Modeling and Design of Piezocomposite Energy Harvester Systems

The idea of vibration-to-electric energy conversion for small electronic devices by using ambient vibrations has been investigated by researchers from different disciplines in the last decade. The piezoelectric transduction mechanism has received the most attention thanks to its high efficiency, self-feeding capability and simplicity of integration. Recently, there have been various publications using several models and designs to predict electrical outputs using piezoelectric composite Energy Harvesters in order to benefit from their lightweight and high flexibilities compared to classical monolithic piezoceramics. In this book, we investigate the modeling, design and optimization of different types of piezocomposite energy harvesting benders, namely multilayered cantilever with different connection cases and an Active-Fiber Composite with Interdigitated Electrodes.