Finite Element Simulation and Comparison of Piezoelectric Vibration-Based Energy Harvesters with Advanced Electric Circuits

A system simulation method based on the Finite-Element Method (FEM) is applied to simulate a bimorph piezoelectric vibration-based energy harvester (PVEH) with different electric circuits: The standard circuit, the synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI) circuit and the synchronized electric charge extraction (SECE) circuit are considered. Moreover, nonlinear elasticity of the piezoelectric material is taken into account and different magnitudes of base excitations are applied. The holistic FEM-based system simulation approach allows the detailed evaluation of the influences of the considered electric circuits on the vibrational behavior of the PVEH. Furthermore, the harvested energy of the different applied electric circuits with respect to the magnitude of base excitation is compared and results from literature regarding the efficiency of electric circuits are confirmed.