An energy harvesting system for harvesting energy in response to application of an external force. The energy harvesting system comprises a beam member having a central member and at least one piezoelectric layer joined to the central member for deflection therewith. The beam member includes opposing first and second ends and is elastically deformable in response to application of the external force. A first mount couples the first end of the beam member and is generally stationary. A second mount couples the second end of the beam member. The second mount and the second end of the beam member are generally moveable in response to application of the external force between a first position and a second position, thereby outputting energy from the at least one piezoelectric layer in response to the movement from the first position to the second position.

A power generation device is provided. A weight may vibrate in one direction as an axial direction in response to an external vibration. A beam may be arranged in at least one side with respect to the weight in the axial direction of the weight, and vibrate together with the weight. A piezoelectric element may be mounted on the beam. A guide may include a hollow guiding a movement of the weight in the axial direction. A stopper may be included in the weight. The stopper may restrict an amount of the movement of the weight in the axial direction within a predetermined amount. A stopper wall may stop the movement of the weight in the axial direction by contacting with the stopper.

A power generating apparatus includes a power generating element, a lever mechanism including a force point, a support point, and an action point, a first magnetic body disposed on the lever mechanism, and a second magnetic body having magnetic characteristics of being attracted to the first magnetic body. Upon the lever mechanism being pressed, the action point applies a load to the power generating portion and the first magnetic body approaches the second magnetic body while being attracted to the second magnetic body.

A device including a deformable shell delimiting an inner space, and a resilient band suspended in the inner space and including two ends secured to the deformable shell. The band includes a piezoelectric material to generate an electric voltage under the effect of the deformation of the shell and two electrodes for collecting the voltage. An electronic circuit for processing the voltage is arranged on the resilient band and connected to the electrodes of the resilient band.

An energy harvester includes a frame having a base, a first side member affixed to the base, and a second side member affixed to the base and spaced apart from the first side member. A beam is coupled between the first side member of the frame and the second side member of the frame. The beam has a substrate layer with a first end affixed to the first side member of the frame, a second end affixed to the second side member of the frame, a first face, and a second face opposite to the first face. The substrate is elastically deformable in response to the vibratory force. The beam further includes a first piezoelectric layer joined to the first face of the substrate layer and having a terminal for electrical connection to a load, the first piezoelectric layer comprising at least one piezoelectric patch.

A power generating element according to the present invention includes: a support frame formed in a frame shape in plan view; a vibrating body provided inside the support frame; a first bridge portion and a second bridge portion that supports the vibrating body on the support frame; and a charge generating element to generate a charge at the time of displacement of the vibrating body. The support frame includes a first frame portion arranged on a first side with respect to the vibrating body and includes a second frame portion arranged on a second side opposite to the first side with respect to the vibrating body. The first bridge portion couples the vibrating body with the first frame portion. The second bridge portion couples the vibrating body with the second frame portion.

A power generator including a piezoelectric element that includes a piezoelectric film, and a first electrode and a second electrode sandwiching the piezoelectric film therebetween; a deformable body that has Young's modulus larger than synthetic Young's modulus of the piezoelectric element; a first fixing member that directly fixes the piezoelectric element and the deformable body; and a second fixing member that is disposed apart from the first fixing member and fixes the piezoelectric element. The deformable body is deformed with respect to stress from outside in a direction in which a distance between the first fixing member and the second fixing member is lengthened.

An energy harvesting tape comprising a plurality of flexible layers. The plurality of flexible layers includes a solar cell layer configured to capture solar energy, a thermoelectric layer configured to capture thermal energy, one or more piezoelectric layers configured to capture mechanical energy; and an electrode layer configured to capture radiofrequency energy and to transmit a radiofrequency signal. The energy harvesting tape also includes one or more processing units on at least one of the plurality of flexible layers. The one or more processing units are configured to use the captured energy from the plurality of flexible layers to transmit the radiofrequency signal. The energy harvesting tape has a length, a width, and a thickness, where the length is greater than the width, and the width is greater than the thickness.

A micro-electromechanical system (1) comprising: a sensor device (2), with a measuring deformer (3) exhibiting an effective temperature T1; a high-frequency resonator (4) that is mechanically coupled to the sensor device (2) and can interact with the measuring deformer (3); an energy converter (7) that is operatively connected to the high-frequency resonator (4) and is configured to excite the high-frequency resonator (4) into a vibration state, wherein, through the interaction of the vibrating high-frequency resonator (4) with the measuring deformer (3), energy can be transferred from the measuring deformer (3) to the high-frequency resonator (4) in such a manner that the measuring deformer (3) after the energy transfer exhibits an effective temperature T2 lower than T1.

A crystal pattern forming method includes: an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer forming process for forming an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer on one of surfaces of a substrate; an amorphous film forming process for forming an amorphous film on the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer; a mask forming process for forming an electromagnetic wave blocking mask for blocking an electromagnetic wave on the other one of the surfaces of the substrate; and a crystallizing process for causing the substrate to be irradiated with the electromagnetic wave from the other one of the surfaces of the substrate through the electromagnetic wave blocking mask to crystallize a given region in the amorphous film. In the mask forming process, a recessed structure is formed on the other one of the surfaces of the substrate, by selectively removing the other one of the surfaces of the substrate to form a recessed portion.