A Miniature Three-Axis Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

In this paper, we demonstrate a novel miniature three-axis piezoelectric energy harvester. The energy harvester consists of four piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate cantilever beams, connector, proof mass, and mechanic frame. Through the connector, a special configuration with a well-constrained mechanism of the energy harvester is achieved. Due to the configuration/mechanism of the energy harvester, the Newton’s law of inertia and piezoelectric effect are utilized to convert the in-plane (either x-axis or y-axis) and out-of-plane (z-axis) environmental vibrations into voltage responses. This achieves energy harnessing from 3-axial environmental vibration.