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A micro-electro-pyrotechnic energy-harvesting apparatus to harvest an incidental portion of a propellant energy utilized when a munition is fired freeing a magnet to strike an impact pin that strains a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element generates a collected voltage, which triggers a p

A micro-electro-pyrotechnic energy-harvesting apparatus to harvest an incidental portion of a propellant energy utilized when a munition is fired freeing a magnet to strike an impact pin that strains a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element generates a collected voltage, which triggers a pyrotechnic initiator that, on activation, produces a straining force on a plurality of stacks of piezoelectric elements. The strained piezoelectric elements, in turn, generate a high voltage output sufficient to ignite the munition's explosive material. The apparatus may be quite small, for example, the cross-sectional size of a pen, which is about one centimeter, yet suitable for generating an electrical ignition of the explosive material.

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1. An energy harvesting apparatus for a munition, comprising: a low output voltage module comprising: a covering housing including a sidewall with an interior diameter and an exterior diameter, an open bottom, a closed top wall, and a plurality of positions in the sidewall for receiving a shear pin,

1. An energy harvesting apparatus for a munition, comprising: a low output voltage module comprising: a covering housing including a sidewall with an interior diameter and an exterior diameter, an open bottom, a closed top wall, and a plurality of positions in the sidewall for receiving a shear pin, where an interior region of the sidewall being proximate to the open bottom is threaded;a plurality of shear pins;a supporting plate including a plurality of perimeter perforations, wherein the supporting plate is held in place by a plurality of shear pins which intersect the positions on the covering housing and the perimeter perforations in the supporting plate, wherein the shear pins are sheared when the munition is fired, wherein the supporting plate partitions an interior of the covering housing into an upper volume defined by an upper surface of the supporting plate to the closed top wall of the covering housing, and wherein a lower volume is situated below the supporting plate;a magnetic proof mass occupying the upper volume, wherein prior to firing, the magnetic proof mass is restrained by the supporting plate and the covering housing, and wherein the magnetic proof mass has a persistent magnetic field;a metal base plate including an upper surface and a recessed rear portion, wherein a center of the plate includes a smaller diameter protruding upper round portion with an upper face and a height with an exterior threaded perimeter, wherein said smaller diameter is comparable to the interior diameter of the covering housing, whereby the covering housing is screwed onto the protruding upper round portion until it abuts the upper surface of the metal base plate, and wherein said metal base plate furthermore includes an axial channel that extends through the protruding upper round portion, which widens proximate to the recessed rear portion;an impact pin including a rod portion terminating in an end and a flat-block pusher with a lower surface, wherein the impact pin is fitted in the axial channel extending a strain length above the upper face of the protruding upper round portion, and wherein when the shear pins are sheared, force is applied to the end of the rod, which is conveyed to the flat-block pusher to move a maximum distance defined by the strain length;a piezoelectric element being flush with the lower surface of the impact pin, wherein the piezoelectric element is mounted on a circuit board housed in the recessed rear portion of the metal base plate, and wherein the circuit board includes a rectified circuit, a capacitor and connecting electrical leads; anda high output voltage module comprising a protective case; a low energy pyrotechnic initiator connected to the electrical leads from the low output voltage module; a plurality of a stack of piezoelectric elements; and a pair of electrical cables, wherein when the shear pins are sheared, the magnetic proof mass accelerates toward the metal base plate to hit the end of the impact pin, which extends above the upper face of the metal base plate, to cause the flat-block pusher to strain the piezoelectric element and produce a current, wherein the current is collected by the capacitor until it has a voltage that is sufficient to actuate the low energy pyrotechnic initiator, and wherein when actuated the low energy pyrotechnic initiator generates a shock wave to cause the plurality of the stack of piezoelectric elements to strain and therein generate a high voltage output carried by the pair of electrical cables. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the low output voltage module attains about eight volts. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high output voltage module generates up to about one hundred fifty volts. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a total volume of about 2.3 ml+/−about 1.0 ml, a diameter of about 1.05 cm+/−about 0.5 cm, and a length of about 3.0 cm+/−about 1.0 cm. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element is comprised of lead zirconate titanate. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the low energy pyrotechnic initiator requires about 40 to about 100 micro Joules. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the plurality of stacks of piezoelectric elements generates electrical power to remove a lock and run an electronic assembly, and wherein a remaining portion provides high electrical power to function a MEMS explosive-train. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rectified circuit is a full wave rectifier to invert a negative wave into a positive wave, so that both the positive wave and the negative wave generated by the piezoelectric element are collected on the capacitor. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a stack of piezoelectric elements is comprised of at least two piezoelectric elements. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pyrotechnic initiator is actuated by one of a heated bridgewire and a bridge resistor, to ignite a first explosive and optionally ignite a second explosive, and wherein the pyrotechnic initiator produces a slow shock wave to imitate a mechanical shock wave versus a high explosive shock wave. 11. An energy harvesting apparatus for a munition, comprising: a low output voltage module comprising:a covering housing including a sidewall with an interior diameter and an exterior diameter, an open bottom, a closed top wall, and a plurality of positions in the sidewall for receiving a shear pin, where an interior region of the sidewall being proximate to the open bottom is threaded;a plurality of shear pins;a magnetic proof mass including a persistent magnetic field and a plurality of perimeter perforations, wherein the magnetic proof mass is held in place by said plurality of shear pins, which interest the positions on the covering housing and the perimeter perforations in the magnetic proof mass,wherein the shear plurality of shear pins are sheared when the munition is fired, andwherein the magnetic proof mass partitions an interior of the covering housing into an upper volume occupied by the magnetic proof mass, and a lower volume that is below the magnetic roof mass;a metal base plate including an upper surface and a recessed rear portion, wherein a center of the plate includes a smaller diameter protruding upper round portion with an upper face and a height with an exterior threaded perimeter, wherein said smaller diameter is comparable to the interior diameter of the covering housing, whereby the covering housing is screwed onto the protruding upper round portion until it abuts the upper surface of the metal base plate, and wherein said metal base plate furthermore includes an axial channel that extends through the protruding upper round portion, which widens in the recessed rear portion;an impact pin including a rod portion terminating in an end and a flat-block pusher with a lower surface, wherein the impact pin is fitted in the axial channel extending a strain length above the upper face of the protruding upper round portion, and wherein when the shear pins are sheared, force is applied to the end of the rod, which is conveyed to the flat-block pusher to move a maximum distance defined by the strain length;a piezoelectric element being flush with the lower surface of the impact pin, wherein the piezoelectric element is mounted on a circuit board housed in the recessed rear portion of the metal base plate, and wherein the circuit board includes a rectified circuit, a capacitor and connecting electrical leads; anda high output voltage module comprising a protective case; a low energy pyrotechnic initiator being connected to the electrical leads from the low output voltage module; a plurality of a stack of piezoelectric elements; and a pair of electrical cables, wherein when the shear pins are sheared, the magnetic proof mass accelerates toward the metal base plate to hit the end of the impact pin, which extends above the upper face of the metal base plate, to cause the flat-block pusher to strain the piezoelectric element and produce a current, wherein the current is collected by the capacitor until it has a voltage that is sufficient to actuate the low energy pyrotechnic initiator, and wherein when actuated the low energy pyrotechnic initiator generates a shock wave to cause the plurality of the stack of piezoelectric elements to strain and therein generate a high voltage output carried by the pair of electrical cables. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the low output voltage module attains about eight volts. 13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the high output voltage module generates up to about one hundred fifty volts. 14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus includes a total volume of about 2.3 ml+/−about 1.0 ml, a diameter that is about 1.05 cm+/−about 0.5 cm, and a length that is about 3.0 cm+/−about 1.0 cm. 15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the piezoelectric element is comprised of lead zirconate titanate. 16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the low energy pyrotechnic initiator requires about 40 to about 100 micro-Joules. 17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a portion of the plurality of stacks of piezoelectric elements generates electrical power to remove a lock and run an electronic assembly, and wherein a remaining portion provides high electrical power to function a MEMS explosive-train. 18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the rectified circuit is a full wave rectifier to invert a negative wave into a positive wave, so both said positive wave and said negative waves generated by the piezoelectric element are collected on the capacitor. 19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a stack of piezoelectric elements is comprised of at least two piezoelectric elements. 20. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the pyrotechnic initiator is actuated to use one of a heated bridgewire and a bridge resistor, which ignites a first explosive, and optionally ignite a second explosive, and wherein the pyrotechnic initiator produces a slow shock wave to imitate a mechanical shock wave versus a high explosive shock wave.