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Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
Volume -2, Issue- 4, Aug. 2015, ISSN:
2394 - 8124
Website: www.jmeit.com | E-mail: editorjmeit@outlook.com|jmeit@outlook.com
All rights reserved © www.jmeit.com
9
Harvesting Electrical Energy via Vibration
Energy and its Applications
Vijay Laxmi Kalyani, Anjali Piaus, Preksha Vyas
Vijay Laxmi Kalyani, Assistant professor, ECE department, Govt. Women Engineering College, Ajmer
(vijaylaxmikalyani@yahoo.com)
Anjali Piaus, B.Tech Student IV year, ECE branch, Govt. Women Engineering College, Ajmer
(anjaligweca@gmail.com)
Preksha Vyas, B.Tech Student III year, ECE branch, Govt. Women Engineering College, Ajmer
(prekshav117@gmail.com)
Abstract: In present days electronic equipments are
charged by Solar Cells, Batteries etc., but the power
consumed is very large in such devices and moreover they
have a limited life span. So there is a need of renewable
sources of energy. Many conventional sources of energy
are being developed which are both efficient as well as
eco-friendly. Nowadays, harvesting energy from
vibration is one of the most promising technologies.
Human body produces 5 volts of energy; these vibrations
produced in the human body during various activities can
be harvested. Similarly vibration produced by a large
crowd or by a large traffic on the road, vibrations of tall
buildings, long bridges, vehicle systems, railroads, ocean
waves can also be harvested efficiently. The vibration
energy can be converted into electric energy and can be
stored which can be used efficiently in giving power to
many low power electronic appliances and the large
vibration energy harvesting obtain 1 W to 100 kW or
more .
So in this paper we are trying to focus on some methods
which will convert the vibration energy to electric energy.
We will try to discuss various types of power harvesting
techniques which will ultimately give us electrical energy
that can be used as a source of power for many electronic
appliances. In this paper we also discuss the relevant
applications include vibration energy harvesting from
human motion, road vehicles, transportations, and civil
structures.
Keywords: - Vibration energy, Transducer, piezoelectric
materials, Electromagnetic induction, applications.
I. INTRODUCTION
Let us start with the key meaning of vibration energy.
According to a theory, everything in the world vibrates at one
speed or the other. Nobody is complete stationary. The
vibration frequencies are sometimes so high that it becomes
impossible for the human eye to detect them. So here we are
using the vibration energies which often remain unnoticed to
give power to the electronic appliances.
With the global energy crisis and environment concerns,
many conventional sources of energies like wind energy,
solar power, Thermal Energy, Hydro Energy, Atomic Energy
etc. have been developed. It is only in the recent years that
the utility of vibration energy has been discovered. Since
vibration exists everywhere like vibration of floor and wall,
tall buildings, machines, pumps, road vehicle, railway tracks,
human motion and ocean waves etc. it becomes a good
alternative energy source.
Fig.1: Sources of generation of vibrational energy
Source: http://vibpower.w3.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/about-e.html
Basically what we intend to talk about here is what we call as
‘Power Harvesting’. It is collecting the wasted power from
the environment and in this paper specifically we are talking
about the vibration energy which is largely produced in our
day to day lives and is often taken into no use. If this vibration
energy is used and is converted into electrical energy which
can then be further utilized in low power electronic
appliances and in this way we can save power which will
ultimately lead to economic sustainability of any nation. The
human waste foot energy is being used to produce electricity
this would be a great evolution in electricity generation. The
average human can take 3,000 -5,000 steps a day [1].
There are many approaches which can be used to harness the
electrical energy from vibration energy. The vibration energy
harvesting system basically consists of a mechanical system
with external excitation, a transducer that converts the
vibration energy into electric energy, two of the most popular
transducers are piezoelectric materials and electromagnetic
transducer. mechanisms for motion transmission and
magnification which plays important roles in large-scale
vibration energy harvesting, power electronics and energy
storage elements, and energy management and control
strategies, as shown in Figure 2.
In this paper we are going to discuss the main three
approaches which we have considered to be important.
Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
Volume -2, Issue- 4, Aug. 2015, ISSN:
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I.I. VIBRATION ENERGY HARVESTING
Vibration energy harvesting method can use one of two types
of technologies: electromagnetic induction where energy is
harvested from the magnetic field produced within an AC
inductive motor and piezoelectric energy harvesting from
mechanical vibration.
I.I.I. TRANSDUCERS
A transducer is an electronic device which converts one form
of energy to another. Such as electrical energy, mechanical
energy , electromagnetic energy , chemical energy , acoustic
energy , and thermal energy etc. Traditionally, the vibration
energy is dissipated into heat waste by the damping elements
of the systems. Rather than dissipating the vibration energy
into heat waste by damping elements, the transducers in
vibration energy harvesting system can convert the
mechanical energy into electric energy. Various transducers
have been investigated for the vibration energy harvesting,
including piezoelectric materials (Galhardi et al.,2008;
Sodano and Inman, 2004), linear and rotational
electromagnetic motors (Rome et al., 2005), electrostatic
generators (Mitcheson et al., 2004), and dielectric generators
(Kornbluh et al., 2002). Among these transducers, the
piezoelectric materials and electromagnetic machines have
more potential for large-scale vibration energy harvesting. In
some situations, where the vibration mitigation of the
primary structure is concerned,
Piezoelectric materials and electromagnetic motors can also
serve as actuators simultaneously for the purpose of active or
regenerative vibration control, and thus, the power flow is
bidirectional, as shown in Figure 2.
Although both piezoelectric materials and electromagnetic
motors have been used in vibration energy harvesting, they
have different features. Piezo electric material is a force- or
stress-induced transducer, while electromagnetic motor is a
velocity-induced transducer.
Hence, piezoelectric material is more suitable for vibration
with large force and small deformation (due to limited strain
range). Electromagnetic motor is preferred
in the situations where vibration has large velocity or
amplitude. So far, electromagnetic motors have been found
more as the transducers for large-scale energy
harvesting. They have been used to harvest energy from
vehicle suspension and buildings. On the other hand,
piezoelectric materials have larger energy density (Chenet
al., 2006) and are more suitable for the applications where
the space or weight is a concern. In addition, Electromagnetic
motor usually produces a low voltage, while piezoelectric
materials normally generate a very high voltage, so they have
different requirements on power electronic circuits [2].
Fig.2: Block diagram of a vibration energy harvesting system
source:http://me.eng.sunysb.edu/~lzuo/Large-
scale%20vibration%20energy%20harvesting.pdf
I.I.II. PIEZOELECTRICITY
Piezoelectric crystals change the mechanical vibrations into
electric energy. Various researches have proved that such
harvested energy is excellent in scalability, capability, high
energy density and compatibility with standard electronic
technologies. Piezoelectric crystals can produce the required
voltage which can be used for giving power to many devices.
They have a crystalline structure with the help of which they
can produce electrical energy when mechanical stress is
applied.
For converting the mechanical vibrations into electrical
energy, there are two steps-firstly the mechanical energy has
to be converted into ac voltages and then these irregular ac
voltages are converted into dc voltage. Piezoelectricity was
investigated in late 1990s.This technology is very useful
which is constantly emerging. When electronic charge
accumulates in certain solid materials (like crystals, some
ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA and
certain proteins) which is produced in response to the
mechanical stress that is applied. In other words we can say
that when certain crystals such as quartz or ceramics are
exposed to mechanical strain then electrical polarization
takes place inside them and the degree of polarization is
directly proportional to the strain applied.
Fig. 3: Principle of direct piezoelectric effect
Fig. 4 Structure of piezoelectric element
Vibrations are vectors of mechanical energy which can be
converted into electrical energy via electromechanical
transducers, which are actually piezoelectric materials,
There are two types of modes in a piezoelectric material
which are known as coupling modes. These modes are
important for their efficient working.
Direct mode, in which it acts as a sensor and indirect mode,
in which the material acts as an actuator.
The properties of piezoelectric materials are similar to that of
ferromagnets in which molecules are oriented in such a way
that positive and negative charges are separated from each
other which are known as electric dipole. When the materials
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11
are heated above the certain level known as Curie
temperature than a strong electric field is induced and all the
dipoles arrange themselves relative to this electric field. After
the cooling of the materials the dipoles maintain their
orientation and the process is said to be poled. After this the
piezoelectric Effect starts. Lead zirconatetitanate,
piezoelectric ceramic, or Piezo ceramic also known as PZT
are the common type of piezoelectric materials which are
used in power harvesting. When the pressure is applied on
the piezoelectric crystal, the separation of charges take place
which results in the potential difference ultimately leading to
generation of electricity.
Fig.5: Generation of Electricity when pressure is applied on
piezoelectric crystal
With the use of piezoelectric crystal energy can be harvested
while walking, running. It can be also used to harvest the
energy produced by the traffic on the road and also in many
other cases. The rectified energy is stored by an electronic
switch which decides the charging and discharging level.
The piezoelectric system we are talking about also has two
parts, first is a transducer which is basically a piezoelectric
crystal and it converts mechanical vibrations into an irregular
ac voltage and then with the help of a rectifier we can convert
this irregular ac voltage into dc voltage.
Piezo electricity is derived from a Greek word,’piezin’ which
means to press and ‘piezo’ meaning to push.
In 1880, it was found by pierre Curie and Jacques that if
particular crystals when given pressure or mechanical strain,
they become electrically polarized and this polarization is
proportional to the applied strain and they named it as
‘piezoelectricity’. The piezoelectric effect is the linear
electromechanical interaction between the mechanical and
the electrical state in crystalline materials with no inversion
symmetry . Basically there is a sensor which senses the
mechanical vibration and the sensor used here is piezoelectric
crystal. In 1881 the same people were also able to find that
the reverse of piezoelectricity was also possible which means
when these materials were exposed to electrical variations,
they underwent deformations. Here, the Piezoelectric crystal
acts as an actuator.
Fig.6: Piezoelectric energy harvester
Source:http://www.npl.co.uk/science-technology/functional-
materials/research/vibrational-energy-harvesting
Energy harvesting is used to describe the scavenging of
ambient energy in the environment that would otherwise be
wasted. This energy could be in the form of heat, vibration,
electromagnetic, or even acoustic, where typically the aim is
to locally power autonomous devices such as wireless
sensors. Generally, power levels are low and the
environmental benefit of the technology is to replace
batteries rather than saving energy.Piezoelectric vibrational
energy harvesters are usually inertial mass based devices,
where a cantilever with a piezoelectric outer layer is excited
into resonance by a vibration source at the root of the
cantilever. The vibration could come from a number of
sources for instance a pump in an oil refinery, or a rotating
tyre etc.
I.I.III. ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION
Vibrational energy can be utilized efficiently to produce
electrical energy. For most of the part, vibrations are
considered unnecessary, whereas there are many fields in
which this kind of energy has been utilized in a more positive
direction.
This is done with the help of the basic principle of
electromagnetic induction. A spring acts as a power
generating medium. when vibrations are produced in the
presence of external agents like students entering the college
gate, traffic moving on a busy road, military troops passing
over a bridge, etc.
The spring vibrates and expands or contracts, in such
situations, an electric flux is generated. This in turn creates
electromagnetic induction resulting in electric voltage. the
mechanical strength of the spring is very high, such that it
does not break or collapse during the whole operation period
despite oscillating for continuously lengthy periods.
Moreover it is made very sensitive to small vibrations. Such
springs are called Vibration Amplification Springs. They
exhibit sensitive sympathetic vibrations towards external
oscillations.
The vibration amplification spring is used to encircle a
magnet and moved fastidiously in an upward movement and
downward motion. This in turn creates electromagnetic
induction resulting in electricity. This is the mechanism for
vibration power generation utilizing sensor movements.
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Volume -2, Issue- 4, Aug. 2015, ISSN:
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I.I.IV. MOTION TRANSMISSION AND
MAGNIFICATION
This mechanism can be used to increase the efficiency of the
electromagnetic motor based energy harvesting system [2].
I.I.V. POWER ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
In energy harvesting system, the power electronic circuits
plays the very important role. It regulate the AC harvested
power to DC with a voltage suitable for the load or energy
storage device. It enhance the harvesting efficiency. In most
situations, the vibration level always varies, resulting in the
low efficiency of circuit with fixed parameters optimized for
certain vibration level. Power electronic circuits with
controllable parameters are able to improve the energy
efficiency by adaptively changing certain parameters
according to the vibration level or external load. It control the
vibration, which is a special issue when semi-active or active
control is adopted and it manage the power flow [4]. The
power electronic circuits in vibration energy harvesting
system consist of rectifier, DC–DC converter, and energy
storage device as shown in fig.7.
Fig.7: Typical power electronic circuit in vibration energy
harvesting.
source:http://me.eng.sunysb.edu/~lzuo/Large-
scale%20vibration%20energy%20harvesting.pdf
II. ELECTRICITY GENERATING DEVICE
Reactor Control Division BARC invented an electricity
generating device [3]. Basically this device was designed to
generate electricity from the vibrations produced by
footsteps. This device can be embedded in the road can
convert foot impact energy to electric energy. This device
works on the principle that when a pedestrian walks he steps
on the top plate of the device, the plate will go down slightly
due to the weight. As the plate goes down the rotation of shaft
of an electric alternator takes place which generates electrical
energy.
Fig.8: footstep electric converter device
Source: http://www.barc.gov.in/publications/nl/2010/20100304.pdf
The top plate returns back to its original position because
of the negating springs provided in the device. At the output
of the alternator a bulb is connected. The glowing of the bulb
indicates the electric output when the foot load is applied.
Fig.9: footstep electric converter device
Source: http://www.barc.gov.in/publications/nl/2010/20100304.pdf
Finally the power generated is stored in an energy storing
device. The duration of lightening of bulb for the number of
footsteps and the energy stored is given as follows:-
No. of
Footsteps
Duration of
lighting a
100 watt
230 Volt
bulb (s)
Total
energy
(J)
Energy
/step (J)
250
6
600
2.4
500
12
1200
2.4
750
18
1800
2.4
1000
25
2500
2.5
Fig.10: Table-The duration of lightening of bulb for the number of
footsteps and the energy stored
Source: http://www.barc.gov.in/publications/nl/2010/20100304.pdf
This device can be used in a railway station or an airport
where large crowd keeps on entering. This type of power
harvesting technique can be used wherever large crowds are
attracted.
• Vibration Energy can be extracted from the large
crowd of children entering the school or college.
• This technique can be used in airports or railway
station where large gathering enters.
• It can be also used in a Marathon race where large
amount of people walk or run.
• This can be effectively used on a highway where
large traffic is there.
• It can also be applied where military parade takes
place.
• It can be also used in sports stadium where large
vibrations are produced.
Thus using electromagnetic induction the vibration
amplification spring was developed. This spring exhibits
sensitive sympathetic vibration towards external oscillations.
It is made up of a strong durable material such that there is
no fear of its breakage during operation. As a train moves on
the railway track, the vibration due to its movement also
vibrates the spring. The spring is placed inside a magnetic
field such that when it expands or contracts, the flux linking
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Volume -2, Issue- 4, Aug. 2015, ISSN:
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with it changes and hence voltage is generated. This in turn
results in electromagnetic induction producing electricity.
Another approach is piezoelectricity. Materials like quartz,
lead zirconate provide a transducer effect between electrical
and mechanical oscillations. Piezoelectric materials can be
fitted into the roads and as the vehicles pass by, they can be
reoriented and large amount of electrical energy can be
harvested. There is a huge scope of its applications in both
manufacturing and automobile industries. The global
demand for piezoelectric devices was valued at the
approximately US$14 billion in 2010.This method can be
used in road lights, traffic signals, display boards, without the
use of long electrical wires. It is an in- exhaustive form of
energy which can be produced almost everywhere.
.
III. APPLICATIONS
1. To Light The Street Lights On The Roads
This can be achieved by embedding small crystals of
piezoelectric materials inside the roads. When vehicles pass
over such crystals. they create vibration which is sensed by
such crystals and they deform thereafter converting the
deformations into electricity.
2. Using On Dance Floors
Many countries have started using piezoelectric crystals on
the dance floors.The vibrations caused by the dancer’s foot
produces mechanical strain and thereby producing
electricity.
Fig.11: -Piezoelectric crystal used under the dance floors
Source:http://www.ijarcce.com/upload/2014/october/IJARCCE4F
%20a%20alok%20A%20Unique%20Step%20towards%20Generati
on%20of%20Electricity%20via%20New%20Methodology.pdf
3. Using It Inside The Footwear
Piezoelectric crystals can be used in our foot wears, so that
whenever we walk, run or jump the vibrations can be sensed
by the piezoelectric crystal and can be converted into
electricity. Thus we can generate enough energy to power
cell phones, mp3 players etc.
Fig.12: Piezoelectric crystals used inside the shoe
http://www.ijarcce.com/upload/2014/october/IJARCCE4F%20a%2
0alok%20A%20Unique%20Step%20towards%20Generation%20of
%20Electricity%20via%20New%20Methodology.pdf
4. Embedding It Under The Floors
Fig.13:-Special flooring of tiles in japan with piezo electric
materials to harness the vibration energy.
Piezoelectric crystals can be laid under the floors of the
crowd attracting places such as railway stations, airports, city
malls so that the vibrations produced by the footsteps of the
crowd can be harnessed and converted into electricity. Japan
has already started experimenting use of piezoelectric effect
for energy generation by installing special flooring tiles at its
capitals’ two busiest stations. Tiles are installed in front of
ticket turnstiles. Thus every time a passenger steps on mats,
they trigger a small vibration that can be stored as energy [4].
5. At Railway Tracks
Fig.14: At railway tracks
source:http://www.proftec.com/eco-gizmo/award-winning-device-
harvests-energy-from-railway-track-vibrations/
Piezoelectricity has its application in the railway tracks.
When a train passes over the track the vibrations produced by
the moving train can be sensed and the material produces
voltage.
6. Airport Runways
Certain materials can be installed on the runways at the
airports such that when the fast moving airplanes pass over
them they sense the movement and accordingly deform to
produce electrical energy.
Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
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7. Vibration Energy Harvesting from Human and Vehicle
Motion
Fig.15 energy harvesting proliferates in Land Vehicles
Source:http://www.energyharvestingjournal.com/articles/7483/ener
gy-harvesting-proliferates-in-land-vehicles
IV. CONCLUSION
Through this paper we have made efforts to draw the
attention towards the need and uses of new and improved
techniques of generating and using power. Since the
resources on the earth are limited or exhaustible, it is the need
of the hour to bring into light new alternative power
generating sources which are both efficient and effective. By
using the energy sources generated on the earth on a daily
basis the problem of lack of resources for power generation
can be solved to a large extent.
One such innovative method, which is converting the
vibration energy produced by the daily activities on the earth
into usable electrical energy, can be a huge step into the field
of development of conventional sources of energy. It can be
employed in almost every area and the circuitry required is
both cost effective and easy. Through this technique, the
place where the energy is generated can use the converted
electrical energy at the same time.
Although, today there is lack of skills and knowledge to
utilize the vibrational energy to its maximum potential, but
with time and use more and more methods can be developed
which can be used to harvest the best out of this inexhaustible
form of energy and convert it into electrical form which can
later be used in future when needed.
V. REFERENCES
[1] Monika Jain, Mohit Dev Sharma, Niti Rana, Nitish Gupta,
“Vidyut Generation via Walking: Analysis”, International journal of
engineering sciences and research technology, [Jain,2(2): Feb.,
2013], ISSN: 2277-9655
[2] Lei Zuo and Xiudong, ''TangLarge-scale vibration energy
harvesting'' journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures,
24(11) 1405–1430Ó, The Author(s) 2013
[3] S.S.Taliyan, B.B. Biswas, R.K. Patil and G. P. Srivastava,''
Electricity From Footsteps'' Reactor Control Division, Electronics &
Instrumentation Group and T.K. Basu IPR, Gandhinagar
[4] Pramathesh.T, Ankur.S “Piezoelectric Crystals : Future Source
of Electricity” International Journal of Scientific Engineering
and(ISSN : 2277-1581),Volume 2 Issue 4, pp: 260-2621 April2013
Author’s Details
Vijay Laxmi Kalyani is currently working as Assistant
Professor in the department of ECE in GWEC, Ajmer. She
has attended various workshops, conferences, FDP, STC etc.
and also published many research papers in Various
International Journals, National Journals and Conferences,
Member-IAENG.
Anjali Piaus is pursuing B.Tech (IV-year) in Electronics and
Communication Engineering in GWEC, Ajmer.
Preksha Vyas is pursuing B.Tech (III-year) in Electronics
and Communication Engineering in GWEC, Ajmer.
