Feasibility of Energy Harvesting Using Stochastic Resonance Caused by Axial Periodic Force

Stochastic resonance is a physical phenomenon where large vibration occurs when a weak sinusoidal force is applied to a bi-stable system. It is expected that a larger vibrational response can be produced than for a typical resonance. Then the authors utilize this system as an energy harvester, which converts energy from vibration. The energy balance between the converted energy and the energy consumed to produce the necessary weak sinusoidal force is analyzed through numerical simulations. It is shown the proposed harvester can convert more energy than a system using a typical linear system resonance.