Time-sharing orbit jump and energy harvesting in nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvesters using a synchronous switch circuit

Abstract

Nonlinearity has enabled energy harvesting to advance toward higher power output and broader bandwidth in monostable, bistable, and multistable systems. However, operating in the preferable high-energy orbit (HEO) rather than the low-energy orbit (LEO) for making such advancement has restricted their applications. Based on a monostable nonlinear system, this paper proposes a self-contained solution for time-sharing orbit jump and energy harvesting. The joint dynamics of an electromechanical assembly consisting of a nonlinear energy harvester and a switched-mode piezoelectric interface circuit for high-capability energy harvesting is studied. The proposed solution is carried out by utilizing a cutting-edge switched-mode bidirectional energy conversion circuit (BECC), which enables time-sharing dual functions of energy harvesting and vibration exciting. A theoretical model is established based on impedance analysis and multiple time scales method to analyze the stability, frequency response, and phase evolution of the autonomous and nonautonomous nonlinear energy harvesting systems. In particular, the detailed dynamics for the orbit jumps with the vibration exciting mode of BECC are studied. Experiments are performed to validate the full-hysteresis-range orbit jumps with the monostable nonlinear energy harvester. The harvested power after orbit jumps yields a nine-fold increase, compensating for the energy consumption under vibration exciting mode quickly. The proposed solution also refrains the system from extra mechanical or electrical energy sources for orbit jumps, which leads to the first self-contained solution for simultaneous energy harvesting and orbit jump in nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvesting. This work enhances the practical utility of nonlinear energy harvesting technologies toward engineering applications.