Abstract
An energy harvester apparatus that includes a piezoelectric beam having opposing first and second ends, with the first end being fixedly supported to a support structure. A negative spring force subsystem has a first end fixedly secured against movement, and a second end secured to the second end of said piezoelectric beam. The negative spring force subsystem includes a linkage system and a biasing element operably associated with the linkage system for applying an adjustable, negative spring force to the piezoelectric beam to soften the piezoelectric beam. The negative spring force subsystem is adjusted to flex the beam sufficiently to overcome the inherent stiffness of the beam such that two stable positions for the beam are created. The beam is therefore able to oscillate between the two stable positions in an over center fashion in response to a low magnitude vibration signal. In various embodiments the system is implemented to provide an input drive signal to control various types of external devices.
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