Cantilever-based electret energy harvesters

Integration of structures and functions has permitted the electricity consumption of sensors, actuators and electronic devices to be reduced. Therefore, it is now possible to imagine low-consumption devices able to harvest energy from their surrounding environment. One way to proceed is to develop converters able to turn mechanical energy, such as vibrations, into electricity: this paper focuses on electrostatic converters using electrets. We develop an accurate analytical model of a simple but efficient cantilever-based electret energy harvester. We prove that with vibrations of 0.1 g (similar to 1 m s(-2)), it is theoretically possible to harvest up to 30 mu W per gram of mobile mass. This power corresponds to the maximum output power of a resonant energy harvester according to the model of William and Yates. Simulation results are validated by experimental measurements, raising at the same time the large impact of parasitic capacitances on the output power. Therefore, we 'only' managed to harvest 10 mu W per gram of mobile mass, but according to our factor of merit, this is among the best results so far achieved.