Abstract
Energy harvesters are devices that accumulate ambient vibrational energy from the environment, and for the time being, variable capacitance is the most widely used mechanism. Various designs were proposed to increase the power of such devices, and in particular, the interdigitated electrode (IDE) pattern is the mainstream. Nevertheless, most IDE designs focus merely on the parallel-type vibrations of electrodes. In this study, the performance of a novel harvester, which combined circular membrane and interdigitated ring electrodes (IRE), was investigated. This design allows the device to collect energy from the rotational structure motions of electrodes through the vibrating membrane. Besides, the circular structure provides a dense capacitive arrangement that is higher than that of the arrangement obtained using regular rectangular chips. The IRE diagram is composed of many capacitive rings, each of which harvests vibrated energy simultaneously. Three gaps (1, 10, and 100 μm) of the ring are investigated for the first four vibrational modes of the membrane to understand the effect of energy output. It is found that the energy outputs are approximately the same for the three gaps; however, rings with a wider gap are easier to manufacture in MEMS.
Highlights
The mechanism of variable capacitance is widely used in vibration energy harvesters (VEHs), such as reverse electrowetting [1,2], honeycomb [3], electrostatic levitation [4], and interdigitated electrode (IDE) devices
We propose a mathematical model to analytically investigate the performance of the energy harvester with the interdigitated ring electrode (IRE) on a circular membrane
In order to examine the effect of the inclined-plate capacitor on the circular membrane, energy gain per vibration cycle of the harvester is expressed as follows the rotating and the non-rotating electrode structures are discussed
Summary
The mechanism of variable capacitance is widely used in vibration energy harvesters (VEHs), such as reverse electrowetting [1,2], honeycomb [3], electrostatic levitation [4], and interdigitated electrode (IDE) devices. The harvester is composed of a flexible circular membrane and a metal conductor with a certain IRE pattern. This device enables the energy collection from the vibration of radial electrodes on the diaphragm rather than the parallel motions of adjacent electrodes. This work is a theoretical discussion, our analysis provides useful information that pure experiments cannot offer Such information includes the modal shape of the circular membrane and the angle profile of ringed electrodes on the deformed membrane, which enables us to find the optimal distribution of electrodes to raise the power of the harvester
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