Theoretical and experimental implementation of vibrational resonance in an array of hard limiters

We report that the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a parallel array of hard limiters can be maximized at an optimal high-frequency vibration amplitude, i.e. the vibrational resonance (VR) effect. As the external noise shape parameter varies, the bifurcation mode of maximal SNR gain is found, and the upper limit of SNR gain is discussed. We theoretically demonstrate a tractable realization of an infinite array approached by a finite array of two hard limiters, and design an electronic circuit experiment to verify the feasibility of this effective method. These results indicate the potential applications of vibrational devices to array signal processing. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.