Abstract
This article presents a new self-powered wireless failure detection method that uses different signal transmission rates from piezoelectric energy harvesters. Reliable signal transmission from a wireless sensor network has been challenging due to the power supply issue, often covered by batteries that need regular replacement. Piezoelectric energy harvesting is an excellent option to power the sensors in a vibrational environment, but the power level is limited by input vibrational energy. In this article, we introduce a new failure detection strategy that uses multifunctional piezoelectric material for vibration sensing and energy harvesting. That is, when the vibration is stronger and the material strain is higher, piezoelectric material produces higher voltage, and power. Different power level from multiple piezoelectric sensors is used for sensing structural failure. We design a simple power management circuit that saves power proportional to the piezoelectric voltage so that the piezoelectric patch with higher strain can transmit more frequent wireless signals (higher transmission rate). To store the piezoelectric power, the circuit is composed of a full-bridge rectifier, a single pole double throw switch, a comparator with hysteresis, and a wireless transmitter (Zigbee). The failure detection performance is investigated in a case study that monitors screw joint failure in a vibrating plate. Reliability-based design optimization is conducted to determine the piezoelectric sensor network in terms of the number and sizes of multiple piezoelectric (PZT) patches. The test results show that the proposed system successfully powers the wireless transmitter using the ultra-low scale of power from the PZT sensors (microwatt) and detect the different combination of screw joint failure in the vibrating plate.
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