Modeling and Characterization of a Curved Piezoelectric Energy Harvester for Smart Paver Tiles

The transformation of vibrations into low-power electricity has received growing attention over the past couple of decades. The goal in this research field is to power wireless sensors and other small electronic components by harvesting ambient mechanical energy. Piezoelectricity is arguably the most popular transduction mechanism for converting mechanical vibrations into electrical energy. As a promising concept of piezoelectric energy conversion, smart paver tiles are proposed to harness human steps for energy harvesting and a wide range of critical sensing applications ranging from security to healthcare. In this work, we explore the use of a curved piezoelectric transducer (specifically a THUNDER® configuration) for smart paver tiles both analytically and experimentally. Following the description of the smart paver tiles developed, an analytical model is developed and closed-form electromechanical frequency response functions are obtained. Experiments are performed for a range of excitation frequencies (1-10Hz), electrical load resistance values, and low force levels. It is shown that the first-order electromechanical model successfully represents the governing dynamics.