Dual-function of energy harvesting and vibration isolation via quasi-zero stiffness piezoelectric mechanism

Industry 4.0 realizes intelligent interconnection through the sensor group of the Internet of Things. A key challenge is to achieve the self-powering of sensors and stable operation of precision instruments. This paper introduces a dual-functional structure (VIPEH) integrating energy harvesting (EH) and vibration isolation (VI) based on the quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) piezoelectric mechanism. The paper analyzes the nonlinear statics of piezoelectric flexible beams under large deformations and conducts parametric analysis. A nonlinear dynamic model with electromechanical coupling was developed to investigate the impact of mechanical and electrical parameters on the system's dynamic bifurcation behavior, EH, and VI performance. Finally, an experimental setup is created to evaluate the VIPEH's characteristics. Sweep frequency excitation experiments demonstrate that the initial isolation frequency of VIPEH is lower than 1.4 Hz. The important thing is that VIPEH can still power the sensor based on the isolation frequency, and the output power of a single piezoelectric material can reach 3.19 mW. This not only enables the isolation of low-frequency vibrations but also presents a highly promising application for achieving self-powering in sensor clusters within the context of Industry 4.0 and the IoTs.