Comsol Case Studies Modeling Optimizes A Piezoelectric Energy TPMS Mounting Rim Tread Shuffle

	Modeling Optimizes A Piezoelectric Energy TPMS Mounting Rim Tread Shuffle Comsol

Modeling Optimizes A Piezoelectric Energy TPMS Mounting Rim Tread Shuffle

Comsol

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries	Automotive Electronics
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Machine Condition Monitoring Predictive Maintenance Remote Asset Management
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration
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. Read More
About 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. Read More
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. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Electronics

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Machine Condition Monitoring

Predictive Maintenance

Remote Asset Management

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

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 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.

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.

Impact #1	The piezoelectric microgenerator was designed to be extremely robust, capable of withstanding gravitational accelerations up to 2500 g.
Impact #2	The cantilever design enabled uniform stress distribution, minimizing damping and maximizing energy transfer.
Impact #3	The use of COMSOL Multiphysics allowed the team to simulate the performance of up to 2,000 different prototypes, significantly reducing development time and costs.

Impact #1

The piezoelectric microgenerator was designed to be extremely robust, capable of withstanding gravitational accelerations up to 2500 g.

Impact #2

The cantilever design enabled uniform stress distribution, minimizing damping and maximizing energy transfer.

Impact #3

The use of COMSOL Multiphysics allowed the team to simulate the performance of up to 2,000 different prototypes, significantly reducing development time and costs.

Benefit #1	Development costs for a single prototype run were reduced to less than €100,000.
Benefit #2	Simulation time was reduced to hours for 2-D simulations and days for 3-D simulations.
Benefit #3	The system was designed to have an operational life matching that of a tire, a minimum of eight years.

Benefit #1

Development costs for a single prototype run were reduced to less than €100,000.

Benefit #2

Simulation time was reduced to hours for 2-D simulations and days for 3-D simulations.

Benefit #3

The system was designed to have an operational life matching that of a tire, a minimum of eight years.

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Overview

Modeling Optimizes A Piezoelectric Energy TPMS Mounting Rim Tread Shuffle

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit