Controlling the Frequency Response of a Cantilever-Based Energy Harvesters Using Split Piezoelectric Elements

In this paper, we propose splitting the piezoelectric material into smaller segments to change the resonant frequency of an energy harvesting cantilever. The effect of changing the length of each of these individual segments on the frequency response and output power is presented. The proposed system is simulated using Comsol. The simulation results indicate that the splitting idea is suitable for building an array of the piezoelectric tunable cantilevers. This will allow for wideband harvesters' implementation.