Green vehicle shock absorber: Micromachined wavy shaped piezoelectric cushion energy harvester and its power generating demonstration based on real navigation

The paper presents a novel micromachined piezoelectric cushion power generator which harvests vibration energy from the vehicle shock absorber. The developed transducer demonstrates the feasibility of the concept of Green vehicle shock absorber. Two major components are involved in implementation of the device: a wavy shaped PVDF film for scavenging vibration energy and an elastic PDMS cushion for damping the vibration. It can not only suppress the vehicle vibration, but act as an active power generator to scavenge unwanted vibration / impact energy during vehicle navigation. The proof-of-concept device successfully demonstrates a maximum 8 V output and a sufficient current to light up a regular LED based on a preliminary road test.