power outputs. This paper presents a concept of a shear mode piezoceramic energy harvester that utilizes favourable material properties to improve output power harvested from ambient mechanical vibrations. A model of this harvester is also presented to predict the power output and other characteristics of the harvester under various environments.