WIRELESS-BASED ENERGY AUTONOMOUS TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM

摘要

This paper presents a new approach to energy harvesting for use in sensor applications. It explores the possibility of using low frequency high power forces to generate energy. The subject is approached by showing the feasibility of an autonomous tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Any section of a car's tire gets a periodic bump when with every rotation the tire is dented by the ground. The developing forces are converted into electricity by use of a piezoelectric generator. Because of the lower excitation rate a special power-management circuit is required to convert the generated energy into a form usable by the sensor system. The sensor itself is specially designed to run extremely energy efficient and to utilize the stored energy of several generator excitations while remaining in an inert state in between. When power is provided it takes a pressure measurement and links up to a base station to deliver the collected data. By use of this approach it becomes possible to provide the car's driver with real time safety relevant information without the need for any maintenance after the system has been installed.