Microsystems for energy harvesting

This paper reviews the state of the art in miniature microsystems for harvesting energy from external environmental vibration, and describes two specific microsystems developed at the University of Michigan. One of these microsystems allows broadband harvesting of mechanical energy from extremely low frequency (1-5 Hz) random vibrations abundant in civil infrastructure, such as bridges. These parametric frequency increased generators have a combined operating range covering two orders of magnitude in acceleration (0.54-19.6 m/s²) and a frequency range spanning up to 60Hz, making them some of the most versatile harvesters in existence. The second of these systems is an integrated microsystem for harvesting energy from periodic vibrations at moderate frequencies (50-400 Hz) typically present in devices such as motors or transportation systems. This harvester utilizes a thinned-PZT structure to produce 2.74 μW at 0.1 g (167 Hz) and 205 μW at 1.5 g (154 Hz) at resonance. Challenges in the design of electronic circuitry (integrated or hybrid) for regulating the scavenged energy are briefly discussed.