Nonlinear vibration energy harvester using diamagnetic levitation

This letter proposes a nonlinear vibration energy harvester based on stabilized magnetic levitation using diamagnetic. Restoring forces induced by the magnetic field in harvesting vibration energy is employed instead of the forces introduced by conventional mechanical suspensions; therefore dissipation of vibration energy into heat through mechanical suspensions is eliminated. The core of the design consists of two spiral coils made of diamagnetic materials, which serve dual purposes: providing nonlinear restoring force and harnessing eddy current to power external circuits. From the theoretical analysis presented, the proposed harvester has the potential to provide wideband power outputs in low frequency range. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3583675]