Passive Wireless Surface Acoustic Wave Research Articles

A passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor system for detecting warfare agents based on fluoroalcohol polysiloxane film

Long-term monitoring of environmental warfare agengts is a challenge for chemical gas sensors. To address this issue, we developed a 433 MHz passive wireless surface acoustic wave (WSAW) gas sensor for dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) detection. This WSAW gas sensor includes a YZ lithium niobate (LiNbO3) substrate with metallic interdigital transducers (IDTs) etched on it, and an antenna was placed near the IDT. A DMMP-sensitive viscoelastic polymer fluoroalcoholpolysiloxane (SXFA) film was prepared on a LiNbO3 substrate, and mode modeling coupling was used to optimize the design parameters. The sensor can function properly in an environments between −30 °C and 100 °C with humidity less than 60% RH. When the wireless transmission distance was within the range of 0–90 cm, the sensor noise increased with distance, and the stability was less than 32°/h. While optimizing the film thickness of SXFA, a relationship was observed between sensor sensitivity and film thickness. When the film thickness of SXFA reached 450 nm, the optimal value was reached. At a distance of 20 cm between the transmitting and receiving antennas, DMMP was detected at different concentrations with the developed WSAW gas sensor. The lower detection limit of DMMP was 0.48 mg/m3, the sensitivity of the sensor was 4.63°/(mg/m3), and repeatable performance of the sensor was confirmed.

Echo Frequency Estimation Technology for Passive Surface Acoustic Wave Resonant Sensors Based on a Genetic Algorithm

Passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonant sensors are widely used in measuring pressure, temperature, and torque, typically detecting sensing parameters by measuring the echo signal frequency of SAW resonators. Therefore, the accuracy of echo signal frequency estimation directly affects the performance index of the sensor. Due to the exponential attenuation trend of the echo signal, the duration is generally approximately 10 μs, with conventional frequency domain analysis methods limited by the sampling frequency and data points. Thus, the resolution of frequency estimation is limited. Here, signal time-domain fitting combined with a genetic algorithm is used to estimate SAW echo signal frequency. To address the problem of slow estimation speed and poor timeliness caused by a conventional genetic algorithm, which needs to simultaneously estimate multiple parameters, such as signal amplitude, phase, frequency, and envelope, the Hilbert transform is proposed to remove the signal envelope and estimate its amplitude, and the fast Fourier transform subsection method is used to analyze the initial phase of the signal. The genetic algorithm is thereby optimized to realize the frequency estimation of SAW echo signals under a single parameter. The developed digital signal processing frequency detection system was monitored in real time to estimate the frequency of an SAW echo signal lasting 10 μs and found to have only 100 sampling points. The proposed method has a frequency estimation error within 3 kHz and a frequency estimation time of less than 1 s, which is eight times faster than the conventional genetic algorithm.

Research and experiment the wireless passive surface acoustic wave technology for conductor temperature monitoring of high voltage equipment

This paper presents the research and design of a passive thermal monitoring system using wireless temperature sensors based on the principle of surface acoustic wave (SAW). The monitoring system is employed on components that need to be monitored for heat generation, including switch contacts, busbars, and cable connections at switchgears or ring main units (RMUs). The basic impulse insulation level (BIL), or voltage spike tolerance, of the wireless SAW temperature sensor utilised in this study, means that it is not necessary to power it with sensors that meet the high criteria for equipment installed in closed cabinets or medium voltage cabinets. The research team’s activities in this study included software development, data transmission design and manufacture, and sensor selection. The system functions steadily, with a temperature error of no more than 2oC, according to the test findings under laboratory settings.

A calculation method of the passive wireless surface acoustic wave sensor response phase

In this research, we propose a method to calculate the phase delay angle of the reflected wave compared to the wave emitted from the interdigital transducer (IDT) of a passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor by combining simulation of the finite element method (FEM) and MATLAB. Based on the result, we consider the influence of the reflector position on the phase delay of the SAW sensor consisting of an IDT and three equally spaced reflectors. The distances between the IDT and the first reflector are 870 micrometers, 939.6 micrometers, and 1009.2 micrometers, and the distances between the reflector positions are 452.4 micrometers, 522 micrometers, and 591.6 micrometers. The outputs of the FEM simulation, including delay time, amplitude loss, and the length of the reflected wave are put into the model in MATLAB to determine the phase delay of the response waves. The obtained phase delay results show that as the distance between the IDT and the reflectors increases, the phase delay angle increases to 4.49 degrees, 5.39 degrees, and 5.78 degrees, respectively.

Improving Water Pressure Measurement Using Temperature-Compensated Wireless Passive SAW Bidirectional RDL Pressure Sensor

Currently pressure sensors utilized for water pressure measurement need batteries for direct power supply. However, batteries are lifespan-limited and not so reliable in the buried water pipe environment. The maintenance work due to battery failures leads to high cost to utility owners. Wireless passive surface acoustic wave (WP-SAW) sensors do not need direct power supply from batteries and can work in harsh environment. They are low-cost and compatible with micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies. This study investigates a temperature-compensated WP-SAW bidirectional reflective delay line (RDL) pressure sensor and its feasibility in improving water pressure measurement. The linear temperature-compensated pressure sensing functional model between the output phase shifts and the pressure change is established theoretically and verified by experiments. An experimental framework for testing the sensor node is built. The water pressure sensing adaptor is proposed. Experimental results: the experimental data show good linearities, which fits the established functional relationship; the numerical functional relationship has been derived and expressed; the sensor node has a good performance in the range of pressure difference from 0 to 0.5 MPa, which meets the normal 28-meter water pressure sensing requirements; the accuracy of this sensor is 7.22 kPa, which can be utilized for the water pressure sensing tasks in water distribution systems.

Research Progress of the Temperature Monitoring Technology of the Electric Joints in the Ring Main Unit

This article summarizes several existing temperature monitoring methods for cable joints inside the ring main unit, mainly introducing infrared temperature measurement, fluorescent optical fiber detection, passive wireless surface acoustic wave temperature measurement, and wireless temperature sensor measurement. Then, the above methods were compared, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method were clarified. Finally, the research on the temperature monitoring method of the cable joints in the ring main unit is summarized. And the follow-up development direction of the passive wireless surface acoustic wave temperature measurement method in the temperature measurement of the cable joints of the ring main unit is prospected. It provides some reference for the research on the temperature monitoring method of the cable joints inside the ring main unit in the future.

Passive Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors for Early Corrosion Onset Detection

Corrosion creates serious safety concerns and economic burden in fuel processing and transportation. Being able to monitor the infrastructures in real time and detect corrosion onset may prevent potential consequences resulting from their failure. Passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are promising passive devices to detect the presence of water and corrosion onset amongst other parameters in natural gas pipelines and wellbore tubes. Here, we present on the possibility of using shear horizontal (SH-) SAW devices for monitoring metal film dissolution in hydrochloric acid of varied pH. 520 MHz SH-SAW reflective delay lines with two reflectors were fabricated on 36°Y-X LiTaO3, of which a channel was coated with 60 nm thick iron film by magnetron sputtering. With the film, the sensor had a center frequency of 529.8 MHz when measured in air. The sensor showed a slight attenuation and small frequency shift in DI water. In HCl solution with pH 2.01, the sensor’s center frequency first decreased with time for the first six minutes to reach down to 521 MHz and then remained almost unchanged. The S11 magnitude also showed similar behavior. After ten minutes immersion into the corrosive solution, no iron film was left under a visual inspection. The decrease in the frequency and attenuation is probably due to the changes in the mass and elasticity and the film surface roughening, respectively. Observed initial results are promising towards the implementation of SAW devices for monitoring corrosion in metallic structures in real time.

Anti-Interference Technology of Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor Based on K-Means Clustering Algorithm

Various types of interference signals are available in the working environment of passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors. Among these kinds of interference, co-channel interference is difficult to suppress. To solve this problem, a SAW sensor anti-interference technology was proposed to improve the reliability of the SAW sensor. Wavelet denoising method was used to denoise SAW resonator (SAWR) response, which can maintain the envelope characteristics of the SAW response. The entropy energy model of the SAW response signal was established, and the signal envelope was extracted from the proposed entropy energy function. The waveform envelope and the entropy energy curve were adopted as the signal characteristics to form two-dimensional points. The K-Means algorithm was used to classify the two-dimensional points to distinguish the SAW response from sinusoidal interference. Simulation results showed that the SAW response can be detected with a rate of more than 85% when the signal-to-noise ratio was greater than 4 dB, whereas the false detection rate of the sinusoidal interference signal was less than 8%. Finally, the proposed algorithm was used to detect the actual SAW response and sinusoidal interference signal. The experimental results showed that the proposed method can clearly distinguish the SAW response from the co-channel interference signal. Moreover, the proposed method can be used as the anti-interference technology to improve the stability of the SAW sensor.

Wireless passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology in gas sensing

PurposeThis paper aims to give an overview about the state of wireless passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) gas sensor used in the detection of chemical vapor. It also discusses a variety of different architectures including delay line and array sensor for gas detection, and it is considered that this technology has a good application prospect.Design/methodology/approachThe authors state the most of the wireless passive SAW methods used in gas sensing, such as CO2, CO, CH4, C2H4, NH3, NO2, et al., the sensor principles, design procedures and technological issues are discussed in detail; their advantages and disadvantages are also summarized. In conclusion, it gives a prospect of wireless passive SAW sensor applications and proposes the future research field might lie in the studying of many kinds of harmful gases.FindingsIn this paper, the authors will try to cover most of the important methods used in gas sensing and their recent developments. Although wireless passive SAW sensors have been used successfully in harsh environments for the monitoring of temperature or pressure, the using in chemical gases are seldom reported. This review paper gives a survey of the present state of wireless passive SAW sensor in gas detection and suggests new and exciting perspectives of wireless passive SAW gas sensor technology.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors will review most of the methods used in wireless passive SAW sensor and discuss the current research status and development trend; the potential application in future is also forecasted.Originality/valueThe authors will review most of the methods used in wireless passive SAW sensor and discuss the current research status and development trend; the potential application in future is also forecasted.

A Multi-Iteration Enhanced 2P-SMA Method for Improved Error Reduction on a WP-SAW Water Temperature and Pressure Sensor

Due to the instability of the characteristics of materials, fabrication processes and user handling, newly designed and fabricated wireless passive surface acoustic wave (WP-SAW) sensor nodes have inconsistent sensing performance. Furthermore, ambient environmental interferences aggravate inconsistences under complex working conditions. In this paper, a multi-iteration enhanced two-point simple moving average (MI-2P-SMA) method is proposed for sensing error reduction of a WP-SAW reflective delay line water temperature and pressure sensor. This method is improved from the traditional 2P-SMA method for better performance on error reduction. The results show: the MI-2P-SMA method does not change the original characteristics of experimental data; it can reduce relative errors of the WP-SAW reflective delay line water temperature and pressure sensor and has better performance than a traditional 2P-SMA method; it reduces the number of data points and the extent of this reduction is dependent on iteration time.

Development of Inplantable Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor for High Voltage Cable Core Temperature Monitoring in Intermediate Joint

In this paper, a kind of implantble passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor and its reader are developed to measure the operation temperature of high voltage crossed-linked cable core. A small type SAW temperature sensor is embedded into cable intermediate joint. A radio frequecny transceiver of the reader based on discrete devices is optimally designed to achieve high signal-to-noise ratio and receiving sensitivity. The characteristic of resonant frequency and temperature of SAW sensor is determined by frequency scan method. Through AC withstand voltage and temperature rise test of 110kV cable, it proves that the prototype can accurately measure the operation temperature of 110kV cable core in intermediate joint under high operation temperature and strong electromagnetic environment.

A passive wireless surface acoustic wave sensor for pillar load measurement

This paper presents a passive wireless pillar load measurement method based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology. A strain transfer mechanical structure was designed, and the strain distribution of an elastic substrate was analyzed using elastic thin plate bending theory. In addition, the relationship between the strain and frequency shift of the SAW resonator (SAWR) was analyzed, and a strain sensitivity numerical analysis using different bonding directions was performed. Results corroborated that the differential structure of resonators, one of which is placed at the edge along the direction of a diameter and the other is placed at the center with an angle of 45° to the diameter, is a suitable form of the SAW load sensors. Moreover, the SAWR parameters were optimized to obtain a high-performance resonator. Furthermore, The SAWRs and strain transfer mechanical structures were manufactured, the pillar load measurement system was set, and the proposed SAW load measurement method was evaluated. Experimental results affirmed that the load sensitivity is 8.64 kHz/kN. The SAW pillar load method is feasible for practical application.

Fast and Accurate Finite Transducer Analysis Method for Wireless Passive Impedance-Loaded SAW Sensors.

An accurate and fast simulation tool plays an important role in the design of wireless passive impedance-loaded surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors which have received much attention recently. This paper presents a finite transducer analysis method for wireless passive impedance-loaded SAW sensors. The finite transducer analysis method uses a numerically combined finite element method-boundary element method (FEM/BEM) model to analyze non-periodic transducers. In non-periodic transducers, FEM/BEM was the most accurate analysis method until now, however this method consumes central processing unit (CPU) time. This paper presents a faster algorithm to calculate the bulk wave part of the equation coefficient which usually requires a long time. A complete non-periodic FEM/BEM model of the impedance sensors was constructed. Modifications were made to the final equations in the FEM/BEM model to adjust for the impedance variation of the sensors. Compared with the conventional method, the proposed method reduces the computation time efficiently while maintaining the same high degree of accuracy. Simulations and their comparisons with experimental results for test devices are shown to prove the effectiveness of the analysis method.

A surface acoustic wave response detection method for passive wireless torque sensor

This paper presents an effective surface acoustic wave (SAW) response detection method for the passive wireless SAW torque sensor to improve the measurement accuracy. An analysis was conducted on the relationship between the response energy-entropy and the bandwidth of SAW resonator (SAWR). A self-correlation method was modified to suppress the blurred white noise and highlight the attenuation characteristic of wireless SAW response. The SAW response was detected according to both the variation and the duration of energy-entropy ascension of an acquired RF signal. Numerical simulation results showed that the SAW response can be detected even when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is 6dB. The proposed SAW response detection method was evaluated with several experiments at different conditions. The SAW response can be well distinguished from the sinusoidal signal and the noise. The performance of the SAW torque measurement system incorporating the detection method was tested. The obtained repeatability error was 0.23% and the linearity was 0.9934, indicating the validity of the detection method.

A context-aware frequency estimation method for wireless passive resonant SAW sensors

PurposeThis paper aims to present an context evaluation and frequency measurement method for surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonant sensor.Design/methodology/approachThis method is based on a signal subspace construction, which, along with assembling optional value set, provides the results.FindingsThe method can assess the application context and improve the resolution and accuracy of the passive wireless SAW resonator sensor system.Originality/valuePassive wireless SAW resonators have been used as sensor elements for different physical parameters such as temperature, pressure and force in a number of industrial and medical applications. Various wireless channel environments introduce different application contexts.

Research on transmission performance of a surface acoustic wave sensing system used in manufacturing environment monitoring

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors show great promise in monitoring fast-rotating or moving machinery in manufacturing environments, and have several advantages in the measurement of temperature, torque, pressure, and strain because of their passive and wireless capability. However, very few studies have systematically attempted to evaluate the characteristics of SAW sensors in a metal environment and rotating structures, both of which are common in machine tools. Simulation of the influence of the metal using CST software and a series of experiments with an SAW temperature sensor in real environments were designed to investigate the factors that affect transmission performance, including antenna angles, orientations, rotation speeds, and a metallic plate, along with the interrogator antenna–SAW sensor antenna separation distance. Our experimental measurements show that the sensor’s optimal placement in manufacturing environments should take into account all these factors in order to maintain system measurement and data transmission capability. As the first attempt to systematically investigate the transmission characteristics of the SAW sensor used in manufacturing environment, this study aims to guide users of SAW sensor applications and encourage more research in the field of wireless passive SAW sensors in monitoring applications.

On-Chip Correlator for Passive Wireless SAW Multisensor Systems

For decoding the asynchronous superposition of response signals from different sensors, it is a challenge to achieve correlation in a code division multiplexing (CDM) based passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) multisensor system. Therefore, an on-chip correlator scheme is developed in this paper. In contrast to conventional CDM-based systems, this novel scheme enables the correlations to be operated at the SAW sensors, instead of the reader. Thus, the response signals arriving at the reader are the result of cross-correlation on the chips. It is then easy for the reader to distinguish the sensor that is matched with the interrogating signal. The operation principle, signal analysis, and simulation of the novel scheme are described in the paper. The simulation results show the response signals from the correlations of the sensors. A clear spike pulse is presented in the response signals, when a sensor code is matched with the interrogating code. Simulations verify the feasibility of the on-chip correlator concept.

Uncertainty-aware frequency estimation algorithm for passive wireless resonant SAW sensor measurement

Passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators have been used as sensor elements for different physical parameters such as temperature, pressure, and force in a number of industrial and medical applications. Their operation is based on measuring the variation of the SAW resonant frequency with a physical parameter. The good measurement practice requires that the measurement uncertainty is estimated and provided together with the measurement result. This paper presents an uncertainty-aware frequency estimation approach, based on representation of the measurement uncertainty with a confidence probability of 95%, which, along with accurately calculating the frequency of the received echo signal, provides a quality evaluation for each measured SAW resonant frequency. The method has been validated by experiments.

Error Correction Method for Passive and Wireless Resonant SAW Temperature Sensor

The resonant surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors have advantages in the harsh application environments. However, the burst noise in the same frequency range, signal shadowing and a range of weather conditions introduce strong interferences to the wireless measurement system. Inspired by the theory of low-rank matrix completion generalized from the compress sensing, an algorithm suitable for passive wireless SAW temperature sensor system, which requires none of system modeling, probability distribution assumption, and extra sensors to obtain the corrected current frequency, is used to correct errors in the resonant frequency measurement. The proposed method suitable for passive wireless SAW resonant sensor system is employed to correct the frequency estimation errors in the measuring process. The performance and its validity are verified by simulations and experiments.

Concrete temperature monitoring using passive wireless surface acoustic wave sensor system

In this paper, a novel nondestructive method for detecting temperature variations of concrete using a passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor system is described. Performance of the SAW orthogonal frequency coded (OFC) temperature sensors was evaluated in air, liquid, and concrete. To verify the response of the SAW sensor, temperature was also measured using commercially available thermocouples and compared with the extracted temperature in all environmental conditions. Analysis of the measured data showed that the SAW temperature sensor system was successful in detecting temperature over a wide range in all tested conditions with a high degree of accuracy and short interrogation time. When the sensors were embedded within a 2-in. thick concrete cover, the maximum read distance was approximately 4m.