A hybrid piezoelectric–electromagnetic body energy harvester: design and experiment validation

Abstract

Abstract The rapid advancement of electronic devices and wireless sensors has heightened the demand for energy sustainability and portable power solutions. Traditional human energy harvesters have limitations in harvesting energy from ultra-low-frequency human motion due to issues related to unstable energy output and wearing comfort. To address this challenge, a piezoelectric–electromagnetic hybrid energy harvesting (HP-EEH) structure designed for the hip joint area. This innovative design employs magnetically coupled frequency boosting alongside electromagnetic energy capture to achieve high output power. Firstly, the structure and principle of the energy capture device are introduced, and the electromechanical coupling model of the energy harvester is derived using Hamilton’s principle. Furthermore, the system is numerically simulated, and the voltage output characteristics of the piezoelectric unit and the electromagnetic unit are analyzed by using the finite element analysis software. Finally, the experimental setup of the (HP-EEH) is constructed, and the voltage output characteristics are tested for different swinging angles and positions. The results show that two parts of energy can be captured simultaneously under ultra-low-frequency motion conditions. At a swing angle of 50 degrees, the piezoelectric and electromagnetic units achieved maximum output power values of 14.96 µW at 0.8 Hz and 10.4 µW at 1.2 Hz, respectively. Incorporating the output power of the electromagnetic unit aims to address the power consumption requirements of low-power devices better.