An Efficient Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Interface Circuit Using a Sense-and-Set Rectifier

Abstract

Piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) are widely deployed in many self-sustaining systems, and proper rectifier circuits can significantly improve the energy conversion efficiency and, thus, increase the harvested energy. Various active rectifiers have been proposed in the past decade, such as synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI) and synchronous electric charge extraction (SECE). This article presents a sense-and-set (SaS) rectifier that achieves maximum-power-point-tracking (MPPT) of PEHs and maintains optimal energy extraction for different input excitation levels and output voltages. The proposed circuit is fabricated in the 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS process with a 0.47-mm2 core area, a 230-nW active power, and a 7-nW leakage power. Measured with a commercial PEH device (Mide PPA-1022) at 85- and 60-Hz vibration frequency, the proposed circuit shows 512% and 541% power extraction improvement [figure of merit (FoM)] compared with an ideal full-bridge rectifier (FBR) for ON-resonance and OFF-resonance vibrations, respectively, while maintaining high efficiency across different input levels and PEH parameters.