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Modeling Optimizes A Piezoelectric Energy TPMS Mounting Rim Tread Shuffle
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
- Electronics
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Machine Condition Monitoring
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
The desire to eliminate batteries and power lines is motivating a wide range of research. In the quest for systems that are energy autonomous, the concept of energy harvesting is attracting a great deal of attention. For researchers at Siemens Corporate Technology in Munich, exploring the potential of an energy-harvesting microelectromechanical system (MEMS) generator holds strong appeal. The researchers chose to design a microgenerator for an innovative tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) driven by motion. Yet locating the device within the tire requires that the assembly be extremely robust and able to withstand gravitational accelerations up to 2500 g. Moreover, to avoid tire imbalance it would have to be very light, and in terms of operational life it would need to match that of a tire—a minimum of eight years.
About The Customer
Siemens Corporate Technology, based in Munich, Germany, is a research and development division of Siemens AG. The team at Siemens Corporate Technology is dedicated to exploring and developing platform technologies for future applications rather than focusing on specific products. Their research spans a wide range of fields, including energy harvesting, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and fluid-structure interaction simulations. Siemens Corporate Technology collaborates with various partners, such as Continental AG, to demonstrate the commercial potential of their research. The team is composed of senior engineers and researchers who are committed to advancing technology and innovation.
The Solution
The Siemens team designed a piezoelectric microgenerator to be mounted inside a tire, capable of harvesting energy from the compression created each time the tire touched the ground. The cantilever was designed with a thin film of self-polarized piezoelectric ceramic material and a silicon carrier layer for mechanical stability. The team settled on a triangular design for the spring-loaded piezoelectric cantilever to enable uniform stress distribution. They conducted fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis to optimize the cantilever's design, focusing on minimizing damping and ensuring mechanical oscillation. The use of COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software was critical in numerically describing the behavior of the structure and optimizing system components and integration.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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