Electrical Power Generation Using Piezoelectric Crystal

The usefulness of most high technology devices such as cell phones, computers, and sensors is limited by the storage capacity of batteries. In the future, these limitations will become more pronounced as the demand for wireless power outpaces battery development which is already nearly optimized. Thus, new power generation techniques are required for the next generation of wearable computers, wireless sensors, and autonomous systems to be feasible. Piezoelectric materials are excellent power generation devices because of their ability to couple mechanical and electrical properties. For example, when an electric field is applied to piezoelectric a strain is generated and the material is deformed. Consequently, when a piezoelectric is strained it produces an electric field; therefore, piezoelectric materials can convert ambient vibration into electrical power. Piezoelectric materials have long been used as sensors and actuators; however their use as electrical generators is less established. A piezoelectric power generator has great potential for some remote applications such as in vivo sensors, embedded MEMS devices, and distributed networking. Developing piezoelectric generators is challenging because of their poor source characteristics (high voltage, low current, high impedance) and relatively low power output. This paper presents a theoretical analysis to increase the piezoelectric power generation that is verified with experimental results.