Abstract
This paper presents the design of a wireless pressure-monitoring system for harsh-environment applications. Two types of ceramic pressure sensors made with a low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) were considered. The first type is a piezoresistive strain gauge pressure sensor. The second type is a capacitive pressure sensor, which is based on changes of the capacitance values between two electrodes: one electrode is fixed and the other is movable under an applied pressure. The design was primarily focused on low power consumption. Reliable operation in the presence of disturbances, like electromagnetic interference, parasitic capacitances, etc., proved to be contradictory constraints. A piezoresistive ceramic pressure sensor with a high bridge impedance was chosen for use in a wireless pressure-monitoring system and an acceptable solution using energy-harvesting techniques has been achieved. The described solution allows for the integration of a sensor element with an energy harvester that has a printed thick-film battery and complete electronics in a single substrate packaged inside a compact housing.
Highlights
Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) can be fabricated with a variety of technologies and from a wide range of materials
Low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) technology and materials are suitable for forming a three-dimensional (3D) construction of pressure sensors and thick-film technology and the materials are used for the creation of electronic interconnections, capacitor electrodes, piezoresistors and other resistors [4,5,6,7,8]
The power consumption of the pressure-sensor module with an low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC)-based sensing element was calculated by measuring the voltage drop with an oscilloscope over the shunt resistor between the energy harvester and the sensor electronics
Summary
Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) can be fabricated with a variety of technologies and from a wide range of materials. MEMS are normally made by micro-machining silicon, but in some applications ceramic materials are a very useful alternative, especially in harsh environments and at high temperatures. In typical wireless pressure-sensor systems, the power sources are autonomous and mostly based on different types of energy harvesting or on batteries. The power consumption of the autonomous operating sensors should be minimized as much as possible, in the electronic circuitry (signal conditioning, microcontroller, wireless transceiver, etc.) and in the sensing element or transducer. Basic characteristics of the two sensor candidates for harsh-environment applications are briefly outlined Their design is described in more details in [8].
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