Design and Influence of Electromechanical Coupling in Magnetic Levitation Energy Harvesters

This paper presents a combined numerical and experimental investigation of a levitation-based vibration energy harvester, focusing on various configurations of an oscillating levitating magnet. Both attraction- and repulsion-based designs, with and without spacers, are analyzed and compared. The electromechanical coupling is evaluated using COMSOL Multiphysics and validated through experimental measurements. Subsequently, a mathematical model describing the electromechanical coupling is proposed. Finally, frequency response curves are derived to assess system performance. The results demonstrate that repulsion-based magnet configurations offer significant advantages for energy harvesting applications, including the emergence of additional resonances. Moreover, the incorporation of a spacer enhances energy harvesting efficiency in attraction-based levitating magnet designs. The proposed approach exhibits strong potential to advance energy recovery and offers an effective means of enhancing energy harvesting performance.