Enhancing Safety in Vehicles with Implement or Trailer using an Autonomous Wireless Sensor Network System

In this paper, we present an autonomous wireless sensor network system to enhance safety in vehicles with connected implement or trailer. Today’s vehicle stability control algorithms are used to enhance safety and prevent accidents, but they do not take into account if a trailer or an implement is connected to the front/rear of the vehicle. The proposed system allows overcoming this limitation by advertising to the vehicle’ electronic control unit the presence of the connected implement. This allows the stability control algorithm adjusting the vehicles parameters to current real conditions. The developed system comprises two wireless devices: a Wireless Master Device (WMD), mounted on the vehicle, and an autonomous Wireless End Device (WED), installed on the connected implement or trailer. The WED gathers energy from implement’ or trailer’ natural vibrations by using a vibrational energy harvester and a piezoelectric transducer. Thus, avoiding the need of frequent battery replacement and leading the wireless system to autonomously work for several years.