Improved mechanical reliability of MEMS piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters for automotive applications

This paper addresses the issue of the mechanical reliability of MEMS piezoelectric vibration harvesters aimed at powering tire pressure monitoring systems. These harvesters generate sufficient power for the targeted application. However, for bringing them to the automotive market, their mechanical reliability has to be optimized, particularly in terms of shock resilience. Experimentally verified methods for improving the mechanical reliability of such devices are showcased in this article. These methods concern both the design of the harvesters (introduction of stoppers in the package) and their manufacturing process (release method of the MEMS structure).