Triboelectric nanogenerator based self-powered sensor with a turnable sector structure for monitoring driving behavior

Abstract

During a journey, a driver’s aggressive behavior may greatly increase the occurrence of traffic accidents and even lead to major traffic accidents. Here, we use a sector-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to collect the opening and closing information of the accelerator and brake pedals, and fabricate a TENG with symmetrical double turnable structure (DT-TENG) to detect the steering angle of car steering wheel. The DT-TENG with excellent sensitivity only needs two channels to collect signals, and the output voltage is up to 10 V. The driver’s driving behavior is divided into safe driving behavior and aggressive driving behavior based on the information collected by TENG, then the results are fed back to the driver so that they can analyze and correct their driving habits. These two types of TENGs collect voltage signals through the driver's actions, which not only will not infringe on the driver's privacy, but also have higher monitoring accuracy and are less likely to be deceived, demonstrating the feasibility of a self-powered sensor based on TENG with high-sensitivity in intelligent transportation systems. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a symmetrical double turntable structure and a sector structure is used as a self-powered sensor for monitoring driver behavior. It can collect information on the driver's actions during driving, such as stepping on the accelerator, stepping on the brake, and turning the steering wheel. Moreover, the four parameters of high-speed turning, intense braking, rapid acceleration, frequent lane changes are distinguished according to the characteristics of the voltage waveform. These four parameters are scored to determine the driver's driving behavior classification. We divides driving behavior into aggressive driving behavior and safe driving behavior in this work, and displays the proportion of illegal operations to remind drivers to improve their bad driving habits. • A TENG with a symmetrical double turntable structure is fabricated and used to measure the angle of steering wheel rotation. • The voltage signals collected by TENG have the advantage of being stable and intuitive, which can reduce the complexity of algorithm processing. • These TENGs can be used in intelligent transportation systems, where drivers get feedback through driving evaluation to improve safety.