A newly proposed T-shape piezoelectric actuator, composed of piezoelectric benders, was designed and studied. This actuator has four legs, and can walk in both forward and backward directions. The piezoelectric actuator has a simple structure and can be easily fabricated. It consists of a piezoelectric bender and a joint. The piezoelectric bender is composed of carbon and ceramic materials. Therefore, there is an advantage in that it can be fabricated on a very small scale. Elliptical displacements of the piezoelectric actuators were analyzed by finite element analysis. Elliptical motion at the tip occurred at two voltages having a 90-degree phase difference. Based on the finite element analysis results, prototype actuators with maximum displacements were fabricated, and the characteristics of their movements were characterized.

Recently, energy harvesting technology is increasing due to the fossil fuel shortages. Energy harvesting is generating electrical energy from wasted energies as sunlight, wind, waves, pressure, and vibration etc. Energy harvesting is one of the alternatives of fossil fuel. One of the energy harvesting technologies, the piezoelectric energy harvesting has been actively studied. Piezoelectric generating uses a positive piezoelectric effect which produces electrical energy when mechanical vibration is applied to the piezoelectric device. Piezoelectric energy harvesting has an advantage in that it is relatively not affected by weather, area and place. Also, stable and sustainable energy generation is possible. However, the output power is relatively low, so in this paper, newly designed honeycomb shaped piezoelectric energy harvesting device for increasing a generating efficiency. The output characteristics of the piezoelectric harvesting device were analyzed according to the change of parameters by using the finite element method analysis program. One model which has high output voltage was selected and a prototype of the honeycomb shaped piezoelectric harvesting device was fabricated. Experimental results from the fabricated device were compared to the analyzed results. After the AC-DC converting, the power of one honeycomb shaped piezoelectric energy harvesting device was measured 2.3[mW] at road resistance 5.1[KΩ]. And output power was increased the number of harvesting device when piezoelectric energy harvesting device were connected in series and parallel.

Citations

• A Study on the User Needs for Developing Smart Fashion Items Using Energy-Harvesting Technology Based on Outdoor Activity
  Eunyoung Lee, Jung-Sim Roh
  Fashion & Textile Research Journal.2017; 19(2): 221.     CrossRef