Energy shuttle based high energy piezoelectric apparatus and method

An energy harvester apparatus comprising:

• a bimorph piezoceramic beam having opposing first and second ends, with said first end being fixedly supported to a support structure;
• a negative spring force subsystem having a first end fixedly secured against movement, and a second end secured to said second end of said piezoelectric beam;
• said negative spring force subsystem including:
• a rod;
• a linear slide assembly operatively coupled to said rod;
• a tensioner component adapted to be fixedly secured to said rod at a desired position on said rod;
• a biasing element positioned over said rod between said tensioner component and said linear slide assembly for applying an adjustable biasing force to said linear slide assembly;
• and
• a linkage member coupled at a first end pivotally to said linear slide assembly and at a second end to said second end of said bimorph piezoelectric beam;
• said biasing element bending said bimorph piezoelectric beam sufficiently to overcome an inherent stiffness of said piezoceramic beam and to enable said second end of said beam to move readily, in oscillating fashion, between two stable positions in response to vibration energy.

A piezoelectric apparatus comprising:

• a piezoelectric beam having opposing first and second ends, with said first end being fixedly supported to a support structure;
• a negative spring force subsystem having a first end fixedly secured against movement adjacent said first end of said piezoelectric beam, and a second end secured to said second end of said piezoelectric beam;
• said negative spring force subsystem including:
• a linkage system;
• and
• a biasing element operably associated with said linkage system for applying an adjustable negative spring force to said piezoelectric beam to compress and soften said piezoelectric beam and enhance oscillating movement of said piezoelectric beam between two stable positions;
• and
• a device having an input operatively coupled to said second end of said piezoelectric beam and driven by said oscillating motion of said second end of said piezoelectric beam.

An energy harvesting method comprising:

• supporting a first end of a piezoelectric beam fixedly from a support structure;
• using a negative spring force generating subsystem that has a first end thereof coupled fixedly adjacent the first end of said piezoelectric beam, and a second end thereof coupled to a second end of said piezoelectric beam, to apply a negative spring force to said piezoelectric beam to flex said beam sufficiently to overcome a stiffness of said beam, and such that the second end of said piezoelectric beam is able to move readily in an over center fashion between two stable positions;
• and
• using said second end of said piezoelectric beam to at least one of control and drive an external device.

A method for forming a drive implement responsive to electrical input energy, comprising:

• supporting a first end of a piezoelectric beam fixedly from a support structure;
• using a negative spring force generating subsystem having a first end coupled fixedly adjacent the first end of the piezoelectric beam, and a second end coupled to a second end of said piezoelectric beam, to apply a compressive, negative spring force to said piezoelectric beam to flex said beam sufficiently to overcome a stiffness of said piezoelectric beam, and such that said second end of said piezoelectric beam is able to move readily in an over center fashion between two stable positions in response to an application and removal of electrical signals to said piezoelectric beam;
• and
• using said second end of said piezoelectric beam to drive an external device.