Performance of a Bi-Stable Resonator With Random Input Vibrations

By converting ambient mechanical energy to electricity, vibration energy harvesting, enable powering of low-power remote sensors. However, realistic ambient vibrations are random and spread over a wide frequency spectrum, which means linear resonators fail to perform effectively because of their narrow frequency bandwidth. Hence, there is a need for thorough investigation of performance of nonlinear resonators with Gaussian random vibration. This article presents a simulation study on the use of magnets to improve a nonlinear oscillator for energy harvesting from broadband low frequency random excitation. The resonator response to Gaussian distribution random input is investigated using root mean square value and power spectral density of voltage. The obtained results show that in a broadband low frequency spectrum the nonlinear system performs better than linear resonance. The optimal performance is found when the distance between two magnets is near the mono-stable to bi-stable transition regime.