Charge Amplifier Research Articles

Application of vibration signal detection in mine hoist fault monitoring system

Due to the harsh working environment and various types of faults in mine hoists, the implementation of conventional detection is relatively difficult. In order to improve the maintenance and fault detection efficiency of mine hoist, a portable vibration detection system is designed and applied in this paper, which can judge the type and characteristics of mechanical faults according to the different responses of vibration signals. According to the test conditions of the vibration system, the overall structure and functional composition of the hardware system are established. The key functional modules are designed, including signal conditioning module, main control module, vibration sensor and power management module. The main reasons that affect and produce the hoist fault and mechanical vibration are analyzed. The wavelet packet analysis method is proposed to realize the decomposition of low frequency and high frequency signals to improve the signal resolution of the whole frequency band in the frequency domain. The vibration test system has the function of real-time data transmission and control. The realization methods include WiFi and reserved RS485 communication interface, which can match the communication rate with the data sampling rate. The amplifying circuit of the electric signal is designed to effectively ensure that the output voltage of the charge amplifier is within the input range of the amplified ADC value. In order to verify the working effect of the system, the most common gearbox and bearing failures are taken as examples. The response signals of vibration test and diagnosis can be effectively obtained, and the fault types and characteristics can be accurately judged. Through confusion matrix analysis, the reliability of the system detection index is effectively verified. The research results show that the data of the vibration detection system is stable and reliable, and can achieve good troubleshooting effect. It also can be known that different fault types can excite different vibration responses, especially at resonance frequencies. According to the verification, the data of the vibration detection system is stable and reliable, and can achieve good troubleshooting effect.

Development of a novel strategy based on in-process compensation of charge leakage for static force measurement by piezoelectric force sensors

Ordinary piezoelectric force sensors are only capable of measuring dynamic forces but not static forces because of the charge leakage due to the finite resistance of piezoelectric materials and charge amplifiers. This paper presents a new strategy for in-process compensation of charge leakage for force measurement with wide spectrum from static to dynamic realized by piezoelectric force sensors. The compensation is in-process operated based on the concept of dynamic accumulation. In order to improve the measurement accuracy and long-term stability by the compensation, the zero offset generated by normalization, bias current and temperature drift are all theoretically analyzed and experimentally validated. Measurement experiments of four different types of force signals, which contain static, triangular, sinusoidal and random force signals acting on the piezoelectric force sensor, are conducted to validate the proposed strategy. In addition, the effect of different time constant of the piezoelectric sensor under different applied forces on the compensated results is analyzed. Performance tests containing accuracy, resolution, span and bandwidth have been conducted. It is validated that the proposed method has high sensitivity of sub-millinewton, long-term stability and wide spectrum from static signal to dynamic measurement capabilities, which would provide an effective and precise method for micro force measurement and control in ultra-precision machining, semiconductor industry and biomechanics fields.

Sensing Mechanisms of Flexible Pressure Sensors

In the first segment of this project, the merits of the flexible capacitive pressure sensor will be described. These benefits encompass lower power consumption, less signal drift, greater response repeatability, and others. However, as ductile materials are incompressible, the device's sensitivity won't be very good without adopting structures. The purpose and advantages of the resistance flexible pressure sensor will then be discussed, as well as its high nonlinearity and the metal-based strain effect of the resistance strain gauge, which results in mechanical deformation when an external force is applied and results in a corresponding change in resistance value. However, the output signal is weak because of the environment and time zone variations. The design and operation of the sensor will change. It is not appropriate for long-term monitoring due to its significant time and temperature drift and the potential that correct data may not be acquired after extended measurement. Additionally, it is sensitive to electromagnetic fields, vibration, radiation, air pressure, sound pressure, and air velocity. In the last part, the benefits of the flexible piezoelectric pressure sensor will be discussed, including its broad frequency range, high sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratio, simple structure, dependable operation, and light weight. The disadvantage of piezoelectric sensors is that some of these materials have poor output direct current responsiveness and call for moisture protection, which calls for the usage of charge amplifiers or high input impedance circuits to address this shortcoming.

A Pseudo-Differential Capacitive MEMS Accelerometer Analog Front-End Design

Based on the current design and application of the chip and the research status at home and abroad, we proposed a silicon micro-accelerometer analog front-end integrated circuit with high resolution and wide capacitance application range by using SMIC 0.18μm CMOS technology. The circuit is composed of a capacitive readout circuit, a demodulator, and a low-pass filter. To detect the weak capacitive signal, the capacitor readout circuit of this paper adopts the continuous-time voltage mode charge amplifier structure and combines with the signal modulation technology and the optimization of the MOS transistor size to achieve low noise and high resolution. With the application of the signal modulation technology, the low-frequency capacitance sensor signal is shifted from 2-12 kHz to high-frequency 800 kHz. The signal modulation technology modulates the low-frequency capacitive sensor signal of 2~12 kHz at the high frequency of 800 kHz, and the signal is converted into voltage through the capacitive readout circuit. The simulation results show that the designed analog front-end circuit can convert the accelerometer capacitance signal with the frequency of 2~12 kHz, the dynamic capacitance peak is 0.108 pF, and the static capacitance is 10 pF into the expected voltage signal. In addition, the output noise can be as low as 556 nV/√Hz in the capacitive frequency range of the accelerometer, which meets the requirement of 2.5 aF capacitive resolution. Therefore, the silicon micro-accelerometer analog front-end circuit designed in this paper has the characteristics of a wide capacitor application range, low noise, and high resolution, and can be widely used.

Timespot1: a 28 nm CMOS Pixel Read-Out ASIC for 4D Tracking at High Rates

We present the first characterization results of Timespot1, an ASIC designed in CMOS 28 nm technology, featuring a 32 × 32 pixel matrix with a pitch of 35 μm. Timespot1 is the first small-size prototype, conceived to readout fine-pitch pixels with single-hit time resolution below 50 psrms and input rates of several hundreds of kilohertz per pixel. Such experimental conditions will be typical of the next generation of high-luminosity collider experiments, from the LHC run5 and beyond. Each pixel of the ASIC includes a charge amplifier, a discriminator, and a Time-to-Digital Converter with a time resolution indicatively of 22.6 psrms and maximum readout rates (per pixel) of 3 MHz. To respect system-level constraints, the timing performance has been obtained keeping the power budget per pixel below 40 mW. The ASIC has been tested and characterised in the laboratory concerning its performance in terms of time resolution, power budget and sustainable rates. The ASIC will be hybridized on a matched 32 × 32 pixel sensor matrix and will be tested under laser beam and Minimum Ionizing Particles in the laboratory and at test beams. In this paper we present a description of the ASIC operation and the first results obtained from characterization tests concerning its performance.

Comparison and Integration of Voltage and Charge Amplifiers for Capacitive ECG Measurements.

Sensing with capacitive electrodes is of interest for long-term, comfortable bio-potential measurements (e.g., ECG). However, due to the small body-to-electrode capacitance (Ce), the design of the associated front-end amplifier remains a challenge. Both voltage amplifiers (VA) and charge amplifiers (CA) can be employed. While basic comparisons of both typologies were done before, this paper extends the comparison to their responses to artifacts (caused by motion or interference). Further, a VA-CA-switchable amplifier is proposed, allowing to adapt the amplifier type to different situations, and enabling to estimate the body-to-electrode capacitance Ce in a passive way. A VA-CA switchable amplifier was implemented in a 180 nm CMOS process. The responses to artifacts for VA and CA were studied by modelling, simulations and experiments using the custom IC. The proposed Ce estimation method was validated by electrical tests and in-vivo tests. VAs are less affected by Ce variation artifacts, while CAs recover faster from triboelectricity artifacts. In a VA, these two artifacts are multiplicative and get modulated if they occur simultaneously, but in a CA they remain independent. The combined VA-CA amplifier has the potential for optimal amplifier selection according to the properties of the recorded signal, the value of Ce and the actual presence of artifacts. Moreover, it can estimate Ce without extra hardware. The proposed VA-CA switchable structure is superior to an individual VA or CA, thanks its adaptability to signal quality and artifacts, and it provides extra information on the body-to-electrode interface quality (Ce).

Charge sensitive preamplifier design optimization for low-pressure Micro-Megas gaseous detector operations

Using a bulk Micro-Megas (MM) detector an energy measurement can be obtained collecting the total charge reaching the mesh electrode connected to a low noise charge sensitive preamplifier. When operating such a device in a low-pressure gas regime, it is necessary to modify the amplification gap geometry to reach the optimal detector gain. This implies changes in the input capacitance of the preamplifier influencing its signal to noise ratio and thus the detector energy resolution. An ad-hoc high-gain and low-noise charge preamplifier has been developed to cope with the requirements of our application field. In this short report, we present the development activities focused to the study of a configurable charge amplifier to be connected to a MM detector having different mesh capacitances.

Dental Force Measurement Using Peizoelectric Sensors

Abstract: Occlusal load, contact sequence and location are necessary parameters for the study of dental biomechanics, simulation, and clinical treatment planning. There is a huge demand for dental implants, which could accurately and precisely become a substitute to natural teeth, in human beings. To select the most appropriate material for implants as well as designing an artificial tooth, it is important to understand the force exerted by the human jaw while in the process of mastication. To achieve this, there are multiple attempts as well as iterations done through various steps and circuit arrangements, primarily through piezoelectric sensors here. This happens to be the one of the most appropriate ways to measure and quantify the bite force of a tooth. After iterating with charge amplifiers, piezo capacitive and piezo resistive circuit arrangements, moving ahead with the FlexiForce measurement kit and using the A201 sensor which provided with the stable and consistent output for static as well as dynamic loading.

Large-Signal Equivalent-Circuit Model of Asymmetric Electrostatic Transducers

This article presents a circuit model that is able to capture the full nonlinear behavior of an asymmetric electrostatic transducer whose dynamics are governed by a single degree of freedom. Effects such as stress-stiffening and pull-in are accounted for. The simulation of a displacement-dependent capacitor and a nonlinear spring is accomplished with arbitrary behavioral sources, which are a standard component of circuit simulators. As an application example, the parameters of the model were fitted to emulate the behavior of an electrostatic MEMS loudspeaker whose finite-element (FEM) simulations and acoustic characterisation where already reported in the literature. The obtained waveforms show good agreement with the amplitude and distortion that was reported both in the transient FEM simulations and in the experimental measurements. This model is also used to predict the performance of this device as a microphone, coupling it to a two-stage charge amplifier. Additional complex behaviors can be introduced to this network model if it is required.

Voltage drift compensation in charge amplifiers for DC measurements: Application to piezoelectric paint sensors

Voltage drift over time in charge amplifiers is a problem not fully solved yet for DC measurements and continues to be a challenge for the scientific community. In this study we analyse the factors that cause this unwanted effect and propose a new method to compensate it. An automatic electronic circuit compensates the drift effect in two stages: first, a closed-loop proportional–integral control is used to bring the output voltage of the charge amplifier to zero and hold it while no measurement is being taken; and second, the voltage drift is compensated with an open-loop control when measurement is being taken. The proposed method allows us to compensate the voltage drift whatever its magnitude. Simulation and experimental results show that the drift effect in the output voltage of the charge amplifier is attenuated up to 99%.

Dual Band MEMS Directional Acoustic Sensor for Near Resonance Operation.

In this paper, we report on the design and characterization of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) directional sensor inspired by the tympana configuration of the parasitic fly Ormia ochracea. The sensor is meant to be operated at resonance and act as a natural filter for the undesirable frequency bands. By means of breaking the symmetry of a pair of coupled bridged membranes, two independent bending vibrational modes can be excited. The electronic output, obtained by the transduction of the vibration to differential capacitance and then voltage through charge amplifiers, can be manipulated to tailor the frequency response of the sensor. Four different frequency characteristics were demonstrated. The sensor exhibits, at resonance, mechanical sensitivity around 6 μm/Pa and electrical sensitivity around 13 V/Pa. The noise was thoroughly characterized, and it was found that the sensor die, rather than the fundamental vibration, induces the predominant part of the noise. The computed average signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio in the pass band is about 91 dB. This result, in combination with an accurate dipole-like directional response, indicates that this type of directional sensor can be designed to exhibit high SNR and selectable frequency responses demanded by different applications.

Static, Dynamic, and Signal-to-Noise Analysis of a Solid-State Magnetoelectric (Me) Sensor with a Spice-Based Circuit Simulator

Modeling the non-electrical processes by equivalent electrical circuits is a widely known and successfully used technique in research and development. Although finite element methods software development has supplanted electrical analogy techniques due to greater accuracy and intuitiveness in recent decades, the modeling of physical processes based on analogies has several advantages in some cases. Representation of physical processes in the form of lumped circuits and graphs allows researchers to estimate the system with an alternative view, use standardized methods for solving electrical circuits for non-electrical systems, and, most importantly, allows us to use electrical circuit simulators with their unique capabilities. Of particular interest for using the analogy technique are systems that include electronic components along with components belonging to other physical domains, such as mechanical, thermal, magnetic, and others. A solid-state magnetoelectric (ME) sensor equipped with a charge amplifier is proposed in this study as an example of analysis using the equivalent electrical circuit and simulating these circuits using SPICE-based circuit simulators. Sensor analysis is conducted with an emphasis on noise budgeting and optimizing the sensor’s signal-to-noise ratio and resolution. In addition, the steady state, the phasor, and transient types of analyses were employed to study the static and dynamic behavior of the system. Validation of the model using analytical calculations and comparison with experimental data demonstrated superior results.

Transient surface photovoltage spectroscopy of diamond

Contactless and highly sensitive probing of electronic transitions in diamond over a wide spectral range from near infrared to deep ultraviolet is still challenging. Surface photovoltage (SPV) signals depend on electronic transitions and transport phenomena leading to charge separation in space and allow for a contactless study of electronic transitions. Here, transient SPV spectroscopy in an arrangement with a charge amplifier and a laser tunable over a wide range was applied to study an undoped diamond single crystal between 0.8 and 5.9 eV at room temperature in ambient air. SPV transients were measured without and with weak visible bias light, which allowed for suppression of possible parasitic contributions in SPV signals not related to diamond and distinction of processes of charge separation that were independent of band bending. Transitions at 1.0 and 3.1 eV led to preferential separation of photogenerated holes toward the surface. In contrast, a transition at 1.8 eV caused preferential separation of photogenerated electrons toward the surface. Transitions near the indirect bandgap of diamond were observed at 5.27, 5.32, 5.48, and 5.53 eV and could be assigned to absorption assisted (i) by an indirect exciton and absorption of longitudinal optical and acoustic phonons, (ii) by absorption of transverse acoustic phonons, (iii) by emission of transverse acoustic phonons, and (iv) by emission of longitudinal optical and acoustic phonons, respectively. Charge separation under excitation at 5.27 eV was caused by directed charge transfer at/near the diamond surface after exciton diffusion followed by exciton dissociation.

Negative Feedback Programmable Charge Amplifier for Control Piezoelectric Sensors

This paper describes the design and operation of a programmable charge amplifier for a piezoelectric sensor. An operational amplifier (op-amp) circuit operates the charge amplifier. The purpose of this paper was to design and explain a novel approach for programmable charge amplifiers. A programmable charge amplifier is created by a host digitally (Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)) and a network of negative feedback, which is a network of resistors and capacitors (RC) connected between an output and inverter input node of an op-amp, where the feedback capacitor is 15 pF and resistors are 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 k. The analog switch was used to connect serial to RC and subsequently to SPI. The suggested circuit was developed and evaluated using discrete components; also, the programmable circuit design and results were generated using Linear Technology's Integrated Circuit Emphasis (LTSPICE) simulation software. It is powered by a ±5V battery. The open loop (AOL), Noise Gain (NG), and phase margin have all been demonstrated in ac analysis. AOL and UGF are set for varied all switches (AOL 107.26 dB and UGF 8.6 MHz), however NG exhibits stability when the feedback capacitor is larger than 15 pF and the feedback resistance is fixed since the design has a Rate-Of-Closure (ROC) smaller than 20 dB. On the other side, the phase margin is also stable. When the switches (the 5-bits of SPI) are activated, the feedback capacitor is set to 15 pF, resulting in the optimum stability, output voltage, settling time, and slew rate. These have been completed in the time domain (transient analysis).

A self-powered wireless motion sensor based on a high-surface area reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric energy harvester

This paper presents a motion-sensing device with the capability of harvesting energy from low-frequency motion activities. Based on the high surface area reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric (REWOD) energy harvesting technique, mechanical modulation of the liquid generates an AC signal, which is modeled analytically and implemented in Matlab and COMSOL. A constant DC voltage is produced by using a rectifier and a DC–DC converter to power up the motion-sensing read-out circuit. A charge amplifier converts the generated charge into a proportional output voltage, which is transmitted wirelessly to a remote receiver. The harvested DC voltage after the rectifier and DC–DC converter is found to be 3.3 V, having a measured power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the rectifier as high as 40.26% at 5 Hz frequency. The energy harvester demonstrates a linear relationship between the frequency of motion and the generated output power, making it highly suitable as a self-powered wearable motion sensor.

Design and integrated stroke sensing of a high-response piezoelectric direct-drive valve enhanced by push-pull compliant mechanisms.

Enhancing the dynamic bandwidth of flow control valves based on piezoelectric actuators has attracted much attention in the field of precision fluid control. This paper reports a high-speed piezoelectric direct-drive flow control valve with an enhanced flow rate by introducing a new push-pull complementary compliant mechanism. An improved semi-rhombus compliant amplifying mechanism is designed to amplify the microstroke of piezo-stacks with an enhanced resonance frequency. To facilitate the design, the dynamic stiffness model of the compliant amplifying mechanism is derived and the structural parameters are optimized using the Pareto multi-objective optimization strategy. In addition, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based high-response displacement sensor with an improved differential charge amplifier circuit is developed and integrated into the valve to measure the spool displacement in real time. A proof-of-concept prototype is fabricated, and the flow characteristics are experimentally tested in a closed-loop control with the PVDF sensor. The flow rate and dynamic bandwidth of the presented piezo-valve are evidently enhanced, reaching the dynamic bandwidth in excess of 920 Hz (-3 dB) and the flow rate of ±6 l/min (corresponding stroke is 0.2 mm) under the supply pressure of 70 bars.

Magnetic-assisted self-powered acceleration sensor for real-time monitoring vehicle operation and collision based on triboelectric nanogenerator

In vehicle electronic systems, acceleration sensors play an irreplaceable role in improving vehicle performances. The on-board acceleration sensor is suitable for common operating conditions, not only requires an external power supply and charge amplifier, but also has the defect of high noise. In this work, a magnetic-assisted self-powered acceleration sensor (MSAS) based on the triboelectric nanogenerator is proposed to monitor the low acceleration under common operations and the high acceleration under the collision conditions of vehicles. MSAS adopts magnetic repulsion adjustment system, which has good stability and high signal-to-noise ratio of output signal within its detection range. Simultaneous monitoring of the value and direction of the acceleration can be achieved by analyzing the frequency and trend of the electrical signals. The linear motor and pendulum impact experiment bench were established, and the results depicted that the fitting linear coefficients of the MSAS under low and high acceleration reached 0.993 and 0.991, respectively. In the durability experiment of continuous operation for 6 h, even if the amplitude of the MSAS electrical signal changes slightly, the frequency remains unchanged. Finally, the application of MSAS in real-time monitoring of remote-control car operation and collision acceleration is verified, as well as the comparison with a commercial acceleration sensor. It further illustrates the potential utility of MSAS in vehicle electronic systems.

Multi-channel front-end ASIC for a 3D position-sensitive detector

Arrays of 3D position-sensitive detectors (3DPSD), operating at room temperature and using cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) and thallium bromide (TIBr) sensors, are suitable for gamma-ray spectrometry in many applications. One detector configuration, the 3D position-sensitive Virtual Frisch-Grid detector (VFG), is particularly advantageous for integrating into large area arrays. The signals generated inside each detector of the array are captured with the anode, cathode and four pads that enable the reconstruction of the position and energy of the ionizing interaction by measurements of amplitude and timing of the signals. For these applications, a low-noise front-end ASIC has been developed, capable of processing bipolar signals (needed because of AC-coupling of certain electrodes). The ASIC can be coupled to an ADC in order to form a compound “waveform digitizer” capable of post-processing the analog signals and determining amplitude and timing information. This paper describes a 32-channel front-end ASIC that is suitable for reading out a 3 × 3 or 4 × 4 element matrix in the VFG configuration. Each channel is composed of a low-noise charge amplifier with an adaptive continuous reset feedback circuit suitable for both positive and negative charge, a first order shaper and a single-to-differential converter output stage. Voltage and current references are all internally generated by 10-bit DACs and the chip is fully controllable with the I2C communication protocol. The readout channel response has been verified using the implemented injection circuit. Linear behavior up to ∼75 ke± with the gain of ∼80 mV/fC, and up to ∼200 ke± with the gain of ∼30 mV/fC was demonstrated. In conclusion, the first test result waveforms using a 137Cs radioactive source on a 5 × 5 × 12 mm3 TIBr crystal are reported.

A Comparative Study of the Preamplifiers in Electrostatic Sensors Through Analytical Modeling and Experimental Evaluation

Electrostatic sensors have been used to monitor a diverse range of processes and systems that involve movement of charged objects. Several types of preamplifiers are available for signal conditioning of electrostatic sensors, which differ in many aspects. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of four types of preamplifiers, namely trans-resistance amplifier, charge amplifier, current sense amplifier and potential amplifier, in order to clarify their differences for correct selection and facilitate proper cabling and electrode design. An equivalent circuit model that quantifies the interaction between the charged object and the electrode using coupling capacitance is established. The voltage outputs of the four preamplifiers are expressed analytically using the potential of the charged object and the object-electrode capacitance that varies as the object moves. In order to produce repeatable and controllable inputs to the electrostatic sensor, a fluctuating electric field is actively generated by applying an excitation voltage signal on an emitting electrode. Under impulse excitation, similarities in the signal waveforms are found between the trans-resistance and current sense amplifiers as well as between the charge and potential amplifiers, apart from the opposite polarities. Both impulse and frequency responses show that the current sense and potential amplifiers are significantly affected by the parasitic capacitances that depend on electrode structure and cabling and measures should be taken to reduce their effects.

Измерительные цепи сдвоенных электроиндукционных сферических датчиков напряженности электрического поля замкнутой конфигурации

To control the levels of electric fields, electric field strength sensors are required. Currently, for these purposes, the most promising are dual electric induction sensors, which are a constructive combination of two double sensors into one whole. There are two types of dual sensors with overhead, composite and separate sensing elements. The output signals of such sensors are electrical parameters such as charge, current and voltage. Studies have shown that electrical charge has the greatest advantage. To remove the charge from the sensor, it is recommended to use a current integrator (charge amplifier) as the primary measuring circuit. Secondary measuring circuits of the dual sensors considered in this work are used for averaging the signals of double sensors in order to reduce the error from the inhomogeneity of the electric field and form an output signal proportional to the field strength. It has been established in the work that sensors with overhead and composite sensitive elements allow to perceive the intensity of an inhomogeneous electric field with an error not exceeding +4,6 % in the spatial measurement range 0a1. The work also determined the sensitivities of two types of dual sensors of the electric field strength.