Micro-fabricated lead zirconate titanate bent cantilever energy harvester with multi-dimensional operation

Abstract

At present, a cantilever with an inertial mass at its free end is the most widely used form for a vibration-based energy harvester, due to its simple structure and fabrication. However, the one-dimensional operation limits device installation. We first report a multi-dimensional piezoelectric cantilever-type energy harvester that oscillates not only in the vertical direction but also in the radial direction. While the conventional cantilever-type energy harvester maintains almost its maximum output power when it is installed within 20° of the operating direction, the proposed device presents the significantly improved result that the output power is independent of the installation angle.