Next Generation of Efficient and Responsive Vibration Energy Harvesters

在过去的十年中，从环境机械振动中获取能量一直是一个活跃的研究领域。除了生态友好和成本效益外，利用环境振动发电在解决电池的局限性方面非常有前途，并为整合低至中等功率电子设备和无线传感器开辟了机会，特别是在难以接近、危险和具有挑战性的环境中。单稳定振动能量采集器（VEH）结构简单，但除了共振外，对于典型的宽带环境振动效率不高，也不实用。另一方面，在克服了带宽不足的同时，非线性高速公路的广泛应用也面临着一些技术上的不足和挑战。凭借我们在振动分析和其他互补领域（如非线性动力学和机电系统设计与优化）的背景，这项NSERC发现资助（DG）旨在建立一个世界级的研究计划，涵盖VEH领域的各种关键主题，为开发下一代收割机建立一个平台，这些收割机对环境振动条件具有高度响应，并满足各种实际应用的功率要求。为了实现这一目标，我们将探索不同的方法，包括创新的非线性结构配置、新型多发电机架构、振动/频率放大技术和最佳系统参数调谐。在非线性方法中，我们将扩展几种策略，包括多稳定性和参数共振，它们在提高振动系统的带宽和响应性方面显示出有希望的结果。为了确保这些策略在实际应用中的有效性，我们将创建能够在较低激励幅度下显示非线性特性的创新机制。还将特别关注开发技术，如多轴VEHs，以最大限度地捕获来自各个方向的振动。频率上升转换是另一种技术，将探讨，以解决输出功率低效率从低频源。还将设计实用的机构来放大和优化分配收获器上的机械应力，以提高电动汽车的输出功率和寿命。这项研究将利用机电系统几个领域的最新进展，包括数学建模、设计、仿真、优化、智能控制、智能材料和嵌入式编程。HQP还将获得在实际应用中应用工程概念的宝贵实践经验和专业知识。高影响力的出版物和知识产权是其他预期结果。最后，该DG的成就将加速在游戏、无人机、健康监测系统等各个技术领域创造独立的自供电电子设备。

Energy harvesting from ambient mechanical vibration has been an active area of research over the past decade. In addition to its eco-friendliness and cost benefits, using ambient vibration for generating electricity is extremely promising in addressing the limitations of batteries and has opened up the opportunity to incorporate low to medium-power electronics and wireless sensors, especially in inaccessible, risky, and challenging environments. Mono-stable vibration energy harvesters (VEH) are simple, but except at their resonance, are not efficient and practical for typical broadband ambient vibrations. On the other hand, despite overcoming the bandwidth shortcoming, nonlinear VEHs have several technical gaps and challenges for their widespread application. Relying on our background in vibration analysis and other complementary areas such as nonlinear dynamics and mechatronic systems design and optimization, this NSERC Discovery Grant (DG) aims to establish a world-class research program that encompasses various critical topics in the VEH area to build a platform for developing the next generation of harvesters that are highly responsive to ambient vibration conditions and meet the power requirement of various real-world applications. To achieve that, we will explore different methods, including innovative nonlinear structural configurations, novel multi-generator architectures, vibration/frequency amplification techniques, and optimal system parameters tuning. In the nonlinear approaches, we will expand on several strategies, including multi-stability and parametric resonance, which have shown promising results in enhancing the bandwidth and responsiveness of vibratory systems. To ensure the effectiveness of those strategies for real-life applications, we will create innovative mechanisms capable of exhibiting nonlinear characteristics even at lower excitation amplitudes. Special attention will also be given to developing techniques such as multi-axes VEHs to maximize capturing vibrations from various directions. Frequency-up conversion is another technique that will be explored to get around the output power inefficiencies from low-frequency sources. Practical mechanisms will also be designed to amplify and optimally distribute mechanical stress on the harvester to enhance the output power and life of VEHs. This research will take advantage of the recent advancements in several areas in Mechatronic Systems, including mathematical modeling, design, simulation, optimization, intelligent control, smart materials, and embedded programming. The HQP will also gain valuable hands-on experience and expertise in applying engineering concepts in real-life applications. High impact publications and intellectual properties are other expected outcomes. Finally, the achievements of this DG will accelerate the creation of standalone self-powered electronic devices in various tech sectors such as gaming, UAVs, health monitoring systems, etc.