A Nonlinear Impact-Driven Triboelectric Vibration Energy Harvester for Frequency Up-Conversion

Abstract

Energy harvesting effectively powers micro-sensors and wireless applications. However, higher frequency oscillations do not overlap with ambient vibrations, and low power can be harvested. This paper utilizes vibro-impact triboelectric energy harvesting for frequency up-conversion. Two magnetically coupled cantilever beams with low and high natural frequencies are used. The two beams have identical tip magnets at the same polarity. A triboelectric energy harvester is integrated with the high-frequency beam to generate an electrical signal via contact-separation impact motion between the triboelectric layers. An electrical signal is generated at the low-frequency beam range achieving frequency up-converter. The two degrees of freedom (2DOF) lumped-parameter model system is used to investigate the system’s dynamic behavior and the corresponding voltage signal. The static analysis of the system revealed a threshold distance of 15 mm that divides the system into monostable and bistable regimes. In the monostable and bistable regimes, softening and hardening behaviors were observed at low frequencies. Additionally, the threshold voltage generated was increased by 1117% in comparison with the monostable regime. The simulation findings were experimentally validated. The study demonstrates the potential of using triboelectric energy harvesting in frequency up-converting applications.

Development and Optimization of a Two-Degree-of-Freedom Piezoelectric Harvester Based on Parallel Cantilever Structure With Magnetic Coupling

“…So, it has become one of the current research emphases of energy harvester. Based on different working principles, vibration energy harvesters are usually divided into electromagnetic [1], electrostatic [2], triboelectric [3], magnetostrictive [4], and piezoelectric [5] forms. In these categories, piezoelectric vibration energy harvester (PVEH) has attracted keen attention because of its significant advantages, such as high energy density, strong electromechanical coupling, simple structure, and easy integration [6]- [8].…”