This paper presents the main characteristics of an experimental energy harvesting device that can be used to recover energy from the vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The use of a piezoelectric bender devices leads to a innovative approach to Henergy Harvesting. The study focuses on the definition and specification of a mechanical configuration able to transfer the vibration from the main box to the piezoelectric transducer. The piezoelectric devices tested is the commonly used monolithic piezoceramic material lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT). The experimental results estimate the efficiency of this device tested and identify the feasibility of their use in real world applications. The results presented in this paper show the potential of piezoelectric materials for use in power harvesting applications.
The dynamic management of traffic light cycles is a really interesting research issue considering modern technologies, which can be used in order to optimise road junctions and then improve living conditions of the roads. Wireless sensor networks represent the most suitable technology, as they are easy to deploy and manage. The data relating to road traffic flows can be detected by the sensor network and then processed through the innovative approach, proposed in this work, in order to determine the right green times at traffic lights. Although wireless sensor networks are characterized by very low consumption devices, the continuous information transmission reduces the life cycle of the whole network. To this end, the proposed architecture provides a technique to power the sensor nodes based on piezoelectric materials, which allow producing potential energy taking advantage of the vibration produced by the passage of vehicles on the road.
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