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Nonlinear Vibration Energy Harvesting Based On Variable Double Well Potential Function, Wei Yang, Shahrzad Towfighian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Converting ambient mechanical energy to electricity, vibration energy harvesting, enables powering of the low-power remote sensors. Nonlinear energy harvesters have the advantage of a wider frequency spectrum compared to linear resonators making them more efficient in scavenging the broadband frequency of ambient vibrations. To increase the output power of the nonlinear resonators, we propose an energy harvester composed of a cantilever piezoelectric beam carrying a movable magnet facing a fixed magnet at a distance. The movable magnet on the beam is attached to a spring at the base of the beam. The spring-magnet system on the cantilever beam creates the …