392 / 2022-02-01 22:19:17

Variable stiffness characteristics for vehicle vibration energy harvesting

energy harvesting;,vehicle vibration;,variable stiffness;

Vehicle body vibration varies in frequency due to engine excitation or road profile and unevenness. This article tries to address a critical issue of how to effectively harvest vehicle vibration energy in certain frequency band using an energy harvester with variable stiffness. Theoretical analyses and vehicle road experiments are firstly conducted, and the frequency characteristics of vehicle body vibration are summarized. A dynamical model is then built for an energy harvester with variable stiffness designed according to the predefined vehicle body vibration, and the performance of the energy harvester is evaluated through simulation in Matlab/Simulink. Observations from simulations demonstrate the necessity and applicability of variable stiffness to vibration energy harvesting with efficiency.