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Abstract A novel practical technology of energy-scavenging, through electromechanical conversion of piezoelectric structures to extract energy from ambient vibrations, is introduced for the realization of wireless energy supply to microelectronic devices. These acoustic-wave devices, consisting of piezoelectric structures for energy-scavenging, are called piezoelectric harvesters which can be divided into two categories: One is called piezoelectric power harvester whose ac output power scavenged from ambient vibrations is directly supply to electronic devices without any energy-storage; the second is called piezoelectric energy harvester which possesses energy-storage function. In some applications, a microelectronic device is required to perform its duty infrequently, for example a few minutes over a long period of time. The harvesters with energy-storage function can still supply those devices after a long energy accumulation, even if they operate in a low vibration background environment. The structures of piezoelectric power/energy harvesters and the analysis methods are described in detail in the paper. The effective measures to improve the efficiency of harvesters are illustrated and the corresponding mechanisms are revealed. There is some great significance on the design and application of piezoelectric power/energy harvesters.
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Received: 02 December 2010
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2010, Vol. 31 
