Analytical Study of Piezoelectric Harvesters With SECE and SSHI Under Variable Excitation

Abstract

A theoretical analysis aimed at predicting the power extracted from resonant piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters feeding synchronous switching-type electronic interfaces under variable mechanical excitation is proposed. In particular, for the widely used synchronous electric charge extraction (SECE) and synchronized switching harvesting on an inductor (SSHI) switching interfaces, the nonlinear equations describing the circuit behavior are solved under reasonable assumptions, and closed-form expressions of the extracted power are derived as a function of the circuit parameters and of the vibration characteristics, in the case of modulated mechanical vibrations. Numerical and experimental results validate the proposed closed-form expressions and show their usefulness for design purposes.