STTR Phase I: Wireless Vibration Micro-Sensors for None Intrusive Real Time Monitoring

该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力主要是在机器状态监测领域。振动监测是任何机器状态监测方案不可或缺的一部分。所有由皮带、齿轮、轴承、驱动电机或其他移动部件组成的设备在正常运行周期中都有特定的振动信号。设备振动的变化可作为运行状况下降的早期预警，并发出需要进行预防性维护的信号，以避免更严重的设备故障和故障。由于本项目建议的振动监测系统中传感标签的形状因数和无线信号检测方案非常小，因此可以简单且经济高效地直接测量机械中难以接触的部件(如电机中的转子)的振动。这将对这种振动监测技术的广泛使用产生重大影响，从而提高设备的性能和安全性，延长设备的使用寿命，并避免在许多现有和新的行业和应用中出现任何计划外停机或维护。这个小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目最初将专注于开发能够实现非常高分辨率的无线无电池加速度计。将开发的谐振式加速度计的工作原理在过去从未被演示过，正是通过这种新的概念，高灵敏度的无线加速度测量成为可能。该传感器由一个耦合到天线的压电谐振腔组成，利用压电硬化效应产生依赖于加速度的共振频率。谐振器的中心频率通过脉冲激励信号进行无线查询。传感器的一个主要和特别吸引人的特征是传感器标签的简单性，其中不需要电子设备。该项目的目标是在27.12 MHz ISM频段运行的设备的加速度探测率低于50毫克，这符合包括电机振动监测在内的各种应用的要求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is mainly in the area of machine condition monitoring. Vibration monitoring is an integral part of any machine condition monitoring regimen. All equipment that comprise belts, gears, bearings, drive motors, or other moving components have a specific vibration signature during normal operating cycles. Change in equipment vibration serves as an early warning of a decline in operating condition and signals the need for preventative maintenance to avoid more serious equipment faults and failure. Due to extremely small form-factor and wireless signal detection scheme of the sensing tag in the proposed vibration monitoring system of this project, simple and cost-effective direct measurement of vibration from hard-to-access parts of machinery (e.g. rotor in an electric motor) is enabled. This will have a significant impact on widespread use of such vibration monitoring techniques, hence improving the performance and safety of the equipment, extend their lifetime and avoid any unplanned downtime or maintenance across a host of existing and new industries and applications. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will initially focus on developing wireless battery-less accelerometers that can achieve very high resolution. The operating principle of the resonant accelerometer to be developed has never been demonstrated in the past and it is through this novel concept that high-sensitivity wireless measurement of acceleration is made possible. The proposed sensor consists of a piezoelectric resonant cavity coupled to an antenna that utilizes the piezoelectric stiffening effect to produce an acceleration-dependent resonance frequency. The center frequency of the resonator is wirelessly interrogated through pulsed excitation signals. One main and particularly attractive feature of the sensors is the simplicity of the sensor tag where no electronics are required. An acceleration detectivity of less than 50mg for a device operating in the 27.12MHz ISM band is targeted in this project which meets the requirement for a wide variety of application including motor vibration monitoring.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.