Piezoelectric energy-scavenging possibilities in vehicular systems for powering ulpt

Abstract

The idea of using piezoelectric materials to scavenge vibration energies is becoming popular as advancements are made in the ultra-low power devices. This paper deals with harnessing of the vibration energy from four different parts of a vehcile for powering secondary devices such as on-board ultra-low power transmitters (ULPT). The vehicle parts explored are the engine, the suspension system, the tire units and the vehicle body. The use of ULPT consuming ∼ 0.57 mW to transmit data necessary for vehicle fleet owners to maintain and track their fleet of vehicles is proposed. Dynamic equations were developed to model the vibration patterns that are peculiar to different parts of a typical vehicle. The effect of the vehicle vibration on a piezo strip led to flexing the piezo strips, thereby producing electrical power. Results show that the harvested power from piezo devices can easily power the ULPT. It was discovered that a single strip of the FPR piezo material embedded at the suspension system or vehicle body could sufficiently power the ULPT, while at the most 4 strips of either FPR or PZT piezo materials would be required to achieve the same purpose at any other parts of the vehicle.