Energy scavenging using piezoelectric sensors to power vehicle detection sensor

The rapid increase in the use of wireless sensors has made it necessary to search for an optimal way through which they can be powered. These sensors run on small sized batteries. A reliable technique should be used to recharge these batteries in order to decrease the amount of maintenance and cost required for using these wireless sensors in various applications.;This project presents an optimal utilization of piezoelectric sensors in energy scavenging applications and provides an efficient way of generating power for wireless sensors. This is achieved by preparing a hardware model, which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy using piezoelectric sensors. Use of additional efficient circuits allows the energy to be stored in a battery and use it to provide power to wireless sensors like vehicle detection sensors.;A software simulation model is prepared using LabVIEW and Multisim to theoretically calculate the energy conversion rate of piezoelectric sensors. The model generates random values as inputs similar to those obtained in a practical scenario for electromechanical energy conversion. An efficient approach and a concept design of the arrangement of piezoelectric sensors are also explained in this project. This has helped in increasing efficiency and decreasing the overall size and cost of implementation of this system. Abstract on this research work has been accepted for the METRANS International Urban Freight (I-NUF) Conference, which is scheduled on October 21, 2015 in Long Beach, California, USA.