Comparative Analysis of Piezoelectric Transducers for Low-Power Systems: A Focus on Vibration Energy Harvesting

Abstract

With advances in technology, the generation of electrical energy through the harvesting of energies dissipated in the form of mechanical vibration, known as power harvesting, has received increasing attention in recent decades. It is undoubtedly an interesting means to power systems with low energy consumption. This research aims to evaluate an energy generation system based on the piezoelectric effect activated by mechanical excitation and develop a system capable of powering devices and sensors for temperature monitoring in a practical situation, such as in an engine room, aiming to ensure its safe operation. Two transducers subjected to vibrational excitation were evaluated, and then an energy generation system using a buck DC-DC converter circuit was assessed. The transducer was connected to the input of the board, the microcontroller to the output, and the LM35 temperature sensor along with the battery was used to ensure the circuit’s autonomy. Additionally, the Attiny85 microcontroller was programmed to perform temperature monitoring tasks in a continuous low-energy-consumption mode. The obtained spectral analysis results showed a maximum generation power of 8.88 mW for the PZT-5H transducer and 3.3 mW for the P5-13B transducer. The use of LTC3588-1 increased the autonomy of the monitoring system by 64.3% and reduced the system’s usage time in cases of temperature anomalies by 50%.

Keywords

• energy harvester
• piezoelectric transducers
• low-power systems