A Novel Design Development for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Device

As more and more small electronic equipment enters people's lives, the power supply demand for these small electronic devices is also increasing. For small electronic devices, batteries are usually used for power supply, but for remote areas, frequently changing batteries is a complex job. Energy harvesting is a good way to solve this problem, such as photovoltaic batteries. Piezoelectric energy harvesting, as a method of energy harvesting, can generate unconventional clean energy through mechanical vibrations present in the environment. Due to the advantages of simplicity in structure, and low manufacturing and maintenance costs, piezoelectric energy harvesting holds great potential, especially for developing countries. Firstly, the thesis summarizes and analyses various types of existing piezoelectric energy harvester designs, identifying their shortcomings and potential areas for development. This provides a theoretical foundation for future research. Secondly, a novel galloping piezoelectric energy harvesting design, "a reverse C shape with a tail design," is proposed. Experimental and simulation analysis in a wind tunnel demonstrates that this design achieves a 25-fold increase in power output compared to existing designs at a wind speed of 5m/s. Furthermore, at a wind speed of 7m/s, the power output reaches 2.15mW, which can effectively meet the daily power requirements of specific electronic devices, such as hearing aids. In addition, this thesis also studied each parameter of the design, such as the length of the tail, the thickness of the "C shape", the selection of the cantilever beam, etc., which determine the impact of each parameter on the power output. The end of this thesis provides theoretical support through simulation studies, and suggestions for future research are provided. Overall, this thesis provides a new design for piezoelectric energy harvesters and also provides a broader perspective and theoretical support for the future development of this type of energy harvester.