Abstract
In this paper, we propose a diaphragm type vibration energy harvester with a flexible auxetic structure. The proposed energy harvester consists of a piezoelectric layer and an elastic layer, and we applied the flexible auxetic structure to the elastic layer. The auxetic-type harvester deforms largely, and thus, the strain amount in piezoelectric layer increases. Therefore, the improvement of power generation performance can be expected. In addition to the flexibility, a unique deformation behavior of the auxetic structure leads to a further increase of the strain in the piezoelectric material. According to FEM analysis, the proposed auxetic-type harvester achieved lower resonance frequency and higher output power than the conventional flat-type harvesters. In addition, the auxetic-type harvester obtained 27% improvement of output power that is originated from the unique deformation of the auxetic structure.
