Development of a Vehicle Passage Sensor Based on a PVDF Nanogenerator

Vehicle passage sensors provide important information for the traffic monitoring system. Despite missing a large amount of passing vehicle data, inductive loop sensors are one of the most commonly used detectors. Here, we introduce a sensor based on piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composite fibers through which vehicle passage can be precisely identified. Loaded with 3 wt % of a TiO2–ZnO hybrid filler, the PVDF composite fibers benefit from the high β-phase crystallinity of 92%, demonstrating a 13-fold increase in the generated voltage compared to the pristine PVDF fiber. On the basis of a corresponding piezoelectric nanogenerator (PNG) coupled with a circuit and a microcontroller, we have developed a sensor for vehicle passage monitoring. The designed sensor that has been installed on a speed bump successfully detects the passing vehicle tires, presenting a significant step toward traffic monitoring.