Analysis of compliance effects on power generation of a nonlinear electromagnetic energy harvesting unit; theory and experiment

Vibration energy harvesting devices have shown potential applications to power many devices such as electronic self-sustainable units. Most traditional linear energy harvesters exploit the phenomenon of resonance to produce electric power. Nonlinear energy harvesters, however, present more interesting alternatives and there is potential for them to work well over relatively wider bandwidths due to characteristics such as bifurcation. The aim of this study is to introduce an alternative design to a nonlinear electromagnetic energy harvesting device to improve the power production of the unit. The configuration presented in the following work has demonstrated higher power efficiency over a wider range of frequencies compared to the previous design. The numerical power outputs for both designs are compared and validated against their experimental values. Finally, the validated numerical model is used to find the optimal design to produce the maximum power for the unit . (paper)