Performance improvement of the stochastic-resonance-based tri-stable energy harvester under random rotational vibration

Abstract

In this paper, the stochastic-resonance-based tri-stable energy harvester (TEH) is proposed to enhance harvesting performance under random rotational vibration. An electromechanical coupled system interfaced with a standard rectifier circuit driven by colored noise is considered. The stationary probability density function (SPDF) of the harvester is obtained by the improved stochastic averaging. Then, with the adiabatic approximation theory, the analytical expression of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the TEH is deduced to characterize stochastic resonance (SR). To enhance direct current (DC) power delivery from a rotational TEH, the influences of system parameters on SR is discussed. The obtained results suggest that there are damping-induced resonance and noise-intensity-induced SR in the tri-stable system. The TEH has higher harvesting performance under the optimal SR. That is, the optimal parameter combinations can induce optimal SR and maximize harvesting performance. Thus, the stochastic-resonance-based TEH can be optimized to enhance energy harvesting through choosing the optimal parameter.