Toward a 0.33 W piezoelectric and electromagnetic hybrid energy harvester: Design, experimental studies and self-powered applications

In this paper, we present a 0.33 W piezoelectric and electromagnetic hybrid energy harvester to tackle the problem of efficiently harnessing energy from low-frequency vibrations. Two types of transduction cores-one piezoelectric element and two sets of magnets and coils, are embedded into a compact design. Several techniques are employed to enhance the performance of the harvester. A pair of truss mechanisms are added into the system to amplify the strain of the piezoelectric element. A stopper is used to induce impact to take advantage of the frequency up conversion effect as well as nonlinearity. We used an array made of multiple small cubic magnets and alternative magnet arrangement rather than one magnet block, for abrupt magnetic flux density changes. Experimental results based on a fabricated prototype validate the proposed techniques that work collectively and enable the harvester to yield a maximum peak power more than 0.33 W at resonance under an excitation of 0.70 g. We also examined the capability of the harvester for self-powered applications. The harvester displays excellent charging performance to millifarad or farad-scale capacitors. An LED array consisting of 99 diodes was lit up in real time. More importantly, experimental results indicate that not just can the harvester simultaneously power a temperature and humidity sensor, and a calculator, but also when the excitation stops, the remaining charges stored can power them for ~20.38 min and ~8.33 min, respectively. This study can be of great significance for high-performance energy harvesting and further development of self-powered sensing and battery-free electronic systems.