Single-axis low acceleration sensing using an enhanced piezoelectric vibration energy harvester

Microsystem Technologies - In this paper, a microscale device comprising a Flared-Ψ shaped composite cantilever having polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ferroelectric polymer thin-film-based...     

Modeling the performance of a micromachined piezoelectric energy harvester

Piezoelectric energy microgenerators are devices that generate continuously electricity when they are subjected to varying mechanical strain due to e.g. ambient vibrations. This paper presents the mathematical analysis, modelling and validation of a miniaturized piezoelectric energy harvester based on ambient random vibrations. Aluminium nitride as piezoelectric material is arranged between two electrodes. The device design includes a silicon cantilever on which AlN film is deposited and which features a seismic mass at the end of the cantilever. Euler–Bernoulli energy approach and Hamilton’s principle are applied for device modeling and analysis of the operation of the device at various acceleration values. The model shows good agreement with the experimental findings, thus giving confidence into model. Both mechanical and electrical characteristics are considered and compared with the experimental data, and good agreement is obtained. The developed analytical model can be applied for the design of piezoelectric microgenerators with enhanced performance.     

Modeling and control of an atomic force microscope using a piezoelectric tuning fork for force sensing

This paper investigates modeling and control issues associated with an atomic force microscope which uses a piezoelectric tuning fork for atomic force sensing. In the modeling part, the dynamics of piezoelectric tuning fork and its atomic interaction with the test sample via the scanning tip are physically characterized. The modeling results explain not only the atomic force sensing mechanism but also the important characteristics observed in experimental frequency responses. In the control part, an LTR controller is designed to maximize the controller bandwidth and yet maintain robustness against unmodeled dynamics and different operating conditions. Scanning results indicate that the LTR controller exhibits superior performance than a conventional PI controller.     

Modeling and verification of a piezoelectric frequency-up-conversion energy harvesting system

Microsystem Technologies - An impact-based frequency-up-conversion (FUC) energy harvesting system has been studied for realizing high power density from ambient vibration. It can harvest the lower...     

双晶悬臂梁式压电换能器建模与结构参数分析

针对如何提高悬臂梁压电发电效率的问题,通过对压电换能器进行力学分析并建立了一个电路等效模型,从而得到了悬臂梁谐振角振频率和输出功率的计算公式。通过代入数值进行计算仿真得出结构参数对输出功率的影响的曲线。通过分析得出:在设计悬臂梁的结构参数时尽量在结构强度允许的条件下选择更重的附加质量块,电极长度和梁的长度比值为0.8,压电陶瓷和金属层厚度比为0.25,能提高换能效率等结论。     

双晶压电悬臂梁俘能器的建模与仿真

针对双晶片悬臂梁式压电俘能器的优化问题,考虑悬臂梁末端位移与质量块质心位移的差异,对Roundy数学模型进行了修正.通过ANSYS有限元软件对俘能器建模并进行模态分析和谐响应分析,当质量块长度逐渐变大时,修正后数学模型对俘能器一阶固有频率和输出电压有更好的预测精度.研究了质量块形状和负载对俘能器输出特性的影响规律,发现在质量块质量不变时,提高质量块的质心高度能提高俘能器的发电能力,对俘能器的结构优化具有借鉴意义.     

Fabrication of piezoelectric multilayer thin-film actuators

In this study, we fabricated multilayer ceramics (MLCs) composed of multilayered Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) piezoelectric thin films with internal electrodes and evaluated their dielectric and piezoelectric properties. The stack of PZT ferroelectric layers (550 nm) and SrRuO₃ (SRO, 80 nm) electrodes were alternatively deposited on Pt/Ti-coated silicon-on-insulator substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The MLCs composed of one, three, and five PZT layers were fabricated by the alternate sputtering deposition of PZT ferroelectric layers and SRO electrodes through the movable shadow mask. The capacitances of MLCs were proportionally increased with the number of PZT layers, while their relative dielectric constants were almost same among the each MLC. The MLCs exhibited symmetric and saturated P–E hysteresis loops similar to the conventional PZT thin films. We estimated that the piezoelectric properties of MLCs by FEM simulation, and confirmed that the effective transverse piezoelectric coefficients (d _31,eff ) increased with the number of PZT layers. The piezoelectric coefficients calculated to be d _31,eff  = ?2964 pC/N at 25 PZT layers, which is much higher than those of conventional single-layer piezoelectric thin films.     

A piezoelectric energy harvester using an arc-shaped piezoelectric cantilever beam array

Microsystem Technologies - The piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) has shown important practical value in numerous fields including, but not limited to communication, transportation, and military...     

Modeling hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators using NARMAX models

This paper presents a non-linear moving average model with exogenous inputs (NMAX) and a non-linear auto-regressive moving average model with exogenous inputs (NARMAX) respectively to model static and dynamic hysteresis inherent in piezoelectric actuators. The modeling approach is based on the expanded input space that transforms the multi-valued mapping of hysteresis into a one-to-one mapping. In the expanded input space, a simple hysteretic operator is proposed to be used as one of the coordinates to specify the moving feature of hysteresis. Both the modified Akaike's information criterion (MAIC) and the recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm are employed to estimate the appropriate orders and coefficients of the models. The advantage of the proposed approach is in the systematic design procedure which can on-line update the model parameters so as to accommodate to the change of operation environment compared with the classical Preisach model. Moreover, the obtained model is non-linear in variables but linear in parameters so that it can avoid the problem of sticking in local minima which the neural network based models usually have. The results of the experiments have shown that the proposed models can accurately describe static and dynamic behavior of hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators.     

Modeling of rate-dependent hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators using a family of ellipses

In this paper, a new ellipse-like mathematic model is proposed to describe the rate-dependent hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators. Since the expressions of the model are completely analytical and can be determined only by a set of parameters, this method simplifies the modeling of complicated hysteresis behaviors. To represent the hysteresis effects, experiments are performed with designed sinusoidal excitations under different frequencies in the range 0.5–300 Hz. The rate-dependent hysteresis is characterized as increasing maximum hysteresis error (MHE) and decreasing peak-to-peak output amplitude (PPOA) phenomenons with the increase of input frequencies. Then, the parameters of the developed model are extracted from the experimental data using the direct least square method through MATLAB offline. The simulation results well correspond to the measured data and demonstrate that the developed model can precisely predict the rate-dependent hysteresis. We also investigate the parameters’ properties with hysteresis characteristics. In the developed model, the length of the minor radius describes the MHE varying with the input frequencies and amplitudes, while the length of major radius and the orientation of the ellipses represent the decreasing PPOA phenomenon. Finally, a real-time feedforward controller with an inverse model is designed to compensate for the rate-dependent hysteresis under different input frequencies. The experimental results show that the hysteresis effects are obviously reduced at both the lower and higher frequencies.     

Topology optimization of a cantilevered piezoelectric energy harvester using stress norm constraints

Vibrational piezoelectric energy harvesters are devices which convert ambient vibrational energy into electric energy. Here we focus on the common cantilever type in which an elastic beam is sandwiched between two piezoelectric plates. In order to maximize the electric power for a given sinusoidal vibrational excitation, we perform topology optimization of the elastic beam and tip mass by means of the SIMP approach, leaving the piezoelectric plates solid. We are interested in the first and especially second resonance mode. Homogenizing the piezoelectric strain distribution is a common indirect approach increasing the electric performance. The large design space of the topology optimization approach and the linear physical model also allows the maximization of electric performance by maximizing peak bending, resulting in practically infeasible designs. To avoid such problems, we formulate dynamic piezoelectric stress constraints. The obtained result is based on a mechanism which differs significantly from the common designs reported in literature.     

Topology optimization of energy harvesting devices using piezoelectric materials

Energy harvesting devices based on the piezoelectric effect that converts ambient energy to electric energy is a very attractive energy source for remote sensors and embedded devices. Although topology optimization has been applied to the design of piezoelectric transducers, the locations of piezoelectric materials are predefined and only the optimal layout of elastic materials is considered. In this paper, both elastic materials as well as piezoelectric materials are considered for the design of energy harvesting devices under the topology optimization formulation. The objective function for this study is to maximize the energy conversion factor. The sensitivities of both stored strain energy and electrical energy are derived by the adjoint method. Examples of energy harvesting devices are presented and discussed using the proposed method.     

Solar energy assessment using remote sensing technologies

About 20% of the final energy consumed in Europe is used in buildings. The active and passive use of solar energy is an approach to reduce the fossil energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions originated by buildings. Consideration of solar energy technologies in urban planning demands accurate information of the available solar resources. This can be achieved by the use of remote sensing data from geostationary satellites which show a very high spatial and a sufficient temporal resolution compared to ground station data. This paper gives a brief introduction to the HELIOSAT method applied to derive surface solar irradiance from satellite images and shows examples of applications: The use of daylight in buildings, the generation of correlated time series of solar irradiance and temperature as input data for simulations of solar energy systems and a short-term forecast of solar irradiance which can be used in intelligent building control techniques. Finally an outlook is given on potential improvements expected from the next generation of European meteorological satellites Meteosat Second Generation (MSG).     

非接触式旋转压电发电机建模及仿真分析

针对传统的机械撞击式旋转压电发电机因机械碰撞压电发电单元导致发电机寿命较短的问题,提出了一种使用永磁铁传动的非接触式旋转发电机结构,并对发电机结构进行了理论建模和仿真分析。研究表明,当阵列的压电双晶梁固有频率相同时,发电机存在一个最佳转动速度,该速度乘以驱动轮阵列永磁铁个数等于压电双晶梁的一阶固有频率。驱动轮半径以及驱动轮到压电双晶梁间距越大,发电机能量输出越少。当阵列压电双晶梁固有频率不同时,以两个压电双晶梁为例,发电机转速在18. 0 rad/s(33. 0～51. 0 rad/s)范围内,输出功率超过1. 5 mW。研究结果为宽频发电机的设计和优化打下了基础。     

Modeling of piezoelectric sensors adhesively bonded on trusses using a mathematical programming approach

In this study, piezoelectric sensors design adhesively bonded on truss elements is treated in the framework of mathematical programming. A numerical formulation based on the strength capacity of set structure, adhesive and piezoelectric sensor is proposed. Inside the formulations maximum strength capacity of the adhesive is considered as a limit value in the design. Two formulations are established to obtain the maximum strength of the set; the first one is built on the basis of finite differences and the other one on a formulation of finite elements both based on an admissible static field. The lower bound method applied to limit analysis is extended in this research to analyze trusses with sensors including the adhesive interface. Four examples are designed to assess the numerical methodologies in which the results are compared with other known data. The main contribution of this work is focused on finding the maximum coupling load that a piezoelectric sensor can read before being debonded based on the minimum size constraint of the sensor.     

复合式压电振动能量收集器的研究

为解决无线传感器网络和便携式电子产品的自供能问题,研究了基于电磁耦合的压电悬臂梁式振动能量收集器.理论分析表明,通过增加压电悬臂梁的所受外力,可以按平方关系提高其产生的发电量.即采用PZT4压电元件及铍青铜作为金属基板,以固定于基板末端的永磁铁作为质量块制作了基于电磁耦合的悬臂梁式压电振动能量收集器.实验表明,压电悬臂梁附加永磁铁后其最大输出电压增加了222％,压电悬臂梁在磁场强度分别为0T与1T的作用力下,电压值的增幅分别为0.38％和2.12％.     

基于能耗的分簇频谱感知方法

在协作频谱感知中,当信道经历衰落和阴影时,各用户的感知性能会有不同程度影响,某些受影响严重的次用户甚至可能会严重影响到整个感知网络的性能.同时参与协作的用户数越多,认知传感器网络面临的问题越大.为了解决这些问题,提出了一种基于能耗的分簇协作感知算法.该算法引入基于节点能量的LEACH分簇算法,将认知传感器网络中的各个节点按该分簇算法分入若干簇内;在每个簇内,构造了同时考虑检测性能和能量消耗的效用函数,基于该效用函数对最佳协作用户数和用户进行选择,使每个簇内的检测性能和能耗达到很好的折中;在汇聚节点运用OR规则将簇头发送过来的感知信息进行融合,得到最终判决结果.仿真结果表明,该基于能耗的分簇协作频谱感知算法可以有效地延长认知传感器网络的生存时间,节省网络的能耗,并且保证良好的检测性能.     

一种压阻式高g值传感器的冲击校准的方法研究

介绍了一种高g值冲击加速度传感器灵敏度校准的方法,即基于Hopkinson杆技术的激光多普勒干涉法,该方法能够复现冲击加速度量值,直接溯源于激光波长和时间/频率量,并使用Hopkinson杆对150 000g量程的压阻式传感器进行了冲击校准,通过校准证明了该方法的可行性,而且复现方法可靠、稳定.     

Theoretical analysis of the sensing and actuating effects of piezoelectric multimorph cantilevers

The paper presents the modeling of two types of piezoelectric microcantilevers, the two-layer and two-segment piezoelectric cantilevers, in which the two piezoelectric parts perform sensor and actuator functions, respectively. An analytic model is proposed to evaluate the sensing and actuating effects of multiporph microcantilevers formed of several layers or segments of piezoelectric materials. The analytical model is used to analyze the tip deflection of the cantilever and the piezoelectric charge generated on the sensor element as a function of the microcantilever geometry. The cantilevers of sensing and actuation are compared for the different working situations of the two-layer and two-segment cantilevers. The theoretical results can be used to optimize the design of the piezoelectric cantilever structures.