A Self-Powered Rectifier-Less Series-Synchronized Switch Harvesting on Inductor (S-SSHI) Interface Circuit for Flutter-Based Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

Energy harvesting from flow-induced vibrations has been a hot spot in recent years. In this study, a flutter-based piezoelectric energy harvester (FPEH) connected with a self-powered rectifier-less S-SSHI interface circuit is working at the limit cycle oscillation (LCO) state to efficiently harvest wind-induced vibration energy. First, an FPEH is designed, and the theoretical model is derived. The dynamic response of the FPEH is tested and measured in a wind tunnel, and results show that flutters start at the wind speed of 7.3 m/s. Meanwhile, the root mean square (RMS) output voltage increases with the increase of the wind speed which is also proved by the numerical simulations and the experiment. A self-powered optimized series synchronized switch harvesting on inductor circuit (SP-OSSHI) is proposed to efficiently harvest the electrical energy according to the output characteristic from flutter. The proposed circuit reduces the number of components and the circuit size by improving the positive and negative peak detection switches, which reduces the internal energy loss and thus improves the energy harvesting efficiency. The energy harvester is verified by the experiment, and a maximum output power of 36 μ W is obtained.