Linear and nonlinear electromagnetic coupling models in vibration-based energy harvesting

Abstract This paper investigates the response of an energy harvester that uses electromagnetic induction to convert ambient vibration into electrical energy. A unique aspect of the present study is the comparison of the system's response behavior when either a linear or a physically motivated form of nonlinear coupling is applied. The motivating hypothesis for this work was that nonlinear coupling could be used to improve the performance of an energy harvester by broadening its frequency response. Combined theoretical and numerical studies investigate the harvester's response for both single and multi-frequency base excitation. Our investigations unveil regions in the parameter space where nonlinear coupling is better than linear coupling and regions where the opposite is true. The meaningful conclusion is that nonlinear coupling can sometimes be detrimental, but it can also be beneficial if properly designed into the system.

[1]  Chitta Saha,et al.  Modeling and experimental investigation of an AA-sized electromagnetic generator for harvesting energy from human motion , 2008, Smart Materials and Structures.

[2]  P. Hagedorn,et al.  PIEZO–BEAM SYSTEMS SUBJECTED TO WEAK ELECTRIC FIELD: EXPERIMENTS AND MODELLING OF NON-LINEARITIES , 2002 .

[3]  Kar W. Yung,et al.  An Analytic Solution for the Force Between Two Magnetic Dipoles , 1998 .

[4]  D. Dane Quinn,et al.  The Effect of Non-linear Piezoelectric Coupling on Vibration-based Energy Harvesting , 2009 .

[5]  Brian P. Mann,et al.  Investigations of a nonlinear energy harvester with a bistable potential well , 2010 .

[6]  S. Beeby,et al.  Energy harvesting vibration sources for microsystems applications , 2006 .

[7]  Shashank Priya,et al.  Pen harvester for powering a pulse rate sensor , 2009 .

[8]  Neil M. White,et al.  An electromagnetic, vibration-powered generator for intelligent sensor systems , 2004 .

[9]  Shuo Cheng,et al.  A study of a multi-pole magnetic generator for low-frequency vibrational energy harvesting , 2010 .

[10]  Pio G. Iovenitti,et al.  THEORETICAL COMPARISON OF MOTIONAL AND TRANSFORMER EMF DEVICE DAMPING EFFICIENCY , 2000 .

[11]  R. B. Yates,et al.  Analysis Of A Micro-electric Generator For Microsystems , 1995, Proceedings of the International Solid-State Sensors and Actuators Conference - TRANSDUCERS '95.

[12]  Ulrike Wallrabe,et al.  Effective optimization of electromagnetic energy harvesters through direct computation of the electromagnetic coupling , 2011 .

[13]  Chengkuo Lee,et al.  Electromagnetic energy harvesting from vibrations of multiple frequencies , 2009 .

[14]  J. M. Gilbert,et al.  Comparison of energy harvesting systems for wireless sensor networks , 2008, Int. J. Autom. Comput..

[15]  Thiago Seuaciuc-Osório,et al.  Investigation of Power Harvesting via Parametric Excitations , 2009 .

[16]  Tuna Balkan,et al.  An electromagnetic micro power generator for wideband environmental vibrations , 2008 .

[17]  Neil D. Sims,et al.  Energy harvesting from the nonlinear oscillations of magnetic levitation , 2009 .

[18]  D. Inman,et al.  Nonlinear piezoelectricity in electroelastic energy harvesters: Modeling and experimental identification , 2010 .

[19]  Adam J. Sneller,et al.  On the nonlinear electromagnetic coupling between a coil and an oscillating magnet , 2010 .

[20]  Rajeevan Amirtharajah,et al.  Self-powered signal processing using vibration-based power generation , 1998, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[21]  B. Mann,et al.  Nonlinear dynamics for broadband energy harvesting: Investigation of a bistable piezoelectric inertial generator , 2010 .

[22]  Jian Liu,et al.  Nonlinear model and system identification of a capacitive dual-backplate MEMS microphone , 2008 .