The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 18, 2021
Filed:
Oct. 19, 2016
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Ruize Xu, Cambridge, MA (US);
Sang-Gook Kim, Wayland, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
Described embodiments provide a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) vibration energy harvester. The energy harvester includes a buckled multi-layer beam that includes a plurality of stacked layers. The plurality of stacked layers includes at least one piezoelectric layer. Each one of the plurality of stacked layers has a determined stress level and a determined thickness. The determined stress level includes at least a compressive stress. The plurality of stacked layers achieves a desired total stress level of the beam to achieve substantial deformation of the beam in at least one direction when a proof mass is added to the beam. In response to applied external vibrations having a vibration frequency and an acceleration amplitude, the beam deflects and deforms to provide strain to the at least one piezoelectric layer, thereby generating an electrical charge to provide a continuous power output in response to the external vibrations.