Design and optimization of a novel bistable power generator for autonomous sensor nodes

Nonlinear energy generators are considered as an effective way to overcome the shortcut of narrow band of linear generators. Among them, bistable oscillators are especially of great potential. Many are realized with magnets and so are not well suited for miniaturization. This paper presents a novel bistable piezoelectric energy harvesting architecture without magnets. Modeling and design have been performed for this new architecture. A normalized expression is given so that the model is applicable to any scale. Chirp and band-limited noise excitations are used to evaluate the proposed harvester's performances. Numerical simulation and experimental tests are in good agreement and show that the new bistable generator has very good capabilities of combining large bandwidth and high output power. A design optimization strategy is then presented for different application environments.