Non-linear MEMS electrostatic kinetic energy harvester with a tunable multistable potential for stochastic vibrations

We report on the first electrostatic Vibration Energy Harvester (e-VEH) using a voltage-controlled multi-stable energy potential in order to harvest energy from stochastic vibration noise. We show that an optimized pre-charge voltage on the electromechanical transducer associated with a displacement constraint of the movable mass leads to a triple-well potential. This condition enhances the energy harvesting efficiency of wideband vibrations. Measurements were performed on a MEMS e-VEH with a band-limited colored noise.