An Electromagnetic MEMS Energy Harvester Array with Multiple Vibration Modes

• Main Authors: Huicong Liu, Tao Chen, Lining Sun, Chengkuo Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2015-07-01
• Series: Micromachines
• Subjects: MEMS; energy harvester; electromagnetic; multi-frequency
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/6/8/984

This paper reports the design, micromachining and characterization of an array of electromagnetic energy harvesters (EHs) with multiple frequency peaks. The authors present the combination of three multi-modal spring-mass structures so as to realize at least nine resonant peaks within a single microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) chip. It is assembled with permanent magnet to show an electromagnetic-based energy harvesting capability. This is the first demonstration of multi-frequency MEMS EH existing with more than three resonant peaks within a limited frequency range of 189 to 662 Hz. It provides a more effective approach to harvest energy from the vibration sources of multiple frequency peaks.