Analytical model for the energy harvesting of a spherical sensor from ambient vibrations

In this work an analytical model for the energy harvesting of an acoustic spherical sensor has been developed in the context to make it autonomous. Our spherical sensor is composed of two half-spheres of Plexiglas and a piezoelectric ring of PZ26 that can be used as exciter or sensor. For the analytical model, the piezoelectric ring was modeled using two primary modes of vibration: thickness and radial. For each mode, the ring is described by an equivalent electromechanical model which connects the mechanical part (forces and velocities) to the electrical part (voltage and current). The proposed paper theoretical model enables building a global electromechanical circuit in order to simulate the total harvested voltage response.