A Parallel-SSHI Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Interface with Efficient Maximum Power Point Tracking Using Half-Cycle Sampling Technique
Received: 1 March 2026 | Revised: 5 April 2026 | Accepted: 17 April 2026 | Online: 10 May 2026
Corresponding author: Chong Gun Yu
Abstract
Efficient Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) in vibration energy harvesting systems commonly relies on the Fractional Open Circuit Voltage (FOCV) technique, which requires fast and accurate sampling of the Open Circuit Voltage (VOC). However, conventional FOCV approaches that periodically open the Rectifier (REC) output suffer from long VOC settling times, leading to increased power losses and degraded tracking efficiency. This paper presents a fast half-cycle VOC sampling technique and its application to a Parallel Synchronized Switch Harvesting on Inductor (P-SSHI) rectifier-based interface circuit. By opening the piezoelectric energy harvester via the negative-voltage converter rather than the REC output, the proposed method enables VOC sampling in only half of the vibration cycle while minimizing the MPPT phase. In addition, operation-aware block enabling is employed to further reduce circuit power consumption. The proposed interface circuit was designed in a 0.35-μm CMOS process. Simulation results demonstrate that the circuit delivers 19.5-89.0 μW to the load over an input range of 0.75-1.6 V at 150 Hz. The achieved MPPT efficiency exceeds 97.7%, peaking at 98.6%, while the Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) exceeds 96.1%, peaking at 97.4%. The proposed approach significantly reduces MPPT-induced power loss and is well-suited for low-power vibration energy harvesting applications.
Keywords:
energy harvesting, piezoelectric, maximum power point tracking (MPPT), FOCV, P-SSHI rectifierDownloads
References
K. Bhatt, S. Kumar, S. Kumar, S. Sharma, and V. Singh, "A review on energy harvesting technologies: Comparison between non-conventional and conceptual approaches," Energy Reports, vol. 12, pp. 4717–4740, Dec. 2024.
S. Sudevalayam and P. Kulkarni, "Energy Harvesting Sensor Nodes: Survey and Implications," IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 13, no. 3, Oct. 2011, Art. no. 443.
E.-J. Yoon, J.-T. Park, and C.-G. Yu, "Thermal energy harvesting circuit with maximum power point tracking control for self-powered sensor node applications," Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 285–296, Feb. 2018.
C. Lu, C.-Y. Tsui, and W.-H. Ki, "Vibration Energy Scavenging System With Maximum Power Tracking for Micropower Applications," IEEE Trans. Very Large Scale Integr. Syst., vol. 19, no. 11, pp. 2109–2119, Aug. 2011.
C.-G. Yu, "A vibrational energy harvesting interface circuit with maximum power point tracking control," International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, vol. 12, no. 22, pp. 12102-12107, Jan. 2017.
Z. J. Chew and M. Zhu, "Adaptive Maximum Power Point Finding Using Direct VOC/2 Tracking Method With Microwatt Power Consumption for Energy Harvesting," IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 33, no. 9, pp. 8164–8173, Sep. 2018.
Y. K. Ramadass and A. P. Chandrakasan, "An Efficient Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Interface Circuit Using a Bias-Flip Rectifier and Shared Inductor," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 189–204, Jan. 2010.
D. A. Sanchez, J. Leicht, F. Hagedorn, E. Jodka, E. Fazel, and Y. Manoli, "A Parallel-SSHI Rectifier for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting of Periodic and Shock Excitations," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 51, no. 12, pp. 2867–2879, Sep. 2016.
L. Wu and D. S. Ha, "A Self-Powered Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Circuit With an Optimal Flipping Time SSHI and Maximum Power Point Tracking," IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, vol. 66, no. 10, pp. 1758–1762, Jul. 2019.
S. Li, A. Roy, and B. H. Calhoun, "A Piezoelectric Energy-Harvesting System With Parallel-SSHI Rectifier and Integrated Maximum-Power-Point Tracking," IEEE Solid-State Circuits Letters, vol. 2, no. 12, pp. 301–304, Sep. 2019.
S. Du and A. A. Seshia, "An Inductorless Bias-Flip Rectifier for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 52, no. 10, pp. 2746–2757, Jul. 2017.
Z. Chen, M.-K. Law, P.-I. Mak, X. Zeng, and R. P. Martins, "Piezoelectric Energy-Harvesting Interface Using Split-Phase Flipping-Capacitor Rectifier With Capacitor Reuse for Input Power Adaptation," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 55, no. 8, pp. 2106–2117, Dec. 2020.
L. Liu, J. Ma, X. Liao, Y. Ou, Y. Xie, and Z. Zhu, "A 1.5-Cycle Fast Sampling P-SSHC Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Interface," IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, vol. 69, no. 9, pp. 3724–3728, Sep. 2022.
L. Liu, Y. Yu, X. Liao, J. Yin, J. Ma, and X. Wang, "MPPT Multiplexed Hybrid Energy Harvesting Interface With Adaptive Switching Cycle and Single-Cycle Sampling for Wearable Electronics," IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, vol. 70, no. 8, pp. 3187–3197, Dec. 2023.
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Chong Gun Yu

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
