A MEMS vibration energy harvester for automotive applications

R. van Schaijk; R. Elfrink; J. Oudenhoven; V. Pop; Z. Wang; M. Renaud

doi:10.1117/12.2016916

17 May 2013 A MEMS vibration energy harvester for automotive applications

R. van Schaijk, R. Elfrink, J. Oudenhoven, V. Pop, Z. Wang, M. Renaud

Proceedings Volume 8763, Smart Sensors, Actuators, and MEMS VI; 876305 (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2016916
Event: SPIE Microtechnologies, 2013, Grenoble, France

Abstract

The objective of this work is to develop MEMS vibration energy harvesters for tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), they can be located on the rim or on the inner-liner of the car tire. Nowadays TPMS modules are powered by batteries with a limited lifetime. A large effort is ongoing to replace batteries with small and long lasting power sources like energy harvesters [1]. The operation principle of vibration harvesters is mechanical resonance of a seismic mass, where mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy. In general, vibration energy harvesters are of specific interest for machine environments where random noise or repetitive shock vibrations are present. In this work we present the results for MEMS based vibration energy harvesting for applying on the rim or inner-liner. The vibrations on the rim correspond to random noise. A vibration energy harvester can be described as an under damped mass-spring system acting like a mechanical band-pass filter, and will resonate at its natural frequency [2]. At 0.01 g²/Hz noise amplitude the average power can reach the level that is required to power a simple wireless sensor node, approximately 10 μW [3]. The dominant vibrations on the inner-liner consist mainly of repetitive high amplitude shocks. With a shock, the seismic mass is displaced, after which the mass will “ring-down” at its natural resonance frequency. During the ring-down period, part of the mechanical energy is harvested. On the inner-liner of the tire repetitive (one per rotation) high amplitude (few hundred g) shocks occur. The harvester enables an average power of a few tens of μW [4], sufficient to power a more sophisticated wireless sensor node that can measure additional tire-parameters besides pressure. In this work we characterized MEMS vibration energy harvesters for noise and shock excitation. We validated their potential for TPMS modules by measurements and simulation.

Citation Download Citation

R. van Schaijk, R. Elfrink, J. Oudenhoven, V. Pop, Z. Wang, and M. Renaud "A MEMS vibration energy harvester for automotive applications", Proc. SPIE 8763, Smart Sensors, Actuators, and MEMS VI, 876305 (17 May 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2016916

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available