Design and Evaluation of Double-Stage Energy Harvesting Floor Tile

Don Isarakorn, Subhawat Jayasvasti, Phosy Panthongsy, Pattanaphong Janphuang and Kazuhiko Hamamoto
Additional contact information
Don Isarakorn: Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand
Subhawat Jayasvasti: Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand
Phosy Panthongsy: Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand
Pattanaphong Janphuang: Synchrotron Light Research Institute, 111 University Avenue, Muang District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
Kazuhiko Hamamoto: Department of Information Media Technology, School of Information and Telecommunication Engineering, Tokai University, Takanawa Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8619, Japan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: This paper introduces the design and characterization of a double-stage energy harvesting floor tile that uses a piezoelectric cantilever to generate electricity from human footsteps. A frequency up-conversion principle, in the form of an overshooting piezoelectric cantilever, plucked with a proof mass is utilized to increase energy conversion efficiency. The overshoot of the proof mass is implemented by a mechanical impact between a moving cover plate and a stopper to prevent damage to the plucked piezoelectric element. In an experiment, the piezoelectric cantilever of a floor tile prototype was excited by a pneumatic actuator that simulated human footsteps. The key parameters affecting the electrical power and energy outputs were investigated by actuating the prototype with a few kinds of excitation input. It was found that, when actuated by a single simulated footstep, the prototype was able to produce electrical power and energy in two stages. The cantilever resonated at a frequency of 14.08 Hz. The output electricity was directly proportional to the acceleration of the moving cover plate and the gap between the cover plate and the stopper. An average power of 0.82 mW and a total energy of 2.40 mJ were obtained at an acceleration of 0.93 g and a gap of 4 mm. The prototype had a simple structure and was able to operate over a wide range of frequencies.

Keywords: frequency up-conversion; piezoelectric energy harvester; double-stage energy harvesting mechanism; low and variable-frequency vibration energy harvesting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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