Design and analysis of a piezoelectric energy harvesting shock absorber for light truck applications

Vehicle suspension vibration is a prevalent form of oscillation, with approximately 22.5 % of automobile energy dissipated through suspension-induced vibration. This phenomenon suggests that recovering the energy dissipated by the suspension system holds significant potential. This paper introduces a novel piezoelectric energy harvesting shock absorber (EHSA) based on non-contact magnetic force for light truck applications. The vibration of the vehicle suspension system is transformed into the rotation of a ball screw, enabling the one-way high-speed output of the rotor through a one-way bearing and planetary gear mechanism. Based on the non-contact magnetic force, the piezoelectric patches generate frequent oscillations, and a novel energy harvesting circuit is designed that efficiently converts the output of multiple piezoelectric units into usable electricity. The damping and energy harvesting characteristics of the EHSA with different external and internal variables are explored. Under sinusoidal excitation of 40 mm amplitude and 0.4 Hz frequency, the EHSA achieves a maximum output power of 7.51 W, with an average output power of 1.89 W. Furthermore, under random action, the EHSA can successfully illuminate 824 LED lights, enabling the temperature and humidity sensor to function normally. These findings indicate that the proposed EHSA can effectively harness vehicle suspension vibration to power onboard self-powered appliances while offering a new design idea for integrating vibration energy harvesters into vehicles.