Performances evaluation of an autonomous sensing network node for rail vehicles supplied by a piezoelectric energy harvester

Abstract

This work describes the assembling and experimental characterization of a piezoelectric energy harvester for the supplying of the nodes of an autonomous sensors network for trains. The macrodimensional prototype developed is used to characterize the electro-mechanical outputs when some fundamental parameters vary. A semiempirical analytic formulation is introduced, which is able to predict the power generated for a specific excitation and harvester configuration. The efficiency and the duty cycle of one sensing node were finally validated on a scaled railway bogie that is able to simulate the real working conditions.