Rectifier and structural design for efficient energy harvesting system from impact-based piezoelectric array

This paper describes an efficient method for piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) system from impact forces using an array of piezoelectric modules. Specifically, the rectifier circuit and array configuration are considered. It is shown that rectifying the signal from each piezoelectric module separately generates more energy and charges a capacitor faster than using a single rectifier for all modules connected in series. In addition, the array can be designed such that the modules are impacted simultaneously or sequentially with a phase difference. We show that the latter allows faster energy harvesting. These results could be used in the design of efficient impact-based PEH system.