A UNIT TO RECOVER ENERGY FROM A DRIVER’S SEAT VIBRATION IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

Combustion engines drive motor vehicles, which are commonly used, and their efficiency does not exceed forty per cent. It is hard to accept such a waste of energy nowadays when there is less and less fossil fuel and the ecological norms are being tightened. That is why hybrid power transmission systems and systems for energy recuperation – especially kinetic, so far being lost – are becoming more popular. One of such solutions is a unit to recover energy from a driver’s seat vibration in a motor vehicle. It allows changing the kinetic energy of the vibrating seat into the electric one. Such a unit is installed under the driver’s seat and supports the gaseous shock absorber. The unit consists of two toothed bars, coupled by two pairs of gear wheels, which drive the alternating current generator rotor. The rotor is joined with a driving shaft by one-way centrifugal clutches. One bar drives the rotor while the seat moves down and the other while the seat moves up. The rotor is equipped with permanent magnets, which, by rotation, induce the power in the stator’s winding. The generated power goes through the voltage stabilizing and rectification systems (4.75–5.25 V) and charges four batteries connected to USB output. The obtained electric energy may be used to supply other electronic devices, e.g. mobile phones. The unit will be installed in a farm tractor. The research checking the unit’s effectiveness will be carried out in the near future.