Design of mechanical motion rectifier for energy harvesting

The vehicle moving on the road is subjected to a continuous source of vibration. A shock absorber in the suspension system is used to isolate the vehicle from the force transmitted by road irregularities. A shock absorber converts vibration into heat energy. This paper deals with the conversion of vibration energy into electrical energy by employing a transmission mechanism which is called a mechanical motion rectifier. This mechanism converts linear vibratory motion into unidirectional motion, which is then supplied to the DC generator. A rack and pinion type gear, a one way clutch bearing, and a bevel gear arrangement are used in this mechanism. This paper focuses on the design of the mechanical motion rectifier, which has a compact size. Static structural analysis is carried out for the rack and pinion system to identify displacement by using finite element analysis software. The design based on the mechanical motion rectifier can also be used for other applications for energy harvesting.