Mechanical Energy Scavenging for in-Wheel Sensors

该项目建议利用赋予质量的离心力，在汽车车轮内旋转，给发条系统上发条，然后该系统可以用来为车轮传感器供电。电力是由弹簧松开并驱动微型发电机产生的。该项目将研究机械弹簧系统的可行性，以回收和储存足够的能量来为典型的轮式传感器供电。目前，典型的基于MEMS的电磁和静电振动清除系统的功率输出在10-100微瓦范围内。这里提出的能量收集器提供了超过1毫瓦功率的可能性。完全缠绕的弹簧系统存储高达2.6毫瓦小时的能量，发电转换系数为50%；该系统设计为在1小时内完全松开，然后该小时将有1.3毫瓦的电力供应。该系统通过汽车的起止运动和车轮在径向的任何累积振动运动不断地倒带来保持这一功率水平。通过将弹簧松开的速度从几秒改变到几个小时，可以在10-10000微瓦的范围内改变产生的功率。因此，该系统可以提供无线传输所需的短高功率突发以及测量和睡眠状态的较低功率。作为该项目的一部分，还将使用安装在汽车上的远程传感器吊舱来测量汽车车轮的实际行程动力学。这些测量数据将通过开放访问的在线数据库免费提供给研究人员用于能源收割机的性能建模。为了实现项目目标，这项研究将利用位于伯明翰大学机械工程学院的生物医学和微工程小组以及车辆技术研究中心的独特技能和专业知识。

This project proposes to use the centrifugal force imparted to a mass, rotating within a car wheel to wind a clockwork system that can then be used to power in wheel sensors. Power is generated by the spring unwinding and driving a micro-generator.The project will investigate the feasibility of the mechanical spring system to scavenge and store enough energy to power typical in-wheel sensors. At present typical MEMS based electromagnetic and electrostatic vibrational scavenging systems offer power outputs in the 10-100 microWatt range. The energy harvester proposed here offers the possibility of over 1 milliWatt of power. The fully wound spring system stores up to 2.6 milliWatt-hr of energy and with a conversion factor of 50% for the generation; and the system designed to fully unwind over 1 hour, then there will be a 1.3 milliWatt supply for that hour. The system maintains this power level by being continually rewound by the start-stop motion of the car and any cumulative vibrational motion of the wheel in the radial direction. This generated power can be varied in the 10-10000 microWatt range by changing the speed with which the spring unwinds from seconds to hours. The system can therefore provide the short high power burst required for wireless transmission as well as the lower power of the measurement and sleep states. As part of the project the actual real journey dynamics of a car wheel will also be measured using a remote sensor pod attached to the car. This measured data will be made freely available to researchers for use in energy harvester performance modelling via an open access online database.To achieve the project goal the research will draw upon the unique skills and expertise from the Bio-medical & MicroEngineering group and the Vehicle Technology Research Centre, both situated in the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham.