System and method for generating electric power from a rotating tire's mechanical energy

A tire assembly with integrated power generation features includes one or more piezoelectric devices and power conditioning modules. Piezoelectric devices may include a plurality of piezoelectric fibers embedded in a generally unidirectional fashion within an epoxy matrix, a piezoceramic wafer provided on a substrate and substantially surrounded by a protective casing, or a pilezoceraimc unimorph structure adhered with a thermoplastic polyimide to respective top and bottom conductive layers. Each piezoelectric device may include multiple piezoelectric elements connected in series and/or parallel arrangements, configured with respective poling directions in opposing or in-phase arrangements and/or configured in d33 or d31 displacement modes. Piezoelectric devices are preferably mounted within a tire or wheel assembly such that electric charge is generated therein as the wheel assembly moves along a ground surface and is subsequently stored in one or more energy storage devices. Stored energy may then be used to power electronics such as a tire monitoring system that wirelessly transmits such information as tire pressure, temperature and identification variables to a remote receiver location.