STTR Phase II: Advanced Hybrid Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是制造一种先进的混合能源收割机，能够实现无线传感器网络的广泛部署。物联网、便携式电子设备、无线传感器网络、基础设施健康监测、主动控制和战场士兵保障等迫切需要可持续不间断的小体积低成本电源。从环境中回收环境能量为这些设备供电，可以消除更换电池的成本，特别是在偏远环境中。本项目开发的混合动力能量收集器将显著提高功率输出和响应动态频率，从而为许多此类装置提供足够的功率。高功率密度还将使此类传感器网络能够更频繁地采集和传输数据，并促进更无处不在的先进传感器网络的部署。自动化制造流程将使其能够被包括物联网在内的各种客户采用。这个小型企业技术转移研究(STTR)第二阶段项目将为先进的混合动力能源收割机开发制造流程。虽然压电式能量采集器有着广泛的应用，但它们的功率密度和机电转换效率仍然很低，分别为微瓦到毫瓦和10%，这是因为它们主要工作在压电换能器的D31模式下，并且振动源和采集装置之间的机械阻抗不匹配。第一阶段项目成功地证明，先进的混合能量收集装置通过使用更高效的D33压电模式和降低弯曲结构中的刚度，可以在100 mW时提供显著更高的功率密度和40%的转换效率，从而可以有效地将能量从振动源传递到有源压电材料。第二阶段项目将专注于开发低成本的创新自动化制造工艺，使其能够在商业和工业市场上实际应用。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to manufacture an advanced hybrid energy harvester that can enable broad deployment of wireless sensor networks. Self-sustainable uninterrupted low-cost power supply with small size is in urgent need for internet of things, portable electric devices, wireless sensor networks, infrastructure health monitoring, active control, and battleground soldier support. Scavenging ambient energy from environment to power these devices can eliminate the cost of replacing batteries, particularly in remote environment. The hybrid energy harvesters developed in this project will significantly improve the power output and response dynamic frequency, therefore provide sufficient power to many such devices. The high power density will also enable more frequent data acquisition and transmission of such sensor networks, and promote more ubiquitous deployment of advanced sensor networks. The automatic manufacturing process will enable their adoption by various customers including internet of things.This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase 2 project will develop manufacturing processes for advanced hybrid energy harvesters. Although piezoelectric energy harvesters have found broad applications, their power density and mechanical-electrical conversion efficiency are still low, with values at microwatts to milliwatt and 10%, respectively since they primarily operate at the d31 mode of the piezoelectric transducer and the mechanical impedance mismatch between the vibration source and the harvesting device. The Phase I project successfully demonstrated that the advanced hybrid energy harvesting device can provide significantly higher power density at 100 mW and conversion efficiency at 40% by using the more efficient d33 piezoelectric mode and with reduced stiffness in a curved structure that can efficiently transfer the energy from the vibration source to the active piezoelectric materials. The Phase II project will be focused on developing low-cost innovative automatic manufacturing process to enable their practical applications in commercial and industrial market.