A bio-inspired host-parasite structure for broadband vibration energy harvesting from low-frequency random sources

Energy harvesting for low-power sensing has drawn great attention, but still faces challenges in harnessing broadband random motions. Inspired by the parasitic relationship in plants, a host-parasite vibration harvester is designed to scavenge random low-frequency vibrations by incorporating bi-stability and frequency up-conversion within such a design. A hosting beam is formed in a buckled condition by clamping it at both ends and applying an axial compression load. Two parasitic piezoelectric beams are fixed at the center of the hosting beam and plucked at the free ends by two plectra on the hosting beam, while it oscillates in an inter-well mode. The low-frequency hosting beam oscillation is converted to high-frequency parasitic beam's vibration at resonance due to the plucking effect, allowing the harvester to convert the broadband low-frequency motion into electricity effectively. The electromechanical dynamics are modeled and the design is validated experimentally. The harvester is capable of harnessing low-frequency random vibration (0.0018 g²/Hz @ 5-400 Hz) over a wide bandwidth. More than 1 mJ energy was collected over 100 s under this pseudorandom vibration.