Interactive method for autonomous microsystem design

Abstract

This paper describes a multidisciplinary and interactive approach for the design of autonomous microsystems. These devices satisfy the actual requirements in terms of size, cost and autonomy. This autonomy is obtained by harvesting the energy in microsystem environment. There is no denying that microsystem design requires multidisciplinary skills and necessitates collaboration between several groups with different fields of expertise. All aspects have to be considered to get a mechanically, electronically and energetically efficient structure, consistent with the specifications and the requirements of the problem. However, few designers are competent enough in all the involved engineering fields. Thereby, we propose a multidisciplinary and interactive approach for autonomous microsystem design. This method delves into several steps. It begins by a global description and analysis of the system in its environment. This problem structuring is mainly based on the use of tools of functional analysis. Then, the autonomous microsystem is modeled, with a special care on energy harvester design. The method is applied to energy harvester design for automotive braking system instrumentation. The interactive character is present through the consideration of interactions (cognitive, physical and sensory). Finally, the multidisciplinary aspect is ensured by the collaboration and the exchanges between designers and numeric tools.