Showing papers on "Transducer published in 2018"

Recent advances in quartz enhanced photoacoustic sensing

Abstract: This review aims to discuss the latest advancements in quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) based trace-gas sensing. Starting from the QEPAS basic physical principles, the most used QEPAS configurations will be described. This is followed by a detailed theoretical analysis and experimental study regarding the influence of quartz tuning forks (QTFs) geometry on their optoacoustic transducer performance. Furthermore, an overview of the latest developments in QEPAS trace-gas sensor technology employing custom QTFs will be reported. Results obtained by exploiting novel micro-resonator configurations, capable of increasing the QEPAS signal-to-noise ratio by more than two orders of magnitude and the utilization of QTF overtone flexural modes for QEPAS based sensing will be presented. A comparison of the QEPAS performance of different spectrophone configurations is reported based upon signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, a novel QEPAS approach allowing simultaneous dual-gas detection will be described.

A Miniaturized Single-Transducer Implantable Pressure Sensor With Time-Multiplexed Ultrasonic Data and Power Links

Abstract: A high-precision implantable pressure sensor with ultrasonic power-up and data uplink is presented. The fully packaged implant measures $1.7 \times 2.3 \times 7.8$ mm3 and includes a custom IC designed in a 180-nm HV BCD process, a pressure transducer, an energy storage capacitor, and a single piezoelectric transducer (piezo). In order to reduce overall dimensions, unique circuit and system design techniques are presented to enable a single time-multiplexed piezo for both power recovery and data uplink transmission. Implant performance is characterized at significant depths, 12 cm in a tissue phantom, offering a $>13\times $ improvement over state of the art in the depth/volume figure of merit, while demonstrating a robust ultrasonic data uplink with better than 10−5 bit error rate. A transient charging analysis is presented to derive the optimal piezo impedance and charging specifications to maximize overall harvesting efficiency. The IC features a front end with a 10-bit SAR ADC achieving a pressure full-scale range of 800 mmHg with a pressure resolution of 0.78 mmHg, exceeding the requirements for a wide range of in vivo pressure sensing applications. The pressure sampling rate is fully externally controlled, up to 1 ksps, in order to significantly decrease implant energy consumption and to allow for adaptable programming for specific applications.

Ultrabright Polymer-Dot Transducer Enabled Wireless Glucose Monitoring via a Smartphone

Abstract: Optical methods such as absorptiometry, fluorescence, and surface plasmon resonance have long been explored for sensing glucose. However, these schemes have not had the clinical success of electrochemical methods for point-of-care testing because of the limited performance of optical sensors and the bulky instruments they require. Here, we show that an ultrasensitive optical transducer can be used for wireless glucose monitoring via a smartphone. The optical transducer combines oxygen-sensitive polymer dots (Pdots) with glucose oxidase that sensitively detect glucose when oxygen is consumed in the glucose oxidation reaction. By judicious design of the Pdots with ultralong phosphorescence lifetime, the transducer exhibited a significantly enhanced sensitivity by 1 order of magnitude as compared to the one in a previous study. As a result, the optical images of subcutaneous glucose level obtained with the smartphone camera could be utilized to clearly distinguish between euglycemia and hyperglycemia. We fur...

3D-printed adaptive acoustic lens as a disruptive technology for transcranial ultrasound therapy using single-element transducers.

Abstract: The development of multi-element arrays for better control of the shape of ultrasonic beams has opened the way for focusing through highly aberrating media, such as the human skull. As a result, the use of brain therapy with transcranial-focused ultrasound has rapidly grown. Although effective, such technology is expensive. We propose a disruptive, low-cost approach that consists of focusing a 1 MHz ultrasound beam through a human skull with a single-element transducer coupled with a tailored silicone acoustic lens cast in a 3D-printed mold and designed using computed tomography-based numerical acoustic simulation. We demonstrate on N = 3 human skulls that adding lens-based aberration correction to a single-element transducer increases the deposited energy on the target 10 fold.

Self-Powered ZigBee Wireless Sensor Nodes for Railway Condition Monitoring

Abstract: A track-borne energy transducer is a smart device for harvesting energy of trains or rail transportation systems. In this paper, the authors extend this application through introducing a self-powered ZigBee wireless sensor node. The proposed hardware prototype consists of a ZigBee coordinator at road-side and a series of sensors (Accelerometer, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, and infrared detector) connected to a ZigBee end device at rail-side. The ZigBee end device is powered by the magnetic levitation energy harvester and communicated wirelessly with the ZigBee coordinator. The magnetic levitation oscillator is selected due to its broad-band response characteristics. The results indicate a peak–peak output voltage of 2.3 V under the condition that the vehicle travels over the rail-borne device at the speed of 105 km/h.

Multi-Sensor Data Integration Using Deep Learning for Characterization of Defects in Steel Elements.

Abstract: Nowadays, there is a strong demand for inspection systems integrating both high sensitivity under various testing conditions and advanced processing allowing automatic identification of the examined object state and detection of threats. This paper presents the possibility of utilization of a magnetic multi-sensor matrix transducer for characterization of defected areas in steel elements and a deep learning based algorithm for integration of data and final identification of the object state. The transducer allows sensing of a magnetic vector in a single location in different directions. Thus, it enables detecting and characterizing any material changes that affect magnetic properties regardless of their orientation in reference to the scanning direction. To assess the general application capability of the system, steel elements with rectangular-shaped artificial defects were used. First, a database was constructed considering numerical and measurements results. A finite element method was used to run a simulation process and provide transducer signal patterns for different defect arrangements. Next, the algorithm integrating responses of the transducer collected in a single position was applied, and a convolutional neural network was used for implementation of the material state evaluation model. Then, validation of the obtained model was carried out. In this paper, the procedure for updating the evaluated local state, referring to the neighboring area results, is presented. Finally, the results and future perspective are discussed.

Topologically protected vortex structures for low-noise magnetic sensors with high linear range

Abstract: Micromagnetic sensors play a key role in a variety of industries, including the automotive industry, where they are used, for example, for speed and position detection. The adoption of emerging magnetoresistive sensor technology such as anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance and tunnel magnetoresistance sensors is driven principally by their enhanced sensitivity and improved integration capabilities compared with conventional Hall effect sensors. At the heart of such sensors is a microstructured ferromagnetic thin-film element that transduces the magnetic signal, but these elements often exhibit a nonlinear hysteresis curve and the performance of the sensors is limited by magnetic noise. Here, we examine the origin of magnetic noise in magnetoresistive sensors and show that a topologically protected magnetic vortex state in the transducer element can be used to overcome these limitations. Using analytic and micromagnetic models, we find that the noise is due mainly to irreproducible magnetic switching of the transducer element at external fields that are close to the Stoner–Wohlfarth switching field. Then, using a flux-closed vortex configuration, we develop a giant magnetoresistance sensor layout that, compared to existing state-of-the-art sensors, has lower magnetic noise, a linear regime that is around an order of magnitude higher and negligible hysteresis.

Energy Harvesting and Sensing With Embedded Piezoelectric Ceramics in Knee Implants

Abstract: The knee replacement is one of the most common orthopedic surgical interventions in the United States; however, recent studies have shown up to 20% of patients are dissatisfied with the outcome. One of the key issues to improving these operations is a better understanding of the ligamentous balance during and after surgery. The goal of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of embedding piezoelectric transducers in the polyethylene bearing of a total knee replacement to act as self-powered sensors to aid in the alignment and balance of the knee replacement by providing intra- and postoperative feedback to the surgeon. A model consisting of a polyethylene disc with a single embedded piezoelectric ceramic transducer is investigated as a basis for future work. A modeling framework is developed including a biomechanical model of the knee joint, a finite element model of the knee bearing with encapsulated transducer, and an electromechanical model of the piezoelectric transducer. Model predictions show that a peak voltage of 2.3 V with a load resistance of 1.01 MΩ can be obtained from a single embedded piezoelectric stack, and an average power of 12 μW can be obtained from a knee bearing with four embedded piezoelectric transducers. Uniaxial compression testing is also performed on a fabricated sample for model validation. The results found in this paper show promising potential of embedded piezoelectric transducers to be utilized for autonomous self-powered in vivo knee implant force sensors.

Dual-Source Self-Start High-Efficiency Microscale Smart Energy Harvesting System for IoT

Abstract: This paper presents a low-power batteryless energy harvesting system for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. A dual-mode dc–dc converter is used to harvest the energy of a microscale photovoltaic (PV) transducer and provides energy, in the boost mode, to a super capacitor for storage. In the buck mode, the dc–dc converter provides energy to the load on demand. A piezoelectric transducer is used as a secondary input source to guarantee system self startup. The proposed system includes a smart control to adaptively adjust the number of sensors at the load, leading to better usage of the available energy at any given time. The implementation also includes a programmable switch sizing to optimize the overall system's efficiency for different load conditions. A maximum power point tracking is used to extract the maximum power of the PV transducer under various illumination conditions. The system has been implemented in a CMOS 130-nm technology and tested in various modes of operation. Self startup has been verified, and a peak efficiency of 90.5% has been measured.

Capacitive Model for Coulometric Readout of Ion-Selective Electrodes

Abstract: We present here a capacitive model for the coulometric signal transduction readout of solid-contact ion-selective membrane electrodes (SC-ISE) with a conducting polymer (CP) as an intermediate layer for the detection of anions. The capacitive model correlates well with experimental data obtained for chloride-selective SC-ISEs utilizing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with chloride as the ion-to-electron transducer. Additionally, Prussian blue is used as a simple sodium capacitor to further demonstrate the role of the transduction layer. The influence of different thicknesses of PEDOT as a conducting polymer transducer, different thicknesses of the overlaying ion-selective membranes deposited by drop casting and spin coating, and different compositions of the chloride-selective membrane are explored. The responses are evaluated in terms of current–time, charge–time, and charge–chloride activity relationships. The utility of the sensor with coulometric readout is illustrated by the monitoring...

Phased Array Focusing for Acoustic Wireless Power Transfer

Abstract: Wireless power transfer (WPT) through acoustic waves can achieve higher efficiencies than inductive coupling when the distance is above several times the transducer size. This paper demonstrates the use of ultrasonic phased arrays to focus power to receivers at arbitrary locations to increase the power transfer efficiency. Using a phased array consisting of 37 elements at a distance nearly 5 times the receiver transducer diameter, a factor of 2.6 increase in efficiency was achieved when compared to a case equivalent to a single large transducer with the same peak efficiency distance. The array has a total diameter of 7 cm, and transmits through air at 40 kHz to a 1.1-cm diameter receiver, achieving a peak overall efficiency of 4% at a distance of 5 cm. By adjusting the focal distance, the efficiency can also be maintained relatively constant at distances up to 9 cm. Numerical models were developed and shown to closely match the experimental energy transfer behavior; modeling results indicate that the efficiency can be further doubled by increasing the number of elements. For comparison, an inductive WPT system was also built with the diameters of the transmitting and receiving coils equivalent to the dimensions of the transmitting ultrasonic phased array and receiver transducer, and the acoustic WPT system achieved higher efficiencies than the inductive WPT system when the transmit-to-receive distance is above 5 cm. In addition, beam angle steering was demonstrated by using a simplified seven-element 1-D array, achieving power transfer less dependent on receiver placement.

Nonreciprocal control and cooling of phonon modes in an optomechanical system

Abstract: Phononic resonators play important roles in settings that range from gravitational wave detectors to cellular telephones. They serve as high-performance transducers, sensors, and filters by offering low dissipation, tunable coupling to diverse physical systems, and compatibility with a wide range of frequencies, materials, and fabrication processes. Systems of phononic resonators typically obey reciprocity, which ensures that the phonon transmission coefficient between any two resonators is independent of the direction of transmission. Reciprocity must be broken to realize devices (such as isolators and circulators) that provide one-way propagation of acoustic energy between resonators. Such devices are crucial for protecting active elements, mitigating noise, and operating full-duplex transceivers. To date, nonreciprocal phononic devices have not combined the features necessary for robust operation: strong nonreciprocity, in situ tunability, compact integration, and continuous operation. Furthermore, they have been applied only to coherent signals (rather than fluctuations or noise), and have been realized exclusively in travelling-wave systems (rather than resonators). Here we describe a cavity optomechanical scheme that produces robust nonreciprocal coupling between phononic resonators. This scheme provides ~ 30 dB of isolation and can be tuned in situ simply via the phases of the drive tones applied to the cavity. In addition, by directly monitoring the resonators' dynamics we show that this nonreciprocity can be used to control thermal fluctuations, and that this control represents a new resource for cooling phononic resonators.

Characterization of Voltage Instrument Transformers Under Nonsinusoidal Conditions Based on the Best Linear Approximation

Abstract: Voltage instrument transformers are usually tested at the rated frequency. In order to assess their performance in measuring harmonic components, typically, the frequency response function (FRF) is evaluated. Therefore, this conventional characterization does not consider nonlinear effects that may have a nonnegligible impact on the accuracy, especially when the transducer under test is represented by an inductive voltage transformer (VT). In this paper, a simple procedure for the characterization of voltage instrument transformers is presented. The method is based on the concept of best linear approximation of a nonlinear system. It requires applying a class of excitation signals that resembles the typical voltage waveforms found in power systems. Results consist of the FRF that permits the best linear compensation of the transducer response, and sample variances that allow quantifying the impact of noise and nonlinearities on the accuracy. The method is presented and explained by means of numerical simulations. After that, it has been applied to the characterization of a conventional inductive VT. Experimental results show how the accuracy of the transducer under test is heavily degraded by nonlinear phenomena when low-order voltage harmonics are considered.

A Feasibility Study on Timber Damage Detection Using Piezoceramic-Transducer-Enabled Active Sensing

Abstract: In recent years, piezoelectric-based transducers and technologies have made significant progress towards structural health monitoring and damage evaluation for various metal and concrete structures. Timber is still commonly used as a construction material in practical engineering; however, there is a lack of research on the health monitoring of timber-based structures using piezoelectric-based transducers and methods. This paper conducts a feasibility study on timber damage detection using surface-mounted piezoelectric patches, which enable the stress-wave-based active sensing approach. Typical damage modes in timber frame structures, such as surface cracks and holes, were investigated in this study. In the active sensing approach, one piezoceramic transducer is used as an actuator to generate stress waves, which propagate along the surface of the timber structure, and other piezoceramic transducers function as sensors to detect the propagating stress waves. Defects, such as a crack or a hole, induce additional attenuation to the propagating stress wave. Based on this attenuation, the proposed method can detect the defects using the wavelet-packet-based damage index, demonstrating its implementation potential for real-time timber damage detection.

High sensitivity detection of partial discharge acoustic emission within power transformer by sagnac fiber optic sensor

Abstract: Partial discharge acoustic detection is an important monitoring tool for power transformer diagnosis, which was traditionally performed by mounting the piezoelectric transducers on the oil tank surface. The disadvantage of partial discharge acoustic detection is its low sensitivity when partial discharge occurs inside the winding, which greatly compromises the value of partial discharge acoustic detection. Fiber optic sensors that can be deployed within power transformer are expected to be a potential solution. In this research, we used a Sagnac fiber sensor system built in lab to investigate the benefits of using fiber optic sensor for partial discharge acoustic detection. Acoustic pulses were induced in oil outside the winding and in oil duct inside the winding of a single phase 50 kV transformer. Although both fiber optic sensor and piezoelectric sensor can effectively detect the acoustic pulses outside the winding, fiber optic sensor gained a much better sensitivity over piezoelectric transducer to detect the acoustic pulses originated inside the winding. We envisage that the proposed fiber sensor can be deployed in power transformers to significantly enhance the detection performance of acoustic emission induced by partial discharge.

Development and experiment evaluation of an inertial piezoelectric actuator using bending-bending hybrid modes

Abstract: An inertial driving piezoelectric actuator using bending-bending hybrid modes was proposed. In contrast to previous inertial driving piezoelectric actuators using PZT stacks, the proposed actuator used a piezoelectric transducer that could bend in the horizontal and vertical directions independently. The horizontal bending of the transducer was used to push the slider to move step-by-step. The vertical bending was used to change the normal force quickly to regulate the friction force in the driving process. The operating principle and inertial driving mechanism were planned, discussed and simulated by finite element analysis. The feasibility of the proposed mechanism was verified by experiments. The experimental results showed that the step distance was linearly related to the voltage of the horizontal excitation signal, and it was greatly improved by the vertical bending. The prototype achieved a maximum speed of 350 μm/s at a voltage of 400 Vp-p and frequency of 250 Hz, and it achieved a maximum thrust force of 5.88 N at a preload of 63 N.

Detecting Damage Size and Shape in a Plate Structure Using PZT Transducer Array

Abstract: An algorithm to detect damage size and shape using a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducer array for a plate structure is developed in this paper. During the process of detection, the pr...

Vector Control of Piezoelectric Transducers and Ultrasonic Actuators

Abstract: This paper presents the implementation of a novel vibration amplitude control and resonant frequency tracking for piezoelectric transducers (PTs) and ultrasonic motors (USMs). It is based on a generalization of the vector control method to the PT and the USM, which is explained in the first part. We show that two independent controllers with a similar structure are required: one tracks the resonant frequency and the second controls the amplitude. We then present the implementation into a low-cost digital signal processing controller with a sampling period of 200 $\mu$ s. Experimental results on a Langevin transducer achieved a time response of 20 ms approximately, and the generality of the method is further demonstrated on a 2-D tactile stimulator at the end of this paper.

Design of a Compact Wideband Feed Cluster With Dual-Polarized Sum- and Difference-Patterns Implemented via 3-D Metal Printing

Abstract: A compact wideband feed cluster with dual-polarized sum- and difference-patterns is proposed in this paper. By utilizing dual-ridged waveguide orthomode transducers (OMTs) and wideband Magic-Tees, a highly integrated feed cluster with wide operational bandwidth, dual-polarization, and good isolation is developed. The feed cluster consists of five horns with square apertures arranged in a cross. A total of five OMTs and four Magic-Tees are used to construct the necessary comparator network to achieve sum- and difference-patterns in both polarizations. All components and the interface between them are designed with the three-dimensional metal printing in mind. A prototype is fabricated and the measured results show that the isolation between the orthogonal polarizations is better than 50 dB throughout the operational bandwidth of 10.5 to 14.5 GHz. The null-depths of the difference-patterns are better than –30 dB. The proposed feed cluster is practically useful in a variety of satellite-based applications.

Development of a Multiwavelength Visible-Range-Supported Opto⁻Ultrasound Instrument Using a Light-Emitting Diode and Ultrasound Transducer.

Abstract: A new multiwavelength visible-range-supported opto⁻ultrasound instrument using a light-emitting diode and ultrasound transducer was developed in order to produce multiwavelength visible light with minimized color aberration errors, and detect ultrasound signals emitted from the target. In the instrument, the developed optical systems can provide multiwavelength optical transmission with low optical aberration within 10-cm ranges that are reasonably flat in the modulation transfer function at spatial frequencies of 20 and 40 lp/mm, except at the end of the diagonal edge of the samples. To assess the instrument capability, we performed pulse⁻echo responses with Thunnus obesus eye samples. Focused red, green, blue and white light rays from an integrated red, green and blue LED source were produced, and echo signal amplitudes of 33.53, 34.92, 38.74 and 82.54 mV, respectively, were detected from the Thunnus obesus eye samples by a 10-MHz focused ultrasound transducer. The center frequencies of the echo signal when producing red, green, blue and white LED light in the instrument were 9.02, 9.05, 9.21 and 8.81 MHz, respectively. From these tests, we verify that this instrument can combine red, green and blue LED light to cover different wavelengths in the visible-light range and detect reasonable echo amplitudes from the samples.

Structural control with tuned inertial mass electromagnetic transducers

Abstract: Summary This paper investigates the validity of the tuned inertial mass electromagnetic transducer (TIMET) applied to building structures subjected to seismic motions. The TIMET is a device inspired by two innovative structural control devices proposed recently, that is, tuned viscous mass damper and electromagnetic transducer. The TIMET consists of a spring, an inertial mass produced by a ball screw mechanism, and an electromagnetic transducer part composed of a motor and an electrical circuit. The stiffness of the spring is tuned such that the inertial mass resonates with the vibrating building. This makes the motor installed in parallel with the inertial mass run up in an efficient way, and the vibration energy is converted to electrical energy effectively. As a result, vibration of the building decays fast and electrical energy is stored. This generated energy that is reusable for the self-powered control systems, structural health monitoring, emergency power source, and so on. In this paper, through numerical simulation studies employing the scaled three-story building model proposed for benchmark studies, the vibration reduction and energy harvesting capabilities of the TIMET is explored and the application potentiality to civil structures is discussed.

PMN-PT Single Crystal Ultrasonic Transducer With Half-Concave Geometric Design for IVUS Imaging

Abstract: As the key component of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging systems, traditional commercial side-looking IVUS transducers are flat and unfocused, which limits their lateral resolution. We propose a PMN-PT single crystal IVUS transducer with a half-concave geometry. This unique configuration makes it possible to conduct geometric focusing at a desired depth. To compare performances, the proposed and the traditional flat transducer with similar dimensions were fabricated. We determined that the half-concave transducer has a slightly higher center frequency (35 MHz), significantly broader −6 dB bandwidth (54%) but a higher insertion loss (−22.4 dB) compared to the flat transducer (32 MHz, 28%, and −19.3 dB, respectively). A significant enhancement of the lateral resolution was also confirmed. The experimental results are in agreement with the finite element simulation results. This preliminary investigation suggests that the half-concave geometry design is a promising approach in the development of focused IVUS transducers with broad bandwidth and high lateral resolution.

A Novel Laser and Video-Based Displacement Transducer to Monitor Bridge Deflections.

Abstract: The measurement of static vertical deflections on bridges continues to be a first-level technological challenge. These data are of great interest, especially for the case of long-term bridge monitoring; in fact, they are perhaps more valuable than any other measurable parameter. This is because material degradation processes and changes of the mechanical properties of the structure due to aging (for example creep and shrinkage in concrete bridges) have a direct impact on the exhibited static vertical deflections. This paper introduces and evaluates an approach to monitor displacements and rotations of structures using a novel laser and video-based displacement transducer (LVBDT). The proposed system combines the use of laser beams, LED lights, and a digital video camera, and was especially designed to capture static and slow-varying displacements. Contrary to other video-based approaches, the camera is located on the bridge, hence allowing to capture displacements at one location. Subsequently, the sensing approach and the procedure to estimate displacements and the rotations are described. Additionally, laboratory and in-service field testing carried out to validate the system are presented and discussed. The results demonstrate that the proposed sensing approach is robust, accurate, and reliable, and also inexpensive, which are essential for field implementation.