Improving rotational energy harvesting performance of DEGs with cam follower mechanism by optimizing cam profile

Abstract

This letter explores feasible methods for improving the rotational energy harvesting (EH) performance of a dielectric elastomer (DE) generator with a cam follower mechanism by adjusting the time ratio of the rise segment in a cam cycle period. The theoretical analysis model of the DE-based EH device under the rectangle EH scheme is developed by considering material viscosity and leakage current and verified by the existing experimental data. On this basis, the effect of the time ratio of the rise segment in a cam cycle period on the EH performance of the DE-based EH device under the rectangle scheme is also studied for different system parameters, such as the rotational frequency of the cam, and the pre-stretch ratio and the viscoelastic parameter of the DE generator. Results show that at small viscoelastic parameter, reducing the time ratio of the rise segment in a cam cycle period can improve the harvested electrical energy, while at large viscoelastic parameter, the harvested electrical energy can increase with the increase of the time ratio of the rise segment. Conclusions can help provide guidance for the cam design in the DEG with the cam follower mechanism so as to improve the EH performance in harvesting the rotational energy.