CMOS image sensor-based implantable glucose sensor using glucose-responsive fluorescent hydrogel.

Science.gov (United States)

Tokuda, Takashi; Takahashi, Masayuki; Uejima, Kazuhiro; Masuda, Keita; Kawamura, Toshikazu; Ohta, Yasumi; Motoyama, Mayumi; Noda, Toshihiko; Sasagawa, Kiyotaka; Okitsu, Teru; Takeuchi, Shoji; Ohta, Jun

2014-11-01

A CMOS image sensor-based implantable glucose sensor based on an optical-sensing scheme is proposed and experimentally verified. A glucose-responsive fluorescent hydrogel is used as the mediator in the measurement scheme. The wired implantable glucose sensor was realized by integrating a CMOS image sensor, hydrogel, UV light emitting diodes, and an optical filter on a flexible polyimide substrate. Feasibility of the glucose sensor was verified by both in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Recent Advances in Paper-Based Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edith Chow

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Paper-based sensors are a new alternative technology for fabricating simple, low-cost, portable and disposable analytical devices for many application areas including clinical diagnosis, food quality control and environmental monitoring. The unique properties of paper which allow passive liquid transport and compatibility with chemicals/biochemicals are the main advantages of using paper as a sensing platform. Depending on the main goal to be achieved in paper-based sensors, the fabrication methods and the analysis techniques can be tuned to fulfill the needs of the end-user. Current paper-based sensors are focused on microfluidic delivery of solution to the detection site whereas more advanced designs involve complex 3-D geometries based on the same microfluidic principles. Although paper-based sensors are very promising, they still suffer from certain limitations such as accuracy and sensitivity. However, it is anticipated that in the future, with advances in fabrication and analytical techniques, that there will be more new and innovative developments in paper-based sensors. These sensors could better meet the current objectives of a viable low-cost and portable device in addition to offering high sensitivity and selectivity, and multiple analyte discrimination. This paper is a review of recent advances in paper-based sensors and covers the following topics: existing fabrication techniques, analytical methods and application areas. Finally, the present challenges and future outlooks are discussed.

Development of Chemically Amplified Optical Sensors for Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring Final Report CRADA No. TSB-1162-95

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lane, Stephen M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Livermore, CA (United States); Mastrototaro, John J. [Minimed Technologies, Inc., Sylmar, CA (United States)

2018-01-22

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects 14 million people in the U.S. and more than 110 million people worldwide. Each year in this country 27,000 diabetic patients become blind, 15,000 have kidney failure, and over 54,000 have peripheral limb amputations. In 1992, total healthcare costs in the U.S. for diabetes were more than $105 billion, approximately 15% of our healthcare budget. Conventional therapy for the most severe form of diabetes, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or Type I diabetes, is to administer one or two injections per day of various forms of insulin while monitoring blood glucose levels twice or three times daily with commercial glucometers that require blood samples. Near normal blood sugar levels (glycemic control) is difficult to achieve with conventional therapy. In the fall of 1993, the results of the 10-year $165 million Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) were published which showed that intensive insulin management would lead to dramatically fewer cases of retinopathy (which leads to blindness), nephropathy (which leads to kidney failure), and neuropathy (which can lead to limb amputations) [New England Journal of Medicine, Vo1239, No.14 977-986 (1993)]. If existing commercial insulin pumps could be combined with a continuous glucose sensor, a more physiological and fine-tuned therapy could be provided - in effect, an artificial biomechanical pancreas would be available. Existing research suggested that such a development would dramatically improve glucose control, thus greatly reducing morbidity and mortality from this disease. MiniMed Technologies in Sylmar, CA, identified a number of optically based sensor strategies as well as candidate chemical reactions that could be used to implement a minimally invasive opto-chemical glucose sensor. LLNL evaluated these sensor strategies and chemical reactions. These evaluations were the first steps leading to development of a sensor of considerable importance that could

Relational-Based Sensor Data Cleansing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iftikhar, Nadeem; Liu, Xiufeng; Nordbjerg, Finn Ebertsen

2015-01-01

cleansing approaches, such as classification, prediction and moving average are not suited for embedded sensor devices, due to the limited storage and processing capabilities. In this paper, we propose a sensor data cleansing approach using the relational-based technologies, including constraints, triggers...... and granularity-based data aggregation. The proposed approach is simple but effective to cleanse different types of dirty data, including delayed data, incomplete data, incorrect data, duplicate data and missing data. We evaluate the proposed strategy to verify its efficiency, effectiveness and adaptability.......Today sensors are widely used in many monitoring applications. Due to some random environmental effects and/or sensing failures, the collected sensor data is typically noisy. Thus, it is critical to cleanse the sensor data before using it to answer queries or conduct data analysis. Popular data...

Fabrication of optochemical and electrochemical sensors using thin ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

redox couple corresponding to metal and ring. Using the 4α-CoIITAPc ... ability of heme to bind gases like NO, CO2, and O2, por- .... with the 514nm Ar+ ion laser for excitation. All the ..... bility is owing to the strong chemical interaction with.

All-plastic fiber-based pressure sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bundalo, Ivan-Lazar; Lwin, Richard; Leon-Saval, Sergio

2016-01-01

We present a feasibility study and a prototype of an all-plastic fiber-based pressure sensor. The sensor is based on long period gratings inscribed for the first time to the best of our knowledge by a CO2 laser in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microstructured fibers and coupled to a pod......-like transducer that converts pressure to strain. The sensor prototype was characterized for pressures up to 150 mbars, and various parameters related to its construction were also characterized in order to enhance sensitivity. We consider this sensor in the context of future applications in endoscopic pressure...... sensors....

Gas Sensors Based on Electrodeposited Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Lakard

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Electrochemically deposited polymers, also called “synthetic metals”, have emerged as potential candidates for chemical sensing due to their interesting and tunable chemical, electrical, and structural properties. In particular, most of these polymers (including polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene and their derivatives can be used as the sensitive layer of conductimetric gas sensors because of their conducting properties. An important advantage of polymer-based gas sensors is their efficiency at room temperature. This characteristic is interesting since most of the commercially-available sensors, usually based on metal oxides, work at high temperatures (300–400 °C. Consequently, polymer-based gas sensors are playing a growing role in the improvement of public health and environment control because they can lead to gas sensors operating with rapid detection, high sensitivity, small size, and specificity in atmospheric conditions. In this review, the recent advances in electrodeposited polymer-based gas sensors are summarized and discussed. It is shown that the sensing characteristics of electrodeposited polymers can be improved by chemical functionalization, nanostructuration, or mixing with other functional materials to form composites or hybrid materials.

Model-Based Method for Sensor Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Vatan, Farrokh

2012-01-01

Fault detection, diagnosis, and prognosis are essential tasks in the operation of autonomous spacecraft, instruments, and in situ platforms. One of NASA s key mission requirements is robust state estimation. Sensing, using a wide range of sensors and sensor fusion approaches, plays a central role in robust state estimation, and there is a need to diagnose sensor failure as well as component failure. Sensor validation can be considered to be part of the larger effort of improving reliability and safety. The standard methods for solving the sensor validation problem are based on probabilistic analysis of the system, from which the method based on Bayesian networks is most popular. Therefore, these methods can only predict the most probable faulty sensors, which are subject to the initial probabilities defined for the failures. The method developed in this work is based on a model-based approach and provides the faulty sensors (if any), which can be logically inferred from the model of the system and the sensor readings (observations). The method is also more suitable for the systems when it is hard, or even impossible, to find the probability functions of the system. The method starts by a new mathematical description of the problem and develops a very efficient and systematic algorithm for its solution. The method builds on the concepts of analytical redundant relations (ARRs).

Performance of UWB Array-Based Radar Sensor in a Multi-Sensor Vehicle-Based Suit for Landmine Detection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yarovoy, A.; Savelyev, T.; Zhuge, X.; Aubry, P.; Ligthart, L.; Schavemaker, J.G.M.; Tettelaar, P.; Breejen, E. de

2008-01-01

In this paper, integration of an UWB array-based timedomain radar sensor in a vehicle-mounted multi-sensor system for landmine detection is described. Dedicated real-time signal processing algorithms are developed to compute the radar sensor confidence map which is used for sensor fusion.

Sensitivity Enhancement of FBG-Based Strain Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ruiya; Chen, Yiyang; Tan, Yuegang; Zhou, Zude; Li, Tianliang; Mao, Jian

2018-05-17

A novel fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based strain sensor with a high-sensitivity is presented in this paper. The proposed FBG-based strain sensor enhances sensitivity by pasting the FBG on a substrate with a lever structure. This typical mechanical configuration mechanically amplifies the strain of the FBG to enhance overall sensitivity. As this mechanical configuration has a high stiffness, the proposed sensor can achieve a high resonant frequency and a wide dynamic working range. The sensing principle is presented, and the corresponding theoretical model is derived and validated. Experimental results demonstrate that the developed FBG-based strain sensor achieves an enhanced strain sensitivity of 6.2 pm/με, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis result. The strain sensitivity of the developed sensor is 5.2 times of the strain sensitivity of a bare fiber Bragg grating strain sensor. The dynamic characteristics of this sensor are investigated through the finite element method (FEM) and experimental tests. The developed sensor exhibits an excellent strain-sensitivity-enhancing property in a wide frequency range. The proposed high-sensitivity FBG-based strain sensor can be used for small-amplitude micro-strain measurement in harsh industrial environments.

Model-based Sensor Data Acquisition and Management

OpenAIRE

Aggarwal, Charu C.; Sathe, Saket; Papaioannou, Thanasis G.; Jeung, Ho Young; Aberer, Karl

2012-01-01

In recent years, due to the proliferation of sensor networks, there has been a genuine need of researching techniques for sensor data acquisition and management. To this end, a large number of techniques have emerged that advocate model-based sensor data acquisition and management. These techniques use mathematical models for performing various, day-to-day tasks involved in managing sensor data. In this chapter, we survey the state-of-the-art techniques for model-based sensor data acquisition...

Resource Discovery in Activity-Based Sensor Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bucur, Doina; Bardram, Jakob

This paper proposes a service discovery protocol for sensor networks that is specifically tailored for use in humancentered pervasive environments. It uses the high-level concept of computational activities (as logical bundles of data and resources) to give sensors in Activity-Based Sensor Networ....... ABSN enhances the generic Extended Zone Routing Protocol with logical sensor grouping and greatly lowers network overhead during the process of discovery, while keeping discovery latency close to optimal.......This paper proposes a service discovery protocol for sensor networks that is specifically tailored for use in humancentered pervasive environments. It uses the high-level concept of computational activities (as logical bundles of data and resources) to give sensors in Activity-Based Sensor Networks...... (ABSNs) knowledge about their usage even at the network layer. ABSN redesigns classical network-level service discovery protocols to include and use this logical structuring of the network for a more practically applicable service discovery scheme. Noting that in practical settings activity-based sensor...

Relational-Based Sensor Data Cleansing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iftikhar, Nadeem; Nordbjerg, Finn Ebertsen

2015-01-01

approaches, such as classification, prediction and moving average, are not suited for embedded sensor devices, due to their limit storage and processing capabilities. In this paper, we propose a sensor data cleansing approach using the relational-based technologies, including constraints, triggers...... and granularity-based data aggregation. The proposed approach is simple but effective to cleanse different types of dirty data, including delayed data, incomplete data, incorrect data, duplicate data and missing data. We evaluate the proposed strategy to verify its efficiency and effectiveness.......Today sensors are widely used in many monitoring applications. Due to some random environmental effects and/or sensing failures, the collected sensor data is typically noisy. Thus, it is critical to cleanse the data before using it for answering queries or for data analysis. Popular data cleansing...

A risk-based sensor placement methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Ronald W.; Kulesz, James J.

2008-01-01

A risk-based sensor placement methodology is proposed to solve the problem of optimal location of sensors to protect population against the exposure to, and effects of, known and/or postulated chemical, biological, and/or radiological threats. Risk is calculated as a quantitative value representing population at risk from exposure at standard exposure levels. Historical meteorological data are used to characterize weather conditions as the frequency of wind speed and direction pairs. The meteorological data drive atmospheric transport and dispersion modeling of the threats, the results of which are used to calculate risk values. Sensor locations are determined via an iterative dynamic programming algorithm whereby threats detected by sensors placed in prior iterations are removed from consideration in subsequent iterations. In addition to the risk-based placement algorithm, the proposed methodology provides a quantification of the marginal utility of each additional sensor. This is the fraction of the total risk accounted for by placement of the sensor. Thus, the criteria for halting the iterative process can be the number of sensors available, a threshold marginal utility value, and/or a minimum cumulative utility achieved with all sensors

Model-based sensor diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milgram, J.; Dormoy, J.L.

1994-09-01

Running a nuclear power plant involves monitoring data provided by the installation's sensors. Operators and computerized systems then use these data to establish a diagnostic of the plant. However, the instrumentation system is complex, and is not immune to faults and failures. This paper presents a system for detecting sensor failures using a topological description of the installation and a set of component models. This model of the plant implicitly contains relations between sensor data. These relations must always be checked if all the components are functioning correctly. The failure detection task thus consists of checking these constraints. The constraints are extracted in two stages. Firstly, a qualitative model of their existence is built using structural analysis. Secondly, the models are formally handled according to the results of the structural analysis, in order to establish the constraints on the sensor data. This work constitutes an initial step in extending model-based diagnosis, as the information on which it is based is suspect. This work will be followed by surveillance of the detection system. When the instrumentation is assumed to be sound, the unverified constraints indicate errors on the plant model. (authors). 8 refs., 4 figs

Zirconia-based solid state chemical gas sensors

CERN Document Server

Zhuiykov, S

2000-01-01

This paper presents an overview of chemical gas sensors, based on solid state technology, that are sensitive to environmental gases, such as O sub 2 , SO sub x , NO sub x , CO sub 2 and hydrocarbons. The paper is focussed on performance of electrochemical gas sensors that are based on zirconia as a solid electrolyte. The paper considers sensor structures and selection of electrode materials. Impact of interfaces on sensor performance is discussed. This paper also provides a brief overview of electrochemical properties of zirconia and their effect on sensor performance. Impact of auxiliary materials on sensors performance characteristics, such as sensitivity, selectivity, response time and recovery time, is also discussed. Dual gas sensors that can be applied for simultaneous monitoring of the concentration of both oxygen and other gas phase components, are briefly considered

Observability-Based Guidance and Sensor Placement

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, Brian T.

Control system performance is highly dependent on the quality of sensor information available. In a growing number of applications, however, the control task must be accomplished with limited sensing capabilities. This thesis addresses these types of problems from a control-theoretic point-of-view, leveraging system nonlinearities to improve sensing performance. Using measures of observability as an information quality metric, guidance trajectories and sensor distributions are designed to improve the quality of sensor information. An observability-based sensor placement algorithm is developed to compute optimal sensor configurations for a general nonlinear system. The algorithm utilizes a simulation of the nonlinear system as the source of input data, and convex optimization provides a scalable solution method. The sensor placement algorithm is applied to a study of gyroscopic sensing in insect wings. The sensor placement algorithm reveals information-rich areas on flexible insect wings, and a comparison to biological data suggests that insect wings are capable of acting as gyroscopic sensors. An observability-based guidance framework is developed for robotic navigation with limited inertial sensing. Guidance trajectories and algorithms are developed for range-only and bearing-only navigation that improve navigation accuracy. Simulations and experiments with an underwater vehicle demonstrate that the observability measure allows tuning of the navigation uncertainty.

Adaptive Sensing Based on Profiles for Sensor Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshiteru Ishida

2009-10-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a profile-based sensing framework for adaptive sensor systems based on models that relate possibly heterogeneous sensor data and profiles generated by the models to detect events. With these concepts, three phases for building the sensor systems are extracted from two examples: a combustion control sensor system for an automobile engine, and a sensor system for home security. The three phases are: modeling, profiling, and managing trade-offs. Designing and building a sensor system involves mapping the signals to a model to achieve a given mission.

Resource Discovery in Activity-Based Sensor Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bucur, Doina; Bardram, Jakob

This paper proposes a service discovery protocol for sensor networks that is specifically tailored for use in humancentered pervasive environments. It uses the high-level concept of computational activities (as logical bundles of data and resources) to give sensors in Activity-Based Sensor Networks...... (ABSNs) knowledge about their usage even at the network layer. ABSN redesigns classical network-level service discovery protocols to include and use this logical structuring of the network for a more practically applicable service discovery scheme. Noting that in practical settings activity-based sensor...

100 nm scale low-noise sensors based on aligned carbon nanotube networks: overcoming the fundamental limitation of network-based sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Minbaek; Lee, Joohyung; Kim, Tae Hyun; Lee, Hyungwoo; Lee, Byung Yang; Park, June; Jhon, Young Min; Seong, Maeng-Je; Hong, Seunghun

2010-02-01

Nanoscale sensors based on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks have been considered impractical due to several fundamental limitations such as a poor sensitivity and small signal-to-noise ratio. Herein, we present a strategy to overcome these fundamental problems and build highly-sensitive low-noise nanoscale sensors simply by controlling the structure of the SWNT networks. In this strategy, we prepared nanoscale width channels based on aligned SWNT networks using a directed assembly strategy. Significantly, the aligned network-based sensors with narrower channels exhibited even better signal-to-noise ratio than those with wider channels, which is opposite to conventional random network-based sensors. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated 100 nm scale low-noise sensors to detect mercury ions with the detection limit of ~1 pM, which is superior to any state-of-the-art portable detection system and is below the allowable limit of mercury ions in drinking water set by most government environmental protection agencies. This is the first demonstration of 100 nm scale low-noise sensors based on SWNT networks. Considering the increased interests in high-density sensor arrays for healthcare and environmental protection, our strategy should have a significant impact on various industrial applications.

100 nm scale low-noise sensors based on aligned carbon nanotube networks: overcoming the fundamental limitation of network-based sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Minbaek; Lee, Joohyung; Kim, Tae Hyun; Lee, Hyungwoo; Lee, Byung Yang; Hong, Seunghun [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Shilim-Dong, Kwanak-Gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Park, June; Seong, Maeng-Je [Department of Physics, Chung-Ang University, Heukseok-Dong, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Jhon, Young Min, E-mail: mseong@cau.ac.kr, E-mail: shong@phya.snu.ac.kr [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hawolgok-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-02-05

Nanoscale sensors based on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks have been considered impractical due to several fundamental limitations such as a poor sensitivity and small signal-to-noise ratio. Herein, we present a strategy to overcome these fundamental problems and build highly-sensitive low-noise nanoscale sensors simply by controlling the structure of the SWNT networks. In this strategy, we prepared nanoscale width channels based on aligned SWNT networks using a directed assembly strategy. Significantly, the aligned network-based sensors with narrower channels exhibited even better signal-to-noise ratio than those with wider channels, which is opposite to conventional random network-based sensors. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated 100 nm scale low-noise sensors to detect mercury ions with the detection limit of {approx}1 pM, which is superior to any state-of-the-art portable detection system and is below the allowable limit of mercury ions in drinking water set by most government environmental protection agencies. This is the first demonstration of 100 nm scale low-noise sensors based on SWNT networks. Considering the increased interests in high-density sensor arrays for healthcare and environmental protection, our strategy should have a significant impact on various industrial applications.

100 nm scale low-noise sensors based on aligned carbon nanotube networks: overcoming the fundamental limitation of network-based sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Minbaek; Lee, Joohyung; Kim, Tae Hyun; Lee, Hyungwoo; Lee, Byung Yang; Hong, Seunghun; Park, June; Seong, Maeng-Je; Jhon, Young Min

2010-01-01

Nanoscale sensors based on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks have been considered impractical due to several fundamental limitations such as a poor sensitivity and small signal-to-noise ratio. Herein, we present a strategy to overcome these fundamental problems and build highly-sensitive low-noise nanoscale sensors simply by controlling the structure of the SWNT networks. In this strategy, we prepared nanoscale width channels based on aligned SWNT networks using a directed assembly strategy. Significantly, the aligned network-based sensors with narrower channels exhibited even better signal-to-noise ratio than those with wider channels, which is opposite to conventional random network-based sensors. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated 100 nm scale low-noise sensors to detect mercury ions with the detection limit of ∼1 pM, which is superior to any state-of-the-art portable detection system and is below the allowable limit of mercury ions in drinking water set by most government environmental protection agencies. This is the first demonstration of 100 nm scale low-noise sensors based on SWNT networks. Considering the increased interests in high-density sensor arrays for healthcare and environmental protection, our strategy should have a significant impact on various industrial applications.

Biobased, Internally pH-Sensitive Materials: Immobilized Yellow Fluorescent Protein as an Optical Sensor for Spatiotemporal Mapping of pH Inside Porous Matrices.

Science.gov (United States)

Consolati, Tanja; Bolivar, Juan M; Petrasek, Zdenek; Berenguer, Jose; Hidalgo, Aurelio; Guisán, Jose M; Nidetzky, Bernd

2018-02-28

The pH is fundamental to biological function and its measurement therefore crucial across all biosciences. Unlike homogenous bulk solution, solids often feature internal pH gradients due to partition effects and confined biochemical reactions. Thus, a full spatiotemporal mapping for pH characterization in solid materials with biological systems embedded in them is essential. In here, therefore, a fully biocompatible methodology for real-time optical sensing of pH within porous materials is presented. A genetically encoded ratiometric pH sensor, the enhanced superfolder yellow fluorescent protein (sYFP), is used to functionalize the internal surface of different materials, including natural and synthetic organic polymers as well as silica frameworks. By using controlled, tailor-made immobilization, sYFP is homogenously distributed within these materials and so enables, via self-referenced imaging analysis, pH measurements in high accuracy and with useful spatiotemporal resolution. Evolution of internal pH is monitored in consequence of a proton-releasing enzymatic reaction, the hydrolysis of penicillin by a penicillin acylase, taking place in solution or confined to the solid surface of the porous matrix. Unlike optochemical pH sensors, which often interfere with biological function, labeling with sYFP enables pH sensing without altering the immobilized enzyme's properties in any of the materials used. Fast response of sYFP to pH change permits evaluation of biochemical kinetics within the solid materials. Thus, pH sensing based on immobilized sYFP represents a broadly applicable technique to the study of biology confined to the internally heterogeneous environment of solid matrices.

Optical Fiber Sensors Based on Nanoparticle-Embedded Coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aitor Urrutia

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The use of nanoparticles (NPs in scientific applications has attracted the attention of many researchers in the last few years. The use of NPs can help researchers to tune the physical characteristics of the sensing coating (thickness, roughness, specific area, refractive index, etc. leading to enhanced sensors with response time or sensitivity better than traditional sensing coatings. Additionally, NPs also offer other special properties that depend on their nanometric size, and this is also a source of new sensing applications. This review focuses on the current status of research in the use of NPs within coatings in optical fiber sensing. Most used sensing principles in fiber optics are briefly described and classified into several groups: absorbance-based sensors, interferometric sensors, fluorescence-based sensors, fiber grating sensors, and resonance-based sensors, among others. For each sensor group, specific examples of the utilization of NP-embedded coatings in their sensing structure are reported.

Patient Posture Monitoring System Based on Flexible Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youngsu Cha

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Monitoring patients using vision cameras can cause privacy intrusion problems. In this paper, we propose a patient position monitoring system based on a patient cloth with unobtrusive sensors. We use flexible sensors based on polyvinylidene fluoride, which is a flexible piezoelectric material. Theflexiblesensorsareinsertedintopartsclosetothekneeandhipoftheloosepatientcloth. We measure electrical signals from the sensors caused by the piezoelectric effect when the knee and hip in the cloth are bent. The measured sensor outputs are transferred to a computer via Bluetooth. We use a custom-made program to detect the position of the patient through a rule-based algorithm and the sensor outputs. The detectable postures are based on six human motions in and around a bed. The proposed system can detect the patient positions with a success rate over 88 percent for three patients.

A Review of Microfiber-Based Temperature Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wanvisa Talataisong

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Optical microfiber-based temperature sensors have been proposed for many applications in a variety of industrial uses, including biomedical, geological, automotive, and defense applications. This increasing demand for these micrometric devices is attributed to their large dynamic range, high sensitivity, fast-response, compactness and robustness. Additionally, they can perform in-situ measurements remotely and in harsh environments. This paper presents an overview of optical microfibers, with a focus on their applications in temperature sensing. This review broadly divides microfiber-based temperature sensors into two categories: resonant and non-resonant microfiber sensors. While the former includes microfiber loop, knot and coil resonators, the latter comprises sensors based on functionally coated/doped microfibers, microfiber couplers, optical gratings and interferometers. In the conclusions, a summary of reported performances is presented.

APTAMER-BASED SERRS SENSOR FOR THROMBIN DETECTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, H; Baker, B R; Wachsmann-Hogiu, S; Pagba, C V; Laurence, T A; Lane, S M; Lee, L P; Tok, J B

2008-07-02

We describe an aptamer-based Surface Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering (SERRS) sensor with high sensitivity, specificity, and stability for the detection of a coagulation protein, human a-thrombin. The sensor achieves high sensitivity and a limit of detection of 100 pM by monitoring the SERRS signal change upon the single step of thrombin binding to immobilized thrombin binding aptamer. The selectivity of the sensor is demonstrated by the specific discrimination of thrombin from other protein analytes. The specific recognition and binding of thrombin by the thrombin binding aptamer is essential to the mechanism of the aptamer-based sensor, as shown through measurements using negative control oligonucleotides. In addition, the sensor can detect 1 nM thrombin in the presence of complex biofluids, such as 10% fetal calf serum, demonstrating that the immobilized, 5{prime}-capped, 3{prime}-capped aptamer is sufficiently robust for clinical diagnostic applications. Furthermore, the proposed sensor may be implemented for multiplexed detection using different aptamer-Raman probe complexes.

Polymer based amperometric hydrogen sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramesh, C.; Periaswami, G.; Mathews, C.K.; Shankar, P.

1993-01-01

A polymer based amperometric hydrogen sensor has been developed for measuring hydrogen in argon. Polyvinyl alcohol-phosphoric acid serves as the solid electrolyte for proton conduction. The electrolyte is sandwiched between two palladium films. Short circuit current between the film at room temperature is measured and is found to be linearly dependant on hydrogen concentration in argon to which one side of the film is exposed. The other side is exposed to air. The response time of the sensor is found to be improved on application of a D.C. potential of 200 mV in series. The sensitivity of the sensor is in ppm range. This may be sufficient for monitoring cover gas hydrogen in FBTR. Work is underway to improve the long-term stability of the sensor. (author)

Hydrogel-based sensor for CO2 measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herber, S.; Olthuis, Wouter; Bergveld, Piet; van den Berg, Albert

2004-01-01

A hydrogel-based sensor is presented for CO2 measurements. The sensor consists of a pressure sensor and porous silicon cover. A pH-sensitive hydrogel is confined between the two parts. Furthermore the porous cover contains a bicarbonate solution and a gaspermeable membrane. CO2 reacts with the

Reviewing Automated Sensor-Based Visitor Tracking Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mygind, Lærke; Bentsen, Peter

2017-01-01

The method of timing and tracking has a long history within visitor studies and exhibition evaluation. With an increase in indoor tracking research, sensor-based positioning tool usage in museums has grown, as have expectations regarding the efficacy of technological sensing systems. This literat......The method of timing and tracking has a long history within visitor studies and exhibition evaluation. With an increase in indoor tracking research, sensor-based positioning tool usage in museums has grown, as have expectations regarding the efficacy of technological sensing systems...... methods in terms of obtained level of detail, accuracy, level of obtrusiveness, automation of data entry, ability to time concurrent behaviors, and amount of observer training needed. Although individual sensor-based and traditional, observational methods had both strengths and weaknesses, all sensor......-based timing and tracking methods provided automated data entry and the opportunity to track a number of visitors simultaneously regardless of the available personnel....

A carbon nanotube-based pressure sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karimov, Kh S; Saleem, M; Khan, Adam; Qasuria, T A; Mateen, A; Karieva, Z M

2011-01-01

In this study, a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based Al/CNT/Al pressure sensor was designed, fabricated and investigated. The sensor was fabricated by depositing CNTs on an adhesive elastic polymer tape and placing this in an elastic casing. The diameter of multiwalled nanotubes varied between 10 and 30 nm. The nominal thickness of the CNT layers in the sensors was in the range ∼300-430 μm. The inter-electrode distance (length) and the width of the surface-type sensors were in the ranges 4-6 and 3-4 mm, respectively. The dc resistance of the sensors decreased 3-4 times as the pressure was increased up to 17 kN m -2 . The resistance-pressure relationships were simulated.

Inertial Sensor-Based Gait Recognition: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Sprager, Sebastijan; Juric, Matjaz B.

2015-01-01

With the recent development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), inertial sensors have become widely used in the research of wearable gait analysis due to several factors, such as being easy-to-use and low-cost. Considering the fact that each individual has a unique way of walking, inertial sensors can be applied to the problem of gait recognition where assessed gait can be interpreted as a biometric trait. Thus, inertial sensor-based gait recognition has a great potential to play an important role in many security-related applications. Since inertial sensors are included in smart devices that are nowadays present at every step, inertial sensor-based gait recognition has become very attractive and emerging field of research that has provided many interesting discoveries recently. This paper provides a thorough and systematic review of current state-of-the-art in this field of research. Review procedure has revealed that the latest advanced inertial sensor-based gait recognition approaches are able to sufficiently recognise the users when relying on inertial data obtained during gait by single commercially available smart device in controlled circumstances, including fixed placement and small variations in gait. Furthermore, these approaches have also revealed considerable breakthrough by realistic use in uncontrolled circumstances, showing great potential for their further development and wide applicability. PMID:26340634

Organic Thin-Film Transistor (OTFT-Based Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Elkington

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Organic thin film transistors have been a popular research topic in recent decades and have found applications from flexible displays to disposable sensors. In this review, we present an overview of some notable articles reporting sensing applications for organic transistors with a focus on the most recent publications. In particular, we concentrate on three main types of organic transistor-based sensors: biosensors, pressure sensors and “e-nose”/vapour sensors.

Chemical Sensors Based on Metal Oxide Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Gary W.; Xu, Jennifer C.; Evans, Laura J.; VanderWal, Randy L.; Berger, Gordon M.; Kulis, Mike J.; Liu, Chung-Chiun

2006-01-01

This paper is an overview of sensor development based on metal oxide nanostructures. While nanostructures such as nanorods show significan t potential as enabling materials for chemical sensors, a number of s ignificant technical challenges remain. The major issues addressed in this work revolve around the ability to make workable sensors. This paper discusses efforts to address three technical barriers related t o the application of nanostructures into sensor systems: 1) Improving contact of the nanostructured materials with electrodes in a microse nsor structure; 2) Controling nanostructure crystallinity to allow co ntrol of the detection mechanism; and 3) Widening the range of gases that can be detected by using different nanostructured materials. It is concluded that while this work demonstrates useful tools for furt her development, these are just the beginning steps towards realizati on of repeatable, controlled sensor systems using oxide based nanostr uctures.

Wearable PPG sensor based alertness scoring system.

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Jishnu; Bhowmik, Tanmoy; Sahoo, Saswata; Tiwari, Vijay Narayan

2017-07-01

Quantifying mental alertness in today's world is important as it enables the person to adopt lifestyle changes for better work efficiency. Miniaturized sensors in wearable devices have facilitated detection/monitoring of mental alertness. Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors through Heart Rate Variability (HRV) offer one such opportunity by providing information about one's daily alertness levels without requiring any manual interference from the user. In this paper, a smartwatch based alertness estimation system is proposed. Data collected from PPG sensor of smartwatch is processed and fed to machine learning based model to get a continuous alertness score. Utility functions are designed based on statistical analysis to give a quality score on different stages of alertness such as awake, long sleep and short duration power nap. An intelligent data collection approach is proposed in collaboration with the motion sensor in the smartwatch to reduce battery drainage. Overall, our proposed wearable based system provides a detailed analysis of alertness over a period in a systematic and optimized manner. We were able to achieve an accuracy of 80.1% for sleep/awake classification along with alertness score. This opens up the possibility for quantifying alertness levels using a single PPG sensor for better management of health related activities including sleep.

Building SDN-Based Agricultural Vehicular Sensor Networks Based on Extended Open vSwitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Tao; Yan, Siyu; Yang, Fan; Pan, Tian; Liu, Jiang

2016-01-19

Software-defined vehicular sensor networks in agriculture, such as autonomous vehicle navigation based on wireless multi-sensor networks, can lead to more efficient precision agriculture. In SDN-based vehicle sensor networks, the data plane is simplified and becomes more efficient by introducing a centralized controller. However, in a wireless environment, the main controller node may leave the sensor network due to the dynamic topology change or the unstable wireless signal, leaving the rest of network devices without control, e.g., a sensor node as a switch may forward packets according to stale rules until the controller updates the flow table entries. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel SDN-based vehicular sensor networks architecture which can minimize the performance penalty of controller connection loss. We achieve this by designing a connection state detection and self-learning mechanism. We build prototypes based on extended Open vSwitch and Ryu. The experimental results show that the recovery time from controller connection loss is under 100 ms and it keeps rule updating in real time with a stable throughput. This architecture enhances the survivability and stability of SDN-based vehicular sensor networks in precision agriculture.

Building SDN-Based Agricultural Vehicular Sensor Networks Based on Extended Open vSwitch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Huang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Software-defined vehicular sensor networks in agriculture, such as autonomous vehicle navigation based on wireless multi-sensor networks, can lead to more efficient precision agriculture. In SDN-based vehicle sensor networks, the data plane is simplified and becomes more efficient by introducing a centralized controller. However, in a wireless environment, the main controller node may leave the sensor network due to the dynamic topology change or the unstable wireless signal, leaving the rest of network devices without control, e.g., a sensor node as a switch may forward packets according to stale rules until the controller updates the flow table entries. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel SDN-based vehicular sensor networks architecture which can minimize the performance penalty of controller connection loss. We achieve this by designing a connection state detection and self-learning mechanism. We build prototypes based on extended Open vSwitch and Ryu. The experimental results show that the recovery time from controller connection loss is under 100 ms and it keeps rule updating in real time with a stable throughput. This architecture enhances the survivability and stability of SDN-based vehicular sensor networks in precision agriculture.

Building SDN-Based Agricultural Vehicular Sensor Networks Based on Extended Open vSwitch

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Tao; Yan, Siyu; Yang, Fan; Pan, Tian; Liu, Jiang

2016-01-01

Software-defined vehicular sensor networks in agriculture, such as autonomous vehicle navigation based on wireless multi-sensor networks, can lead to more efficient precision agriculture. In SDN-based vehicle sensor networks, the data plane is simplified and becomes more efficient by introducing a centralized controller. However, in a wireless environment, the main controller node may leave the sensor network due to the dynamic topology change or the unstable wireless signal, leaving the rest of network devices without control, e.g., a sensor node as a switch may forward packets according to stale rules until the controller updates the flow table entries. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel SDN-based vehicular sensor networks architecture which can minimize the performance penalty of controller connection loss. We achieve this by designing a connection state detection and self-learning mechanism. We build prototypes based on extended Open vSwitch and Ryu. The experimental results show that the recovery time from controller connection loss is under 100 ms and it keeps rule updating in real time with a stable throughput. This architecture enhances the survivability and stability of SDN-based vehicular sensor networks in precision agriculture. PMID:26797616

Planar Laser-Based QEPAS Trace Gas Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yufei Ma

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A novel quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS trace gas detection scheme is reported in this paper. A cylindrical lens was employed for near-infrared laser focusing. The laser beam was shaped as a planar line laser between the gap of the quartz tuning fork (QTF prongs. Compared with a spherical lens-based QEPAS sensor, the cylindrical lens-based QEPAS sensor has the advantages of easier laser beam alignment and a reduction of stringent stability requirements. Therefore, the reported approach is useful in long-term and continuous sensor operation.

A Review of Carbon Nanotubes-Based Gas Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yun Wang

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Gas sensors have attracted intensive research interest due to the demand of sensitive, fast response, and stable sensors for industry, environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and so forth. The development of nanotechnology has created huge potential to build highly sensitive, low cost, portable sensors with low power consumption. The extremely high surface-to-volume ratio and hollow structure of nanomaterials is ideal for the adsorption of gas molecules. Particularly, the advent of carbon nanotubes (CNTs has fuelled the inventions of gas sensors that exploit CNTs' unique geometry, morphology, and material properties. Upon exposure to certain gases, the changes in CNTs' properties can be detected by various methods. Therefore, CNTs-based gas sensors and their mechanisms have been widely studied recently. In this paper, a broad but yet in-depth survey of current CNTs-based gas sensing technology is presented. Both experimental works and theoretical simulations are reviewed. The design, fabrication, and the sensing mechanisms of the CNTs-based gas sensors are discussed. The challenges and perspectives of the research are also addressed in this review.

SU-8 Based Piezoresistive Mechanical Sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thaysen, Jacob; Yalcinkaya, Arda Deniz; Vestergaard, R.K.

2002-01-01

We present the first SU-8 based piezoresistive mechanical sensor. Conventionally, silicon has been used as a piezoresistive material due to its high gauge factor and thereby high sensitivity to strain changes in a sensor. By using the fact that SU-8 is much softer than silicon and that a gold...

Development of GaN-based microchemical sensor nodes

Science.gov (United States)

Prokopuk, Nicholas; Son, Kyung-Ah; George, Thomas; Moon, Jeong S.

2005-01-01

Sensors based III-N technology are gaining significant interest due to their potential for monolithic integration of RF transceivers and light sources and the capability of high temperature operations. We are developing a GaN-based micro chemical sensor node for remote detection of chemical toxins, and present electrical responses of AlGaN/GaN HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) sensors to chemical toxins as well as other common gases.

Optical Fiber Sensors Based on Fiber Ring Laser Demodulation Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Wen-Ge; Zhang, Ya-Nan; Wang, Peng-Zhao; Wang, Jian-Zhang

2018-02-08

A review for optical fiber sensors based on fiber ring laser (FRL) demodulation technology is presented. The review focuses on the principles, main structures, and the sensing performances of different kinds of optical fiber sensors based on FRLs. First of all, the theory background of the sensors has been discussed. Secondly, four different types of sensors are described and compared, which includes Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) typed sensors, Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) typed sensors, Sagnac typed sensors, and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) typed sensors. Typical studies and main properties of each type of sensors are presented. Thirdly, a comparison of different types of sensors are made. Finally, the existing problems and future research directions are pointed out and analyzed.

Chemical Sensors Based on Cyclodextrin Derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogoshi, Tomoki; Harada, Akira

2008-08-25

This review focuses on chemical sensors based on cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives. This has been a field of classical interest, and is now of current interest for numerous scientists. First, typical chemical sensors using chromophore appended CDs are mentioned. Various "turn-off" and "turn-on" fluorescent chemical sensors, in which fluorescence intensity was decreased or increased by complexation with guest molecules, respectively, were synthesized. Dye modified CDs and photoactive metal ion-ligand complex appended CDs, metallocyclodextrins, were also applied for chemical sensors. Furthermore, recent novel approaches to chemical sensing systems using supramolecular structures such as CD dimers, trimers and cooperative binding systems of CDs with the other macrocycle [2]rotaxane and supramolecular polymers consisting of CD units are mentioned. New chemical sensors using hybrids of CDs with p-conjugated polymers, peptides, DNA, nanocarbons and nanoparticles are also described in this review.

Toward Sensor-Based Context Aware Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kouhei Takada

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a methodology for sensor data interpretation that can combine sensor outputs with contexts represented as sets of annotated business rules. Sensor readings are interpreted to generate events labeled with the appropriate type and level of uncertainty. Then, the appropriate context is selected. Reconciliation of different uncertainty types is achieved by a simple technique that moves uncertainty from events to business rules by generating combs of standard Boolean predicates. Finally, context rules are evaluated together with the events to take a decision. The feasibility of our idea is demonstrated via a case study where a context-reasoning engine has been connected to simulated heartbeat sensors using prerecorded experimental data. We use sensor outputs to identify the proper context of operation of a system and trigger decision-making based on context information.

Laser-based gas sensors keep moisture out of pipelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2006-07-15

Natural gas often contains contaminants that cause corrosion, and long-term deterioration, and must be cleaned and brought to pipeline standards before it can be delivered to high-pressure, long-distance pipelines. Many older sensors produce false data that can result in contaminated gas getting through. This article presented details of the SpectraSensor, a new laser-based sensor technology used by the El Paso Natural Gas Company (EPNG). The SpectraSensor is comprised of a tunable diode laser (TDL) based technology developed by the National American Space Agency (NASA). The gas analyzer provides non-contact measurement of moisture, carbon dioxide, and other corrosives in natural gas pipelines, and the tunable laser-based gas sensors are fast, accurate, and flexible. Producers can monitor El Paso's gas analyzer readings by capturing the electronic signal from El Paso's unit via a SCADA system and view the readings from control rooms. While initial purchase price is higher than more problematic surface-based gas sensors, an evaluation of the technology has indicated that maintenance savings alone may provide an almost immediate return on investments. Unlike electrochemical and crystal gas sensors, laser-based gas analyzers do not come into direct contact with any substances, a fact which practically eliminates maintenance and operational costs. Studies have shown that the cost of operating conventional electrochemical sensors can result in a cumulative annual expense exceeding $50,000 per unit including labour; recalibration and rebuilding; back-up sensor heads; and gas dehydration and tariffs. 1 fig.

Electrochemical DNA Hybridization Sensors Based on Conducting Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md. Mahbubur; Li, Xiao-Bo; Lopa, Nasrin Siraj; Ahn, Sang Jung; Lee, Jae-Joon

2015-01-01

Conducting polymers (CPs) are a group of polymeric materials that have attracted considerable attention because of their unique electronic, chemical, and biochemical properties. This is reflected in their use in a wide range of potential applications, including light-emitting diodes, anti-static coating, electrochromic materials, solar cells, chemical sensors, biosensors, and drug-release systems. Electrochemical DNA sensors based on CPs can be used in numerous areas related to human health. This review summarizes the recent progress made in the development and use of CP-based electrochemical DNA hybridization sensors. We discuss the distinct properties of CPs with respect to their use in the immobilization of probe DNA on electrode surfaces, and we describe the immobilization techniques used for developing DNA hybridization sensors together with the various transduction methods employed. In the concluding part of this review, we present some of the challenges faced in the use of CP-based DNA hybridization sensors, as well as a future perspective. PMID:25664436

Electrochemical DNA Hybridization Sensors Based on Conducting Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Mahbubur Rahman

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Conducting polymers (CPs are a group of polymeric materials that have attracted considerable attention because of their unique electronic, chemical, and biochemical properties. This is reflected in their use in a wide range of potential applications, including light-emitting diodes, anti-static coating, electrochromic materials, solar cells, chemical sensors, biosensors, and drug-release systems. Electrochemical DNA sensors based on CPs can be used in numerous areas related to human health. This review summarizes the recent progress made in the development and use of CP-based electrochemical DNA hybridization sensors. We discuss the distinct properties of CPs with respect to their use in the immobilization of probe DNA on electrode surfaces, and we describe the immobilization techniques used for developing DNA hybridization sensors together with the various transduction methods employed. In the concluding part of this review, we present some of the challenges faced in the use of CP-based DNA hybridization sensors, as well as a future perspective.

Graphene-Paper Based Electrochemical Sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Minwei; Halder, Arnab; Cao, Xianyi

2017-01-01

in electrochemical sensors and energy technologies amongothers. In this chapter, we present some examples to overview recent advances in theresearch and development of two-dimensional (2D) graphene papers as new materialsfor electrochemical sensors. The chapter covers the design, fabrication, functionalizationand...... functionalization ofgraphene papers with polymer and nanoscale functional building blocks for electrochemical-sensing purposes. In terms of electrochemical-sensing applications, the emphasis ison enzyme-graphene and nanoparticle-graphene paper-based systems for the detectionof glucose. We finally conclude...

Biological and chemical sensors based on graphene materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuxin; Dong, Xiaochen; Chen, Peng

2012-03-21

Owing to their extraordinary electrical, chemical, optical, mechanical and structural properties, graphene and its derivatives have stimulated exploding interests in their sensor applications ever since the first isolation of free-standing graphene sheets in year 2004. This article critically and comprehensively reviews the emerging graphene-based electrochemical sensors, electronic sensors, optical sensors, and nanopore sensors for biological or chemical detection. We emphasize on the underlying detection (or signal transduction) mechanisms, the unique roles and advantages of the used graphene materials. Properties and preparations of different graphene materials, their functionalizations are also comparatively discussed in view of sensor development. Finally, the perspective and current challenges of graphene sensors are outlined (312 references).

Characterization of cement-based materials using a reusable piezoelectric impedance-based sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Tawie, R.; Lee, H. K.

2011-08-01

This paper proposes a reusable sensor, which employs a piezoceramic (PZT) plate as an active sensing transducer, for non-destructive monitoring of cement-based materials based on the electromechanical impedance (EMI) sensing technique. The advantage of the sensor design is that the PZT can be easily removed from the set-up and re-used for repetitive tests. The applicability of the sensor was demonstrated for monitoring of the setting of cement mortar. EMI measurements were performed using an impedance analyzer and the transformation of the specimen from the plastic to solid state was monitored by automatically measuring the changes in the PZT conductance spectra with respect to curing time using the root mean square deviation (RMSD) algorithm. In another experiment, drying-induced moisture loss of a hardened mortar specimen at saturated surface dry (SSD) condition was measured, and monitored using the reusable sensor to establish a correlation between the RMSD values and moisture loss rate. The reusable sensor was also demonstrated for detecting progressive damages imparted on a mortar specimen attached with the sensor under several loading levels before allowing it to load to failure. Overall, the reusable sensor is an effective and efficient monitoring device that could possibly be used for field application in characterization of cement-based materials.

Characterization of cement-based materials using a reusable piezoelectric impedance-based sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tawie, R; Lee, H K

2011-01-01

This paper proposes a reusable sensor, which employs a piezoceramic (PZT) plate as an active sensing transducer, for non-destructive monitoring of cement-based materials based on the electromechanical impedance (EMI) sensing technique. The advantage of the sensor design is that the PZT can be easily removed from the set-up and re-used for repetitive tests. The applicability of the sensor was demonstrated for monitoring of the setting of cement mortar. EMI measurements were performed using an impedance analyzer and the transformation of the specimen from the plastic to solid state was monitored by automatically measuring the changes in the PZT conductance spectra with respect to curing time using the root mean square deviation (RMSD) algorithm. In another experiment, drying-induced moisture loss of a hardened mortar specimen at saturated surface dry (SSD) condition was measured, and monitored using the reusable sensor to establish a correlation between the RMSD values and moisture loss rate. The reusable sensor was also demonstrated for detecting progressive damages imparted on a mortar specimen attached with the sensor under several loading levels before allowing it to load to failure. Overall, the reusable sensor is an effective and efficient monitoring device that could possibly be used for field application in characterization of cement-based materials

Sensor-based material tagging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vercellotti, L.C.; Cox, R.W.; Ravas, R.J.; Schlotterer, J.C.

1991-01-01

Electronic identification tags are being developed for tracking material and personnel. In applying electronic identification tags to radioactive materials safeguards, it is important to measure attributes of the material to ensure that the tag remains with the material. The addition of a microcontroller with an on-board analog-to-digital converter to an electronic identification tag application-specific integrated-circuit has been demonstrated as means to provide the tag with sensor data. Each tag is assembled into a housing, which serves as a scale for measuring the weight of a paint-can-sized container and its contents. Temperature rise of the can above ambient is also measured, and a piezoelectric detector detects disturbances and immediately puts the tag into its alarm and beacon mode. Radiation measurement was also considered, but the background from nearby containers was found to be excessive. The sensor-based tagging system allows tracking of the material in cans as it is stored in vaults or is moved through the manufacturing process. The paper presents details of the sensor-based material tagging system and describes a demonstration system

Optical hydrogen sensors based on metal-hydrides

Science.gov (United States)

Slaman, M.; Westerwaal, R.; Schreuders, H.; Dam, B.

2012-06-01

For many hydrogen related applications it is preferred to use optical hydrogen sensors above electrical systems. Optical sensors reduce the risk of ignition by spark formation and are less sensitive to electrical interference. Currently palladium and palladium alloys are used for most hydrogen sensors since they are well known for their hydrogen dissociation and absorption properties at relatively low temperatures. The disadvantages of palladium in sensors are the low optical response upon hydrogen loading, the cross sensitivity for oxygen and carbon, the limited detection range and the formation of micro-cracks after some hydrogen absorption/desorption cycles. In contrast to Pd, we find that the use of magnesium or rear earth bases metal-hydrides in optical hydrogen sensors allow tuning of the detection levels over a broad pressure range, while maintaining a high optical response. We demonstrate a stable detection layer for detecting hydrogen below 10% of the lower explosion limit in an oxygen rich environment. This detection layer is deposited at the bare end of a glass fiber as a micro-mirror and is covered with a thin layer of palladium. The palladium layer promotes the hydrogen uptake at room temperature and acts as a hydrogen selective membrane. To protect the sensor for a long time in air a final layer of a hydrophobic fluorine based coating is applied. Such a sensor can be used for example as safety detector in automotive applications. We find that this type of fiber optic hydrogen sensor is also suitable for hydrogen detection in liquids. As example we demonstrate a sensor for detecting a broad range of concentrations in transformer oil. Such a sensor can signal a warning when sparks inside a high voltage power transformer decompose the transformer oil over a long period.

A Solar Position Sensor Based on Image Vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruelas, Adolfo; Velázquez, Nicolás; Villa-Angulo, Carlos; Acuña, Alexis; Rosales, Pedro; Suastegui, José

2017-07-29

Solar collector technologies operate with better performance when the Sun beam direction is normal to the capturing surface, and for that to happen despite the relative movement of the Sun, solar tracking systems are used, therefore, there are rules and standards that need minimum accuracy for these tracking systems to be used in solar collectors' evaluation. Obtaining accuracy is not an easy job, hence in this document the design, construction and characterization of a sensor based on a visual system that finds the relative azimuth error and height of the solar surface of interest, is presented. With these characteristics, the sensor can be used as a reference in control systems and their evaluation. The proposed sensor is based on a microcontroller with a real-time clock, inertial measurement sensors, geolocation and a vision sensor, that obtains the angle of incidence from the sunrays' direction as well as the tilt and sensor position. The sensor's characterization proved how a measurement of a focus error or a Sun position can be made, with an accuracy of 0.0426° and an uncertainty of 0.986%, which can be modified to reach an accuracy under 0.01°. The validation of this sensor was determined showing the focus error on one of the best commercial solar tracking systems, a Kipp & Zonen SOLYS 2. To conclude, the solar tracking sensor based on a vision system meets the Sun detection requirements and components that meet the accuracy conditions to be used in solar tracking systems and their evaluation or, as a tracking and orientation tool, on photovoltaic installations and solar collectors.

Experimental Investigation on Admittance-Based Piezoelectric Sensor Diagnostic Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jo, Hyejin; Park, Tongil; Park, Gyuhae [Chonnam National University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2015-01-15

Structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques based on the use of active-sensing piezoelectric (PZT) materials have received considerable attention. The validation of the PZT functionality during SHM operation is critical to successfully implementing a reliable SHM system. In this study, we investigated several parameters that affect the admittance-based sensor diagnostic process. We experimentally identified the temperature dependency of the active-sensor diagnostic process. We found that the admittance-based sensor diagnostic process can differentiate the adhesion conditions of bonding materials that are used to install a PZT on a structure, which is important when designing a sensor diagnostic process for an SHM system.

A Survey of Model-based Sensor Data Acquisition and Management

OpenAIRE

Aggarwal, Charu C.; Sathe, Saket; Papaioannou, Thanasis; Jeung, Hoyoung; Aberer, Karl

2013-01-01

In recent years, due to the proliferation of sensor networks, there has been a genuine need of researching techniques for sensor data acquisition and management. To this end, a large number of techniques have emerged that advocate model-based sensor data acquisition and management. These techniques use mathematical models for performing various, day-to-day tasks involved in managing sensor data. In this chapter, we survey the state-of-the-art techniques for model-based sensor data acquisition...

Fully wireless pressure sensor based on endoscopy images

Science.gov (United States)

Maeda, Yusaku; Mori, Hirohito; Nakagawa, Tomoaki; Takao, Hidekuni

2018-04-01

In this paper, the result of developing a fully wireless pressure sensor based on endoscopy images for an endoscopic surgery is reported for the first time. The sensor device has structural color with a nm-scale narrow gap, and the gap is changed by air pressure. The structural color of the sensor is acquired from camera images. Pressure detection can be realized with existing endoscope configurations only. The inner air pressure of the human body should be measured under flexible-endoscope operation using the sensor. Air pressure monitoring, has two important purposes. The first is to quantitatively measure tumor size under a constant air pressure for treatment selection. The second purpose is to prevent the endangerment of a patient due to over transmission of air. The developed sensor was evaluated, and the detection principle based on only endoscopy images has been successfully demonstrated.

LPG based all plastic pressure sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bundalo, Ivan-Lazar; Lwin, R.; Leon-Saval, S.

2015-01-01

A prototype all-plastic pressure sensor is presented and characterized for potential use as an endoscope. The sensor is based on Long Period Gratings (LPG) inscribed with a CO2 laser in 6-ring microstructured PMMA fiber. Through a latex coated, plastic 3D-printed transducer pod, external pressure...... is converted to longitudinal elongation of the pod and therefore of the fiber containing the LPG. The sensor has been characterised for pressures of up to 160 mBar in an in-house built pressure chamber. Furthermore, the influence of the fiber prestrain, fiber thickness and the effect of different glues...

Circuit Design of Surface Acoustic Wave Based Micro Force Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuanyuan Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pressure sensors are commonly used in industrial production and mechanical system. However, resistance strain, piezoresistive sensor, and ceramic capacitive pressure sensors possess limitations, especially in micro force measurement. A surface acoustic wave (SAW based micro force sensor is designed in this paper, which is based on the theories of wavelet transform, SAW detection, and pierce oscillator circuits. Using lithium niobate as the basal material, a mathematical model is established to analyze the frequency, and a peripheral circuit is designed to measure the micro force. The SAW based micro force sensor is tested to show the reasonable design of detection circuit and the stability of frequency and amplitude.

ISFET based enzyme sensors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Schoot, Bart H.; Bergveld, Piet

1987-01-01

This paper reviews the results that have been reported on ISFET based enzyme sensors. The most important improvement that results from the application of ISFETs instead of glass membrane electrodes is in the method of fabrication. Problems with regard to the pH dependence of the response and the

A MEMS SOI-based piezoresistive fluid flow sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, B.; Li, H. F.; Yang, H.; Song, D. L.; Bai, X. W.; Zhao, Y. L.

2018-02-01

In this paper, a SOI (silicon-on-insulator)-based piezoresistive fluid flow sensor is presented; the presented flow sensor mainly consists of a nylon sensing head, stainless steel cantilever beam, SOI sensor chip, printed circuit board, half-cylinder gasket, and stainless steel shell. The working principle of the sensor and some detailed contrastive analysis about the sensor structure were introduced since the nylon sensing head and stainless steel cantilever beam have distinct influence on the sensor performance; the structure of nylon sensing head and stainless steel cantilever beam is also discussed. The SOI sensor chip was fabricated using micro-electromechanical systems technologies, such as reactive ion etching and low pressure chemical vapor deposition. The designed fluid sensor was packaged and tested; a calibration installation system was purposely designed for the sensor experiment. The testing results indicated that the output voltage of the sensor is proportional to the square of the fluid flow velocity, which is coincident with the theoretical derivation. The tested sensitivity of the sensor is 3.91 × 10-4 V ms2/kg.

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Kyung Hong

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane (PDMS-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Seong Kyung; Yang, Seongjin; Cho, Seong J; Jeon, Hyungkook; Lim, Geunbae

2018-04-12

This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS) sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

A frequency output ferroelectric phase PNZT capacitor-based temperature sensor

KAUST Repository

Khan, Naveed

2016-09-05

In this paper, a frequency output temperature sensor based on a 4% Niobium doped 20/80 Zr/Ti Lead Zirconate Titanate (PNZT) capacitor is proposed. The sensor capacitance vs temperature and capacitance vs voltage characteristics are experimentally measured below the Curie temperature of the ferroelectric capacitor. The capacitance of the 20/80 (Zr/Ti) composition PNZT capacitor changes by 29% for a temperature change from 10°C to 100°C, which translates to 0.32%/°C temperature sensitivity. The measured sensor characteristics show less than ∼0.7°C deviation from the ideal linear response. A Wien bridge oscillator based temperature sensor is demonstrated based on the PNZT capacitors. Mathematical analysis for the effect of the op-amp finite unity-gain frequency on the sensor circuit oscillation frequency is provided. The experimentally realized frequency output temperature sensor shows -17.6% relative frequency change for a temperature change from 10°C to 100°C. The proposed capacitive temperature sensor can be used in low-power smart sensor nodes without the need for extensive calibration. © 2015 IEEE.

Microbial BOD sensors based on Zr (IV)-loaded collagen fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Lei; He, Li; Chen, Shujuan; Zou, Likou; Zhou, Kang; Ao, Xiaolin; Liu, Shuliang; Hu, Xinjie; Han, Guoquan

2017-03-01

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensors based on Zr (IV)-loaded collagen fiber (ZrCF), a novel material with great porous structure, were developed. This novel material shows adsorbability by microorganisms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli were used for the construction of BOD sensors. Factors affecting BOD sensor performance were examined. The ZrCF-based BOD sensor showed different sensitivities and linear response ranges with different biofilm densities. The amount of microorganisms strongly affected the performance of the BOD sensor. Poor permeability of previously reported immobilization carriers were greatly circumvented by ZrCF. The service life of the ZrCF-based BOD sensor was more than 42 days. The immobilized microorganisms can be stored for more than 6 months under 4°C in PB solution. There was good correlation between the results of the sensor method and the standard 5-day BOD method in the determination of pure organic substrates and real water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated Temperature Sensors based on Heat Diffusion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Vroonhoven, C.P.L.

2015-01-01

This thesis describes the theory, design and implementation of a new class of integrated temperature sensors, based on heat diffusion. In such sensors, temperature is sensed by measuring the time it takes for heat to diffuse through silicon. An on-chip thermal delay can be determined by geometry and

Hydrogen sensor based on palladium-yttrium alloy nanosheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Boyi [Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111 (Australia); Zhu, Yong, E-mail: y.zhu@griffith.edu.au [Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111 (Australia); Chen, Youping; Song, Han; Huang, Pengcheng [School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 (China); Dao, Dzung Viet [Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111 (Australia)

2017-06-15

This paper presents a hydrogen sensor based on palladium-yttrium (Pd-Y) alloy nanosheet. Zigzag-shaped Pd-Y nanosheet with a thickness of 19.3 nm was deposited on a quartz substrate by using an ultrahigh-vacuum magnetron sputtering system and shadow mask. The atomic ratio of palladium to yttrium in the nanosheet was 0.92/0.08. The fabrication process was simple and low-cost, and the sensor can be mass-produced. The experimental results show the sensor has a superior sensitivity, reversibility, and reproducibility. The resistive-based hydrogen detection mechanism in this research is much simpler and more compact compared to the optical-based detection method. - Highlights: • Pd-Y sensing element was fabricated using a magnetron sputtering system and shadow mask. • The Pd-Y compound consisted of 92% Pd and 8% Y. • The fabrication process was simple, low-cost, and mass-production compatible. • The sensor showed superior sensitivity, reversibility, and reproducibility to hydrogen gas. • The device is more compact than the optical-based counterpart.

Hydrogen sensor based on palladium-yttrium alloy nanosheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Boyi; Zhu, Yong; Chen, Youping; Song, Han; Huang, Pengcheng; Dao, Dzung Viet

2017-01-01

This paper presents a hydrogen sensor based on palladium-yttrium (Pd-Y) alloy nanosheet. Zigzag-shaped Pd-Y nanosheet with a thickness of 19.3 nm was deposited on a quartz substrate by using an ultrahigh-vacuum magnetron sputtering system and shadow mask. The atomic ratio of palladium to yttrium in the nanosheet was 0.92/0.08. The fabrication process was simple and low-cost, and the sensor can be mass-produced. The experimental results show the sensor has a superior sensitivity, reversibility, and reproducibility. The resistive-based hydrogen detection mechanism in this research is much simpler and more compact compared to the optical-based detection method. - Highlights: • Pd-Y sensing element was fabricated using a magnetron sputtering system and shadow mask. • The Pd-Y compound consisted of 92% Pd and 8% Y. • The fabrication process was simple, low-cost, and mass-production compatible. • The sensor showed superior sensitivity, reversibility, and reproducibility to hydrogen gas. • The device is more compact than the optical-based counterpart.

Flexible Graphene-Based Wearable Gas and Chemical Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Eric; Meyyappan, M; Nalwa, Hari Singh

2017-10-11

Wearable electronics is expected to be one of the most active research areas in the next decade; therefore, nanomaterials possessing high carrier mobility, optical transparency, mechanical robustness and flexibility, lightweight, and environmental stability will be in immense demand. Graphene is one of the nanomaterials that fulfill all these requirements, along with other inherently unique properties and convenience to fabricate into different morphological nanostructures, from atomically thin single layers to nanoribbons. Graphene-based materials have also been investigated in sensor technologies, from chemical sensing to detection of cancer biomarkers. The progress of graphene-based flexible gas and chemical sensors in terms of material preparation, sensor fabrication, and their performance are reviewed here. The article provides a brief introduction to graphene-based materials and their potential applications in flexible and stretchable wearable electronic devices. The role of graphene in fabricating flexible gas sensors for the detection of various hazardous gases, including nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), hydrogen (H 2 ), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and humidity in wearable technology, is discussed. In addition, applications of graphene-based materials are also summarized in detecting toxic heavy metal ions (Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Ag), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including nitrobenzene, toluene, acetone, formaldehyde, amines, phenols, bisphenol A (BPA), explosives, chemical warfare agents, and environmental pollutants. The sensitivity, selectivity and strategies for excluding interferents are also discussed for graphene-based gas and chemical sensors. The challenges for developing future generation of flexible and stretchable sensors for wearable technology that would be usable for the Internet of Things (IoT) are also highlighted.

Progress in triboluminescence-based smart optical sensor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olawale, David O.; Dickens, Tarik; Sullivan, William G.; Okoli, Okenwa I.; Sobanjo, John O.; Wang, Ben

2011-01-01

Extensive research work has been done in recent times to apply the triboluminescence (TL) phenomenon for damage detection in engineering structures. Of particular note are the various attempts to apply it in the detection of impact damages in composites and aerospace structures. This is because TL-based sensor systems have a great potential for wireless, in-situ and distributed (WID) structural health monitoring when fully developed. This review article highlights development and the current state-of-the-art in the application of TL-based sensor systems. The underlying mechanisms believed to be responsible for triboluminescence, particularly in zinc sulfide manganese, a highly triboluminescent material, are discussed. The challenges militating against the full exploitation and field application of TL sensor systems are also identified. Finally, viable solutions and approaches to address these challenges are enumerated. - Highlights: → The underlying mechanisms believed to be responsible for triboluminescence. → State-of-the-art in the development and application of TL-based sensor systems. → The challenges militating against the full exploitation and field application of TL sensor systems are identified. → Viable solutions and approaches to address these challenges are enumerated.

Applying Sensor-Based Technology to Improve Construction Safety Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Mingyuan; Cao, Tianzhuo; Zhao, Xuefeng

2017-08-11

Construction sites are dynamic and complicated systems. The movement and interaction of people, goods and energy make construction safety management extremely difficult. Due to the ever-increasing amount of information, traditional construction safety management has operated under difficult circumstances. As an effective way to collect, identify and process information, sensor-based technology is deemed to provide new generation of methods for advancing construction safety management. It makes the real-time construction safety management with high efficiency and accuracy a reality and provides a solid foundation for facilitating its modernization, and informatization. Nowadays, various sensor-based technologies have been adopted for construction safety management, including locating sensor-based technology, vision-based sensing and wireless sensor networks. This paper provides a systematic and comprehensive review of previous studies in this field to acknowledge useful findings, identify the research gaps and point out future research directions.

Development of GaN-based micro chemical sensor nodes

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Kyung-ah; Prokopuk, Nicholas; George, Thomas; Moon, Jeong S.

2005-01-01

Sensors based on III-N technology are gaining significant interest due to their potential for monolithic integration of RF transceivers and light sources and the capability of high temperature operations. We are developing a GaN-based micro chemical sensor node for remote detection of chemical toxins, and present electrical responses of AlGaN/GaN HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) sensors to chemical toxins as well as other common gases.

Optimize Etching Based Single Mode Fiber Optic Temperature Sensor

OpenAIRE

Ajay Kumar; Dr. Pramod Kumar

2014-01-01

This paper presents a description of etching process for fabrication single mode optical fiber sensors. The process of fabrication demonstrates an optimized etching based method to fabricate single mode fiber (SMF) optic sensors in specified constant time and temperature. We propose a single mode optical fiber based temperature sensor, where the temperature sensing region is obtained by etching its cladding diameter over small length to a critical value. It is observed that th...

A high sensitivity nanomaterial based SAW humidity sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, T-T; Chou, T-H [Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Chen, Y-Y [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tatung University, Taipei 104, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: wutt@ndt.iam.ntu.edu.tw

2008-04-21

In this paper, a highly sensitive humidity sensor is reported. The humidity sensor is configured by a 128{sup 0}YX-LiNbO{sub 3} based surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator whose operating frequency is at 145 MHz. A dual delay line configuration is realized to eliminate external temperature fluctuations. Moreover, for nanostructured materials possessing high surface-to-volume ratio, large penetration depth and fast charge diffusion rate, camphor sulfonic acid doped polyaniline (PANI) nanofibres are synthesized by the interfacial polymerization method and further deposited on the SAW resonator as selective coating to enhance sensitivity. The humidity sensor is used to measure various relative humidities in the range 5-90% at room temperature. Results show that the PANI nanofibre based SAW humidity sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity and short-term repeatability.

pH sensor based on boron nitride nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Q; Bando, Y; Zhao, L; Zhi, C Y; Golberg, D

2009-10-14

A submicrometer-sized pH sensor based on biotin-fluorescein-functionalized multiwalled BN nanotubes with anchored Ag nanoparticles is designed. Intrinsic pH-dependent photoluminescence and Raman signals in attached fluorescein molecules enhanced by Ag nanoparticles allow this novel nanohybrid to perform as a practical pH sensor. It is able to work in a submicrometer-sized space. For example, the sensor may determine the environmental pH of sub-units in living cells where a traditional optical fiber sensor fails because of spatial limitations.

pH sensor based on boron nitride nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Q; Bando, Y; Zhao, L; Zhi, C Y; Golberg, D

2009-01-01

A submicrometer-sized pH sensor based on biotin-fluorescein-functionalized multiwalled BN nanotubes with anchored Ag nanoparticles is designed. Intrinsic pH-dependent photoluminescence and Raman signals in attached fluorescein molecules enhanced by Ag nanoparticles allow this novel nanohybrid to perform as a practical pH sensor. It is able to work in a submicrometer-sized space. For example, the sensor may determine the environmental pH of sub-units in living cells where a traditional optical fiber sensor fails because of spatial limitations.

Development of paper-based electrochemical sensors for water quality monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Suzanne; Bezuidenhout, Petroné; Mbanjwa, Mesuli; Zheng, Haitao; Conning, Mariette; Palaniyandy, Nithyadharseni; Ozoemena, Kenneth; Land, Kevin

2016-02-01

We present a method for the development of paper-based electrochemical sensors for detection of heavy metals in water samples. Contaminated water leads to serious health problems and environmental issues. Paper is ideally suited for point-of-care testing, as it is low cost, disposable, and multi-functional. Initial sensor designs were manufactured on paper substrates using combinations of inkjet printing and screen printing technologies using silver and carbon inks. Bismuth onion-like carbon nanoparticle ink was manufactured and used as the active material of the sensor for both commercial and paper-based sensors, which were compared using standard electrochemical analysis techniques. The results highlight the potential of paper-based sensors to be used effectively for rapid water quality monitoring at the point-of-need.

Sensor fusion-based map building for mobile robot exploration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribo, M.

2000-01-01

To carry out exploration tasks in unknown or partially unknown environments, a mobile robot needs to acquire and maintain models of its environment. In doing so, several sensors of same nature and/or heterogeneous sensor configurations may be used by the robot to achieve reliable performances. However, this in turn poses the problem of sensor fusion-based map building: How to interpret, combine and integrate sensory information in order to build a proper representation of the environment. Specifically, the goal of this thesis is to probe integration algorithms for Occupancy Grid (OG) based map building using odometry, ultrasonic rangefinders, and stereo vision. Three different uncertainty calculi are presented here which are used for sensor fusion-based map building purposes. They are based on probability theory, Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence, and fuzzy set theory. Besides, two different sensor models are depicted which are used to translate sensing data into range information. Experimental examples of OGs built from real data recorded by two robots in office-like environment are presented. They show the feasibility of the proposed approach for building both sonar and visual based OGs. A comparison among the presented uncertainty calculi is performed in a sonar-based framework. Finally, the fusion of both sonar and visual information based of the fuzzy set theory is depicted. (author)

Physiological roles of acid-base sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, Lonny R; Buck, Jochen

2015-01-01

Acid-base homeostasis is essential for life. The macromolecules upon which living organisms depend are sensitive to pH changes, and physiological systems use the equilibrium between carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and protons to buffer their pH. Biological processes and environmental insults are constantly challenging an organism's pH; therefore, to maintain a consistent and proper pH, organisms need sensors that measure pH and that elicit appropriate responses. Mammals use multiple sensors for measuring both intracellular and extracellular pH, and although some mammalian pH sensors directly measure protons, it has recently become apparent that many pH-sensing systems measure pH via bicarbonate-sensing soluble adenylyl cyclase.

Capillarity-based preparation system for optical colorimetric sensor arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Xiao-Gang; Yi, Xin; Bu, Xiang-Nan; Hou, Chang-Jun; Huo, Dan-Qun; Yang, Mei; Fa, Huan-Bao; Lei, Jin-Can

2017-03-01

In recent years, optical colorimetric sensor arrays have demonstrated beneficial features, including rapid response, high selectivity, and high specificity; as a result, it has been extensively applied in food inspection and chemical studies, among other fields. There are instruments in the current market available for the preparation of an optical colorimetric sensor array, but it lacks the corresponding research of the preparation mechanism. Therefore, in connection with the main features of this kind of sensor array such as consistency, based on the preparation method of contact spotting, combined with a capillary fluid model, Washburn equation, Laplace equation, etc., this paper develops a diffusion model of an optical colorimetric sensor array during its preparation and sets up an optical colorimetric sensor array preparation system based on this diffusion model. Finally, this paper compares and evaluates the sensor arrays prepared by the system and prepared manually in three aspects such as the quality of array point, response of array, and response result, and the results show that the performance index of the sensor array prepared by a system under this diffusion model is better than that of the sensor array of manual spotting, which meets the needs of the experiment.

Electrochemical sensors and biosensors based on less aggregated graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Bo, Xiangjie; Zhou, Ming; Guo, Liping

2017-03-15

As a novel single-atom-thick sheet of sp 2 hybridized carbon atoms, graphene (GR) has attracted extensive attention in recent years because of its unique and remarkable properties, such as excellent electrical conductivity, large theoretical specific surface area, and strong mechanical strength. However, due to the π-π interaction, GR sheets are inclined to stack together, which may seriously degrade the performance of GR with the unique single-atom layer. In recent years, an increasing number of GR-based electrochemical sensors and biosensors are reported, which may reflect that GR has been considered as a kind of hot and promising electrode material for electrochemical sensor and biosensor construction. However, the active sites on GR surface induced by the irreversible GR aggregations would be deeply secluded inside the stacked GR sheets and therefore are not available for the electrocatalysis. So the alleviation or the minimization of the aggregation level for GR sheets would facilitate the exposure of active sites on GR and effectively upgrade the performance of GR-based electrochemical sensors and biosensors. Less aggregated GR with low aggregation and high dispersed structure can be used in improving the electrochemical activity of GR-based electrochemical sensors or biosensors. In this review, we summarize recent advances and new progress for the development of electrochemical sensors based on less aggregated GR. To achieve such goal, many strategies (such as the intercalation of carbon materials, surface modification, and structural engineering) have been applied to alleviate the aggregation level of GR in order to enhance the performance of GR-based electrochemical sensors and biosensors. Finally, the challenges associated with less aggregated GR-based electrochemical sensors and biosensors as well as related future research directions are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A market-based optimization approach to sensor and resource management

Science.gov (United States)

Schrage, Dan; Farnham, Christopher; Gonsalves, Paul G.

2006-05-01

Dynamic resource allocation for sensor management is a problem that demands solutions beyond traditional approaches to optimization. Market-based optimization applies solutions from economic theory, particularly game theory, to the resource allocation problem by creating an artificial market for sensor information and computational resources. Intelligent agents are the buyers and sellers in this market, and they represent all the elements of the sensor network, from sensors to sensor platforms to computational resources. These agents interact based on a negotiation mechanism that determines their bidding strategies. This negotiation mechanism and the agents' bidding strategies are based on game theory, and they are designed so that the aggregate result of the multi-agent negotiation process is a market in competitive equilibrium, which guarantees an optimal allocation of resources throughout the sensor network. This paper makes two contributions to the field of market-based optimization: First, we develop a market protocol to handle heterogeneous goods in a dynamic setting. Second, we develop arbitrage agents to improve the efficiency in the market in light of its dynamic nature.

Influence of temperature and humidity on carbon based printed flexible sensors

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya

2018-03-02

This paper presents the response of two different types of novel printed sensors towards the change in temperature and humidity. The electrodes of all the sensors were based on carbon materials. Followed by the design and fabrication of the sensors, the responses of the sensors were analyzed for different temperature and humidity conditions in an incubator. These results provide a podium to enhance the alternation of the fabrication procedure of carbon-based printed sensors.

Influence of temperature and humidity on carbon based printed flexible sensors

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya; Mukhopadhyay, Subhas; Kosel, Jü rgen

2018-01-01

This paper presents the response of two different types of novel printed sensors towards the change in temperature and humidity. The electrodes of all the sensors were based on carbon materials. Followed by the design and fabrication of the sensors, the responses of the sensors were analyzed for different temperature and humidity conditions in an incubator. These results provide a podium to enhance the alternation of the fabrication procedure of carbon-based printed sensors.

Validation of Underwater Sensor Package Using Feature Based SLAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Cain

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Robotic vehicles working in new, unexplored environments must be able to locate themselves in the environment while constructing a picture of the objects in the environment that could act as obstacles that would prevent the vehicles from completing their desired tasks. In enclosed environments, underwater range sensors based off of acoustics suffer performance issues due to reflections. Additionally, their relatively high cost make them less than ideal for usage on low cost vehicles designed to be used underwater. In this paper we propose a sensor package composed of a downward facing camera, which is used to perform feature tracking based visual odometry, and a custom vision-based two dimensional rangefinder that can be used on low cost underwater unmanned vehicles. In order to examine the performance of this sensor package in a SLAM framework, experimental tests are performed using an unmanned ground vehicle and two feature based SLAM algorithms, the extended Kalman filter based approach and the Rao-Blackwellized, particle filter based approach, to validate the sensor package.

Validation of Underwater Sensor Package Using Feature Based SLAM

Science.gov (United States)

Cain, Christopher; Leonessa, Alexander

2016-01-01

Robotic vehicles working in new, unexplored environments must be able to locate themselves in the environment while constructing a picture of the objects in the environment that could act as obstacles that would prevent the vehicles from completing their desired tasks. In enclosed environments, underwater range sensors based off of acoustics suffer performance issues due to reflections. Additionally, their relatively high cost make them less than ideal for usage on low cost vehicles designed to be used underwater. In this paper we propose a sensor package composed of a downward facing camera, which is used to perform feature tracking based visual odometry, and a custom vision-based two dimensional rangefinder that can be used on low cost underwater unmanned vehicles. In order to examine the performance of this sensor package in a SLAM framework, experimental tests are performed using an unmanned ground vehicle and two feature based SLAM algorithms, the extended Kalman filter based approach and the Rao-Blackwellized, particle filter based approach, to validate the sensor package. PMID:26999142

Flexible textile-based strain sensor induced by contacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hui

2015-01-01

In this paper, the contact effects are used as the key sensing element to develop flexible textile-structured strain sensors. The structures of the contact are analyzed theoretically and the contact resistances are investigated experimentally. The electromechanical properties of the textiles are investigated to find the key factors which determine the sensitivity, repeatability, and linearity of the sensor. The sensing mechanism is based on the change of contact resistance induced by the change of the configuration of the textiles. In order to improve the performance of the textile strain sensor, the contact resistance is designed based on the electromechanical properties of the fabric. It can be seen from the results that the performance of the sensor is largely affected by the structure of the contacts, which are determined by the morphology of fiber surface and the structures of the yarn and fabric. (paper)

IBE-Lite: a lightweight identity-based cryptography for body sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chiu C; Wang, Haodong; Zhong, Sheng; Li, Qun

2009-11-01

A body sensor network (BSN) is a network of sensors deployed on a person's body for health care monitoring. Since the sensors collect personal medical data, security and privacy are important components in a BSN. In this paper, we developed IBE-Lite, a lightweight identity-based encryption suitable for sensors in a BSN. We present protocols based on IBE-Lite that balance security and privacy with accessibility and perform evaluation using experiments conducted on commercially available sensors.

Bulk disk resonator based ultrasensitive mass sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cagliani, Alberto; Davis, Zachary James

2009-01-01

range. The sensor has been characterized in terms of sensitivity both for distributed mass detection, performing six consecutive depositions of e-beam evaporated Au, and localized mass detection, depositing approximately 7.5 pg of Pt/Ga/C three times consecutively with a Focused Ion Beam system......In the framework of developing an innovative label-free sensor for multiarrayed biodetection applications, we present a novel bulk resonator based mass sensor. The sensor is a polysilicon disk which shows a Q-factor of 6400 in air at 68.8 MHz, resulting in mass resolutions down in the femtogram....... The sensor has an extremely high distributed mass to frequency shift sensitivity of 60104 Hzcm2/¿g and shows a localized mass to frequency sensitivity up to 4405 Hz/pg with a localized mass resolution down to 15 fg. The device has been fabricated with a new microfabrication process that uses only two...

Feedback-type giant magneto-impedance sensor based on longitudinal excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Wen; Bu Xiongzhu; Yu Geliang; Xiang Chao

2012-01-01

In this paper, the characteristics of Fe-based amorphous ribbon based on the longitudinal excitation are investigated with assistance of the theory of the giant magneto-impedance (GMI) effect. A feedback-type GMI micro-magnetic sensor is designed with regard to the design of the sensing element, the excitation circuit, the conditional circuit and the feedback circuit. With the analysis of the dynamic and static characteristics of the feedback-type GMI sensor, it is concluded that the designed feedback-type GMI sensor has higher linearity, stability and dynamic characteristics than non-feedback-type GMI sensor in −2.5 to +2.5 Oe. - Highlights: ► A feedback-type GMI micro-magnetic sensor is designed. ► Excitation coil and feedback coil of the sensor is designed to be in one. ► The feedback-type sensor has higher linearity and stability than non-feedback type. ► The feedback-type sensor has better dynamic characteristics than non-feedback type.

Analyzing the factors affecting network lifetime cluster-based wireless sensor network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malik, A.S.; Qureshi, A.

2010-01-01

Cluster-based wireless sensor networks enable the efficient utilization of the limited energy resources of the deployed sensor nodes and hence prolong the node as well as network lifetime. Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (Leach) is one of the most promising clustering protocol proposed for wireless sensor networks. This paper provides the energy utilization and lifetime analysis for cluster-based wireless sensor networks based upon LEACH protocol. Simulation results identify some important factors that induce unbalanced energy utilization between the sensor nodes and hence affect the network lifetime in these types of networks. These results highlight the need for a standardized, adaptive and distributed clustering technique that can increase the network lifetime by further balancing the energy utilization among sensor nodes. (author)

THE GAS SENSORS BASED ON ZINC OXIDE (THE REVIEW)

OpenAIRE

Bugayova, M. E.; Koval, V. M.; Lashkarev, G. V.; Lazorenko, V. I.; Karpina, V. A.; Khranovskyy, V. D.

2017-01-01

The wide range of gas sensor application, in particular, in a mining industry for detection of outflow of gases, the control of gas emissions over an atmosphere at the industrial enterprises, in housing and communal services, in home appliances makes actual the review. As the systematized analysis of gas sensor based on ZnO has not being carried out — this work is of interest for development of chemical sensors based on zinc compound with high sensitivity, selectivity and stability. The resis...

An Electronic-Nose Sensor Node Based on a Polymer-Coated Surface Acoustic Wave Array for Wireless Sensor Network Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Kea-Tiong; Li, Cheng-Han; Chiu, Shih-Wen

2011-01-01

This study developed an electronic-nose sensor node based on a polymer-coated surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor array. The sensor node comprised an SAW sensor array, a frequency readout circuit, and an Octopus II wireless module. The sensor array was fabricated on a large K2 128° YX LiNbO3 sensing substrate. On the surface of this substrate, an interdigital transducer (IDT) was produced with a Cr/Au film as its metallic structure. A mixed-mode frequency readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) was fabricated using a TSMC 0.18 μm process. The ASIC output was connected to a wireless module to transmit sensor data to a base station for data storage and analysis. This sensor node is applicable for wireless sensor network (WSN) applications. PMID:22163865

An electronic-nose sensor node based on a polymer-coated surface acoustic wave array for wireless sensor network applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Kea-Tiong; Li, Cheng-Han; Chiu, Shih-Wen

2011-01-01

This study developed an electronic-nose sensor node based on a polymer-coated surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor array. The sensor node comprised an SAW sensor array, a frequency readout circuit, and an Octopus II wireless module. The sensor array was fabricated on a large K(2) 128° YX LiNbO3 sensing substrate. On the surface of this substrate, an interdigital transducer (IDT) was produced with a Cr/Au film as its metallic structure. A mixed-mode frequency readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) was fabricated using a TSMC 0.18 μm process. The ASIC output was connected to a wireless module to transmit sensor data to a base station for data storage and analysis. This sensor node is applicable for wireless sensor network (WSN) applications.

An Electronic-Nose Sensor Node Based on a Polymer-Coated Surface Acoustic Wave Array for Wireless Sensor Network Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kea-Tiong Tang

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This study developed an electronic-nose sensor node based on a polymer-coated surface acoustic wave (SAW sensor array. The sensor node comprised an SAW sensor array, a frequency readout circuit, and an Octopus II wireless module. The sensor array was fabricated on a large K2 128° YX LiNbO3 sensing substrate. On the surface of this substrate, an interdigital transducer (IDT was produced with a Cr/Au film as its metallic structure. A mixed-mode frequency readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC was fabricated using a TSMC 0.18 μm process. The ASIC output was connected to a wireless module to transmit sensor data to a base station for data storage and analysis. This sensor node is applicable for wireless sensor network (WSN applications.

Low Power and High Sensitivity MOSFET-Based Pressure Sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhao-Hua; Ren Tian-Ling; Zhang Yan-Hong; Han Rui-Rui; Liu Li-Tian

2012-01-01

Based on the metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) stress sensitive phenomenon, a low power MOSFET pressure sensor is proposed. Compared with the traditional piezoresistive pressure sensor, the present pressure sensor displays high performances on sensitivity and power consumption. The sensitivity of the MOSFET sensor is raised by 87%, meanwhile the power consumption is decreased by 20%. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

Wireless Sensor Network Based Subsurface Contaminant Plume Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-16

Sensor Network (WSN) to monitor contaminant plume movement in naturally heterogeneous subsurface formations to advance the sensor networking based...time to assess the source and predict future plume behavior. This proof-of-concept research aimed at demonstrating the use of an intelligent Wireless

Elements for successful sensor-based process control {Integrated Metrology}

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butler, Stephanie Watts

1998-01-01

Current productivity needs have stimulated development of alternative metrology, control, and equipment maintenance methods. Specifically, sensor applications provide the opportunity to increase productivity, tighten control, reduce scrap, and improve maintenance schedules and procedures. Past experience indicates a complete integrated solution must be provided for sensor-based control to be used successfully in production. In this paper, Integrated Metrology is proposed as the term for an integrated solution that will result in a successful application of sensors for process control. This paper defines and explores the perceived four elements of successful sensor applications: business needs, integration, components, and form. Based upon analysis of existing successful commercially available controllers, the necessary business factors have been determined to be strong, measurable industry-wide business needs whose solution is profitable and feasible. This paper examines why the key aspect of integration is the decision making process. A detailed discussion is provided of the components of most importance to sensor based control: decision-making methods, the 3R's of sensors, and connectivity. A metric for one of the R's (resolution) is proposed to allow focus on this important aspect of measurement. A form for these integrated components which synergistically partitions various aspects of control at the equipment and MES levels to efficiently achieve desired benefits is recommended

Elements for successful sensor-based process control {Integrated Metrology}

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Stephanie Watts

1998-11-01

Current productivity needs have stimulated development of alternative metrology, control, and equipment maintenance methods. Specifically, sensor applications provide the opportunity to increase productivity, tighten control, reduce scrap, and improve maintenance schedules and procedures. Past experience indicates a complete integrated solution must be provided for sensor-based control to be used successfully in production. In this paper, Integrated Metrology is proposed as the term for an integrated solution that will result in a successful application of sensors for process control. This paper defines and explores the perceived four elements of successful sensor applications: business needs, integration, components, and form. Based upon analysis of existing successful commercially available controllers, the necessary business factors have been determined to be strong, measurable industry-wide business needs whose solution is profitable and feasible. This paper examines why the key aspect of integration is the decision making process. A detailed discussion is provided of the components of most importance to sensor based control: decision-making methods, the 3R's of sensors, and connectivity. A metric for one of the R's (resolution) is proposed to allow focus on this important aspect of measurement. A form for these integrated components which synergistically partitions various aspects of control at the equipment and MES levels to efficiently achieve desired benefits is recommended.

SERS-based pesticide detection by using nanofinger sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ansoon; Barcelo, Steven J.; Li, Zhiyong

2015-01-01

Simple, sensitive, and rapid detection of trace levels of extensively used and highly toxic pesticides are in urgent demand for public health. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensor was designed to achieve ultrasensitive and simple pesticide sensing. We developed a portable sensor system composed of high performance and reliable gold nanofinger sensor strips and a custom-built portable Raman spectrometer. Compared to the general procedure and previously reported studies that are limited to laboratory settings, our analytical method is simple, sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective. Based on the SERS results, the chemical interaction of two pesticides, chlorpyrifos (CPF) and thiabendazole (TBZ), with gold nanofingers was studied to determine a fingerprint for each pesticide. The portable SERS-sensor system was successfully demonstrated to detect CPF and TBZ pesticides within 15 min with a detection limit of 35 ppt in drinking water and 7 ppb on apple skin, respectively.

Semiconductor device-based sensors for gas, chemical, and biomedical applications

CERN Document Server

Ren, Fan

2011-01-01

Sales of U.S. chemical sensors represent the largest segment of the multi-billion-dollar global sensor market, which includes instruments for chemical detection in gases and liquids, biosensors, and medical sensors. Although silicon-based devices have dominated the field, they are limited by their general inability to operate in harsh environments faced with factors such as high temperature and pressure. Exploring how and why these instruments have become a major player, Semiconductor Device-Based Sensors for Gas, Chemical, and Biomedical Applications presents the latest research, including or

Image-based occupancy sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Polese, Luigi Gentile; Brackney, Larry

2015-05-19

An image-based occupancy sensor includes a motion detection module that receives and processes an image signal to generate a motion detection signal, a people detection module that receives the image signal and processes the image signal to generate a people detection signal, a face detection module that receives the image signal and processes the image signal to generate a face detection signal, and a sensor integration module that receives the motion detection signal from the motion detection module, receives the people detection signal from the people detection module, receives the face detection signal from the face detection module, and generates an occupancy signal using the motion detection signal, the people detection signal, and the face detection signal, with the occupancy signal indicating vacancy or occupancy, with an occupancy indication specifying that one or more people are detected within the monitored volume.

Optical Slot-Waveguide Based Biochemical Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Angulo Barrios

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Slot-waveguides allow light to be guided and strongly confined inside a nanometer-scale region of low refractive index. Thus stronger light-analyte interaction can be obtained as compared to that achievable by a conventional waveguide, in which the propagating beam is confined to the high-refractive-index core of the waveguide. In addition, slot-waveguides can be fabricated by employing CMOS compatible materials and technology, enabling miniaturization, integration with electronic, photonic and fluidic components in a chip, and mass production. These advantages have made the use of slot-waveguides for highly sensitive biochemical optical integrated sensors an emerging field. In this paper, recent achievements in slot-waveguide based biochemical sensing will be reviewed. These include slot-waveguide ring resonator based refractometric label-free biosensors, label-based optical sensing, and nano-opto-mechanical sensors.

Palladium coated fibre Bragg grating based hydrogen sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasinathan, M.; Sosamma, S.; Kishore, S.; Elumalai, V.; Krishnan, R.; Babu Rao, C.; Dash, Sitaram; Murali, N.; Jayakumar, T.

2011-01-01

Detection of steam generator leaks in fast nuclear reactors is carried out by monitoring hydrogen in argon cover-gas. Hydrogen released during sodium cleaning of fast reactor components is required to be monitored. Hydrogen sensors with good sensitivity, stability and response time are required for all the above applications. We report a new type of hydrogen sensor with a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) coated with palladium thin film which is used to detect the leak of hydrogen gas in the Steam Generator (SG) module of the Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR). If water leaks into sodium, it results in sodium-water reaction. In this reaction hydrogen and sodium hydroxide are formed. Due to the explosive risk of hydrogen system, hydrogen sensors are of great interest in this case. It is known that hydrogen forms an explosive mixture with air once its concentration exceeds beyond the explosion limit of four percent. The advantages of FBG based hydrogen sensor over the other hydrogen sensors are its inherent property of safety from sparking, immunity to ambient electromagnetic interference. The sensing mechanism in this device is based on mechanical strain that is induced in the palladium coating when it absorbs hydrogen. This process physically stretches the grating and causes the grating period and grating's refractive index, to change. The Bragg wavelength shift is directly proportional to the strain induced and can be directly related to the percentage of hydrogen exposure. The online monitoring of palladium thin film coating on FBG is carried out and recorded the wavelength change and strain induced on the FBG. A hydrogen sensor set up have been fabricated which consists of SS vessel of capacity 10 litres, provided with pressure gauge, Argon filling line with a valve, Hydrogen injection line with flange, a vent line with valve and Hydrogen sensor fixing point. The Palladium coated FBG based Hydrogen sensor is tested in this experimental facility in the exposure of hydrogen in

POF based glucose sensor incorporating grating wavelength filters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hassan, Hafeez Ul; Aasmul, Søren; Bang, Ole

2014-01-01

AND RESEARCH IN POLYMER OPTICAL DEVICES; TRIPOD. Within the domain of TRIPOD, research is conducted on "Plastic Optical Fiber based Glucose Sensors Incorporating Grating Wavelength Filters". Research will be focused to optimized fiber tips for better coupling efficiency, reducing the response time of sensor...

A smart sensor-based vision system: implementation and evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elouardi, A; Bouaziz, S; Dupret, A; Lacassagne, L; Klein, J O; Reynaud, R

2006-01-01

One of the methods of solving the computational complexity of image-processing is to perform some low-level computations on the sensor focal plane. This paper presents a vision system based on a smart sensor. PARIS1 (Programmable Analog Retina-like Image Sensor1) is the first prototype used to evaluate the architecture of an on-chip vision system based on such a sensor coupled with a microcontroller. The smart sensor integrates a set of analog and digital computing units. This architecture paves the way for a more compact vision system and increases the performances reducing the data flow exchanges with a microprocessor in control. A system has been implemented as a proof-of-concept and has enabled us to evaluate the performance requirements for a possible integration of a microcontroller on the same chip. The used approach is compared with two architectures implementing CMOS active pixel sensors (APS) and interfaced to the same microcontroller. The comparison is related to image processing computation time, processing reliability, programmability, precision, bandwidth and subsequent stages of computations

A smart sensor-based vision system: implementation and evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elouardi, A; Bouaziz, S; Dupret, A; Lacassagne, L; Klein, J O; Reynaud, R [Institute of Fundamental Electronics, Bat. 220, Paris XI University, 91405 Orsay (France)

2006-04-21

One of the methods of solving the computational complexity of image-processing is to perform some low-level computations on the sensor focal plane. This paper presents a vision system based on a smart sensor. PARIS1 (Programmable Analog Retina-like Image Sensor1) is the first prototype used to evaluate the architecture of an on-chip vision system based on such a sensor coupled with a microcontroller. The smart sensor integrates a set of analog and digital computing units. This architecture paves the way for a more compact vision system and increases the performances reducing the data flow exchanges with a microprocessor in control. A system has been implemented as a proof-of-concept and has enabled us to evaluate the performance requirements for a possible integration of a microcontroller on the same chip. The used approach is compared with two architectures implementing CMOS active pixel sensors (APS) and interfaced to the same microcontroller. The comparison is related to image processing computation time, processing reliability, programmability, precision, bandwidth and subsequent stages of computations.

Wheel-Based Ice Sensors for Road Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Arndt, G. Dickey; Fink, Patrick W.; Ngo, Phong H.; Carl, James R.

2011-01-01

Wheel-based sensors for detection of ice on roads and approximate measurement of the thickness of the ice are under development. These sensors could be used to alert drivers to hazardous local icing conditions in real time. In addition, local ice-thickness measurements by these sensors could serve as guidance for the minimum amount of sand and salt required to be dispensed locally onto road surfaces to ensure safety, thereby helping road crews to utilize their total supplies of sand and salt more efficiently. Like some aircraft wing-surface ice sensors described in a number of previous NASA Tech Briefs articles, the wheelbased ice sensors are based, variously, on measurements of changes in capacitance and/or in radio-frequency impedance as affected by ice on surfaces. In the case of ice on road surfaces, the measurable changes in capacitance and/or impedance are attributable to differences among the electric permittivities of air, ice, water, concrete, and soil. In addition, a related phenomenon that can be useful for distinguishing between ice and water is a specific transition in the permittivity of ice at a temperature- dependent frequency. This feature also provides a continuous calibration of the sensor to allow for changing road conditions. Several configurations of wheel-based ice sensors are under consideration. For example, in a simple two-electrode capacitor configuration, one of the electrodes would be a circumferential electrode within a tire, and the ground would be used as the second electrode. Optionally, the steel belts that are already standard parts of many tires could be used as the circumferential electrodes. In another example (see figure), multiple electrodes would be embedded in rubber between the steel belt and the outer tire surface. These electrodes would be excited in alternating polarities at one or more suitable audio or radio frequencies to provide nearly continuous monitoring of the road surface under the tire. In still another

Laboratory test of an APS-based sun sensor prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Rufino, Giancarlo; Perrotta, Alessandro; Grassi, Michele

2017-11-01

This paper deals with design and prototype development of an Active Pixel Sensor - based miniature sun sensor and a laboratory facility for its indoor test and calibration. The miniature sun sensor is described and the laboratory test facility is presented in detail. The major focus of the paper is on tests and calibration of the sensor. Two different calibration functions have been adopted. They are based, respectively, on a geometrical model, which has required least-squares optimisation of system physical parameters estimates, and on neural networks. Calibration results are presented for the above solutions, showing that accuracy in the order of 0.01° has been achieved. Neural calibration functions have attained better performance thanks to their intrinsic auto-adaptive structure.

High performance liquid-level sensor based on mPOFBG for aircraft applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marques, C. A. F.; Pospori, A.; Saez-Rodriguez, D.

2015-01-01

A high performance liquid-level sensor based on microstructured polymer optical fiber Bragg grating (mPOFBG) array sensors is reported in detail. The sensor sensitivity is found to be 98pm/cm of liquid, enhanced by more than a factor of 9 compared to a reported silica fiber-based sensor....

Microcontroller based instrumentation for heater control circuit of tin oxide based hydrogen sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Premalatha, S.; Krithika, P.; Gunasekaran, G.; Ramakrishnan, R.; Ramanarayanan, R.R.; Prabhu, E.; Jayaraman, V.; Parthasarathy, R.

2015-01-01

A thin film sensor based on tin oxide developed in IGCAR is used to monitor very low levels of hydrogen (concentration ranging from 2 ppm to 80 ppm). The heater and the sensor patterns are integrated on a miniature alumina substrate and necessary electrical leads are taken out. For proper functioning of the sensor, the heater has to be maintained at a constant temperature of 350°C. The sensor output (voltage signal) varies with H 2 concentration. In fast breeder reactors, liquid sodium is used as coolant. The sensor is used to detect water/steam leak in secondary sodium circuit. During the start up of the reactor, steam leak into sodium circuit generates hydrogen gas as a product that doesn't dissolve in sodium, but escapes to the surge tank containing argon i.e. in cover gas plenum of sodium circuit. On-line monitoring of hydrogen in cover gas is done to detect an event of water/steam leakage. The focus of this project is on the instrumentation pertaining to the temperature control for the sensor heater. The tin oxide based hydrogen sensor is embedded in a substrate which consists of a platinum heater, essentially a resistor. There is no provision of embedding a temperature sensor on the heater surface due to the physical constraints, without which maintaining a constant heater temperature is a complex task

Nanomaterials-based electrochemical sensors for nitric oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dang, Xueping; Hu, Hui; Wang, Shengfu; Hu, Shengshui

2015-01-01

Electrochemical sensing has been demonstrated to represent an efficient way to quantify nitric oxide (NO) in challenging physiological environments. A sensing interface based on nanomaterials opens up new opportunities and broader prospects for electrochemical NO sensors. This review (with 141 refs.) gives a general view of recent advances in the development of electrochemical sensors based on nanomaterials. It is subdivided into sections on (i) carbon derived nanomaterials (such as carbon nanotubes, graphenes, fullerenes), (ii) metal nanoparticles (including gold, platinum and other metallic nanoparticles); (iii) semiconductor metal oxide nanomaterials (including the oxides of titanium, aluminum, iron, and ruthenium); and finally (iv) nanocomposites (such as those formed from carbon nanomaterials with nanoparticles of gold, platinum, NiO or TiO 2 ). The various strategies are discussed, and the advances of using nanomaterials and the trends in NO sensor technology are outlooked in the final section. (author)

MEMS-based sensors for post-earthquake damage assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pozzi, M; Zonta, D; Trapani, D [DIMS, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123, Trento (Italy); Athanasopoulos, N; Garetsos, A; Stratakos, Y E [Advanced Microwave Systems Ltd, 2, 25th Martiou Street, 17778 Athens (Greece); Amditis, A J; Bimpas, M [ICCS, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Street, 15773 Zografou (Greece); Ulieru, D, E-mail: daniele.zonta@unitn.it [SITEX 45 SRL, 114 Ghica Tei Blvd, 72235 Bucharest (Romania)

2011-07-19

The evaluation of seismic damage is today almost exclusively based on visual inspection, as building owners are generally reluctant to install permanent sensing systems, due to their high installation, management and maintenance costs. To overcome this limitation, the EU-funded MEMSCON project aims to produce small size sensing nodes for measurement of strain and acceleration, integrating Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) based sensors and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in a single package that will be attached to reinforced concrete buildings and will transmit data using a wireless interface. During the first phase of the project completed so far, sensor prototypes were produced by assembling preexisting components. This paper outlines the device operating principles, production scheme and operation at both unit and network levels. It also reports on validation campaigns conducted in the laboratory to assess system performance. Accelerometer sensors were tested on a reduced scale metal frame mounted on a shaking table, while strain sensors were embedded in both reduced and full-scale reinforced concrete specimens undergoing increasing deformation cycles up to extensive damage and collapse. The performance of the sensors developed for the project and their applicability to long-term seismic monitoring are discussed.

Triple-helix molecular switch-based aptasensors and DNA sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagheri, Elnaz; Abnous, Khalil; Alibolandi, Mona; Ramezani, Mohammad; Taghdisi, Seyed Mohammad

2018-07-15

Utilization of traditional analytical techniques is limited because they are generally time-consuming and require high consumption of reagents, complicated sample preparation and expensive equipment. Therefore, it is of great interest to achieve sensitive, rapid and simple detection methods. It is believed that nucleic acids assays, especially aptamers, are very important in modern life sciences for target detection and biological analysis. Aptamers and DNA-based sensors have been widely used for the design of various sensors owing to their unique features. In recent years, triple-helix molecular switch (THMS)-based aptasensors and DNA sensors have been broadly utilized for the detection and analysis of different targets. The THMS relies on the formation of DNA triplex via Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen base pairings under optimal conditions. This review focuses on recent progresses in the development and applications of electrochemical, colorimetric, fluorescence and SERS aptasensors and DNA sensors, which are based on THMS. Also, the advantages and drawbacks of these methods are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fleet Protection Using a Small UAV Based IR Sensor

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Buss, James R; Ax, Jr, George R

2005-01-01

A study was performed to define candidate electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensor configurations and assess their potential utility as small UAV-based sensors surveilling a perimeter around surface fleet assets...

YSZ-based sensor using Cr-Fe-based spinel-oxide electrodes for selective detection of CO.

Science.gov (United States)

Anggraini, Sri Ayu; Fujio, Yuki; Ikeda, Hiroshi; Miura, Norio

2017-08-22

A selective carbon monoxide (CO) sensor was developed by the use of both of CuCrFeO 4 and CoCrFeO 4 as the sensing electrode (SE) for yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based potentiometric sensor. The sensing-characteristic examinations of the YSZ-based sensors using each of spinel oxides as the single-SE sensor showed that CuCrFeO 4 -SE had the ability to detect CO, hydrocarbons and NO x gases, while CoCrFeO 4 -SE was sensitive to hydrocarbons and NO x gases. Thus, when both SEs were paired as a combined-SEs sensor, the resulting sensor could generate a selective response to CO at 450 °C under humid conditions. The sensor was also capable of detecting CO in the concentration range of 20-700 ppm. Its sensing mechanism that was examined via polarization-curve measurements was confirmed to be based on mixed-potential model. The CO response generated by the combined-SEs sensor was unaffected by the change of water vapor concentration in the range of 1.3-11.5 vol% H 2 O. Additionally, the sensing performance was stable during 13 days tested. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Standards-Based Wireless Sensor Networking Protocols for Spaceflight Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Raymond S.

2010-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have the capacity to revolutionize data gathering in both spaceflight and terrestrial applications. WSNs provide a huge advantage over traditional, wired instrumentation since they do not require wiring trunks to connect sensors to a central hub. This allows for easy sensor installation in hard to reach locations, easy expansion of the number of sensors or sensing modalities, and reduction in both system cost and weight. While this technology offers unprecedented flexibility and adaptability, implementing it in practice is not without its difficulties. Recent advances in standards-based WSN protocols for industrial control applications have come a long way to solving many of the challenges facing practical WSN deployments. In this paper, we will overview two of the more promising candidates - WirelessHART from the HART Communication Foundation and ISA100.11a from the International Society of Automation - and present the architecture for a new standards-based sensor node for networking and applications research.

CMOS image sensor-based immunodetection by refractive-index change.

Science.gov (United States)

Devadhasan, Jasmine P; Kim, Sanghyo

2012-01-01

A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor is an intriguing technology for the development of a novel biosensor. Indeed, the CMOS image sensor mechanism concerning the detection of the antigen-antibody (Ag-Ab) interaction at the nanoscale has been ambiguous so far. To understand the mechanism, more extensive research has been necessary to achieve point-of-care diagnostic devices. This research has demonstrated a CMOS image sensor-based analysis of cardiovascular disease markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and troponin I, Ag-Ab interactions on indium nanoparticle (InNP) substrates by simple photon count variation. The developed sensor is feasible to detect proteins even at a fg/mL concentration under ordinary room light. Possible mechanisms, such as dielectric constant and refractive-index changes, have been studied and proposed. A dramatic change in the refractive index after protein adsorption on an InNP substrate was observed to be a predominant factor involved in CMOS image sensor-based immunoassay.

Novel ammonia sensor based on polyaniline/polylactic acid composite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sotirov, S; Bodurov, I; Marudova, M

2017-01-01

We propose a new type of ammonia sensor based on composite film between polyaniline (emeraldine base) dissolved in dimethylformamide, and poly(DL-lactic) acid dissolved in chloroform. The two solutions were mixed in weight ratio of the components 1:1 and cast on Al 2 O 3 substrate, on which silver electrodes were deposited previously. The active layer structure and morphology were examined by atomic force microscopy. The sensor resistance at constant humidity and different ammonia concentrations was measured. It was found that an increase in the ammonia concentration leads to resistance increase. This result is explained in the terms of ionic interactions between the polyaniline and the ammonia, which change the permittivity of the sensor active media. A response between 2% and 590% was shown depending on the ammonia concentration. The sensor is reversible and possesses response time of typically 100 s. Based on the changes of the sensor resistance, ammonia concentration from 10 ppm to 1000 ppm could be detected. (paper)

Novel ammonia sensor based on polyaniline/polylactic acid composite films

Science.gov (United States)

Sotirov, S.; Bodurov, I.; Marudova, M.

2017-01-01

We propose a new type of ammonia sensor based on composite film between polyaniline (emeraldine base) dissolved in dimethylformamide, and poly(DL-lactic) acid dissolved in chloroform. The two solutions were mixed in weight ratio of the components 1:1 and cast on Al2O3 substrate, on which silver electrodes were deposited previously. The active layer structure and morphology were examined by atomic force microscopy. The sensor resistance at constant humidity and different ammonia concentrations was measured. It was found that an increase in the ammonia concentration leads to resistance increase. This result is explained in the terms of ionic interactions between the polyaniline and the ammonia, which change the permittivity of the sensor active media. A response between 2% and 590% was shown depending on the ammonia concentration. The sensor is reversible and possesses response time of typically 100 s. Based on the changes of the sensor resistance, ammonia concentration from 10 ppm to 1000 ppm could be detected.

Automated mode shape estimation in agent-based wireless sensor networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, Andrew T.; Lynch, Jerome P.

2010-04-01

Recent advances in wireless sensing technology have made it possible to deploy dense networks of sensing transducers within large structural systems. Because these networks leverage the embedded computing power and agent-based abilities integral to many wireless sensing devices, it is possible to analyze sensor data autonomously and in-network. In this study, market-based techniques are used to autonomously estimate mode shapes within a network of agent-based wireless sensors. Specifically, recent work in both decentralized Frequency Domain Decomposition and market-based resource allocation is leveraged to create a mode shape estimation algorithm derived from free-market principles. This algorithm allows an agent-based wireless sensor network to autonomously shift emphasis between improving mode shape accuracy and limiting the consumption of certain scarce network resources: processing time, storage capacity, and power consumption. The developed algorithm is validated by successfully estimating mode shapes using a network of wireless sensor prototypes deployed on the mezzanine balcony of Hill Auditorium, located on the University of Michigan campus.

Highly sensitive wearable strain sensor based on silver nanowires and nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Shengbo, Sang; Lihua, Liu; Aoqun, Jian; Qianqian, Duan; Jianlong, Ji; Qiang, Zhang; Wendong, Zhang

2018-06-01

Here, we propose a highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensor based on silver nanoparticles and nanowires (Ag NPs and NWs), advancing the rapid development of electronic skin. To improve the sensitivity of strain sensors based on silver nanowires (Ag NWs), Ag NPs and NWs were added to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as an aid filler. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) increase the conductive paths for electrons, leading to the low resistance of the resulting sensor (14.9 Ω). The strain sensor based on Ag NPs and NWs showed strong piezoresistivity with a tunable gauge factor (GF) at 3766, and a change in resistance as the strain linearly increased from 0% to 28.1%. The high GF demonstrates the irreplaceable role of Ag NPs in the sensor. Moreover, the applicability of our high-performance strain sensor has been demonstrated by its ability to sense movements caused by human talking, finger bending, wrist raising and walking.

PALLADIUM DOPED TIN OXIDE BASED HYDROGEN GAS SENSORS FOR SAFETY APPLICATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasthurirengan, S.; Behera, Upendra; Nadig, D. S.

2010-01-01

Hydrogen is considered to be a hazardous gas since it forms a flammable mixture between 4 to 75% by volume in air. Hence, the safety aspects of handling hydrogen are quite important. For this, ideally, highly selective, fast response, small size, hydrogen sensors are needed. Although sensors based on different technologies may be used, thin-film sensors based on palladium (Pd) are preferred due to their compactness and fast response. They detect hydrogen by monitoring the changes to the electrical, mechanical or optical properties of the films. We report the development of Pd-doped tin-oxide based gas sensors prepared on thin ceramic substrates with screen printed platinum (Pt) contacts and integrated nicrome wire heaters. The sensors are tested for their performances using hydrogen-nitrogen gas mixtures to a maximum of 4%H 2 in N 2 . The sensors detect hydrogen and their response times are less than a few seconds. Also, the sensor performance is not altered by the presence of helium in the test gas mixtures. By the above desired performance characteristics, field trials of these sensors have been undertaken. The paper presents the details of the sensor fabrication, electronic circuits, experimental setup for evaluation and the test results.

Carbon nanotube based pressure sensor for flexible electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

So, Hye-Mi; Sim, Jin Woo; Kwon, Jinhyeong; Yun, Jongju; Baik, Seunghyun; Chang, Won Seok

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The electromechanical change of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. • Fabrication of CNT field-effect transistor on flexible substrate. • CNT based FET integrated active pressure sensor. • The integrated device yields an increase in the source-drain current under pressure. - Abstract: A pressure sensor was developed based on an arrangement of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) supported by a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. The VACNTs embedded in the PDMS matrix were structurally flexible and provided repeated sensing operation due to the high elasticities of both the polymer and the carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The conductance increased in the presence of a loading pressure, which compressed the material and induced contact between neighboring CNTs, thereby producing a dense current path and better CNT/metal contacts. To achieve flexible functional electronics, VACNTs based pressure sensor was integrated with field-effect transistor, which is fabricated using sprayed semiconducting carbon nanotubes on plastic substrate

Carbon nanotube based pressure sensor for flexible electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

So, Hye-Mi [Department of Nano Mechanics, Nanomechanical Systems Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Daejeon 305-343 (Korea, Republic of); Sim, Jin Woo [Advanced Nano Technology Ltd., Seoul 132-710 (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Jinhyeong [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Jongju; Baik, Seunghyun [SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Department of Energy Science and School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Won Seok, E-mail: paul@kimm.re.kr [Department of Nano Mechanics, Nanomechanical Systems Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Daejeon 305-343 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-12-15

Highlights: • The electromechanical change of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. • Fabrication of CNT field-effect transistor on flexible substrate. • CNT based FET integrated active pressure sensor. • The integrated device yields an increase in the source-drain current under pressure. - Abstract: A pressure sensor was developed based on an arrangement of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) supported by a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. The VACNTs embedded in the PDMS matrix were structurally flexible and provided repeated sensing operation due to the high elasticities of both the polymer and the carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The conductance increased in the presence of a loading pressure, which compressed the material and induced contact between neighboring CNTs, thereby producing a dense current path and better CNT/metal contacts. To achieve flexible functional electronics, VACNTs based pressure sensor was integrated with field-effect transistor, which is fabricated using sprayed semiconducting carbon nanotubes on plastic substrate.

Highly sensitive strain sensors based on fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yang; Fang, Xiaoliang; Tan, Jianping; Lu, Ting; Pan, Likun; Xuan, Fuzhen

2018-06-08

Wearable strain sensors based on nanomaterial/elastomer composites have potential applications in flexible electronic skin, human motion detection, human-machine interfaces, etc. In this research, a type of high performance strain sensors has been developed using fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) composites. The CNT/PDMS composites were ground into fragments, and a liquid-induced densification method was used to fabricate the strain sensors. The strain sensors showed high sensitivity with gauge factors (GFs) larger than 200 and a broad strain detection range up to 80%, much higher than those strain sensors based on unfragmentized CNT/PDMS composites (GF sensors is ascribed to the sliding of individual fragmentized-CNT/PDMS-composite particles during mechanical deformation, which causes significant resistance change in the strain sensors. The strain sensors can differentiate mechanical stimuli and monitor various human body motions, such as bending of the fingers, human breathing, and blood pulsing.

Hydrogel-based piezoresistive sensor for the detection of ethanol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Erfkamp

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This article describes a low-cost sensor for the detection of ethanol in alcoholic beverages, which combines alcohol-sensitive hydrogels based on acrylamide and bisacrylamide and piezoresistive sensors. For reproducible measurements, the reversible swelling and deswelling of the hydrogel were shown via microscopy. The response time of the sensor depends on the swelling kinetics of the hydrogel. The selectivity of the hydrogel was tested in different alcohols. In order to understand the influence of monomer and crosslinker content on the swelling degree and on the sensitivity of the hydrogels, gels with variable concentrations of acrylamide and bisacrylamide were synthesized and characterized in different aqueous solutions with alcohol contents. The first measurements of such hydrogel-based piezoresistive ethanol sensors demonstrated a high sensitivity and a short response time over several measuring cycles.

Toward CMOS image sensor based glucose monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Devadhasan, Jasmine Pramila; Kim, Sanghyo

2012-09-07

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor is a powerful tool for biosensing applications. In this present study, CMOS image sensor has been exploited for detecting glucose levels by simple photon count variation with high sensitivity. Various concentrations of glucose (100 mg dL(-1) to 1000 mg dL(-1)) were added onto a simple poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chip and the oxidation of glucose was catalyzed with the aid of an enzymatic reaction. Oxidized glucose produces a brown color with the help of chromogen during enzymatic reaction and the color density varies with the glucose concentration. Photons pass through the PDMS chip with varying color density and hit the sensor surface. Photon count was recognized by CMOS image sensor depending on the color density with respect to the glucose concentration and it was converted into digital form. By correlating the obtained digital results with glucose concentration it is possible to measure a wide range of blood glucose levels with great linearity based on CMOS image sensor and therefore this technique will promote a convenient point-of-care diagnosis.

Towards Scalable Strain Gauge-Based Joint Torque Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

D’Imperio, Mariapaola; Cannella, Ferdinando; Caldwell, Darwin G.; Cuschieri, Alfred

2017-01-01

During recent decades, strain gauge-based joint torque sensors have been commonly used to provide high-fidelity torque measurements in robotics. Although measurement of joint torque/force is often required in engineering research and development, the gluing and wiring of strain gauges used as torque sensors pose difficulties during integration within the restricted space available in small joints. The problem is compounded by the need for a scalable geometric design to measure joint torque. In this communication, we describe a novel design of a strain gauge-based mono-axial torque sensor referred to as square-cut torque sensor (SCTS), the significant features of which are high degree of linearity, symmetry, and high scalability in terms of both size and measuring range. Most importantly, SCTS provides easy access for gluing and wiring of the strain gauges on sensor surface despite the limited available space. We demonstrated that the SCTS was better in terms of symmetry (clockwise and counterclockwise rotation) and more linear. These capabilities have been shown through finite element modeling (ANSYS) confirmed by observed data obtained by load testing experiments. The high performance of SCTS was confirmed by studies involving changes in size, material and/or wings width and thickness. Finally, we demonstrated that the SCTS can be successfully implementation inside the hip joints of miniaturized hydraulically actuated quadruped robot-MiniHyQ. This communication is based on work presented at the 18th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots (CLAWAR). PMID:28820446

ANALYTICAL MODELING OF INNOVATIVE SENSOR PLACEMENT STRATEGY FOR CORONA-BASED WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

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HASSAN H. EKAL

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs applications are increasing rapidly, thanks to their broad potential in ecological monitoring, biomedical health monitoring, data gathering and many others. Imbalance energy of sensors causes significant reduction in the lifetime of the network. In many-to-one communication (corona WSNs, sensor nodes located nearby the data collector (sink forward data sensed data received from other nodes, hence, having heavier workloads. These nodes consume more energy than the others, leading to quicker energy depletion.Consequently, this results in energy hole problem, where the network becomes separate islands, which affect the lifetime of the network negatively. When this situation occurs, the sensed data will not be forwarded to the intended sink; accordingly, the network will not be able to completely fulfil its required tasks. In this paper, an effective sensors placement strategy is proposed to avoid or alleviate energy hole problem in such type of WSNs. The proposed strategy aims to improve, scale, and balance the energy consumption among sensor nodes and to maximize the network lifetime, by sustaining the network coverage and connectivity. To achieve this aim, the number of sensors should be optimized to create sub-balanced coronas in the sense of energy consumption, while satisfying the network coverage and connectivity requirements. The theoretical design and modelling of the proposed sensors placement strategy promise a considerable improvement in the lifetime of corona-based networks. The Experimental evaluation results have shown that the proposed sensors placement strategy is capable to increase the network lifetime considerably compared to conventional uniform strategy.

Electrochemical Sensors Based on Carbon Nanotubes

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Md. Aminur Rahman

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This review focuses on recent contributions in the development of the electrochemical sensors based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs. CNTs have unique mechanical and electronic properties, combined with chemical stability, and behave electrically as a metal or semiconductor, depending on their structure. For sensing applications, CNTs have many advantages such as small size with larger surface area, excellent electron transfer promoting ability when used as electrodes modifier in electrochemical reactions, and easy protein immobilization with retention of its activity for potential biosensors. CNTs play an important role in the performance of electrochemical biosensors, immunosensors, and DNA biosensors. Various methods have been developed for the design of sensors using CNTs in recent years. Herein we summarize the applications of CNTs in the construction of electrochemical sensors and biosensors along with other nanomaterials and conducting polymers.

Fabrication of strain gauge based sensors for tactile skins

Science.gov (United States)

Baptist, Joshua R.; Zhang, Ruoshi; Wei, Danming; Saadatzi, Mohammad Nasser; Popa, Dan O.

2017-05-01

Fabricating cost effective, reliable and functional sensors for electronic skins has been a challenging undertaking for the last several decades. Application of such skins include haptic interfaces, robotic manipulation, and physical human-robot interaction. Much of our recent work has focused on producing compliant sensors that can be easily formed around objects to sense normal, tension, or shear forces. Our past designs have involved the use of flexible sensors and interconnects fabricated on Kapton substrates, and piezoresistive inks that are 3D printed using Electro Hydro Dynamic (EHD) jetting onto interdigitated electrode (IDE) structures. However, EHD print heads require a specialized nozzle and the application of a high-voltage electric field; for which, tuning process parameters can be difficult based on the choice of inks and substrates. Therefore, in this paper we explore sensor fabrication techniques using a novel wet lift-off photolithographic technique for patterning the base polymer piezoresistive material, specifically Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) or PEDOT:PSS. Fabricated sensors are electrically and thermally characterized, and temperaturecompensated designs are proposed and validated. Packaging techniques for sensors in polymer encapsulants are proposed and demonstrated to produce a tactile interface device for a robot.

Potential use of ground-based sensor technologies for weed detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Peteinatos, Gerassimos G; Weis, Martin; Andújar, Dionisio; Rueda Ayala, Victor; Gerhards, Roland

2014-02-01

Site-specific weed management is the part of precision agriculture (PA) that tries to effectively control weed infestations with the least economical and environmental burdens. This can be achieved with the aid of ground-based or near-range sensors in combination with decision rules and precise application technologies. Near-range sensor technologies, developed for mounting on a vehicle, have been emerging for PA applications during the last three decades. These technologies focus on identifying plants and measuring their physiological status with the aid of their spectral and morphological characteristics. Cameras, spectrometers, fluorometers and distance sensors are the most prominent sensors for PA applications. The objective of this article is to describe-ground based sensors that have the potential to be used for weed detection and measurement of weed infestation level. An overview of current sensor systems is presented, describing their concepts, results that have been achieved, already utilized commercial systems and problems that persist. A perspective for the development of these sensors is given. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Research on Bridge Sensor Validation Based on Correlation in Cluster

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Huang Xiaowei

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In order to avoid the false alarm and alarm failure caused by sensor malfunction or failure, it has been critical to diagnose the fault and analyze the failure of the sensor measuring system in major infrastructures. Based on the real time monitoring of bridges and the study on the correlation probability distribution between multisensors adopted in the fault diagnosis system, a clustering algorithm based on k-medoid is proposed, by dividing sensors of the same type into k clusters. Meanwhile, the value of k is optimized by a specially designed evaluation function. Along with the further study of the correlation of sensors within the same cluster, this paper presents the definition and corresponding calculation algorithm of the sensor’s validation. The algorithm is applied to the analysis of the sensor data from an actual health monitoring system. The result reveals that the algorithm can not only accurately measure the failure degree and orientate the malfunction in time domain but also quantitatively evaluate the performance of sensors and eliminate error of diagnosis caused by the failure of the reference sensor.

Chemical sensors based on molecularly modified metallic nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haick, Hossam

2007-01-01

This paper presents a concise, although admittedly non-exhaustive, didactic review of some of the main concepts and approaches related to the use of molecularly modified metal nanoparticles in or as chemical sensors. This paper attempts to pull together different views and terminologies used in sensors based on molecularly modified metal nanoparticles, including those established upon electrochemical, optical, surface Plasmon resonance, piezoelectric and electrical transduction approaches. Finally, this paper discusses briefly the main advantages and disadvantages of each of the presented class of sensors. (review article)

Image-based environmental monitoring sensor application using an embedded wireless sensor network.

Science.gov (United States)

Paek, Jeongyeup; Hicks, John; Coe, Sharon; Govindan, Ramesh

2014-08-28

This article discusses the experiences from the development and deployment of two image-based environmental monitoring sensor applications using an embedded wireless sensor network. Our system uses low-power image sensors and the Tenet general purpose sensing system for tiered embedded wireless sensor networks. It leverages Tenet's built-in support for reliable delivery of high rate sensing data, scalability and its flexible scripting language, which enables mote-side image compression and the ease of deployment. Our first deployment of a pitfall trap monitoring application at the James San Cannot Mountain Reserve provided us with insights and lessons learned into the deployment of and compression schemes for these embedded wireless imaging systems. Our three month-long deployment of a bird nest monitoring application resulted in over 100,000 images collected from a 19-camera node network deployed over an area of 0.05 square miles, despite highly variable environmental conditions. Our biologists found the on-line, near-real-time access to images to be useful for obtaining data on answering their biological questions.

Image-Based Environmental Monitoring Sensor Application Using an Embedded Wireless Sensor Network

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Jeongyeup Paek

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the experiences from the development and deployment of two image-based environmental monitoring sensor applications using an embedded wireless sensor network. Our system uses low-power image sensors and the Tenet general purpose sensing system for tiered embedded wireless sensor networks. It leverages Tenet’s built-in support for reliable delivery of high rate sensing data, scalability and its flexible scripting language, which enables mote-side image compression and the ease of deployment. Our first deployment of a pitfall trap monitoring application at the James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve provided us with insights and lessons learned into the deployment of and compression schemes for these embedded wireless imaging systems. Our three month-long deployment of a bird nest monitoring application resulted in over 100,000 images collected from a 19-camera node network deployed over an area of 0.05 square miles, despite highly variable environmental conditions. Our biologists found the on-line, near-real-time access to images to be useful for obtaining data on answering their biological questions.

A general framework for sensor-based human activity recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Köping, Lukas; Shirahama, Kimiaki; Grzegorzek, Marcin

2018-04-01

Today's wearable devices like smartphones, smartwatches and intelligent glasses collect a large amount of data from their built-in sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes. These data can be used to identify a person's current activity and in turn can be utilised for applications in the field of personal fitness assistants or elderly care. However, developing such systems is subject to certain restrictions: (i) since more and more new sensors will be available in the future, activity recognition systems should be able to integrate these new sensors with a small amount of manual effort and (ii) such systems should avoid high acquisition costs for computational power. We propose a general framework that achieves an effective data integration based on the following two characteristics: Firstly, a smartphone is used to gather and temporally store data from different sensors and transfer these data to a central server. Thus, various sensors can be integrated into the system as long as they have programming interfaces to communicate with the smartphone. The second characteristic is a codebook-based feature learning approach that can encode data from each sensor into an effective feature vector only by tuning a few intuitive parameters. In the experiments, the framework is realised as a real-time activity recognition system that integrates eight sensors from a smartphone, smartwatch and smartglasses, and its effectiveness is validated from different perspectives such as accuracies, sensor combinations and sampling rates. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pristine carbon nanotubes based resistive temperature sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alam, Md Bayazeed; Saini, Sudhir Kumar; Sharma, Daya Shankar; Agarwal, Pankaj B.

2016-01-01

A good sensor must be highly sensitive, faster in response, of low cost cum easily producible, and highly reliable. Incorporation of nano-dimensional particles/ wires makes conventional sensors more effective in terms of fulfilling the above requirements. For example, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are promising sensing element because of its large aspect ratio, unique electronic and thermal properties. In addition to their use for widely reported chemical sensing, it has also been explored for temperature sensing. This paper presents the fabrication of CNTs based temperature sensor, prepared on silicon substrate using low cost spray coating method, which is reliable and reproducible method to prepare uniform CNTs thin films on any substrate. Besides this, simple and inexpensive method of preparation of dispersion of single walled CNTs (SWNTs) in 1,2 dichlorobenzene by using probe type ultrasonicator for debundling the CNTs for improving sensor response were used. The electrical contacts over the dispersed SWNTs were taken using silver paste electrodes. Fabricated sensors clearly show immediate change in resistance as a response to change in temperature of SWNTs. The measured sensitivity (change in resistance with temperature) of the sensor was found ∼ 0.29%/°C in the 25°C to 60°C temperature range.

Pristine carbon nanotubes based resistive temperature sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alam, Md Bayazeed, E-mail: bayazeed786@gmail.com [CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI, Pilani, India) (India); Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi, India) (India); Saini, Sudhir Kumar, E-mail: sudhirsaini1310@gmail.com [CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI, Pilani, India) (India); Sharma, Daya Shankar, E-mail: dssharmanit15@gmail.com [CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI, Pilani, India) (India); Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT, Bhopal, India) (India); Agarwal, Pankaj B., E-mail: agarwalbpankj@gmail.com [CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI, Pilani, India) (India); Academy for Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR, Delhi, India) (India)

2016-04-13

A good sensor must be highly sensitive, faster in response, of low cost cum easily producible, and highly reliable. Incorporation of nano-dimensional particles/ wires makes conventional sensors more effective in terms of fulfilling the above requirements. For example, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are promising sensing element because of its large aspect ratio, unique electronic and thermal properties. In addition to their use for widely reported chemical sensing, it has also been explored for temperature sensing. This paper presents the fabrication of CNTs based temperature sensor, prepared on silicon substrate using low cost spray coating method, which is reliable and reproducible method to prepare uniform CNTs thin films on any substrate. Besides this, simple and inexpensive method of preparation of dispersion of single walled CNTs (SWNTs) in 1,2 dichlorobenzene by using probe type ultrasonicator for debundling the CNTs for improving sensor response were used. The electrical contacts over the dispersed SWNTs were taken using silver paste electrodes. Fabricated sensors clearly show immediate change in resistance as a response to change in temperature of SWNTs. The measured sensitivity (change in resistance with temperature) of the sensor was found ∼ 0.29%/°C in the 25°C to 60°C temperature range.

Highly sensitive strain sensors based on fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane composites

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yang; Fang, Xiaoliang; Tan, Jianping; Lu, Ting; Pan, Likun; Xuan, Fuzhen

2018-06-01

Wearable strain sensors based on nanomaterial/elastomer composites have potential applications in flexible electronic skin, human motion detection, human–machine interfaces, etc. In this research, a type of high performance strain sensors has been developed using fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) composites. The CNT/PDMS composites were ground into fragments, and a liquid-induced densification method was used to fabricate the strain sensors. The strain sensors showed high sensitivity with gauge factors (GFs) larger than 200 and a broad strain detection range up to 80%, much higher than those strain sensors based on unfragmentized CNT/PDMS composites (GF composite particles during mechanical deformation, which causes significant resistance change in the strain sensors. The strain sensors can differentiate mechanical stimuli and monitor various human body motions, such as bending of the fingers, human breathing, and blood pulsing.

Ether gas-sensor based on Au nanoparticles-decorated ZnO microstructures

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Roberto López

Full Text Available An ether gas-sensor was fabricated based on gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs decorated zinc oxide microstructures (ZnO-MS. Scanning electron microscope (SEM and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM measurements were performed to study morphological and structural properties, respectively, of the ZnO-MS. The gas sensing response was evaluated in a relatively low temperature regime, which ranged between 150 and 250 °C. Compared with a sensor fabricated from pure ZnO-MS, the sensor based on Au-NPs decorated ZnO-MS showed much better ether gas response at the highest working temperature. In fact, pure ZnO-MS based sensor only showed a weak sensitivity of about 25%. The improvement of the ether gas response for sensor fabricated with Au-NPs decorated ZnO-MS was attributed to the catalytic activity of the Au-NPs. Keywords: ZnO microstructures, Au nanoparticles, Ether, Gas sensor

Environmentally Sensitive Fluorescent Sensors Based on Synthetic Peptides

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Laurence Choulier

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Biosensors allow the direct detection of molecular analytes, by associating a biological receptor with a transducer able to convert the analyte-receptor recognition event into a measurable signal. We review recent work aimed at developing synthetic fluorescent molecular sensors for a variety of analytes, based on peptidic receptors labeled with environmentally sensitive fluorophores. Fluorescent indicators based on synthetic peptides are highly interesting alternatives to protein-based sensors, since they can be synthesized chemically, are stable, and can be easily modified in a site-specific manner for fluorophore coupling and for immobilization on solid supports.

Temperature characteristics research of SOI pressure sensor based on asymmetric base region transistor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaofeng; Li, Dandan; Yu, Yang; Wen, Dianzhong

2017-07-01

Based on the asymmetric base region transistor, a pressure sensor with temperature compensation circuit is proposed in this paper. The pressure sensitive structure of the proposed sensor is constructed by a C-type silicon cup and a Wheatstone bridge with four piezoresistors ({R}1, {R}2, {R}3 and {R}4) locating on the edge of a square silicon membrane. The chip was designed and fabricated on a silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer by micro electromechanical system (MEMS) technology and bipolar transistor process. When the supply voltage is 5.0 V, the corresponding temperature coefficient of the sensitivity (TCS) for the sensor before and after temperature compensation are -1862 and -1067 ppm/°C, respectively. Through varying the ratio of the base region resistances {r}1 and {r}2, the TCS for the sensor with the compensation circuit is -127 ppm/°C. It is possible to use this compensation circuit to improve the temperature characteristics of the pressure sensor. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61471159), the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province (No. F201433), the University Nursing Program for Young Scholars with Creative Talents in Heilongjiang Province (No. 2015018), and the Special Funds for Science and Technology Innovation Talents of Harbin in China (No. 2016RAXXJ016).

Monitoring Method and Apparatus Using Asynchronous, One-Way Transmission from Sensor to Base Station

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Scott L. (Inventor); Drouant, George J. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A monitoring system is disclosed, which includes a base station and at least one sensor unit that is separate from the base station. The at least one sensor unit resides in a dormant state until it is awakened by the triggering of a vibration-sensitive switch. Once awakened, the sensor may take a measurement, and then transmit to the base station the measurement. Once data is transmitted from the sensor to the base station, the sensor may return to its dormant state. There may be various sensors for each base station and the various sensors may optionally measure different quantities, such as current, voltage, single-axis and/or three-axis magnetic fields.

Aptamer based electrochemical sensors for emerging environmental pollutants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akhtar eHAYAT

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Environmental contaminants monitoring is one of the key issues in understanding and managing hazards to human health and ecosystems. In this context, aptamer based electrochemical sensors have achieved intense significance because of their capability to resolve a potentially large number of problems and challenges in environmental contamination. An aptasensor is a compact analytical device incorporating an aptamer (oligonulceotide as the sensing element either integrated within or intimately associated with a physiochemical transducer surface. Nucleic acid is well known for the function of carrying and passing genetic information, however, it has found a key role in analytical monitoring during recent years. Aptamer based sensors represent a novelty in environmental analytical science and there are great expectations for their promising performance as alternative to conventional analytical tools. This review paper focuses on the recent advances in the development of aptamer based electrochemical sensors for environmental applications with special emphasis on emerging pollutants.

Temperature and pH sensors based on graphenic materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvo, P; Calisi, N; Melai, B; Cortigiani, B; Mannini, M; Caneschi, A; Lorenzetti, G; Paoletti, C; Lomonaco, T; Paolicchi, A; Scataglini, I; Dini, V; Romanelli, M; Fuoco, R; Di Francesco, F

2017-05-15

Point-of-care applications and patients' real-time monitoring outside a clinical setting would require disposable and durable sensors to provide better therapies and quality of life for patients. This paper describes the fabrication and performances of a temperature and a pH sensor on a biocompatible and wearable board for healthcare applications. The temperature sensor was based on a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layer that changed its electrical resistivity with the temperature. When tested in a human serum sample between 25 and 43°C, the sensor had a sensitivity of 110±10Ω/°C and an error of 0.4±0.1°C compared with the reference value set in a thermostatic bath. The pH sensor, based on a graphene oxide (GO) sensitive layer, had a sensitivity of 40±4mV/pH in the pH range between 4 and 10. Five sensor prototypes were tested in a human serum sample over one week and the maximum deviation of the average response from reference values obtained by a glass electrode was 0.2pH units. For biological applications, the temperature and pH sensors were successfully tested for in vitro cytotoxicity with human fibroblast cells (MRC-5) over 24h. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly selective gas sensor arrays based on thermally reduced graphene oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipatov, Alexey; Varezhnikov, Alexey; Wilson, Peter; Sysoev, Victor; Kolmakov, Andrei; Sinitskii, Alexander

2013-06-21

The electrical properties of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been previously shown to be very sensitive to surface adsorbates, thus making rGO a very promising platform for highly sensitive gas sensors. However, poor selectivity of rGO-based gas sensors remains a major problem for their practical use. In this paper, we address the selectivity problem by employing an array of rGO-based integrated sensors instead of focusing on the performance of a single sensing element. Each rGO-based device in such an array has a unique sensor response due to the irregular structure of rGO films at different levels of organization, ranging from nanoscale to macroscale. The resulting rGO-based gas sensing system could reliably recognize analytes of nearly the same chemical nature. In our experiments rGO-based sensor arrays demonstrated a high selectivity that was sufficient to discriminate between different alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol and isopropanol, at a 100% success rate. We also discuss a possible sensing mechanism that provides the basis for analyte differentiation.

A resonant force sensor based on ionic polymer metal composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonomo, Claudia; Fortuna, Luigi; Giannone, Pietro; Graziani, Salvatore; Strazzeri, Salvatore

2008-01-01

In this paper a novel force sensor, based on ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs), is presented. The system has DC sensing capabilities and is able to work in the range of a few millinewtons. IPMCs are emerging materials used to realize motion actuators and sensors. An IPMC strip is activated in a beam fixed/simply-supported configuration. The beam is tightened at the simply-supported end by a force. This influences the natural resonant frequency of the beam; the value of the resonant frequency is used in the proposed system to estimate the force applied in the axial direction. The performance of the system based on the IPMC material has proved to be comparable with that of sensors based on other sensing mechanisms. This suggests the possibility of using this class of polymeric devices to realize PMEMS (plastic micro electrical mechanical systems) sensors

A resonant force sensor based on ionic polymer metal composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bonomo, Claudia; Fortuna, Luigi; Giannone, Pietro; Graziani, Salvatore; Strazzeri, Salvatore

2008-02-01

In this paper a novel force sensor, based on ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs), is presented. The system has DC sensing capabilities and is able to work in the range of a few millinewtons. IPMCs are emerging materials used to realize motion actuators and sensors. An IPMC strip is activated in a beam fixed/simply-supported configuration. The beam is tightened at the simply-supported end by a force. This influences the natural resonant frequency of the beam; the value of the resonant frequency is used in the proposed system to estimate the force applied in the axial direction. The performance of the system based on the IPMC material has proved to be comparable with that of sensors based on other sensing mechanisms. This suggests the possibility of using this class of polymeric devices to realize PMEMS (plastic micro electrical mechanical systems) sensors.

Comparative studies of praseodymium(III) selective sensors based on newly synthesized Schiff's bases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Vinod K.; Goyal, Rajendra N.; Pal, Manoj K.; Sharma, Ram A.

2009-01-01

Praseodymium ion selective polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane sensors, based on two new Schiff's bases 1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-diylidenebis(azan-1-ylidene)diphenol (M 1 ) and N,N'-bis(pyridoxylideneiminato) ethylene (M 2 ) have been developed and studied. The sensor having membrane composition of PVC: o-NPOE: ionophore (M 1 ): NaTPB (w/w; mg) of 150: 300: 8: 5 showed best performances in comparison to M 2 based membranes. The sensor based on (M 1 ) exhibits the working concentration range 1.0 x 10 -8 to 1.0 x 10 -2 M with a detection limit of 5.0 x 10 -9 M and a Nernstian slope 20.0 ± 0.3 mV decade -1 of activity. It exhibited a quick response time as <8 s and its potential responses were pH independent across the range of 3.5-8.5.The influence of the membrane composition and possible interfering ions have also been investigated on the response properties of the electrode. The sensor has been found to work satisfactorily in partially non-aqueous media up to 15% (v/v) content of methanol, ethanol or acetonitrile and could be used for a period of 3 months. The selectivity coefficients determined by using fixed interference method (FIM) indicate high selectivity for praseodymium(III) ions over wide variety of other cations. To asses its analytical applicability the prepared sensor was successfully applied for determination of praseodymium(III) in spiked water samples.

Elastomeric polymer resonant waveguide grating based pressure sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Fuchuan; Xie, Antonio Jou; Seo, Sang-Woo

2014-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate an elastomeric polymer resonant waveguide grating structure to be used as a pressure sensor. The applied pressure is measured by optical resonance spectrum peak shift. The sensitivity—as high as 86.74 pm psi −1 or 12.58 pm kPa −1 —has been experimentally obtained from a fabricated sensor. Potentially, the sensitivity of the demonstrated sensor can be tuned to different pressure ranges by the choices of elastic properties and layer thicknesses of the waveguide and cladding layers. The simulation results agree well with experimental results and indicate that the dominant effect on the sensor is the change of grating period when external pressure is applied. Based on the two-dimensional planar structure, the demonstrated sensor can be used to measure applied surface pressure optically, which has potential applications for optical ultrasound imaging and pressure wave detection/mapping

Fiber Optic Chemical Nanosensors Based on Engineered Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Consales

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In this contribution, a review of the development of high-performance optochemical nanosensors based on the integration of carbon nanotubes with the optical fiber technology is presented. The paper first provide an overview of the amazing features of carbon nanotubes and their exploitation as highly adsorbent nanoscale materials for gas sensing applications. Successively, the attention is focused on the operating principle, fabrication, and characterization of fiber optic chemosensors in the Fabry-Perot type reflectometric configuration, realized by means of the deposition of a thin layer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs upon the distal end of standard silica optical fibers. This is followed by an extensive review of the excellent sensing capabilities of the realized SWCNTs-based chemical nanosensors against volatile organic compounds and other pollutants in different environments (air and water and operating conditions (room temperature and cryogenic temperatures. The experimental results reported here reveal that ppm and sub-ppm chemical detection limits, low response times, as well as fast and complete recovery of the sensor responses have been obtained in most of the investigated cases. This evidences the great potentialities of the proposed photonic nanosensors based on SWCNTs to be successfully employed for practical environmental monitoring applications both in liquid and vapor phase as well as for space. Furthermore, the use of novel SWCNTs-based composites as sensitive fiber coatings is proposed to enhance the sensing performance and to improve the adhesion of carbon nanotubes to the fiber surface. Finally, new advanced sensing configurations based on the use of hollow-core optical fibers coated and partially filled by carbon nanotubes are also presented.

Sensor Fusion-based Event Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bahrepour, M.; Meratnia, Nirvana; Havinga, Paul J.M.

2009-01-01

Recently, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) community has witnessed an application focus shift. Although, monitoring was the initial application of wireless sensor networks, in-network data processing and (near) real-time actuation capability have made wireless sensor networks suitable candidate for

Ceramic thermal wind sensor based on advanced direct chip attaching package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Lin; Qin Ming; Chen Shengqi; Chen Bei

2014-01-01

An advanced direct chip attaching packaged two-dimensional ceramic thermal wind sensor is studied. The thermal wind sensor chip is fabricated by metal lift-off processes on the ceramic substrate. An advanced direct chip attaching (DCA) packaging is adopted and this new packaged method simplifies the processes of packaging further. Simulations of the advanced DCA packaged sensor based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model show the sensor can detect wind speed and direction effectively. The wind tunnel testing results show the advanced DCA packaged sensor can detect the wind direction from 0° to 360° and wind speed from 0 to 20 m/s with the error less than 0.5 m/s. The nonlinear fitting based least square method in Matlab is used to analyze the performance of the sensor. (semiconductor devices)

Implementation of software-based sensor linearization algorithms on low-cost microcontrollers.

Science.gov (United States)

Erdem, Hamit

2010-10-01

Nonlinear sensors and microcontrollers are used in many embedded system designs. As the input-output characteristic of most sensors is nonlinear in nature, obtaining data from a nonlinear sensor by using an integer microcontroller has always been a design challenge. This paper discusses the implementation of six software-based sensor linearization algorithms for low-cost microcontrollers. The comparative study of the linearization algorithms is performed by using a nonlinear optical distance-measuring sensor. The performance of the algorithms is examined with respect to memory space usage, linearization accuracy and algorithm execution time. The implementation and comparison results can be used for selection of a linearization algorithm based on the sensor transfer function, expected linearization accuracy and microcontroller capacity. Copyright © 2010 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resonant Magnetic Field Sensors Based On MEMS Technology

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Elías Manjarrez

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS technology allows the integration of magnetic field sensors with electronic components, which presents important advantages such as small size, light weight, minimum power consumption, low cost, better sensitivity and high resolution. We present a discussion and review of resonant magnetic field sensors based on MEMS technology. In practice, these sensors exploit the Lorentz force in order to detect external magnetic fields through the displacement of resonant structures, which are measured with optical, capacitive, and piezoresistive sensing techniques. From these, the optical sensing presents immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI and reduces the read-out electronic complexity. Moreover, piezoresistive sensing requires an easy fabrication process as well as a standard packaging. A description of the operation mechanisms, advantages and drawbacks of each sensor is considered. MEMS magnetic field sensors are a potential alternative for numerous applications, including the automotive industry, military, medical, telecommunications, oceanographic, spatial, and environment science. In addition, future markets will need the development of several sensors on a single chip for measuring different parameters such as the magnetic field, pressure, temperature and acceleration.

Resonant Magnetic Field Sensors Based On MEMS Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera-May, Agustín L.; Aguilera-Cortés, Luz A.; García-Ramírez, Pedro J.; Manjarrez, Elías

2009-01-01

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology allows the integration of magnetic field sensors with electronic components, which presents important advantages such as small size, light weight, minimum power consumption, low cost, better sensitivity and high resolution. We present a discussion and review of resonant magnetic field sensors based on MEMS technology. In practice, these sensors exploit the Lorentz force in order to detect external magnetic fields through the displacement of resonant structures, which are measured with optical, capacitive, and piezoresistive sensing techniques. From these, the optical sensing presents immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and reduces the read-out electronic complexity. Moreover, piezoresistive sensing requires an easy fabrication process as well as a standard packaging. A description of the operation mechanisms, advantages and drawbacks of each sensor is considered. MEMS magnetic field sensors are a potential alternative for numerous applications, including the automotive industry, military, medical, telecommunications, oceanographic, spatial, and environment science. In addition, future markets will need the development of several sensors on a single chip for measuring different parameters such as the magnetic field, pressure, temperature and acceleration. PMID:22408480

A sensitive, handheld vapor sensor based on microcantilevers

Science.gov (United States)

Pinnaduwage, L. A.; Hedden, D. L.; Gehl, A.; Boiadjiev, V. I.; Hawk, J. E.; Farahi, R. H.; Thundat, T.; Houser, E. J.; Stepnowski, S.; McGill, R. A.; Deel, L.; Lareau, R. T.

2004-11-01

We report the development of a handheld sensor based on piezoresistive microcantilevers that does not depend on optical detection, yet has high detection sensitivity. The sensor is able to detect vapors from the plastic explosives pentaerythritol tetranitrate and hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine at levels below 10 parts per trillion within few seconds of exposure under ambient conditions. A differential measurement technique has yielded a rugged sensor that is unaffected by vibration and is able to function as a "sniffer." The microelectromechanical system sensor design allows for the incorporation of hundreds of microcantilevers with suitable coatings in order to achieve sufficient selectivity in the future, and thus could provide an inexpensive, unique platform for the detection of chemical, biological, and explosive materials.

Immunizations on small worlds of tree-based wireless sensor networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Qiao; Zhang, Bai-Hai; Cui, Ling-Guo

2012-01-01

, are conducted on small worlds of tree-based wireless sensor networks to combat the sensor viruses. With the former strategy, the infection extends exponentially, although the immunization effectively reduces the contagion speed. With the latter strategy, recurrent contagion oscillations occur in the small world......The sensor virus is a serious threat, as an attacker can simply send a single packet to compromise the entire sensor network. Epidemics become drastic with link additions among sensors when the small world phenomena occur. Two immunization strategies, uniform immunization and temporary immunization...

A Nodes Deployment Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Network Based on Distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song Yuli

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor network coverage is a basic problem of wireless sensor network. In this paper, we propose a wireless sensor network node deployment algorithm base on distribution in order to form an efficient wireless sensor network. The iteratively greedy algorithm is used in this paper to choose priority nodes into active until the entire network is covered by wireless sensor nodes, the whole network to multiply connected. The simulation results show that the distributed wireless sensor network node deployment algorithm can form a multiply connected wireless sensor network.

Impedance-based damage assessment using piezoelectric sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Rim, Mi-Sun; Yoo, Seung-Jae; Lee, In; Song, Jae-Hoon; Yang, Jae-Won

2011-04-01

Recently structural health monitoring (SHM) systems are being focused because they make it possible to assess the health of structures at real-time in many application fields such as aircraft, aerospace, civil and so on. Piezoelectric materials are widely used for sensors of SHM system to monitor damage of critical parts such as bolted joints. Bolted joints could be loosened by vibration, thermal cycling, shock, corrosion, and they cause serious mechanical failures. In this paper, impedance-based method using piezoelectric sensors was applied for real-time SHM. A steel beam specimen fastened by bolts was tested, and polymer type piezoelectric materials, PVDFs were used for sensors to monitor the condition of bolted joint connections. When structure has some damage, for example loose bolts, the impedance of PVDF sensors showed different tendency with normal structure which has no loose bolts. In the case of loose bolts, impedance values are decreased and admittance values are increased.

Polymer-based blood vessel models with micro-temperature sensors in EVE

Science.gov (United States)

Mizoshiri, Mizue; Ito, Yasuaki; Hayakawa, Takeshi; Maruyama, Hisataka; Sakurai, Junpei; Ikeda, Seiichi; Arai, Fumihito; Hata, Seiichi

2017-04-01

Cu-based micro-temperature sensors were directly fabricated on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) blood vessel models in EVE using a combined process of spray coating and femtosecond laser reduction of CuO nanoparticles. CuO nanoparticle solution coated on a PDMS blood vessel model are thermally reduced and sintered by focused femtosecond laser pulses in atmosphere to write the sensors. After removing the non-irradiated CuO nanoparticles, Cu-based microtemperature sensors are formed. The sensors are thermistor-type ones whose temperature dependences of the resistance are used for measuring temperature inside the blood vessel model. This fabrication technique is useful for direct-writing of Cu-based microsensors and actuators on arbitrary nonplanar substrates.

Optical fiber pressure sensor based on fiber Bragg grating

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Dongcao

In oil field, it is important to measure the high pressure and temperature for down-hole oil exploration and well-logging, the available traditional electronic sensor is challenged due to the harsh, flammable environment. Recently, applications based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor in the oil industry have become a popular research because of its distinguishing advantages such as electrically passive operation, immunity to electromagnetic interference, high resolution, insensitivity to optical power fluctuation etc. This thesis is divided into two main sections. In the first section, the design of high pressure sensor based on FBG is described. Several sensing elements based on FBG for high pressure measurements have been proposed, for example bulk-modulus or free elastic modulus. But the structure of bulk-modulus and free elastic modulus is relatively complex and not easy to fabricate. In addition, the pressure sensitivity is not high and the repeatability of the structure has not been investigated. In this thesis, a novel host material of carbon fiber laminated composite (CFLC) for high pressure sensing is proposed. The mechanical characteristics including principal moduli in three directions and the shape repeatability are investigated. Because of it's Young's modulus in one direction and anisotropic characteristics, the pressure sensor made by CFLC has excellent sensitivity. This said structure can be used in very high pressure measurement due to carbon fiber composite's excellent shape repetition even under high pressure. The experimental results show high pressure sensitivity of 0.101nm/MPa and high pressure measurement up to 70MPa. A pressure sensor based on CFLC and FBG with temperature compensation has been designed. In the second section, the design of low pressure sensor based on FBG is demonstrated. Due to the trade off between measurement range and sensitivity, a sensor for lower pressure range needs more sensitivity. A novel material of carbon

Carbon nanotube-based ethanol sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brahim, Sean; Colbern, Steve; Gump, Robert; Moser, Alex; Grigorian, Leonid

2009-01-01

Sensors containing metal-carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid materials as the active sensing layer were demonstrated for ethanol vapor detection at room temperature. The metal-CNT hybrid materials were synthesized by infiltrating single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with the transition metals Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Pd or Pt. Each sensor was prepared by drop-casting dilute dispersions of a metal-CNT hybrid onto quartz substrate electrodes and the impedimetric responses to varying ethanol concentration were recorded. Upon exposure to ethanol vapor, the ac impedance (Z') of the sensors was found to decrease to different extents. The sensor containing pristine CNT material was virtually non-responsive at low ethanol concentrations (<50 ppm). In contrast, all metal-CNT hybrid sensors showed extremely high sensitivity to trace ethanol levels with 100-fold or more gains in sensitivity relative to the starting SWNT sensor. All hybrid sensors, with the exception of Ni filled CNT, exhibited significantly larger sensor responses to ethanol vapor up to 250 ppm compared to the starting SWNT sensor.

Observability analysis for model-based fault detection and sensor selection in induction motors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakhaeinejad, Mohsen; Bryant, Michael D

2011-01-01

Sensors in different types and configurations provide information on the dynamics of a system. For a specific task, the question is whether measurements have enough information or whether the sensor configuration can be changed to improve the performance or to reduce costs. Observability analysis may answer the questions. This paper presents a general algorithm of nonlinear observability analysis with application to model-based diagnostics and sensor selection in three-phase induction motors. A bond graph model of the motor is developed and verified with experiments. A nonlinear observability matrix based on Lie derivatives is obtained from state equations. An observability index based on the singular value decomposition of the observability matrix is obtained. Singular values and singular vectors are used to identify the most and least observable configurations of sensors and parameters. A complex step derivative technique is used in the calculation of Jacobians to improve the computational performance of the observability analysis. The proposed algorithm of observability analysis can be applied to any nonlinear system to select the best configuration of sensors for applications of model-based diagnostics, observer-based controller, or to determine the level of sensor redundancy. Observability analysis on induction motors provides various sensor configurations with corresponding observability indices. Results show the redundancy levels for different sensors, and provide a sensor selection guideline for model-based diagnostics, and for observer-based controllers. The results can also be used for sensor fault detection and to improve the reliability of the system by increasing the redundancy level in measurements

A capacitive rf power sensor based on mems technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fernandez, L.J.

2005-01-01

Existing power sensors for RF signals are based on thermistors, diodes and thermocouples. These power sensors are used as terminating devices and therefore they dissipate the complete incoming signal. Furthermore, new telecommunication systems require low weight, volume and power consumption and a

Dynamic Sensor Management Algorithm Based on Improved Efficacy Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TANG Shujuan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A dynamic sensor management algorithm based on improved efficacy function is proposed to solve the multi-target and multi-sensory management problem. The tracking task precision requirements (TPR, target priority and sensor use cost were considered to establish the efficacy function by weighted sum the normalized value of the three factors. The dynamic sensor management algorithm was accomplished through control the diversities of the desired covariance matrix (DCM and the filtering covariance matrix (FCM. The DCM was preassigned in terms of TPR and the FCM was obtained by the centralized sequential Kalman filtering algorithm. The simulation results prove that the proposed method could meet the requirements of desired tracking precision and adjust sensor selection according to target priority and cost of sensor source usage. This makes sensor management scheme more reasonable and effective.

Smartphone-based quantitative measurements on holographic sensors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gita Khalili Moghaddam

Full Text Available The research reported herein integrates a generic holographic sensor platform and a smartphone-based colour quantification algorithm in order to standardise and improve the determination of the concentration of analytes of interest. The utility of this approach has been exemplified by analysing the replay colour of the captured image of a holographic pH sensor in near real-time. Personalised image encryption followed by a wavelet-based image compression method were applied to secure the image transfer across a bandwidth-limited network to the cloud. The decrypted and decompressed image was processed through four principal steps: Recognition of the hologram in the image with a complex background using a template-based approach, conversion of device-dependent RGB values to device-independent CIEXYZ values using a polynomial model of the camera and computation of the CIEL*a*b* values, use of the colour coordinates of the captured image to segment the image, select the appropriate colour descriptors and, ultimately, locate the region of interest (ROI, i.e. the hologram in this case, and finally, application of a machine learning-based algorithm to correlate the colour coordinates of the ROI to the analyte concentration. Integrating holographic sensors and the colour image processing algorithm potentially offers a cost-effective platform for the remote monitoring of analytes in real time in readily accessible body fluids by minimally trained individuals.

Smartphone-based quantitative measurements on holographic sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalili Moghaddam, Gita; Lowe, Christopher Robin

2017-01-01

The research reported herein integrates a generic holographic sensor platform and a smartphone-based colour quantification algorithm in order to standardise and improve the determination of the concentration of analytes of interest. The utility of this approach has been exemplified by analysing the replay colour of the captured image of a holographic pH sensor in near real-time. Personalised image encryption followed by a wavelet-based image compression method were applied to secure the image transfer across a bandwidth-limited network to the cloud. The decrypted and decompressed image was processed through four principal steps: Recognition of the hologram in the image with a complex background using a template-based approach, conversion of device-dependent RGB values to device-independent CIEXYZ values using a polynomial model of the camera and computation of the CIEL*a*b* values, use of the colour coordinates of the captured image to segment the image, select the appropriate colour descriptors and, ultimately, locate the region of interest (ROI), i.e. the hologram in this case, and finally, application of a machine learning-based algorithm to correlate the colour coordinates of the ROI to the analyte concentration. Integrating holographic sensors and the colour image processing algorithm potentially offers a cost-effective platform for the remote monitoring of analytes in real time in readily accessible body fluids by minimally trained individuals.

Eddy current probe development based on a magnetic sensor array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vacher, F.

2007-06-01

This research deals with in the study of the use of innovating magnetic sensors in eddy current non destructive inspection. The author reports an analysis survey of magnetic sensor performances. This survey enables the selection of magnetic sensor technologies used in non destructive inspection. He presents the state-of-the-art of eddy current probes exploiting the qualities of innovating magnetic sensors, and describes the methods enabling the use of these magnetic sensors in non destructive testing. Two main applications of innovating magnetic sensors are identified: the detection of very small defects by means of magneto-resistive sensors, and the detection of deep defects by means of giant magneto-impedances. Based on the use of modelling, optimization, signal processing tools, probes are manufactured for these both applications

Sensor-based activity recognition using extended belief rule-based inference methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Calzada, A; Liu, J; Nugent, C D; Wang, H; Martinez, L

2014-01-01

The recently developed extended belief rule-based inference methodology (RIMER+) recognizes the need of modeling different types of information and uncertainty that usually coexist in real environments. A home setting with sensors located in different rooms and on different appliances can be considered as a particularly relevant example of such an environment, which brings a range of challenges for sensor-based activity recognition. Although RIMER+ has been designed as a generic decision model that could be applied in a wide range of situations, this paper discusses how this methodology can be adapted to recognize human activities using binary sensors within smart environments. The evaluation of RIMER+ against other state-of-the-art classifiers in terms of accuracy, efficiency and applicability was found to be significantly relevant, specially in situations of input data incompleteness, and it demonstrates the potential of this methodology and underpins the basis to develop further research on the topic.

Optical Sensor based Chemical Modification as a Porous Cellulose Acetate Film and Its Application for Ethanol Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Mulijani, S.; Iswantini, D.; Wicaksono, R.; Notriawan, D.

2018-03-01

A new approach to design and construction of an optical ethanol sensor has been developed by immobilizing a direct dye at a porous cellulosic polymer fllm. This sensor was fabricated by binding Nile Red to a cellulose acetate membrane that had previously been subjected to an exhaustive base hydrolysis. The prepared optical ethanol sensor was enhanced by adding pluronic as a porogen in the membrane. The addition of pluronic surfactant into cellulose acetate membrane increased the hydrophilic and porous properties of membrane. Advantageous features of the design include simple and easy of fabrication. Variable affecting sensor performance of dye concentration have been fully evaluated and optimized. The rapid response results from the porous structure of the polymeric support, which minimizes barriers to mass transport. Signal of optical sensor based on reaction of dye nile red over the membrane with ethanol and will produce the purple colored product. Result was obtained that maximum intensity of dye nile red reacted with alcohol is at 630-640 nm. Linear regression equation (r2), limit of detection, and limit of quantitation of membrane with 2% dye was 0.9625, 0.29%, and 0.97%. Performance of optical sensor was also evaluated through methanol, ethanol and propanol. This study was purposed to measure the polarity and selectivity of optic sensor toward the alcohol derivatives. Fluorescence intensity of optic sensor membrane for methanol 5%, ethanol 5% and propanol 5% was 15113.56, 16573.75 and 18495.97 respectively.

CMOS Imaging of Pin-Printed Xerogel-Based Luminescent Sensor Microarrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Lei; Yung, Ka Yi; Khan, Rifat; Chodavarapu, Vamsy P; Bright, Frank V

2010-12-01

We present the design and implementation of a luminescence-based miniaturized multisensor system using pin-printed xerogel materials which act as host media for chemical recognition elements. We developed a CMOS imager integrated circuit (IC) to image the luminescence response of the xerogel-based sensor array. The imager IC uses a 26 × 20 (520 elements) array of active pixel sensors and each active pixel includes a high-gain phototransistor to convert the detected optical signals into electrical currents. The imager includes a correlated double sampling circuit and pixel address/digital control circuit; the image data is read-out as coded serial signal. The sensor system uses a light-emitting diode (LED) to excite the target analyte responsive luminophores doped within discrete xerogel-based sensor elements. As a prototype, we developed a 4 × 4 (16 elements) array of oxygen (O 2 ) sensors. Each group of 4 sensor elements in the array (arranged in a row) is designed to provide a different and specific sensitivity to the target gaseous O 2 concentration. This property of multiple sensitivities is achieved by using a strategic mix of two oxygen sensitive luminophores ([Ru(dpp) 3 ] 2+ and ([Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ ) in each pin-printed xerogel sensor element. The CMOS imager consumes an average power of 8 mW operating at 1 kHz sampling frequency driven at 5 V. The developed prototype system demonstrates a low cost and miniaturized luminescence multisensor system.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-Based Flexible Resistive Strain Sensors for Wearable Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Chen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available There is growing attention and rapid development on flexible electronic devices with electronic materials and sensing technology innovations. In particular, strain sensors with high elasticity and stretchability are needed for several potential applications including human entertainment technology, human–machine interface, personal healthcare, and sports performance monitoring, etc. This article presents recent advancements in the development of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors for wearable applications. First of all, the article shows that PDMS-based stretchable resistive strain sensors are successfully fabricated by different methods, such as the filtration method, printing technology, micromolding method, coating techniques, and liquid phase mixing. Next, strain sensing performances including stretchability, gauge factor, linearity, and durability are comprehensively demonstrated and compared. Finally, potential applications of PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors are also discussed. This review indicates that the era of wearable intelligent electronic systems has arrived.

Carbon Nanotube-Based Chemical Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyyappan, M

2016-04-27

The need to sense gases and vapors arises in numerous scenarios in industrial, environmental, security and medical applications. Traditionally, this activity has utilized bulky instruments to obtain both qualitative and quantitative information on the constituents of the gas mixture. It is ideal to use sensors for this purpose since they are smaller in size and less expensive; however, their performance in the field must match that of established analytical instruments in order to gain acceptance. In this regard, nanomaterials as sensing media offer advantages in sensitivity, preparation of chip-based sensors and construction of electronic nose for selective detection of analytes of interest. This article provides a review of the use of carbon nanotubes in gas and vapor sensing. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Data Fusion Based on Node Trust Evaluation in Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhou Jianming

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Abnormal behavior detection and trust evaluation mode of traditional sensor node have a single function without considering all the factors, and the trust value algorithm is relatively complicated. To avoid these above disadvantages, a trust evaluation model based on the autonomous behavior of sensor node is proposed in this paper. Each sensor node has the monitoring privilege and obligation. Neighboring sensor nodes can monitor each other. Their direct and indirect trust values can be achieved by using a relatively simple calculation method, the synthesis trust value of which could be got according to the composition rule of D-S evidence theory. Firstly, the cluster head assigns different weighted value for the data from each sensor node, then the weight vector is set according to the synthesis trust value, the data fusion processing is executed, and finally the cluster head sensor node transmits the fused result to the base station. Simulation experiment results demonstrate that the trust evaluation model can rapidly, exactly, and effectively recognize malicious sensor node and avoid malicious sensor node becoming cluster head sensor node. The proposed algorithm can greatly increase the safety and accuracy of data fusion, improve communication efficiency, save energy of sensor node, suit different application fields, and deploy environments.

In plane optical sensor based on organic electronic devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koetse, M.M; Rensing, P.A.; Heck, G.T. van; Sharpe, R.B.A.; Allard, B.A.M.; Wieringa, F.P.; Kruijt, P.G.M.; Meulendijks, N.M.M.; Jansen, H.; Schoo, H.F.M.

2008-01-01

Sensors based on organic electronic devices are emerging in a wide range of application areas. Here we present a sensor platform using organic light emitting diodes (OLED) and organic photodiodes (OPD) as active components. By means of lamination and interconnection technology the functional foils

ECCE Toolkit: Prototyping Sensor-Based Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Bellucci

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Building and exploring physical user interfaces requires high technical skills and hours of specialized work. The behavior of multiple devices with heterogeneous input/output channels and connectivity has to be programmed in a context where not only the software interface matters, but also the hardware components are critical (e.g., sensors and actuators. Prototyping physical interaction is hindered by the challenges of: (1 programming interactions among physical sensors/actuators and digital interfaces; (2 implementing functionality for different platforms in different programming languages; and (3 building custom electronic-incorporated objects. We present ECCE (Entities, Components, Couplings and Ecosystems, a toolkit for non-programmers that copes with these issues by abstracting from low-level implementations, thus lowering the complexity of prototyping small-scale, sensor-based physical interfaces to support the design process. A user evaluation provides insights and use cases of the kind of applications that can be developed with the toolkit.

Optical Graphene Gas Sensors Based on Microfibers: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Wu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Graphene has become a bridge across optoelectronics, mechanics, and bio-chemical sensing due to its unique photoelectric characteristics. Moreover, benefiting from its two-dimensional nature, this atomically thick film with full flexibility has been widely incorporated with optical waveguides such as fibers, realizing novel photonic devices including polarizers, lasers, and sensors. Among the graphene-based optical devices, sensor is one of the most important branch, especially for gas sensing, as rapid progress has been made in both sensing structures and devices in recent years. This article presents a comprehensive and systematic overview of graphene-based microfiber gas sensors regarding many aspects including sensing principles, properties, fabrication, interrogating and implementations.

Range-Based Localization in Mobile Sensor Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dil, B.J.; Dil, B.; Dulman, S.O.; Havinga, Paul J.M.; Romer, K.; Karl, H.; Mattern, F.

2006-01-01

Localization schemes for wireless sensor networks can be classified as range-based or range-free. They differ in the information used for localization. Range-based methods use range measurements, while range-free techniques only use the content of the messages. None of the existing algorithms

A Wildlife Monitoring System Based on Wireless Image Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junguo Zhang

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Survival and development of wildlife sustains the balance and stability of the entire ecosystem. Wildlife monitoring can provide lots of information such as wildlife species, quantity, habits, quality of life and habitat conditions, to help researchers grasp the status and dynamics of wildlife resources, and to provide basis for the effective protection, sustainable use, and scientific management of wildlife resources. Wildlife monitoring is the foundation of wildlife protection and management. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN technology has become the most popular technology in the field of information. With advance of the CMOS image sensor technology, wireless sensor networks combined with image sensors, namely Wireless Image Sensor Networks (WISN technology, has emerged as an alternative in monitoring applications. Monitoring wildlife is one of its most promising applications. In this paper, system architecture of the wildlife monitoring system based on the wireless image sensor networks was presented to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional monitoring methods. Specifically, some key issues including design of wireless image sensor nodes and software process design have been studied and presented. A self-powered rotatable wireless infrared image sensor node based on ARM and an aggregation node designed for large amounts of data were developed. In addition, their corresponding software was designed. The proposed system is able to monitor wildlife accurately, automatically, and remotely in all-weather condition, which lays foundations for applications of wireless image sensor networks in wildlife monitoring.

Measuring intracellular redox conditions using GFP-based sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Björnberg, Olof; Ostergaard, Henrik; Winther, Jakob R

2006-01-01

Recent years have seen the development of methods for analyzing the redox conditions in specific compartments in living cells. These methods are based on genetically encoded sensors comprising variants of Green Fluorescent Protein in which vicinal cysteine residues have been introduced at solvent......-exposed positions. Several mutant forms have been identified in which formation of a disulfide bond between these cysteine residues results in changes of their fluorescence properties. The redox sensors have been characterized biochemically and found to behave differently, both spectroscopically and in terms...... of redox properties. As genetically encoded sensors they can be expressed in living cells and used for analysis of intracellular redox conditions; however, which parameters are measured depends on how the sensors interact with various cellular redox components. Results of both biochemical and cell...

Mass Tracking with a MEMS-based Gravity Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Pike, W. T.; Mukherjee, A.; Warren, T.; Charalambous, C.; Calcutt, S. B.; Standley, I.

2017-12-01

We achieve the first demonstration of the dynamic location of a moving mass using a MEMS sensor to detect gravity. The sensor is based on a microseismometer developed for planetary geophysics. In an updated version of the original Cavendish experiment the noise floor of the sensor, at 0.25 µgal/rtHz, allows the determination of the dynamic gravitational field from the motion of the mass of an oscillating pendulum. Using the determined noise floor we show that this performance should be sufficient for practical subsurface gravity surveying, in particular detection of 50-cm diameter pipes up to 10 m below the surface. Beyond this specific application, this sensor with a mass of less than 250 g per axis represents a new technology that opens up the possibility of drone deloyments for gravity mapping.

Research of detection depth for graphene-based optical sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yong; Sun, Jialve; Liu, Lu; Zhu, Siwei; Yuan, Xiaocong

2018-03-01

Graphene-based optical sensors have been developed for research into the biological intercellular refractive index (RI) because they offer greater detection depths than those provided by the surface plasmon resonance technique. In this Letter, we propose an experimental approach for measurement of the detection depth in a graphene-based optical sensor system that uses transparent polydimethylsiloxane layers with different thicknesses. The experimental results show that detection depths of 2.5 μm and 3 μm can be achieved at wavelengths of 532 nm and 633 nm, respectively. These results prove that graphene-based optical sensors can realize long-range RI detection and are thus promising for use as tools in the biological cell detection field. Additionally, we analyze the factors that influence the detection depth and provide a feasible approach for detection depth control based on adjustment of the wavelength and the angle of incidence. We believe that this approach will be useful in RI tomography applications.

Sensor Fusion Based Model for Collision Free Mobile Robot Navigation

Science.gov (United States)

Almasri, Marwah; Elleithy, Khaled; Alajlan, Abrar

2015-01-01

Autonomous mobile robots have become a very popular and interesting topic in the last decade. Each of them are equipped with various types of sensors such as GPS, camera, infrared and ultrasonic sensors. These sensors are used to observe the surrounding environment. However, these sensors sometimes fail and have inaccurate readings. Therefore, the integration of sensor fusion will help to solve this dilemma and enhance the overall performance. This paper presents a collision free mobile robot navigation based on the fuzzy logic fusion model. Eight distance sensors and a range finder camera are used for the collision avoidance approach where three ground sensors are used for the line or path following approach. The fuzzy system is composed of nine inputs which are the eight distance sensors and the camera, two outputs which are the left and right velocities of the mobile robot’s wheels, and 24 fuzzy rules for the robot’s movement. Webots Pro simulator is used for modeling the environment and the robot. The proposed methodology, which includes the collision avoidance based on fuzzy logic fusion model and line following robot, has been implemented and tested through simulation and real time experiments. Various scenarios have been presented with static and dynamic obstacles using one robot and two robots while avoiding obstacles in different shapes and sizes. PMID:26712766

Sensor Fusion Based Model for Collision Free Mobile Robot Navigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marwah Almasri

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Autonomous mobile robots have become a very popular and interesting topic in the last decade. Each of them are equipped with various types of sensors such as GPS, camera, infrared and ultrasonic sensors. These sensors are used to observe the surrounding environment. However, these sensors sometimes fail and have inaccurate readings. Therefore, the integration of sensor fusion will help to solve this dilemma and enhance the overall performance. This paper presents a collision free mobile robot navigation based on the fuzzy logic fusion model. Eight distance sensors and a range finder camera are used for the collision avoidance approach where three ground sensors are used for the line or path following approach. The fuzzy system is composed of nine inputs which are the eight distance sensors and the camera, two outputs which are the left and right velocities of the mobile robot’s wheels, and 24 fuzzy rules for the robot’s movement. Webots Pro simulator is used for modeling the environment and the robot. The proposed methodology, which includes the collision avoidance based on fuzzy logic fusion model and line following robot, has been implemented and tested through simulation and real time experiments. Various scenarios have been presented with static and dynamic obstacles using one robot and two robots while avoiding obstacles in different shapes and sizes.

Parallel Microcracks-based Ultrasensitive and Highly Stretchable Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Amjadi, Morteza; Turan, Mehmet; Clementson, Cameron P; Sitti, Metin

2016-03-02

There is an increasing demand for flexible, skin-attachable, and wearable strain sensors due to their various potential applications. However, achieving strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a grand challenge. Here, we propose highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensors based on the reversible microcrack formation in composite thin films. Controllable parallel microcracks are generated in graphite thin films coated on elastomer films. Sensors made of graphite thin films with short microcracks possess high gauge factors (maximum value of 522.6) and stretchability (ε ≥ 50%), whereas sensors with long microcracks show ultrahigh sensitivity (maximum value of 11,344) with limited stretchability (ε ≤ 50%). We demonstrate the high performance strain sensing of our sensors in both small and large strain sensing applications such as human physiological activity recognition, human body large motion capturing, vibration detection, pressure sensing, and soft robotics.

Low Humidity Characteristics of Polymer-Based Capacitive Humidity Sensors

OpenAIRE

Majewski Jacek

2017-01-01

Polymer-based capacitive humidity sensors emerged around 40 years ago; nevertheless, they currently constitute large part of sensors’ market within a range of medium (climatic and industrial) humidity 20−80%RH due to their linearity, stability and cost-effectiveness. However, for low humidity values (0−20%RH) that type of sensor exhibits increasingly nonlinear characteristics with decreasing of humidity values. This paper presents the results of some experimental trials of CMOS polymer-based ...

Vision communications based on LED array and imaging sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Jong-Ho; Jung, Sung-Yoon

2012-11-01

In this paper, we propose a brand new communication concept, called as "vision communication" based on LED array and image sensor. This system consists of LED array as a transmitter and digital device which include image sensor such as CCD and CMOS as receiver. In order to transmit data, the proposed communication scheme simultaneously uses the digital image processing and optical wireless communication scheme. Therefore, the cognitive communication scheme is possible with the help of recognition techniques used in vision system. By increasing data rate, our scheme can use LED array consisting of several multi-spectral LEDs. Because arranged each LED can emit multi-spectral optical signal such as visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, the increase of data rate is possible similar to WDM and MIMO skills used in traditional optical and wireless communications. In addition, this multi-spectral capability also makes it possible to avoid the optical noises in communication environment. In our vision communication scheme, the data packet is composed of Sync. data and information data. Sync. data is used to detect the transmitter area and calibrate the distorted image snapshots obtained by image sensor. By making the optical rate of LED array be same with the frame rate (frames per second) of image sensor, we can decode the information data included in each image snapshot based on image processing and optical wireless communication techniques. Through experiment based on practical test bed system, we confirm the feasibility of the proposed vision communications based on LED array and image sensor.

Optical sensor array platform based on polymer electronic devices

Science.gov (United States)

Koetse, Marc M.; Rensing, Peter A.; Sharpe, Ruben B. A.; van Heck, Gert T.; Allard, Bart A. M.; Meulendijks, Nicole N. M. M.; Kruijt, Peter G. M.; Tijdink, Marcel W. W. J.; De Zwart, René M.; Houben, René J.; Enting, Erik; van Veen, Sjaak J. J. F.; Schoo, Herman F. M.

2007-10-01

Monitoring of personal wellbeing and optimizing human performance are areas where sensors have only begun to be used. One of the reasons for this is the specific demands that these application areas put on the underlying technology and system properties. In many cases these sensors will be integrated in clothing, be worn on the skin, or may even be placed inside the body. This implies that flexibility and wearability of the systems is essential for their success. Devices based on polymer semiconductors allow for these demands since they can be fabricated with thin film technology. The use of thin film device technology allows for the fabrication of very thin sensors (e.g. integrated in food product packaging), flexible or bendable sensors in wearables, large area/distributed sensors, and intrinsically low-cost applications in disposable products. With thin film device technology a high level of integration can be achieved with parts that analyze signals, process and store data, and interact over a network. Integration of all these functions will inherently lead to better cost/performance ratios, especially if printing and other standard polymer technology such as high precision moulding is applied for the fabrication. In this paper we present an optical transmission sensor array based on polymer semiconductor devices made by thin film technology. The organic devices, light emitting diodes, photodiodes and selective medium chip, are integrated with classic electronic components. Together they form a versatile sensor platform that allows for the quantitative measurement of 100 channels and communicates wireless with a computer. The emphasis is given to the sensor principle, the design, fabrication technology and integration of the thin film devices.

Optical stimulator for vision-based sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rössler, Dirk; Pedersen, David Arge Klevang; Benn, Mathias

2014-01-01

We have developed an optical stimulator system for vision-based sensors. The stimulator is an efficient tool for stimulating a camera during on-ground testing with scenes representative of spacecraft flights. Such scenes include starry sky, planetary objects, and other spacecraft. The optical...

Molecularly Imprinted Polypyrrole Based Impedimentric Sensor for Theophylline Determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratautaite, Vilma; Janssens, Stoffel D.; Haenen, Ken; Nesládek, Milos; Ramanaviciene, Almira; Baleviciute, Ieva; Ramanavicius, Arunas

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Sensor based on polypyrrole imprinted by theophylline (MIP) deposited on oxygen terminated boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond was developed. • This structure was applied as impedimetric sensor sensitive for theophylline. • Optimal polymer formation conditions suitable for MIP formation were elaborated. • Some analytical parameters were determined and evaluated. - Abstract: In this study development of impedimetric sensor based on oxygen terminated boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (B:NCD:O) modified with theophylline imprinted polypyrrole is described. Hydrogen peroxide induced chemical formation of polypyrrole molecularly imprinted by theophylline was applied for the modification of conducting silicon substrate covered by B:NCD:O film. Non-imprinted polypyrrole layer was formed on similar substrate in order to prove efficiency of imprinted polypyrrole. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was applied for the evaluation of analyte-induced changes in electrochemical capacitance/resistance. The impact of polymerization duration on the capacitance of impedimetric sensor was estimated. A different impedance behavior was observed at different ratio of polymerized monomer and template molecule in the polymerization media. The influence of ethanol as additive to polymerization media on registered changes in capacitance/resistance was evaluated. Degradation of sensor stored in buffer solution was evaluated

Model based, sensor directed remediation of underground storage tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, B.; Drotning, W.; Thunborg, S.

1991-01-01

Sensor rich, intelligent robots which function with respect to models of their environment have significant potential to reduce the time and cost for the cleanup of hazardous waste while increasing operator safety. Sandia National Laboratories is performing experimental investigations into the application of intelligent robot control technology to the problem of removing waste stored tanks. This paper describes the experimental environment employed at Saudi with particular attention to the computing and software control environment. Intelligent system control is achieved though the integration of extensive geometric and kinematic world models with real-time sensor based control. All operator interactions with the system are validate all operator commands before execution to provide a safe operation. Sensing is used to add information to the robot system's world model and to allow sensor based sensor control during selected operations. The results of a first Critical Feature Test are reported and the potential for applying advanced intelligent control concepts to the removal of waste in storage tanks is discussed

Design and Fabrication of Full Wheatstone-Bridge-Based Angular GMR Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaohua Yan

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Since the discovery of the giant magnetoresistive (GMR effect, GMR sensors have gained much attention in last decades due to their high sensitivity, small size, and low cost. The full Wheatstone-bridge-based GMR sensor is most useful in terms of the application point of view. However, its manufacturing process is usually complex. In this paper, we present an efficient and concise approach to fabricate a full Wheatstone-bridge-based angular GMR sensor by depositing one GMR film stack, utilizing simple patterned processes, and a concise post-annealing procedure based on a special layout. The angular GMR sensor is of good linear performance and achieves a sensitivity of 0.112 mV/V/Oe at the annealing temperature of 260 °C in the magnetic field range from −50 to +50 Oe. This work provides a design and method for GMR-sensor manufacturing that is easy for implementation and suitable for mass production.

Ionic Liquid based polymer electrolytes for electrochemical sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakub Altšmíd

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Amperometric NO2 printed sensor with a new type of solid polymer electrolyte and a carbon working electrode has been developed. The electrolytes based on 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonylimide [EMIM][N(Tf2], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate [BMIM][CF3SO3] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [EMIM][BF4] ionic liquids were immobilized in poly(vinylidene fluoride matrix [PVDF]. The analyte, gaseous nitrogen dioxide, was detected by reduction at -500 mV vs. platinum pseudoreference electrode. The sensors showed a linear behavior in the whole tested range, i.e., 0 - 5 ppm and their sensitivities were in order of 0.3 x∙10-6 A/ppm. The sensor sensitivity was influenced by the electric conductivity of printing formulation; the higher the conductivity, the higher the sensor sensitivity. The rise/recovery times were in order of tens of seconds. The use of  screen printing technology and platinum pseudoreference electrode simplify the sensor fabrication and it does not have any negative effect on the sensor stability.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.21.3.7371

Combine harvester monitor system based on wireless sensor network

Science.gov (United States)

A measurement method based on Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) was developed to monitor the working condition of combine harvester for remote application. Three JN5139 modules were chosen for sensor data acquisition and another two as a router and a coordinator, which could create a tree topology netwo...

Magnetic Sensors Based on Amorphous Ferromagnetic Materials: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Morón

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Currently there are many types of sensors that are used in lots of applications. Among these, magnetic sensors are a good alternative for the detection and measurement of different phenomena because they are a “simple” and readily available technology. For the construction of such devices there are many magnetic materials available, although amorphous ferromagnetic materials are the most suitable. The existence in the market of these materials allows the production of different kinds of sensors, without requiring expensive manufacture investments for the magnetic cores. Furthermore, these are not fragile materials that require special care, favouring the construction of solid and reliable devices. Another important feature is that these sensors can be developed without electric contact between the measuring device and the sensor, making them especially fit for use in harsh environments. In this review we will look at the main types of developed magnetic sensors. This work presents the state of the art of magnetic sensors based on amorphous ferromagnetic materials used in modern technology: security devices, weapon detection, magnetic maps, car industry, credit cards, etc.

Magnetic Sensors Based on Amorphous Ferromagnetic Materials: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Morón, Carlos; Cabrera, Carolina; Morón, Alberto; García, Alfonso; González, Mercedes

2015-11-11

Currently there are many types of sensors that are used in lots of applications. Among these, magnetic sensors are a good alternative for the detection and measurement of different phenomena because they are a "simple" and readily available technology. For the construction of such devices there are many magnetic materials available, although amorphous ferromagnetic materials are the most suitable. The existence in the market of these materials allows the production of different kinds of sensors, without requiring expensive manufacture investments for the magnetic cores. Furthermore, these are not fragile materials that require special care, favouring the construction of solid and reliable devices. Another important feature is that these sensors can be developed without electric contact between the measuring device and the sensor, making them especially fit for use in harsh environments. In this review we will look at the main types of developed magnetic sensors. This work presents the state of the art of magnetic sensors based on amorphous ferromagnetic materials used in modern technology: security devices, weapon detection, magnetic maps, car industry, credit cards, etc.

Magnetic Sensors Based on Amorphous Ferromagnetic Materials: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Morón, Carlos; Cabrera, Carolina; Morón, Alberto; García, Alfonso; González, Mercedes

2015-01-01

Currently there are many types of sensors that are used in lots of applications. Among these, magnetic sensors are a good alternative for the detection and measurement of different phenomena because they are a “simple” and readily available technology. For the construction of such devices there are many magnetic materials available, although amorphous ferromagnetic materials are the most suitable. The existence in the market of these materials allows the production of different kinds of sensors, without requiring expensive manufacture investments for the magnetic cores. Furthermore, these are not fragile materials that require special care, favouring the construction of solid and reliable devices. Another important feature is that these sensors can be developed without electric contact between the measuring device and the sensor, making them especially fit for use in harsh environments. In this review we will look at the main types of developed magnetic sensors. This work presents the state of the art of magnetic sensors based on amorphous ferromagnetic materials used in modern technology: security devices, weapon detection, magnetic maps, car industry, credit cards, etc. PMID:26569244

Long-term monitoring FBG-based cable load sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhichun; Zhou, Zhi; Wang, Chuan; Ou, Jinping

2006-03-01

Stay cables are the main load-bearing components of stayed-cable bridges. The cables stress status is an important factor to the stayed-cable bridge structure safety evaluation. So it's very important not only to the bridge construction, but also to the long-term safety evaluation for the bridge structure in-service. The accurate measurement for cable load depends on an effective sensor, especially to meet the long time durability and measurement demand. FBG, for its great advantage of corrosion resistance, absolute measurement, high accuracy, electro-magnetic resistance, quasi-distribution sensing, absolute measurement and so on, is the most promising sensor, which can cater for the cable force monitoring. In this paper, a load sensor has been developed, which is made up of a bushing elastic supporting body, 4 FBGs uniformly-spaced attached outside of the bushing supporting body, and a temperature compensation FBG for other four FBGs, moreover a cover for protection of FBGs. Firstly, the sensor measuring principle is analyzed, and relationship equation of FBG wavelength shifts and extrinsic load has also been gotten. And then the sensor calibration experiments of a steel cable stretching test with the FBG load sensor and a reference electric pressure sensor is finished, and the results shows excellent linearity of extrinsic load and FBG wavelength shifts, and good repeatability, which indicates that such kind of FBG-based load sensor is suitable for load measurement, especially for long-term, real time monitoring of stay-cables.

Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian; Yu, Hu; Xu, Xuezhu; Han, Fei; Lubineau, Gilles

2017-01-01

The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly

Design Methodology for Magnetic Field-Based Soft Tri-Axis Tactile Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongbo; de Boer, Greg; Kow, Junwai; Alazmani, Ali; Ghajari, Mazdak; Hewson, Robert; Culmer, Peter

2016-08-24

Tactile sensors are essential if robots are to safely interact with the external world and to dexterously manipulate objects. Current tactile sensors have limitations restricting their use, notably being too fragile or having limited performance. Magnetic field-based soft tactile sensors offer a potential improvement, being durable, low cost, accurate and high bandwidth, but they are relatively undeveloped because of the complexities involved in design and calibration. This paper presents a general design methodology for magnetic field-based three-axis soft tactile sensors, enabling researchers to easily develop specific tactile sensors for a variety of applications. All aspects (design, fabrication, calibration and evaluation) of the development of tri-axis soft tactile sensors are presented and discussed. A moving least square approach is used to decouple and convert the magnetic field signal to force output to eliminate non-linearity and cross-talk effects. A case study of a tactile sensor prototype, MagOne, was developed. This achieved a resolution of 1.42 mN in normal force measurement (0.71 mN in shear force), good output repeatability and has a maximum hysteresis error of 3.4%. These results outperform comparable sensors reported previously, highlighting the efficacy of our methodology for sensor design.

Design and Evaluation of a Wireless Sensor Network Based Aircraft Strength Testing System

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jian; Yuan, Shenfang; Zhou, Genyuan; Ji, Sai; Wang, Zilong; Wang, Yang

2009-01-01

The verification of aerospace structures, including full-scale fatigue and static test programs, is essential for structure strength design and evaluation. However, the current overall ground strength testing systems employ a large number of wires for communication among sensors and data acquisition facilities. The centralized data processing makes test programs lack efficiency and intelligence. Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology might be expected to address the limitations of cable-based aeronautical ground testing systems. This paper presents a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing (AST) system design and its evaluation on a real aircraft specimen. In this paper, a miniature, high-precision, and shock-proof wireless sensor node is designed for multi-channel strain gauge signal conditioning and monitoring. A cluster-star network topology protocol and application layer interface are designed in detail. To verify the functionality of the designed wireless sensor network for strength testing capability, a multi-point WSN based AST system is developed for static testing of a real aircraft undercarriage. Based on the designed wireless sensor nodes, the wireless sensor network is deployed to gather, process, and transmit strain gauge signals and monitor results under different static test loads. This paper shows the efficiency of the wireless sensor network based AST system, compared to a conventional AST system. PMID:22408521

Design and evaluation of a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing system.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jian; Yuan, Shenfang; Zhou, Genyuan; Ji, Sai; Wang, Zilong; Wang, Yang

2009-01-01

The verification of aerospace structures, including full-scale fatigue and static test programs, is essential for structure strength design and evaluation. However, the current overall ground strength testing systems employ a large number of wires for communication among sensors and data acquisition facilities. The centralized data processing makes test programs lack efficiency and intelligence. Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology might be expected to address the limitations of cable-based aeronautical ground testing systems. This paper presents a wireless sensor network based aircraft strength testing (AST) system design and its evaluation on a real aircraft specimen. In this paper, a miniature, high-precision, and shock-proof wireless sensor node is designed for multi-channel strain gauge signal conditioning and monitoring. A cluster-star network topology protocol and application layer interface are designed in detail. To verify the functionality of the designed wireless sensor network for strength testing capability, a multi-point WSN based AST system is developed for static testing of a real aircraft undercarriage. Based on the designed wireless sensor nodes, the wireless sensor network is deployed to gather, process, and transmit strain gauge signals and monitor results under different static test loads. This paper shows the efficiency of the wireless sensor network based AST system, compared to a conventional AST system.

Textile-Based, Interdigital, Capacitive, Soft-Strain Sensor for Wearable Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ozgur Atalay

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The electronic textile area has gained considerable attention due to its implementation of wearable devices, and soft sensors are the main components of these systems. In this paper, a new sensor design is presented to create stretchable, capacitance-based strain sensors for human motion tracking. This involves the use of stretchable, conductive-knit fabric within the silicone elastomer matrix, as interdigitated electrodes. While conductive fabric creates a secure conductive network for electrodes, a silicone-based matrix provides encapsulation and dimensional-stability to the structure. During the benchtop characterization, sensors show linear output, i.e., R2 = 0.997, with high response time, i.e., 50 ms, and high resolution, i.e., 1.36%. Finally, movement of the knee joint during the different scenarios was successfully recorded.

Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian

2017-01-17

The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) can sustain their sensitivity even at very high strain levels (with a gauge factor of over 10(7) at 50% strain). This record sensitivity is ascribed to the low initial electrical resistance (5-28 Omega) of the SWCNT paper and the wide change in resistance (up to 10(6) Omega) governed by the percolated network of SWCNT in the cracked region. The sensor response remains nearly unchanged after 10 000 strain cycles at 20% proving the robustness of this technology. This fragmentation based sensing system brings opportunities to engineer highly sensitive stretchable sensors.

Study of photoconductor-based radiological image sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beaumont, Francois

1989-01-01

Because of the evolution of medical imaging techniques to digital Systems, it is necessary to replace radiological film which has many drawbacks, by a detector quite as efficient and quickly giving a digitizable signal. The purpose of this thesis is to find new X-ray digital imaging processes using photoconductor materials such as amorphous selenium. After reviewing the principle of direct radiology and functions to be served by the X-ray sensor (i.e. detection, memory, assignment, visualization), we explain specification. We especially show the constraints due to the object to be radiographed (condition of minimal exposure), and to the reading signal (electronic noise detection associated with a reading frequency). As a result of this study, a first photoconductor sensor could be designed. Its principle is based on photo-carrier trapping at dielectric-photoconductor structure interface. The reading System needs the scanning of a laser beam upon the sensor surface. The dielectric-photoconductor structure enabled us to estimate the possibilities offered by the sensor and to build a complete x-ray imaging System. The originality of thermo-dielectric sensor, that was next studied, is to allow a thermal assignment reading. The chosen System consists in varying the ferroelectric polymer capacity whose dielectric permittivity is weak at room temperature. The thermo-dielectric material was studied by thermal or Joule effect stimulation. During our experiments, trapping was found in a sensor made of amorphous selenium between two electrodes. This new effect was performed and enabled us to expose a first interpretation. Eventually, the comparison of these new sensor concepts with radiological film shows the advantage of the proposed solution. (author) [fr

In-fiber torsion sensor based on dual polarized Mach-Zehnder interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lei; Zhang, Wei-Gang; Wang, Li; Zhang, Hao; Sieg, Jonathan; Zhou, Quan; Zhang, Li-Yu; Wang, Biao; Yan, Tie-Yi

2014-12-29

This paper presents a novel optical fiber torsion sensor based on dual polarized Mach-Zehnder interference (DPMZI). Unlike the conventional fiber sensor, the proposed sensor is composed of a sensor part and a demodulator. The demodulator is made by a bared single mode fiber (SMF) loop, and the sensor part is a segment of a coated SMF placed before the loop. A mathematical model is proposed based on DPMZI mechanism and from the model when the sensor part is twisted, the E-field rotational angle will bring a quasi-linear impact on the resonance dip wavelength in their matched detecting range. A proof-of-concept experiment was performed to verify the theoretical prediction. From the experimental data, a sensitivity of -0.3703, -1.00962, and -0.59881 nm•m/rad is achieved with the determining range of 12.0936, 7.6959, and 10.4444 rad/m respectively. The sensor which is composed only of the SMF has the advantages of low insertion loss (~-2dB), healthy structure, low manufacture cost, and easy assembly and application.

A Deployment Scheme Based Upon Virtual Force for Directional Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiu-Kuo Liang

2015-11-01

Full Text Available A directional sensor network is composed of many directional sensor nodes. Unlike conventional omni-directional sensors that always have an omni-angle of sensing range; directional sensors may have a limited angle of sensing range due to technical constraints or cost considerations. Area coverage is still an essential issue in a directional sensor network. In this paper, we study the area coverage problem in directional sensor networks with mobile sensors, which can move to the correct places to get high coverage. We present distributed self-deployment schemes of mobile sensors. After sensors are randomly deployed, each sensor calculates its next new location to move in order to obtain a better coverage than previous one. The locations of sensors are adjusted round by round so that the coverage is gradually improved. Based on the virtual force of the directional sensors, we design a scheme, namely Virtual force scheme. Simulation results show the effectiveness of our scheme in term of the coverage improvement.

Designing and testing a laser-based vibratory sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Nath, G.

2018-04-01

Sensor technology has proved its importance, not only in the range of few-meter applications in different fields, but in micro, nano, atomic and sub-atomic-sized objects. The present work describes the designing of a laser-based vibratory sensor using a He-Ne laser as the signal source. The received characteristics of the signal are mainly the frequency and amplitude of the vibration from which the physical parameters such as energy, power and absorption coefficients of the material are determined, which enables us to provide information of the hidden target or object. This laboratory-designed sensor finds application in different local phenomena as well as laboratory practical activity for students.

A Polymer Optical Fiber Temperature Sensor Based on Material Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Leal-Junior, Arnaldo; Frizera-Netoc, Anselmo; Marques, Carlos; Pontes, Maria José

2018-01-19

This paper presents a polymer optical fiber (POF)-based temperature sensor. The operation principle of the sensor is the variation in the POF mechanical properties with the temperature variation. Such mechanical property variation leads to a variation in the POF output power when a constant stress is applied to the fiber due to the stress-optical effect. The fiber mechanical properties are characterized through a dynamic mechanical analysis, and the output power variation with different temperatures is measured. The stress is applied to the fiber by means of a 180° curvature, and supports are positioned on the fiber to inhibit the variation in its curvature with the temperature variation. Results show that the sensor proposed has a sensitivity of 1.04 × 10 -3 °C -1 , a linearity of 0.994, and a root mean squared error of 1.48 °C, which indicates a relative error of below 2%, which is lower than the ones obtained for intensity-variation-based temperature sensors. Furthermore, the sensor is able to operate at temperatures up to 110 °C, which is higher than the ones obtained for similar POF sensors in the literature.

Landslide and Flood Warning System Prototypes based on Wireless Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hloupis, George; Stavrakas, Ilias; Triantis, Dimos

2010-05-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are one of the emerging areas that received great attention during the last few years. This is mainly due to the fact that WSNs have provided scientists with the capability of developing real-time monitoring systems equipped with sensors based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). WSNs have great potential for many applications in environmental monitoring since the sensor nodes that comprised from can host several MEMS sensors (such as temperature, humidity, inertial, pressure, strain-gauge) and transducers (such as position, velocity, acceleration, vibration). The resulting devices are small and inexpensive but with limited memory and computing resources. Each sensor node contains a sensing module which along with an RF transceiver. The communication is broadcast-based since the network topology can change rapidly due to node failures [1]. Sensor nodes can transmit their measurements to central servers through gateway nodes without any processing or they make preliminary calculations locally in order to produce results that will be sent to central servers [2]. Based on the above characteristics, two prototypes using WSNs are presented in this paper: A Landslide detection system and a Flood warning system. Both systems sent their data to central processing server where the core of processing routines exists. Transmission is made using Zigbee and IEEE 802.11b protocol but is capable to use VSAT communication also. Landslide detection system uses structured network topology. Each measuring node comprises of a columnar module that is half buried to the area under investigation. Each sensing module contains a geophone, an inclinometer and a set of strain gauges. Data transmitted to central processing server where possible landslide evolution is monitored. Flood detection system uses unstructured network topology since the failure rate of sensor nodes is expected higher. Each sensing module contains a custom water level sensor

Development of Fabric-Based Chemical Gas Sensors for Use as Wearable Electronic Noses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thara Seesaard

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Novel gas sensors embroidered into fabric substrates based on polymers/ SWNT-COOH nanocomposites were proposed in this paper, aiming for their use as a wearable electronic nose (e-nose. The fabric-based chemical gas sensors were fabricated by two main processes: drop coating and embroidery. Four potential polymers (PVC, cumene-PSMA, PSE and PVP/functionalized-SWCNT sensing materials were deposited onto interdigitated electrodes previously prepared by embroidering conductive thread on a fabric substrate to make an optimal set of sensors. After preliminary trials of the obtained sensors, it was found that the sensors yielded a electrical resistance in the region of a few kilo-Ohms. The sensors were tested with various volatile compounds such as ammonium hydroxide, ethanol, pyridine, triethylamine, methanol and acetone, which are commonly found in the wastes released from the human body. These sensors were used to detect and discriminate between the body odors of different regions and exist in various forms such as the urine, armpit and exhaled breath odor. Based on a simple pattern recognition technique, we have shown that the proposed fabric-based chemical gas sensors can discriminate the human body odor from two persons.

Development of fabric-based chemical gas sensors for use as wearable electronic noses.

Science.gov (United States)

Seesaard, Thara; Lorwongtragool, Panida; Kerdcharoen, Teerakiat

2015-01-16

Novel gas sensors embroidered into fabric substrates based on polymers/ SWNT-COOH nanocomposites were proposed in this paper, aiming for their use as a wearable electronic nose (e-nose). The fabric-based chemical gas sensors were fabricated by two main processes: drop coating and embroidery. Four potential polymers (PVC, cumene-PSMA, PSE and PVP)/functionalized-SWCNT sensing materials were deposited onto interdigitated electrodes previously prepared by embroidering conductive thread on a fabric substrate to make an optimal set of sensors. After preliminary trials of the obtained sensors, it was found that the sensors yielded a electrical resistance in the region of a few kilo-Ohms. The sensors were tested with various volatile compounds such as ammonium hydroxide, ethanol, pyridine, triethylamine, methanol and acetone, which are commonly found in the wastes released from the human body. These sensors were used to detect and discriminate between the body odors of different regions and exist in various forms such as the urine, armpit and exhaled breath odor. Based on a simple pattern recognition technique, we have shown that the proposed fabric-based chemical gas sensors can discriminate the human body odor from two persons.

A Calibration Report for Wireless Sensor-Based Weatherboards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muthoni Masinde

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Sub-Saharan Africa contains the highest number of people affected by droughts. Although this can easily be mitigated through the provision of timely, reliable and relevant weather forecasts, the sparse network of weather stations in most of these countries makes this difficult. Rapid development in wireless sensor networks has resulted in weatherboards capable of capturing weather parameters at the micro-level. Although these weatherboards offer a viable solution to Africa’s drought, the acceptability of such data by meteorologists is only possible if these sensors are calibrated and their field readiness scientifically evaluated. This is the contribution of this paper; we present results of a calibration exercise that was carried out to: (1 measure and correct lag, random and systematic errors; (2 determine if Perspex was an ideal material for building sensor boards’ enclosures; and (3 identify sensor boards’ battery charging and depletion rates. The result is a calibration report detailing actual error and uncertainty values for atmospheric pressure, humidity and temperature sensors, as well as the recharge and discharge curves of the batteries. The results further ruled out the use of Perspex for enclosing the sensor boards. These experiments pave the way for the design and implementation of a sensor-based weather monitoring system (SenseWeather that was piloted in two regions in Kenya.

Soft Sensors and Actuators based on Nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Shanshan

The focus of this research is using novel bottom-up synthesized nanomaterials and structures to build up devices for wearable sensors and soft actuators. The applications of the wearable sensors towards motion detection and health monitoring are investigated. In addition, flexible heaters for bimorph actuators and stretchable patches made of microgel depots containing drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) for stretch-triggered wearable drug delivery are studied. Considerable efforts have been made to achieve highly sensitive and wearable sensors that can simultaneously detect multiple stimuli such as stretch, pressure, temperature or touch. Highly stretchable multifunctional sensors that can detect strain (up to 50%), pressure (up to 1 MPa) and finger touch with good sensitivity, fast response time ( 40 ms) and good pressure mapping function were developed. The sensors were demonstrated for several wearable applications including monitoring thumb movements and knee motions, illustrating the potential utilities of such sensors in robotic systems, prosthetics, healthcare and flexible touch panels. In addition to mechanical sensors, a wearable skin hydration sensor made of silver nanowires (AgNWs) in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix was demonstrated based on skin impedance measurement. The hydration sensors were packaged into a flexible wristband for skin hydration monitoring and a chest patch consisting of a strain sensor, three electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes and a skin hydration sensor for multimodal sensing. The wearable wristband and chest patch may be used for low-cost, wireless and continuous sensing of skin hydration and other health parameters. Two representative applications of the nanomaterials for soft actuators were investigated. In the first application on bimorph actuation, low-voltage and extremely flexible electrothermal bimorph actuators were fabricated in a simple, efficient and scalable process. The bimorph actuators were made of flexible Ag

Structural health monitoring system for bridges based on skin-like sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Loupos, Konstantinos; Damigos, Yannis; Amditis, Angelos; Gerhard, Reimund; Rychkov, Dmitry; Wirges, Werner; Schulze, Manuel; Lenas, Sotiris-Angelos; Chatziandreoglou, Christos; Malliou, Christina M.; Tsaoussidis, Vassilis; Brady, Ken; Frankenstein, Bernd

2017-09-01

Structural health monitoring activities are of primal importance for managing transport infrastructure, however most SHM methodologies are based on point-based sensors that have limitations in terms of their spatial positioning requirements, cost of development and measurement range. This paper describes the progress on the SENSKIN EC project whose objective is to develop a dielectric-elastomer and micro-electronics-based sensor, formed from a large highly extensible capacitance sensing membrane supported by advanced microelectronic circuitry, for monitoring transport infrastructure bridges. Such a sensor could provide spatial measurements of strain in excess of 10%. The actual sensor along with the data acquisition module, the communication module and power electronics are all integrated into a compact unit, the SENSKIN device, which is energy-efficient, requires simple signal processing and it is easy to install over various surface types. In terms of communication, SENSKIN devices interact with each other to form the SENSKIN system; a fully distributed and autonomous wireless sensor network that is able to self-monitor. SENSKIN system utilizes Delay-/Disruption-Tolerant Networking technologies to ensure that the strain measurements will be received by the base station even under extreme conditions where normal communications are disrupted. This paper describes the architecture of the SENSKIN system and the development and testing of the first SENSKIN prototype sensor, the data acquisition system, and the communication system.

Sensors based on GMR'S for detection of subsurface defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cordon, J.; Ribes, B.; Vazquez, J.

2010-01-01

The use of magneto resistive sensors, GMR, as receptors in eddy current probe has certain advantages over the use of conventional inductive sensors, which puts an alternative for the detection of subsurface defects in metal components with thick materials. It has carried out a study of the most important characteristics of these sensors, which has enabled the manufacture of several probes based on OMR. In this paper we analyze different configurations and present the results of the analysis on several blocks with different defects in materials.

Inertial sensor-based smoother for gait analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Young Soo

2014-12-17

An off-line smoother algorithm is proposed to estimate foot motion using an inertial sensor unit (three-axis gyroscopes and accelerometers) attached to a shoe. The smoother gives more accurate foot motion estimation than filter-based algorithms by using all of the sensor data instead of using the current sensor data. The algorithm consists of two parts. In the first part, a Kalman filter is used to obtain initial foot motion estimation. In the second part, the error in the initial estimation is compensated using a smoother, where the problem is formulated in the quadratic optimization problem. An efficient solution of the quadratic optimization problem is given using the sparse structure. Through experiments, it is shown that the proposed algorithm can estimate foot motion more accurately than a filter-based algorithm with reasonable computation time. In particular, there is significant improvement in the foot motion estimation when the foot is moving off the floor: the z-axis position error squared sum (total time: 3.47 s) when the foot is in the air is 0.0807 m2 (Kalman filter) and 0.0020 m2 (the proposed smoother).

Thick-film textile-based amperometric sensors and biosensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yang-Li; Chuang, Min-Chieh; Lou, Shyh-Liang; Wang, Joseph

2010-06-01

The incorporation of amperometric sensors into clothing through direct screen-printing onto the textile substrate is described. Particular attention is given to electrochemical sensors printed directly on the elastic waist of underwear that offers tight direct contact with the skin. The textile-based printed carbon electrodes have a well-defined appearance with relatively smooth conductor edges and no apparent defects or cracks. Convenient voltammetric and chronoamperometric measurements of 0-3 mM ferrocyanide, 0-25 mM hydrogen peroxide, and 0-100 muM NADH have been documented. The favorable electrochemical behavior is maintained under folding or stretching stress, relevant to the deformation of clothing. The electrochemical performance and tolerance to mechanical stress are influenced by the physical characteristics of the textile substrate. The results indicate the potential of textile-based screen-printed amperometric sensors for future healthcare, sport or military applications. Such future applications would benefit from tailoring the ink composition and printing conditions to meet the specific requirements of the textile substrate.

Mobility-based Time References for Wireless Sensor Networks

CERN Document Server

Sebastiano, Fabio; Makinwa, Kofi A A

2013-01-01

 This book describes the use of low-power low-cost and extremely small radios to provide essential time reference for wireless sensor networks.  The authors explain how to integrate such radios in a standard CMOS process to reduce both cost and size, while focusing on the challenge of designing a fully integrated time reference for such radios. To enable the integration of the time reference, system techniques are proposed and analyzed, several kinds of integrated time references are reviewed, and mobility-based references are identified as viable candidates to provide the required accuracy at low-power consumption. Practical implementations of a mobility-based oscillator and a temperature sensor are also presented, which demonstrate the required accuracy over a wide temperature range, while drawing 51-uW from a 1.2-V supply in a 65-nm CMOS process. Provides system analysis to understand requirements for time/frequency accuracy in wireless sensor networks; Describes system optimization for time references i...

Kalman filter-based EM-optical sensor fusion for needle deflection estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Baichuan; Gao, Wenpeng; Kacher, Daniel; Nevo, Erez; Fetics, Barry; Lee, Thomas C; Jayender, Jagadeesan

2018-04-01

In many clinical procedures such as cryoablation that involves needle insertion, accurate placement of the needle's tip at the desired target is the major issue for optimizing the treatment and minimizing damage to the neighboring anatomy. However, due to the interaction force between the needle and tissue, considerable error in intraoperative tracking of the needle tip can be observed as needle deflects. In this paper, measurements data from an optical sensor at the needle base and a magnetic resonance (MR) gradient field-driven electromagnetic (EM) sensor placed 10 cm from the needle tip are used within a model-integrated Kalman filter-based sensor fusion scheme. Bending model-based estimations and EM-based direct estimation are used as the measurement vectors in the Kalman filter, thus establishing an online estimation approach. Static tip bending experiments show that the fusion method can reduce the mean error of the tip position estimation from 29.23 mm of the optical sensor-based approach to 3.15 mm of the fusion-based approach and from 39.96 to 6.90 mm, at the MRI isocenter and the MRI entrance, respectively. This work established a novel sensor fusion scheme that incorporates model information, which enables real-time tracking of needle deflection with MRI compatibility, in a free-hand operating setup.

Precise shape reconstruction by active pattern in total-internal-reflection-based tactile sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Saga, Satoshi; Taira, Ryosuke; Deguchi, Koichiro

2014-03-01

We are developing a total-internal-reflection-based tactile sensor in which the shape is reconstructed using an optical reflection. This sensor consists of silicone rubber, an image pattern, and a camera. It reconstructs the shape of the sensor surface from an image of a pattern reflected at the inner sensor surface by total internal reflection. In this study, we propose precise real-time reconstruction by employing an optimization method. Furthermore, we propose to use active patterns. Deformation of the reflection image causes reconstruction errors. By controlling the image pattern, the sensor reconstructs the surface deformation more precisely. We implement the proposed optimization and active-pattern-based reconstruction methods in a reflection-based tactile sensor, and perform reconstruction experiments using the system. A precise deformation experiment confirms the linearity and precision of the reconstruction.

Radionuclide Sensors for Environmental Monitoring: From Flow Injection Solid-Phase Absorptiometry to Equilibration-Based Preconcentrating Minicolumn Sensors with Radiometric Detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grate, Jay W.; Egorov, Oleg B.; O'Hara, Matthew J.; Devol, Timothy A.

2008-01-01

The development of in situ sensors for ultratrace detection applications in process control and environmental monitoring remains a significant challenge. Such sensors must meet difficult detection limit requirements while selectively detecting the analyte of interest in complex or otherwise challenging sample matrixes. Nowhere are these requirements more daunting than in the field of radionuclide sensing. The detection limit requirements can be extremely low. Nevertheless, a promising approach to radionuclide sensing based on preconcentrating minicolumn sensors has been developed. In addition, a method of operating such sensors, which we call equilibration-based sensing, has been developed that provides substantial preconcentration and a signal that is proportional to analyte concentration, while eliminating the need for reagents to regenerate the sorbent medium following each measurement. While this equilibration-based sensing method was developed for radionuclide sensing, it can be applied to nonradioactive species as well, given a suitable on-column detection system. By replacing costly sampling and laboratory analysis procedures, in situ sensors could have a significant impact on monitoring and long term stewardship applications. The aim of this review is to cover radionuclide sensors that combine some form of selective sorption with a radiometric detection method, and, as a primary aim, to comprehensively review preconcentrating minicolumn sensors for radionuclide detection. As a secondary aim, we will cover radionuclide sensors that combine sorption and scintillation in formats other than minicolumn sensors. We are particularly concerned with the detection of alpha- and beta-emitting radionuclides, which present particular challenges for measurements in liquid media

Graphene Electronic Device Based Biosensors and Chemical Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Shan

Two-dimensional layered materials, such as graphene and MoS2, are emerging as an exciting material system for a new generation of atomically thin electronic devices. With their ultrahigh surface to volume ratio and excellent electrical properties, 2D-layered materials hold the promise for the construction of a generation of chemical and biological sensors with unprecedented sensitivity. In my PhD thesis, I mainly focus on graphene based electronic biosensors and chemical sensors. In the first part of my thesis, I demonstrated the fabrication of graphene nanomesh (GNM), which is a graphene thin film with a periodic array of holes punctuated in it. The periodic holes introduce long periphery active edges that provide a high density of functional groups (e.g. carboxylic groups) to allow for covalent grafting of specific receptor molecules for chemical and biosensor applications. After covalently functionalizing the GNM with glucose oxidase, I managed to make a novel electronic sensor which can detect glucose as well as pH change. In the following part of my thesis I demonstrate the fabrication of graphene-hemin conjugate for nitric oxide detection. The non-covalent functionalization through pi-pi stacking interaction allows reliable immobilization of hemin molecules on graphene without damaging the graphene lattice to ensure the highly sensitive and specific detection of nitric oxide. The graphene-hemin nitric oxide sensor is capable of real-time monitoring of nitric oxide concentrations, which is of central importance for probing the diverse roles of nitric oxide in neurotransmission, cardiovascular systems, and immune responses. Our studies demonstrate that the graphene-hemin sensors can respond rapidly to nitric oxide in physiological environments with sub-nanomolar sensitivity. Furthermore, in vitro studies show that the graphene-hemin sensors can be used for the detection of nitric oxide released from macrophage cells and endothelial cells, demonstrating their

A new smart traffic monitoring method using embedded cement-based piezoelectric sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jinrui; Lu, Youyuan; Lu, Zeyu; Liu, Chao; Sun, Guoxing; Li, Zongjin

2015-01-01

Cement-based piezoelectric composites are employed as the sensing elements of a new smart traffic monitoring system. The piezoelectricity of the cement-based piezoelectric sensors enables powerful and accurate real-time detection of the pressure induced by the traffic flow. To describe the mechanical-electrical conversion mechanism between traffic flow and the electrical output of the embedded piezoelectric sensors, a mathematical model is established based on Duhamel’s integral, the constitutive law and the charge-leakage characteristics of the piezoelectric composite. Laboratory tests show that the voltage magnitude of the sensor is linearly proportional to the applied pressure, which ensures the reliability of the cement-based piezoelectric sensors for traffic monitoring. A series of on-site road tests by a 10 tonne truck and a 6.8 tonne van show that vehicle weight-in-motion can be predicted based on the mechanical-electrical model by taking into account the vehicle speed and the charge-leakage property of the piezoelectric sensor. In the speed range from 20 km h −1 to 70 km h −1 , the error of the repeated weigh-in-motion measurements of the 6.8 tonne van is less than 1 tonne. The results indicate that the embedded cement-based piezoelectric sensors and associated measurement setup have good capability of smart traffic monitoring, such as traffic flow detection, vehicle speed detection and weigh-in-motion measurement. (paper)

A near-optimal low complexity sensor fusion technique for accurate indoor localization based on ultrasound time of arrival measurements from low-quality sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Mitilineos, Stelios A.; Argyreas, Nick D.; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.

2009-05-01

A fusion-based localization technique for location-based services in indoor environments is introduced herein, based on ultrasound time-of-arrival measurements from multiple off-the-shelf range estimating sensors which are used in a market-available localization system. In-situ field measurements results indicated that the respective off-the-shelf system was unable to estimate position in most of the cases, while the underlying sensors are of low-quality and yield highly inaccurate range and position estimates. An extensive analysis is performed and a model of the sensor-performance characteristics is established. A low-complexity but accurate sensor fusion and localization technique is then developed, which consists inof evaluating multiple sensor measurements and selecting the one that is considered most-accurate based on the underlying sensor model. Optimality, in the sense of a genie selecting the optimum sensor, is subsequently evaluated and compared to the proposed technique. The experimental results indicate that the proposed fusion method exhibits near-optimal performance and, albeit being theoretically suboptimal, it largely overcomes most flaws of the underlying single-sensor system resulting in a localization system of increased accuracy, robustness and availability.

Signal transmission in a human body medium-based body sensor network using a Mach-Zehnder electro-optical sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yong; Hao, Qun; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Jingwen; Jin, Xuefeng; Sun, He

2012-11-30

The signal transmission technology based on the human body medium offers significant advantages in Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) used for healthcare and the other related fields. In previous works we have proposed a novel signal transmission method based on the human body medium using a Mach-Zehnder electro-optical (EO) sensor. In this paper, we present a signal transmission system based on the proposed method, which consists of a transmitter, a Mach-Zehnder EO sensor and a corresponding receiving circuit. Meanwhile, in order to verify the frequency response properties and determine the suitable parameters of the developed system, in-vivo measurements have been implemented under conditions of different carrier frequencies, baseband frequencies and signal transmission paths. Results indicate that the proposed system will help to achieve reliable and high speed signal transmission of BSN based on the human body medium.

Gas Sensors Based on Molecular Imprinting Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yumin; Zhang, Jin; Liu, Qingju

2017-07-04

Molecular imprinting technology (MIT); often described as a method of designing a material to remember a target molecular structure (template); is a technique for the creation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with custom-made binding sites complementary to the target molecules in shape; size and functional groups. MIT has been successfully applied to analyze; separate and detect macromolecular organic compounds. Furthermore; it has been increasingly applied in assays of biological macromolecules. Owing to its unique features of structure specificity; predictability; recognition and universal application; there has been exploration of the possible application of MIPs in the field of highly selective gas sensors. In this present study; we outline the recent advances in gas sensors based on MIT; classify and introduce the existing molecularly imprinted gas sensors; summarize their advantages and disadvantages; and analyze further research directions.

A ph sensor based on a flexible substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wen-Ding

pH sensor is an essential component used in many chemical, food, and bio-material industries. Conventional glass electrodes have been used to construct pH sensors, however, have some disadvantages. Glass electrodes are easily affected by alkaline or HF solution, they require a high input impedance pH meter, they often exhibit a sluggish response. In some specific applications, it is also difficult to use glass electrodes for in vivo biomedical or food monitoring applications due to the difficulty of size miniaturization, planarization and polymerization based on current manufacturing technologies. In this work, we have demonstrated a novel flexible pH sensor based on low-cost sol-gel fabrication process of iridium oxide (IrOx) sensing film (IROF). A pair of flexible miniature IrOx/AgCl electrode generated the action potential from the solution by electrochemical mechanism to obtain the pH level of the reagent. The fabrication process including sol-gel, thermal oxidation, and the electro-plating process of the silver chloride (AgCl) reference electrode were reported in the work. The IrOx film was verified and characterized using electron dispersive analysis (EDAX), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The flexible pH sensor's performance and characterization have been investigated with different testing parameters such as sensitivity, response time, stability, reversibility, repeatability, selectivity and temperature dependence. The flexible IrOx pH sensors exhibited promising sensing performance with a near-Nernstian response of sensitivity which is between --51.1mV/pH and --51.7mV/pH in different pH levels ranging from 1.5 to 12 at 25°C. Two applications including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) diagnosis and food freshness wireless monitoring using our micro-flexible IrOx pH sensors were demonstrated. For the GERD diagnosing system, we embedded the micro flexible pH sensor on a 1.2cmx3.8cm of the capsule size of wireless sensor

A Novel Particulate Matter 2.5 Sensor Based on Surface Acoustic Wave Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiuling Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Design, fabrication and experiments of a miniature particulate matter (PM 2.5 sensor based on the surface acoustic wave (SAW technology were proposed. The sensor contains a virtual impactor (VI for particle separation, a thermophoretic precipitator (TP for PM2.5 capture and a SAW sensor chip for PM2.5 mass detection. The separation performance of the VI was evaluated by using the finite element method (FEM model and the PM2.5 deposition characteristic in the TP was obtained by analyzing the thermophoretic theory. Employing the coupling-of-modes (COM model, a low loss and high-quality SAW resonator was designed. By virtue of the micro electro mechanical system (MEMS technology and semiconductor technology, the SAW based PM2.5 sensor detecting probe was fabricated. Then, combining a dual-port SAW oscillator and an air sampler, the experimental platform was set up. Exposing the PM2.5 sensor to the polystyrene latex (PSL particles in a chamber, the sensor performance was evaluated. The results show that by detecting the PSL particles with a certain diameter of 2 μm, the response of the SAW based PM2.5 sensor is linear, and in accordance with the response of the light scattering based PM2.5 monitor. The developed SAW based PM2.5 sensor has great potential for the application of airborne particle detection.

Electrochemical and optical sugar sensors based on phenylboronic acid and its derivatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Egawa, Yuya; Seki, Toshinobu [Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, Keyakidai, Sakado, Saitama 350-0295 (Japan); Takahashi, Shigehiro [Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciecnes, Tohoku University, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Anzai, Jun-ichi, E-mail: junanzai@mail.pharm.tohoku.ac.jp [Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciecnes, Tohoku University, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan)

2011-10-10

Recent progress in electrochemical and optical sugar sensors based on phenylboronic acid (PBA) and its derivatives as recognition components is reviewed. PBAs are known to bind diol compounds including sugars to form cyclic boronate esters that are negatively charged as a result of the addition of OH{sup -} ions from solution. Based on the formation of PBA charged species, sugars and their derivatives can be detected by means of electrochemical and optical techniques. For the development of PBA-based electrochemical sensing systems or sensors, PBA is modified with a redox-active marker, because PBA itself is electrochemically inactive, and ferrocene derivatives are often employed for this purpose. Ferrocene-modified PBAs have been used as redox-active additives in solution for the electrochemical detection of sugars and derivatives. PBA-modified electrodes have also been constructed as reagentless electrochemical sensors, where PBAs are immobilized on the surface of metal and carbon electrodes through mainly two routes: as a self-assembled monolayer film and as a polymer thin film. PBA-modified electrodes can be successfully used to detect sugars and derivatives through potentiometric and voltammetric responses. In addition, PBA-modified electrodes can be used for the immobilization of glycoenzymes on an electrode surface by the formation of boronate esters with carbohydrate chains in the glycoenzymes, thus resulting in enzyme biosensors. For the development of PBA-based optical sensors, a variety of chromophores and fluorophores have been coupled with PBA. Azobenzene dyes have been most frequently used for the preparation of colorimetric sugar sensors, in which the absorption wavelength and intensity of the dye are dependent on the type and concentration of added sugars. The sensitivity of the sensors is significantly improved based on multi-component systems in which alizalin red S, pyrocatechol violet, starch-iodine complex, and cyclodextrin are employed as

Electrochemical and optical sugar sensors based on phenylboronic acid and its derivatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egawa, Yuya; Seki, Toshinobu; Takahashi, Shigehiro; Anzai, Jun-ichi

2011-01-01

Recent progress in electrochemical and optical sugar sensors based on phenylboronic acid (PBA) and its derivatives as recognition components is reviewed. PBAs are known to bind diol compounds including sugars to form cyclic boronate esters that are negatively charged as a result of the addition of OH - ions from solution. Based on the formation of PBA charged species, sugars and their derivatives can be detected by means of electrochemical and optical techniques. For the development of PBA-based electrochemical sensing systems or sensors, PBA is modified with a redox-active marker, because PBA itself is electrochemically inactive, and ferrocene derivatives are often employed for this purpose. Ferrocene-modified PBAs have been used as redox-active additives in solution for the electrochemical detection of sugars and derivatives. PBA-modified electrodes have also been constructed as reagentless electrochemical sensors, where PBAs are immobilized on the surface of metal and carbon electrodes through mainly two routes: as a self-assembled monolayer film and as a polymer thin film. PBA-modified electrodes can be successfully used to detect sugars and derivatives through potentiometric and voltammetric responses. In addition, PBA-modified electrodes can be used for the immobilization of glycoenzymes on an electrode surface by the formation of boronate esters with carbohydrate chains in the glycoenzymes, thus resulting in enzyme biosensors. For the development of PBA-based optical sensors, a variety of chromophores and fluorophores have been coupled with PBA. Azobenzene dyes have been most frequently used for the preparation of colorimetric sugar sensors, in which the absorption wavelength and intensity of the dye are dependent on the type and concentration of added sugars. The sensitivity of the sensors is significantly improved based on multi-component systems in which alizalin red S, pyrocatechol violet, starch-iodine complex, and cyclodextrin are employed as

Probabilistic Location-based Routing Protocol for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks with Intermittent Communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sho KUMAGAI

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In a sensor network, sensor data messages reach the nearest stationary sink node connected to the Internet by wireless multihop transmissions. Recently, various mobile sensors are available due to advances of robotics technologies and communication technologies. A location based message-by-message routing protocol, such as Geographic Distance Routing (GEDIR is suitable for such mobile wireless networks; however, it is required for each mobile wireless sensor node to know the current locations of all its neighbor nodes. On the other hand, various intermittent communication methods for a low power consumption requirement have been proposed for wireless sensor networks. Intermittent Receiver-driven Data Transmission (IRDT is one of the most efficient methods; however, it is difficult to combine the location based routing and the intermittent communication. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a probabilistic approach IRDT-GEDIR with the help of one of the solutions of the secretaries problem. Here, each time a neighbor sensor node wakes up from its sleep mode, an intermediate sensor node determines whether it forwards its buffered sensor data messages to it or not based on an estimation of achieved pseudo speed of the messages. Simulation experiments show that IRDT-GEDIR achieves higher pseudo speed of sensor data message transmissions and shorter transmission delay than achieves shorter transmission delay than the two naive combinations of IRDT and GEDIR in sensor networks with mobile sensor nodes and a stationary sink node. In addition, the guideline of the estimated numbers of the neighbor nodes of each intermediate sensor node is provided based on the results of the simulation experiments to apply the probabilistic approach IRDT-GEDIR.

A scalable pressure sensor based on an electrothermally and electrostatically operated resonator

KAUST Repository

Hajjaj, Amal Z.; Alcheikh, Nouha; Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al; Ilyas, Saad; Younis, Mohammad I.

2017-01-01

We present a pressure sensor based on the convective cooling of the air surrounding an electrothermally heated resonant bridge. Unlike conventional pressure sensors that rely on diaphragm deformation in response to pressure, the sensor does

Autonomous star tracker based on active pixel sensors (APS)

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, U.

2017-11-01

Star trackers are opto-electronic sensors used onboard of satellites for the autonomous inertial attitude determination. During the last years, star trackers became more and more important in the field of the attitude and orbit control system (AOCS) sensors. High performance star trackers are based up today on charge coupled device (CCD) optical camera heads. The Jena-Optronik GmbH is active in the field of opto-electronic sensors like star trackers since the early 80-ties. Today, with the product family ASTRO5, ASTRO10 and ASTRO15, all marked segments like earth observation, scientific applications and geo-telecom are supplied to European and Overseas customers. A new generation of star trackers can be designed based on the APS detector technical features. The measurement performance of the current CCD based star trackers can be maintained, the star tracker functionality, reliability and robustness can be increased while the unit costs are saved.

A Microring Resonator Based Negative Permeability Metamaterial Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao-Zhong Lan

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Metamaterials are artificial multifunctional materials that acquire their material properties from their structure, rather than inheriting them directly from the materials they are composed of, and they may provide novel tools to significantly enhance the sensitivity and resolution of sensors. In this paper, we derive the dispersion relation of a cylindrical dielectric waveguide loaded on a negative permeability metamaterial (NPM layer, and compute the resonant frequencies and electric field distribution of the corresponding Whispering-Gallery-Modes (WGMs. The theoretical resonant frequency and electric field distribution results are in good agreement with the full wave simulation results. We show that the NPM sensor based on a microring resonator possesses higher sensitivity than the traditional microring sensor since with the evanescent wave amplification and the increase of NPM layer thickness, the sensitivity will be greatly increased. This may open a door for designing sensors with specified sensitivity.

Prediction-based Dynamic Energy Management in Wireless Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xue; Ma, Jun-Jie; Wang, Sheng; Bi, Dao-Wei

2007-01-01

Energy consumption is a critical constraint in wireless sensor networks. Focusing on the energy efficiency problem of wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes a method of prediction-based dynamic energy management. A particle filter was introduced to predict a target state, which was adopted to awaken wireless sensor nodes so that their sleep time was prolonged. With the distributed computing capability of nodes, an optimization approach of distributed genetic algorithm and simulated annealing was proposed to minimize the energy consumption of measurement. Considering the application of target tracking, we implemented target position prediction, node sleep scheduling and optimal sensing node selection. Moreover, a routing scheme of forwarding nodes was presented to achieve extra energy conservation. Experimental results of target tracking verified that energy-efficiency is enhanced by prediction-based dynamic energy management.

Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Grid Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geng Zhang

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the key issues for wireless sensor network trust model and describes a method to build a wireless sensor network, such as the definition of trust for wireless sensor networks, computing and credibility of trust model application. And for the problem that nodes are vulnerable to attack, this paper proposed a grid-based trust algorithm by deep exploration trust model within the framework of credit management. Algorithm for node reliability screening and rotation schedule to cover parallel manner based on the implementation of the nodes within the area covered by trust. And analyze the results of the size of trust threshold has great influence on the safety and quality of coverage throughout the coverage area. The simulation tests the validity and correctness of the algorithm.

Prediction-based Dynamic Energy Management in Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dao-Wei Bi

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Energy consumption is a critical constraint in wireless sensor networks. Focusing on the energy efficiency problem of wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes a method of prediction-based dynamic energy management. A particle filter was introduced to predict a target state, which was adopted to awaken wireless sensor nodes so that their sleep time was prolonged. With the distributed computing capability of nodes, an optimization approach of distributed genetic algorithm and simulated annealing was proposed to minimize the energy consumption of measurement. Considering the application of target tracking, we implemented target position prediction, node sleep scheduling and optimal sensing node selection. Moreover, a routing scheme of forwarding nodes was presented to achieve extra energy conservation. Experimental results of target tracking verified that energy-efficiency is enhanced by prediction-based dynamic energy management.

X-ray detectors based on image sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, A.P.R.

1983-01-01

X-ray detectors based on image sensors are described and a comparison is made between the advantages and the disadvantages of such a kind of detectors with the position sensitive detectors. (L.C.) [pt

A novel method of temperature compensation for piezoresistive microcantilever-based sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jianqiang; Wang, Xiaofei; Yan, Tianhong; Li, Yan; Song, Meixuan

2012-03-01

Microcantilever with integrated piezoresistor has been applied to in situ surface stress measurement in the field of biochemical sensors. It is well known that piezoresistive cantilever-based sensors are sensitive to ambient temperature changing due to highly temperature-dependent piezoresistive effect and mismatch in thermal expansion of composite materials. This paper proposes a novel method of temperature drift compensation for microcantilever-based sensors with a piezoresistive full Wheatstone bridge integrated at the clamped ends by subtracting the amplified output voltage of the reference cantilever from the output voltage of the sensing cantilever through a simple temperature compensating circuit. Experiments show that the temperature drift of microcantilever sensors can be significantly reduced by the method.

Understanding the Potential of WO3 Based Sensors for Breath Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Staerz, Anna; Weimar, Udo; Barsan, Nicolae

2016-01-01

Tungsten trioxide is the second most commonly used semiconducting metal oxide in gas sensors. Semiconducting metal oxide (SMOX)-based sensors are small, robust, inexpensive and sensitive, making them highly attractive for handheld portable medical diagnostic detectors. WO3 is reported to show high sensor responses to several biomarkers found in breath, e.g., acetone, ammonia, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, toluene, and nitric oxide. Modern material science allows WO3 samples to be tailored to address certain sensing needs. Utilizing recent advances in breath sampling it will be possible in the future to test WO3-based sensors in application conditions and to compare the sensing results to those obtained using more expensive analytical methods. PMID:27801881

Wearable-Sensor-Based Classification Models of Faller Status in Older Adults.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Howcroft

Full Text Available Wearable sensors have potential for quantitative, gait-based, point-of-care fall risk assessment that can be easily and quickly implemented in clinical-care and older-adult living environments. This investigation generated models for wearable-sensor based fall-risk classification in older adults and identified the optimal sensor type, location, combination, and modelling method; for walking with and without a cognitive load task. A convenience sample of 100 older individuals (75.5 ± 6.7 years; 76 non-fallers, 24 fallers based on 6 month retrospective fall occurrence walked 7.62 m under single-task and dual-task conditions while wearing pressure-sensing insoles and tri-axial accelerometers at the head, pelvis, and left and right shanks. Participants also completed the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale, Community Health Activities Model Program for Seniors questionnaire, six minute walk test, and ranked their fear of falling. Fall risk classification models were assessed for all sensor combinations and three model types: multi-layer perceptron neural network, naïve Bayesian, and support vector machine. The best performing model was a multi-layer perceptron neural network with input parameters from pressure-sensing insoles and head, pelvis, and left shank accelerometers (accuracy = 84%, F1 score = 0.600, MCC score = 0.521. Head sensor-based models had the best performance of the single-sensor models for single-task gait assessment. Single-task gait assessment models outperformed models based on dual-task walking or clinical assessment data. Support vector machines and neural networks were the best modelling technique for fall risk classification. Fall risk classification models developed for point-of-care environments should be developed using support vector machines and neural networks, with a multi-sensor single-task gait assessment.

Novel gas sensors based on carbon nanotube networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sayago, I; Aleixandre, M; Horrillo, M C; Fernandez, M J; Gutierrez, J; Terrado, E; Lafuente, E; Maser, W K; Benito, A M; Martinez, M T; Munoz, E; Urriolabeitia, E P; Navarro, R

2008-01-01

Novel resistive gas sensors based on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks as the active sensing element nave been investigated for gas detection. SWNTs networks were fabricated by airbrushing on alumina substrates. As-produced- and Pd-decorated SWNT materials were used as sensitive layers for the detection of NO 2 and H 2 , respectively. The studied sensors provided good response to NO 2 and H 2 as well as excellent selectivities to interfering gases.

Measurement of reaction heats using a polysilicon-based microcalorimetric sensor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vereshchagina, E.; Wolters, Robertus A.M.; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.

2011-01-01

In this work we present a low-cost, low-power, small sample volume microcalorimetric sensor for the measurement of reaction heats. The polysilicon-based microcalorimetric sensor combines several advantages: (i) complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology (CMOS) for future integration; (ii)

On-chip magnetic bead-based DNA melting curve analysis using a magnetoresistive sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizzi, Giovanni; Østerberg, Frederik W.; Henriksen, Anders D.; Dufva, Martin; Hansen, Mikkel F.

2015-01-01

We present real-time measurements of DNA melting curves in a chip-based system that detects the amount of surface-bound magnetic beads using magnetoresistive magnetic field sensors. The sensors detect the difference between the amount of beads bound to the top and bottom sensor branches of the differential sensor geometry. The sensor surfaces are functionalized with wild type (WT) and mutant type (MT) capture probes, differing by a single base insertion (a single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP). Complementary biotinylated targets in suspension couple streptavidin magnetic beads to the sensor surface. The beads are magnetized by the field arising from the bias current passed through the sensors. We demonstrate the first on-chip measurements of the melting of DNA hybrids upon a ramping of the temperature. This overcomes the limitation of using a single washing condition at constant temperature. Moreover, we demonstrate that a single sensor bridge can be used to genotype a SNP. - Highlights: • We apply magnetoresistive sensors to study solid-surface hybridization kinetics of DNA. • We measure DNA melting profiles for perfectly matching DNA duplexes and for a single base mismatch. • We present a procedure to correct for temperature dependencies of the sensor output. • We reliably extract melting temperatures for the DNA hybrids. • We demonstrate direct measurement of differential binding signal for two probes on a single sensor

Approach for Self-Calibrating CO₂ Measurements with Linear Membrane-Based Gas Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazik, Detlef; Sood, Pramit

2016-11-17

Linear membrane-based gas sensors that can be advantageously applied for the measurement of a single gas component in large heterogeneous systems, e.g., for representative determination of CO₂ in the subsurface, can be designed depending on the properties of the observation object. A resulting disadvantage is that the permeation-based sensor response depends on operating conditions, the individual site-adapted sensor geometry, the membrane material, and the target gas component. Therefore, calibration is needed, especially of the slope, which could change over several orders of magnitude. A calibration-free approach based on an internal gas standard is developed to overcome the multi-criterial slope dependency. This results in a normalization of sensor response and enables the sensor to assess the significance of measurement. The approach was proofed on the example of CO₂ analysis in dry air with tubular PDMS membranes for various CO₂ concentrations of an internal standard. Negligible temperature dependency was found within an 18 K range. The transformation behavior of the measurement signal and the influence of concentration variations of the internal standard on the measurement signal were shown. Offsets that were adjusted based on the stated theory for the given measurement conditions and material data from the literature were in agreement with the experimentally determined offsets. A measurement comparison with an NDIR reference sensor shows an unexpectedly low bias (sensor response, and comparable statistical uncertainty.

Electrospinning cellulose based nanofibers for sensor applications

Science.gov (United States)

Nartker, Steven

2009-12-01

Bacterial pathogens have recently become a serious threat to the food and water supply. A biosensor based on an electrochemical immunoassay has been developed for detecting food borne pathogens, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. These sensors consist of several materials including, cellulose, cellulose nitrate, polyaniline and glass fibers. The current sensors have not been optimized in terms of microscale architecture and materials. The major problem associated with the current sensors is the limited concentration range of pathogens that provides a linear response on the concentration conductivity chart. Electrospinning is a process that can be used to create a patterned fiber mat design that will increase the linear range and lower the detection limit of these sensors by improving the microscale architecture. Using the electrospinning process to produce novel mats of cellulose nitrate will offer improved surface area, and the cellulose nitrate can be treated to further improve chemical interactions required for sensor activity. The macro and micro architecture of the sensor is critical to the performance of the sensors. Electrospinning technology can be used to create patterned architectures of nanofibers that will enhance sensor performance. To date electrospinning of cellulose nitrate has not been performed and optimization of the electrospinning process will provide novel materials suitable for applications such as filtration and sensing. The goal of this research is to identify and elucidate the primary materials and process factors necessary to produce cellulose nitrate nanofibers using the electrospinning process that will improve the performance of biosensors. Cellulose nitrate is readily dissolved in common organic solvents such as acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N,N dimethylformamide (DMF). These solvents can be mixed with other latent solvents such as ethanol and other alcohols to provide a solvent system with good electrospinning behavior

A spectrofluorimetric sensor based on grape skin tissue for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A spectrofluorimetric method based on the grape skin has been developed for the determination of Fe3+ at pH 5.0. The emission wavelength of the grape skin sensor occurs at 680 nm and the excitation wavelength at 421 nm. The fluorescence of sensor could be quenched by Fe3+ due to the complexing ability of ...

Photocured thiol-ene based optical fluorescence sensor for determination of gold(III)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Çubuk, Soner, E-mail: sonercubuk@marmara.edu.tr; Kahraman, Memet Vezir; Yetimoğlu, Ece Kök; Kenan, Sibel

2014-02-17

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Photopolymerized fluorescence sensor for Au(III) analysis has been developed. •Preparation of polymeric sensor is simple and quick. •Fluorescence sensor used for analysis of Au(III) in real samples. -- Abstract: This study describes the preparation and the characterization of a new thiol-ene based polymeric fluorescence sensor by photo initiated polymerization of trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate), 2-hydroxyethylacrylate, and 2,4,6-triallyloxy-1,3,5-triazine which are used as monomers and also a photo initiator (2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone) for its usage as optical sensor for gold ions. The thiol-ene based polymeric membrane sensor was characterized by using attenuated total reflectance-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The response characteristics of the sensors including dynamic range, pH effect, response time, and the effect of foreign ions were investigated. Fluorescence spectra showed that the excitation/emission maxima of the membrane were at 379/425 nm, respectively.

Photocured thiol-ene based optical fluorescence sensor for determination of gold(III)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Çubuk, Soner; Kahraman, Memet Vezir; Yetimoğlu, Ece Kök; Kenan, Sibel

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Photopolymerized fluorescence sensor for Au(III) analysis has been developed. •Preparation of polymeric sensor is simple and quick. •Fluorescence sensor used for analysis of Au(III) in real samples. -- Abstract: This study describes the preparation and the characterization of a new thiol-ene based polymeric fluorescence sensor by photo initiated polymerization of trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate), 2-hydroxyethylacrylate, and 2,4,6-triallyloxy-1,3,5-triazine which are used as monomers and also a photo initiator (2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone) for its usage as optical sensor for gold ions. The thiol-ene based polymeric membrane sensor was characterized by using attenuated total reflectance-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The response characteristics of the sensors including dynamic range, pH effect, response time, and the effect of foreign ions were investigated. Fluorescence spectra showed that the excitation/emission maxima of the membrane were at 379/425 nm, respectively

Focused Ion Beam Nanopatterning for Carbon Nanotube Ropes Based Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vera LA FERRARA

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Focused Ion Beam (FIB technology has been used to realize electrode patterns for contacting Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs ropes for chemical gas sensor applications. Two types of transducers, based on a single rope and on bundles, have been realized starting from silicon/Si3N4 substrate. Electrical behaviour, at room temperature, in toxic gas environments, has been investigated and compared to evaluate contribution of a single rope based sensor respect to bundles one. For all the devices, upon exposure to NO2 and NH3, the conductance has been found to increase or decrease respectively. Conductance signal is stronger for sensor based on bundles, but it also evident that response time in NO2 is faster for device based on a single rope. FIB technology offers, then, the possibility to contact easily a single sensitive nanowire, as carbon nanotube rope.

A vacuum pressure sensor based on ZnO nanobelt film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, X J; Cao, X C; Sun, J; Yuan, B; Zhu, Z; Zhang, Y; Li, Q H

2011-01-01

A vacuum pressure sensor was fabricated by assembling ZnO nanobelt film on the interdigital electrodes, and the current-voltage characteristics were measured with an Agilent semiconductor parameter tester. Under different pressures of 1.0 x 10 3 , 6.7 x 10 -3 , 8.2 x 10 -4 and 9.5 x 10 -5 mbar, the currents are 8.71, 28.1, 46.1 and 89.6 nA, and the pressure sensitive resistances are 1150, 356, 217 and 112 MΩ, respectively. In the range of 10 -5 -10 3 mbar the smaller the pressure is, the higher the current is. The pressure sensitive resistance of the vacuum pressure sensor increases linearly with the logarithmic pressure, and the measurement range is at least one order of magnitude wider than that of the previous sensors. Under the final pressure, the vacuum pressure sensor has maximum sensitivity (9.29) and power consumption of 0.9 μW. The sensitivity is larger than that of the previous sensor based on a ZnO single nanowire at that pressure, and the power consumption is much lower than that for the sensor based on a ZnO nanowire array. The pressure sensitive mechanism is reasonably explained by using oxygen chemisorption and energy band theory.

Multi-Level Wavelet Shannon Entropy-Based Method for Single-Sensor Fault Location

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiaoning Yang

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In actual application, sensors are prone to failure because of harsh environments, battery drain, and sensor aging. Sensor fault location is an important step for follow-up sensor fault detection. In this paper, two new multi-level wavelet Shannon entropies (multi-level wavelet time Shannon entropy and multi-level wavelet time-energy Shannon entropy are defined. They take full advantage of sensor fault frequency distribution and energy distribution across multi-subband in wavelet domain. Based on the multi-level wavelet Shannon entropy, a method is proposed for single sensor fault location. The method firstly uses a criterion of maximum energy-to-Shannon entropy ratio to select the appropriate wavelet base for signal analysis. Then multi-level wavelet time Shannon entropy and multi-level wavelet time-energy Shannon entropy are used to locate the fault. The method is validated using practical chemical gas concentration data from a gas sensor array. Compared with wavelet time Shannon entropy and wavelet energy Shannon entropy, the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve accurate location of a single sensor fault and has good anti-noise ability. The proposed method is feasible and effective for single-sensor fault location.

Whitelists Based Multiple Filtering Techniques in SCADA Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DongHo Kang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Internet of Things (IoT consists of several tiny devices connected together to form a collaborative computing environment. Recently IoT technologies begin to merge with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA sensor networks to more efficiently gather and analyze real-time data from sensors in industrial environments. But SCADA sensor networks are becoming more and more vulnerable to cyber-attacks due to increased connectivity. To safely adopt IoT technologies in the SCADA environments, it is important to improve the security of SCADA sensor networks. In this paper we propose a multiple filtering technique based on whitelists to detect illegitimate packets. Our proposed system detects the traffic of network and application protocol attacks with a set of whitelists collected from normal traffic.

Probabilistic Multi-Sensor Fusion Based Indoor Positioning System on a Mobile Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang He

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, smart mobile devices include more and more sensors on board, such as motion sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, wireless signal strength indicators (WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and visual sensors (LiDAR, camera. People have developed various indoor positioning techniques based on these sensors. In this paper, the probabilistic fusion of multiple sensors is investigated in a hidden Markov model (HMM framework for mobile-device user-positioning. We propose a graph structure to store the model constructed by multiple sensors during the offline training phase, and a multimodal particle filter to seamlessly fuse the information during the online tracking phase. Based on our algorithm, we develop an indoor positioning system on the iOS platform. The experiments carried out in a typical indoor environment have shown promising results for our proposed algorithm and system design.

Optical acetylcholine sensor based on free base porphyrin as a chromoionophore.

Science.gov (United States)

Mroczkiewicz, Monika; Pietrzak, Mariusz; Górski, Łukasz; Malinowska, Elżbieta

2011-09-21

In this work, the possibility of application of free base porphyrin as a lipophilic pH chromoionophore for the preparation of optical cation-selective sensors was investigated. The properties of polymeric membranes, containing porphyrins of different structures, namely tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) and octaethylporphyrin (OEP), were compared. Changes in equilibrium between protonated and deprotonated form of porphyrin, resulting from variations in ACh concentration, were evaluated. The influence of various factors (kind and quantity of anionic additive and porphyrin in the membrane phase, pH of sample solution) on initial equilibrium was studied. The best membrane composition was chosen as: TPP 3 wt.%, KTFPB 175 mol.% relative to ionophore, PVC:o-NPOE (1 : 4) and measuring buffer solution: 0.05 M MES, pH 4.5. Selectivity, response stability, reversibility and repeatability tests were carried out for chosen sensor. Developed sensor allowed for the determination of a model analyte, acetylcholine, at the concentration range of 10(-5) to 10(-2) M, both in stationary and flow-injection system. Sensor response was reversible and repeatable in the mentioned concentration range.

Compressive sensing based wireless sensor for structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Yuequan; Zou, Zilong; Li, Hui

2014-03-01

Data loss is a common problem for monitoring systems based on wireless sensors. Reliable communication protocols, which enhance communication reliability by repetitively transmitting unreceived packets, is one approach to tackle the problem of data loss. An alternative approach allows data loss to some extent and seeks to recover the lost data from an algorithmic point of view. Compressive sensing (CS) provides such a data loss recovery technique. This technique can be embedded into smart wireless sensors and effectively increases wireless communication reliability without retransmitting the data. The basic idea of CS-based approach is that, instead of transmitting the raw signal acquired by the sensor, a transformed signal that is generated by projecting the raw signal onto a random matrix, is transmitted. Some data loss may occur during the transmission of this transformed signal. However, according to the theory of CS, the raw signal can be effectively reconstructed from the received incomplete transformed signal given that the raw signal is compressible in some basis and the data loss ratio is low. This CS-based technique is implemented into the Imote2 smart sensor platform using the foundation of Illinois Structural Health Monitoring Project (ISHMP) Service Tool-suite. To overcome the constraints of limited onboard resources of wireless sensor nodes, a method called random demodulator (RD) is employed to provide memory and power efficient construction of the random sampling matrix. Adaptation of RD sampling matrix is made to accommodate data loss in wireless transmission and meet the objectives of the data recovery. The embedded program is tested in a series of sensing and communication experiments. Examples and parametric study are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the embedded program as well as to show the efficacy of CS-based data loss recovery for real wireless SHM systems.

Wireless Prototype Based on Pressure and Bending Sensors for Measuring Gate Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Grenez, Florent; Villarejo, María Viqueira; Zapirain, Begoña García; Zorrilla, Amaia Méndez

2013-01-01

This paper presents a technological solution based on sensors controlled remotely in order to monitor, track and evaluate the gait quality in people with or without associated pathology. Special hardware simulating a shoe was developed, which consists of three pressure sensors, two bending sensors, an Arduino mini and a Bluetooth module. The obtained signals are digitally processed, calculating the standard deviation and establishing thresholds obtained empirically. A group of users was chosen with the aim of executing two modalities: natural walking and dragging the left foot. The gait was parameterized with the following variables: as far as pressure sensors are concerned, one pressure sensor under the first metatarsal (right sensor), another one under the fifth metatarsal (left) and a third one under the heel were placed. With respect to bending sensors, one bending sensor was placed for the ankle movement and another one for the foot sole. The obtained results show a rate accuracy oscillating between 85% (right sensor) and 100% (heel and bending sensors). Therefore, the developed prototype is able to differentiate between healthy gait and pathological gait, and it will be used as the base of a more complex and integral technological solution, which is being developed currently. PMID:23899935

Wireless Prototype Based on Pressure and Bending Sensors for Measuring Gate Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amaia Méndez Zorrilla

2013-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a technological solution based on sensors controlled remotely in order to monitor, track and evaluate the gait quality in people with or without associated pathology. Special hardware simulating a shoe was developed, which consists of three pressure sensors, two bending sensors, an Arduino mini and a Bluetooth module. The obtained signals are digitally processed, calculating the standard deviation and establishing thresholds obtained empirically. A group of users was chosen with the aim of executing two modalities: natural walking and dragging the left foot. The gait was parameterized with the following variables: as far as pressure sensors are concerned, one pressure sensor under the first metatarsal (right sensor, another one under the fifth metatarsal (left and a third one under the heel were placed. With respect to bending sensors, one bending sensor was placed for the ankle movement and another one for the foot sole. The obtained results show a rate accuracy oscillating between 85% (right sensor and 100% (heel and bending sensors. Therefore, the developed prototype is able to differentiate between healthy gait and pathological gait, and it will be used as the base of a more complex and integral technological solution, which is being developed currently.

Comparative VOCs sensing performance for conducting polymer and porphyrin functionalized carbon nanotubes based sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Datta, Kunal; Rushi, Arti; Ghosh, Prasanta; Shirsat, Mahendra

2018-05-01

We report sensors for detection of ethyl alcohol, a prominent volatile organic compound (VOC). Single walled carbon nanotubes were selected as main sensing backbone. As efficiency of sensor is dependent upon the choice of sensing materials, the performances of conducting polymer and porphyrin based sensors were compared. Chemiresistive sensing modality was adopted to observe the performance of sensors. It has been found that porphyrin based sensor shows higher affinity towards ethyl alcohol.

Linear all-fiber temperature sensor based on macro-bent erbium doped fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajireza, P; Cham, C L; Kumar, D; Abdul-Rashid, H A; Emami, S D; Harun, S W

2010-01-01

A new all fiber temperature sensor is proposed and demonstrated based on a pair of 1 meter erbium-doped fiber (EDF), which are respectively macro-bent and straight. The sensor has a linear normalized loss (dB) response to temperature at 6.5 mm bending radius and 1580 nm input wavelength. The main advantage of this sensor is high temperature resolution (less than 1°C) and sensitivity (0.03 dB/°C) due to combination of temperature dependence of EDF and bending loss. The proposed silica based sensor, has the potential for wide range and high temperature applications in harsh environments

MEMS based Low Cost Piezoresistive Microcantilever Force Sensor and Sensor Module.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandya, H J; Kim, Hyun Tae; Roy, Rajarshi; Desai, Jaydev P

2014-03-01

In the present work, we report fabrication and characterization of a low-cost MEMS based piezoresistive micro-force sensor with SU-8 tip using laboratory made silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. To prepare SOI wafer, silicon film (0.8 µm thick) was deposited on an oxidized silicon wafer using RF magnetron sputtering technique. The films were deposited in Argon (Ar) ambient without external substrate heating. The material characteristics of the sputtered deposited silicon film and silicon film annealed at different temperatures (400-1050°C) were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The residual stress of the films was measured as a function of annealing temperature. The stress of the as-deposited films was observed to be compressive and annealing the film above 1050°C resulted in a tensile stress. The stress of the film decreased gradually with increase in annealing temperature. The fabricated cantilevers were 130 µm in length, 40 µm wide and 1.0 µm thick. A series of force-displacement curves were obtained using fabricated microcantilever with commercial AFM setup and the data were analyzed to get the spring constant and the sensitivity of the fabricated microcantilever. The measured spring constant and sensitivity of the sensor was 0.1488N/m and 2.7mV/N. The microcantilever force sensor was integrated with an electronic module that detects the change in resistance of the sensor with respect to the applied force and displays it on the computer screen.

Intelligent Luminance Control of Lighting Systems Based on Imaging Sensor Feedback

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haoting Liu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available An imaging sensor-based intelligent Light Emitting Diode (LED lighting system for desk use is proposed. In contrast to the traditional intelligent lighting system, such as the photosensitive resistance sensor-based or the infrared sensor-based system, the imaging sensor can realize a finer perception of the environmental light; thus it can guide a more precise lighting control. Before this system works, first lots of typical imaging lighting data of the desk application are accumulated. Second, a series of subjective and objective Lighting Effect Evaluation Metrics (LEEMs are defined and assessed for these datasets above. Then the cluster benchmarks of these objective LEEMs can be obtained. Third, both a single LEEM-based control and a multiple LEEMs-based control are developed to realize a kind of optimal luminance tuning. When this system works, first it captures the lighting image using a wearable camera. Then it computes the objective LEEMs of the captured image and compares them with the cluster benchmarks of the objective LEEMs. Finally, the single LEEM-based or the multiple LEEMs-based control can be implemented to get a kind of optimal lighting effect. Many experiment results have shown the proposed system can tune the LED lamp automatically according to environment luminance changes.

Cluster-based Data Gathering in Long-Strip Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FANG, W.

2012-02-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates a special class of wireless sensor networks that are different from traditional ones in that the sensor nodes in this class of networks are deployed along narrowly elongated geographical areas and form a long-strip topology. According to hardware capabilities of current sensor nodes, a cluster-based protocol for reliable and efficient data gathering in long-strip wireless sensor networks (LSWSN is proposed. A well-distributed cluster-based architecture is first formed in the whole network through contention-based cluster head election. Cluster heads are responsible for coordination among the nodes within their clusters and aggregation of their sensory data, as well as transmission the data to the sink node on behalf of their own clusters. The intra-cluster coordination is based on the traditional TDMA schedule, in which the inter-cluster interference caused by the border nodes is solved by the multi-channel communication technique. The cluster reporting is based on the CSMA contention, in which a connected overlay network is formed by relay nodes to forward the data from the cluster heads through multi-hops to the sink node. The relay nodes are non-uniformly deployed to resolve the energy-hole problem which is extremely serious in the LSWSN. Extensive simulation results illuminate the distinguished performance of the proposed protocol.

Bio-Inspired PVDF-Based, Mouse Whisker Mimicking, Tactile Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsin Islam Tiwana

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The design and fabrication of a Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF based, mouse (or rodent whisker mimicking, tactile sensor is presented. Unlike previous designs reported in the literature, this sensor mimics the mouse whisker not only mechanically, but it also makes macro movements just like a real mouse whisker in a natural environment. We have developed a mathematical model and performed finite element analysis using COMSOL, in order to optimise the whisker to have the same natural frequency as that of a biological whisker. Similarly, we have developed a control system that enables the whisker mimicking sensor to vibrate at variable frequencies and conducted practical experiments to validate the response of the sensor. The natural frequency of the whisker can be designed anywhere between 35 and 110 Hz, the same as a biological whisker, by choosing different materials and physical dimensions. The control system of this sensor enables the whisker to vibrate between 5 and 236 Hz.

Temperature-independent fiber-Bragg-grating-based atmospheric pressure sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiguo; Shen, Chunyan; Li, Luming

2018-03-01

Atmospheric pressure is an important way to achieve a high degree of measurement for modern aircrafts, moreover, it is also an indispensable parameter in the meteorological telemetry system. With the development of society, people are increasingly concerned about the weather. Accurate and convenient atmospheric pressure parameters can provide strong support for meteorological analysis. However, electronic atmospheric pressure sensors currently in application suffer from several shortcomings. After an analysis and discussion, we propose an innovative structural design, in which a vacuum membrane box and a temperature-independent strain sensor based on an equal strength cantilever beam structure and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are used. We provide experimental verification of that the atmospheric pressure sensor device has the characteristics of a simple structure, lack of an external power supply, automatic temperature compensation, and high sensitivity. The sensor system has good sensitivity, which can be up to 100 nm/MPa, and repeatability. In addition, the device exhibits desired hysteresis.

Facile fabrication of CNT-based chemical sensor operating at room temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Jiadong; Zeng, Xian; Zhu, Qi; Yang, Zhaohui; Zhang, Xiaohua

2017-12-01

This paper describes a simple, low cost and effective route to fabricate CNT-based chemical sensors, which operate at room temperature. Firstly, the incorporation of silk fibroin in vertically aligned CNT arrays (CNTA) obtained through a thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method makes the direct removal of CNT arrays from substrates without any rigorous acid or sonication treatment feasible. Through a simple one-step in situ polymerization of anilines, the functionalization of CNT arrays with polyaniline (PANI) significantly improves the sensing performance of CNT-based chemical sensors in detecting ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) vapors. Chemically modified CNT arrays also show responses to organic vapors like menthol, ethyl acetate and acetone. Although the detection limits of chemically modified CNT-based chemical sensors are of the same orders of magnitudes reported in previous studies, these CNT-based chemical sensors show advantages of simplicity, low cost and energy efficiency in preparation and fabrication of devices. Additionally, a linear relationship between the relative sensitivity and concentration of analyte makes precise estimations on the concentrations of trace chemical vapors possible.

A Reconfigurable Readout Integrated Circuit for Heterogeneous Display-Based Multi-Sensor Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyeonghwan Park

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a reconfigurable multi-sensor interface and its readout integrated circuit (ROIC for display-based multi-sensor systems, which builds up multi-sensor functions by utilizing touch screen panels. In addition to inherent touch detection, physiological and environmental sensor interfaces are incorporated. The reconfigurable feature is effectively implemented by proposing two basis readout topologies of amplifier-based and oscillator-based circuits. For noise-immune design against various noises from inherent human-touch operations, an alternate-sampling error-correction scheme is proposed and integrated inside the ROIC, achieving a 12-bit resolution of successive approximation register (SAR of analog-to-digital conversion without additional calibrations. A ROIC prototype that includes the whole proposed functions and data converters was fabricated in a 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS process, and its feasibility was experimentally verified to support multiple heterogeneous sensing functions of touch, electrocardiogram, body impedance, and environmental sensors.

Monitoring system of hydraulic lifting device based on the fiber optic sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Fajkus, Marcel; Nedoma, Jan; Novak, Martin; Martinek, Radek; Vanus, Jan; Mec, Pavel; Vasinek, Vladimir

2017-10-01

This article deals with the description of the monitoring system of hydraulic lifting device based on the fiber-optic sensors. For minimize the financial costs of the proposed monitoring system, the power evaluation of measured signal has been chosen. The solution is based on an evaluation of the signal obtained using the single point optic fiber sensors with overlapping reflective spectra. For encapsulation of the sensors was used polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer. To obtain a information of loading is uses the action of deformation of the lifting device on the pair single point optic fiber sensors mounted on the lifting device of the tested car. According to the proposed algorithm is determined information of pressure with an accuracy of +/- 5 %. Verification of the proposed system was realized on the various types of the tested car with different loading. The original contribution of the paper is to verify the new low-cost system for monitoring the hydraulic lifting device based on the fiber-optic sensors.

Prioritizing alarms from sensor-based detection models in livestock production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dominiak, Katarina Nielsen; Kristensen, Anders Ringgaard

2017-01-01

The objective of this review is to present, evaluate and discuss methods for reducing false alarms in sensor-based detection models developed for livestock production as described in the scientific literature. Papers included in this review are all peer-reviewed and present sensor-based detection...... models developed for modern livestock production with the purpose of optimizing animal health or managerial routines. The papers must present a performance for the model, but no criteria were specified for animal species or the condition sought to be detected. 34 papers published during the last 20 years...... (NBN) and Hidden phase-type Markov model, the NBN shows the greatest potential for future reduction of alerts from sensor-based detection models in livestock production. The included detection models are evaluated on three criteria; performance, time-window and similarity to determine whether...

Steel Bar corrosion monitoring based on encapsulated piezoelectric sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Ying; Tang, Tianyou

2018-05-01

The durability of reinforced concrete has a great impact on the structural bearing capacity, while the corrosion of steel bars is the main reason for the degradation of structural durability. In this paper, a new type of encapsulated cement based piezoelectric sensor is developed and its working performance is verified. The consistency of the finite element simulation and the experimental results shows the feasibility of monitoring the corrosion of steel bars using encapsulated piezoelectric sensors. The research results show that the corrosion conditions of the steel bars can be determined by the relative amplitude of the measured signal through the encapsulated piezoelectric sensor.

Improved laser-based triangulation sensor with enhanced range and resolution through adaptive optics-based active beam control.

Science.gov (United States)

Reza, Syed Azer; Khwaja, Tariq Shamim; Mazhar, Mohsin Ali; Niazi, Haris Khan; Nawab, Rahma

2017-07-20

Various existing target ranging techniques are limited in terms of the dynamic range of operation and measurement resolution. These limitations arise as a result of a particular measurement methodology, the finite processing capability of the hardware components deployed within the sensor module, and the medium through which the target is viewed. Generally, improving the sensor range adversely affects its resolution and vice versa. Often, a distance sensor is designed for an optimal range/resolution setting depending on its intended application. Optical triangulation is broadly classified as a spatial-signal-processing-based ranging technique and measures target distance from the location of the reflected spot on a position sensitive detector (PSD). In most triangulation sensors that use lasers as a light source, beam divergence-which severely affects sensor measurement range-is often ignored in calculations. In this paper, we first discuss in detail the limitations to ranging imposed by beam divergence, which, in effect, sets the sensor dynamic range. Next, we show how the resolution of laser-based triangulation sensors is limited by the interpixel pitch of a finite-sized PSD. In this paper, through the use of tunable focus lenses (TFLs), we propose a novel design of a triangulation-based optical rangefinder that improves both the sensor resolution and its dynamic range through adaptive electronic control of beam propagation parameters. We present the theory and operation of the proposed sensor and clearly demonstrate a range and resolution improvement with the use of TFLs. Experimental results in support of our claims are shown to be in strong agreement with theory.

Researches on the Security of Cluster-based Communication Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanhong Sun

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Along with the in-depth application of sensor networks, the security issues have gradually become the bottleneck of wireless sensor applications. To provide a solution for security scheme is a common concern not only of researchers but also of providers, integrators and users of wireless sensor networks. Based on this demand, this paper focuses on the research of strengthening the security of cluster-based wireless sensor networks. Based on the systematic analysis of the clustering protocol and its security enhancement scheme, the paper introduces the broadcast authentication scheme, and proposes an SA-LEACH network security enhancement protocol. The performance analysis and simulation experiments prove that the protocol consumes less energy with the same security requirements, and when the base station is comparatively far from the network deployment area, it is more advantageous in terms of energy consumption and t more suitable for wireless sensor networks.

Highly Sensitive Flexible Magnetic Sensor Based on Anisotropic Magnetoresistance Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhiguang; Wang, Xinjun; Li, Menghui; Gao, Yuan; Hu, Zhongqiang; Nan, Tianxiang; Liang, Xianfeng; Chen, Huaihao; Yang, Jia; Cash, Syd; Sun, Nian-Xiang

2016-11-01

A highly sensitive flexible magnetic sensor based on the anisotropic magnetoresistance effect is fabricated. A limit of detection of 150 nT is observed and excellent deformation stability is achieved after wrapping of the flexible sensor, with bending radii down to 5 mm. The flexible AMR sensor is used to read a magnetic pattern with a thickness of 10 μm that is formed by ferrite magnetic inks. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Sensor-based control of a nine-link biped

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furusho, J.; Sano, A.

1990-01-01

The authors aimed to realize smooth 3D biped walking in a robot through control based on information obtained from various sensors. They employed a method to control walking by dividing it into motions in the sagittal plane and in the lateral plane. They treated motion in the lateral plane as a regulator problem with two equilibrium states. They also used relatively low gain feedback coefficients obtained from the optimal regulator theory. For motion in the sagittal plane, they put the body speed close to the smooth speed function given in advance by controlling the ankle torque. The effectiveness of the proposed control method was examined by computer simulation and proved by experiments with out BLR-G2 walking robot. The BLR-G2 is equipped with foot pressure and ankle torque sensors to provide information about the condition of contact with the floor. The sole and ankle driving actuators undergo force/torque feedback control based on the sensor information. These contributed toward realizing smooth walking with the sole firmly gripping the floor

Energy Efficient Position-Based Three Dimensional Routing for Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeongdae Kim

2008-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we focus on an energy efficient position-based three dimensional (3D routing algorithm using distance information, which affects transmission power consumption between nodes as a metric. In wireless sensor networks, energy efficiency is one of the primary objectives of research. In addition, recent interest in sensor networks is extended to the need to understand how to design networks in a 3D space. Generally, most wireless sensor networks are based on two dimensional (2D designs. However, in reality, such networks operate in a 3D space. Since 2D designs are simpler and easier to implement than 3D designs for routing algorithms in wireless sensor networks, the 2D assumption is somewhat justified and usually does not lead to major inaccuracies. However, in some applications such as an airborne to terrestrial sensor networks or sensor networks, which are deployed in mountains, taking 3D designs into consideration is reasonable. In this paper, we propose the Minimum Sum of Square distance (MSoS algorithm as an energy efficient position-based three dimensional routing algorithm. In addition, we evaluate and compare the performance of the proposed routing algorithm with other algorithms through simulation. Finally, the results of the simulation show that the proposed routing algorithm is more energy efficient than other algorithms in a 3D space.

Chain-based communication in cylindrical underwater wireless sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Javaid, Nadeem; Jafri, Mohsin Raza; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Alrajeh, Nabil; Imran, Muhammad; Vasilakos, Athanasios

2015-02-04

Appropriate network design is very significant for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs). Application-oriented UWSNs are planned to achieve certain objectives. Therefore, there is always a demand for efficient data routing schemes, which can fulfill certain requirements of application-oriented UWSNs. These networks can be of any shape, i.e., rectangular, cylindrical or square. In this paper, we propose chain-based routing schemes for application-oriented cylindrical networks and also formulate mathematical models to find a global optimum path for data transmission. In the first scheme, we devise four interconnected chains of sensor nodes to perform data communication. In the second scheme, we propose routing scheme in which two chains of sensor nodes are interconnected, whereas in third scheme single-chain based routing is done in cylindrical networks. After finding local optimum paths in separate chains, we find global optimum paths through their interconnection. Moreover, we develop a computational model for the analysis of end-to-end delay. We compare the performance of the above three proposed schemes with that of Power Efficient Gathering System in Sensor Information Systems (PEGASIS) and Congestion adjusted PEGASIS (C-PEGASIS). Simulation results show that our proposed 4-chain based scheme performs better than the other selected schemes in terms of network lifetime, end-to-end delay, path loss, transmission loss, and packet sending rate.

Chain-Based Communication in Cylindrical Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadeem Javaid

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Appropriate network design is very significant for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs. Application-oriented UWSNs are planned to achieve certain objectives. Therefore, there is always a demand for efficient data routing schemes, which can fulfill certain requirements of application-oriented UWSNs. These networks can be of any shape, i.e., rectangular, cylindrical or square. In this paper, we propose chain-based routing schemes for application-oriented cylindrical networks and also formulate mathematical models to find a global optimum path for data transmission. In the first scheme, we devise four interconnected chains of sensor nodes to perform data communication. In the second scheme, we propose routing scheme in which two chains of sensor nodes are interconnected, whereas in third scheme single-chain based routing is done in cylindrical networks. After finding local optimum paths in separate chains, we find global optimum paths through their interconnection. Moreover, we develop a computational model for the analysis of end-to-end delay. We compare the performance of the above three proposed schemes with that of Power Efficient Gathering System in Sensor Information Systems (PEGASIS and Congestion adjusted PEGASIS (C-PEGASIS. Simulation results show that our proposed 4-chain based scheme performs better than the other selected schemes in terms of network lifetime, end-to-end delay, path loss, transmission loss, and packet sending rate.

Nanocomposite-Based Microstructured Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors for Low-Pressure Measurement Range

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasileios Mitrakos

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Piezoresistive pressure sensors capable of detecting ranges of low compressive stresses have been successfully fabricated and characterised. The 5.5 × 5 × 1.6 mm3 sensors consist of a planar aluminium top electrode and a microstructured bottom electrode containing a two-by-two array of truncated pyramids with a piezoresistive composite layer sandwiched in-between. The responses of two different piezocomposite materials, a Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT-elastomer composite and a Quantum Tunneling Composite (QTC, have been characterised as a function of applied pressure and effective contact area. The MWCNT piezoresistive composite-based sensor was able to detect pressures as low as 200 kPa. The QTC-based sensor was capable of detecting pressures as low as 50 kPa depending on the contact area of the bottom electrode. Such sensors could find useful applications requiring the detection of small compressive loads such as those encountered in haptic sensing or robotics.

Optical Fibre Temperature Sensor Based On A Blackbody Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Hypszer, Ryszard; Plucinski, Jerzy; Wierzba, Henryk J.

1990-01-01

The principle of operation of the fibre optical temperature sensor based on a blackbody radiation and its construction model is given in the paper. A quartz rod of 0.6 mm diameter and 20 cm length with a blackbody cavity at the one end was used to construct the sensor. The cavity was made by vacuum evaporation of a chromium layer and a silicone monooxide layer was used as a protection. Infrared radiation is transmitted by the fibre optic to the detection circuit. This sensor enables temperature measurement from 400 to 1200°C. The range of measurement is determined by the detection sensitivity and by rod softening. The resolution is of the order of 10-2°C. The sensor calibration was done by using PtRh1O-Pt thermocouple.

Research on Stealthy Headphone Detector Based on Geomagnetic Sensor

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Liu Ya

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A kind of stealth headphone detector based on geomagnetic sensor has been developed to deal with the stealth headphones which are small, extremely stealthy and hard to detect. The U.S. PNI geomagnetic sensor is chosen to obtain magnetic field considering the strong magnetic performance of stealth headphones. The earth’s magnetic field at the geomagnetic sensor is eliminated by difference between two geomagnetic sensors, and then weak variations of magnetic field is detected. STM8S103K2 is chosen as the central controlling chip, which is connected to LED, buzzer and LCD 1602. As shown by the experimental results, the probe is not liable to damage by the magnetic field and the developed device has high sensitivity, low False Positive Rate (FAR and satisfactory reliability.

Distributed Similarity based Clustering and Compressed Forwarding for wireless sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Arunraja, Muruganantham; Malathi, Veluchamy; Sakthivel, Erulappan

2015-11-01

Wireless sensor networks are engaged in various data gathering applications. The major bottleneck in wireless data gathering systems is the finite energy of sensor nodes. By conserving the on board energy, the life span of wireless sensor network can be well extended. Data communication being the dominant energy consuming activity of wireless sensor network, data reduction can serve better in conserving the nodal energy. Spatial and temporal correlation among the sensor data is exploited to reduce the data communications. Data similar cluster formation is an effective way to exploit spatial correlation among the neighboring sensors. By sending only a subset of data and estimate the rest using this subset is the contemporary way of exploiting temporal correlation. In Distributed Similarity based Clustering and Compressed Forwarding for wireless sensor networks, we construct data similar iso-clusters with minimal communication overhead. The intra-cluster communication is reduced using adaptive-normalized least mean squares based dual prediction framework. The cluster head reduces the inter-cluster data payload using a lossless compressive forwarding technique. The proposed work achieves significant data reduction in both the intra-cluster and the inter-cluster communications, with the optimal data accuracy of collected data. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Case-Based Multi-Sensor Intrusion Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Daniel G.; Long, Jidong

2009-08-01

Multi-sensor intrusion detection systems (IDSs) combine the alerts raised by individual IDSs and possibly other kinds of devices such as firewalls and antivirus software. A critical issue in building a multi-sensor IDS is alert-correlation, i.e., determining which alerts are caused by the same attack. This paper explores a novel approach to alert correlation using case-based reasoning (CBR). Each case in the CBR system's library contains a pattern of alerts raised by some known attack type, together with the identity of the attack. Then during run time, the alert streams gleaned from the sensors are compared with the patterns in the cases, and a match indicates that the attack described by that case has occurred. For this purpose the design of a fast and accurate matching algorithm is imperative. Two such algorithms were explored: (i) the well-known Hungarian algorithm, and (ii) an order-preserving matching of our own device. Tests were conducted using the DARPA Grand Challenge Problem attack simulator. These showed that the both matching algorithms are effective in detecting attacks; but the Hungarian algorithm is inefficient; whereas the order-preserving one is very efficient, in fact runs in linear time.

Graphene Oxide in Lossy Mode Resonance-Based Optical Fiber Sensors for Ethanol Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Hernaez

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The influence of graphene oxide (GO over the features of an optical fiber ethanol sensor based on lossy mode resonances (LMR has been studied in this work. Four different sensors were built with this aim, each comprising a multimode optical fiber core fragment coated with a SnO2 thin film. Layer by layer (LbL coatings made of 1, 2 and 4 bilayers of polyethyleneimine (PEI and graphene oxide were deposited onto three of these devices and their behavior as aqueous ethanol sensors was characterized and compared with the sensor without GO. The sensors with GO showed much better performance with a maximum sensitivity enhancement of 176% with respect to the sensor without GO. To our knowledge, this is the first time that GO has been used to make an optical fiber sensor based on LMR.

Graphene Oxide in Lossy Mode Resonance-Based Optical Fiber Sensors for Ethanol Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernaez, Miguel; Mayes, Andrew G; Melendi-Espina, Sonia

2017-12-27

The influence of graphene oxide (GO) over the features of an optical fiber ethanol sensor based on lossy mode resonances (LMR) has been studied in this work. Four different sensors were built with this aim, each comprising a multimode optical fiber core fragment coated with a SnO₂ thin film. Layer by layer (LbL) coatings made of 1, 2 and 4 bilayers of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and graphene oxide were deposited onto three of these devices and their behavior as aqueous ethanol sensors was characterized and compared with the sensor without GO. The sensors with GO showed much better performance with a maximum sensitivity enhancement of 176% with respect to the sensor without GO. To our knowledge, this is the first time that GO has been used to make an optical fiber sensor based on LMR.

Efficient Vector-Based Forwarding for Underwater Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Xie

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Underwater Sensor Networks (UWSNs are significantly different from terrestrial sensor networks in the following aspects: low bandwidth, high latency, node mobility, high error probability, and 3-dimensional space. These new features bring many challenges to the network protocol design of UWSNs. In this paper, we tackle one fundamental problem in UWSNs: robust, scalable, and energy efficient routing. We propose vector-based forwarding (VBF, a geographic routing protocol. In VBF, the forwarding path is guided by a vector from the source to the target, no state information is required on the sensor nodes, and only a small fraction of the nodes is involved in routing. To improve the robustness, packets are forwarded in redundant and interleaved paths. Further, a localized and distributed self-adaptation algorithm allows the nodes to reduce energy consumption by discarding redundant packets. VBF performs well in dense networks. For sparse networks, we propose a hop-by-hop vector-based forwarding (HH-VBF protocol, which adapts the vector-based approach at every hop. We evaluate the performance of VBF and HH-VBF through extensive simulations. The simulation results show that VBF achieves high packet delivery ratio and energy efficiency in dense networks and HH-VBF has high packet delivery ratio even in sparse networks.

A piezoelectric-based infinite stiffness generation method for strain-type load sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shuwen; Shao, Shubao; Xu, Minglong; Chen, Jie

2015-01-01

Under certain application conditions like nanoindentation technology and the mechanical property measurement of soft materials, the elastic deformation of strain-type load sensors affects their displacement measurement accuracy. In this work, a piezoelectric-based infinite stiffness generation method for strain-type load sensors that compensates for this elastic deformation is presented. The piezoelectric material-based deformation compensation method is proposed. An Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH (HBM) Z30A/50N load sensor acts as the foundation of the method presented in this work. The piezoelectric stack is selected based on its size, maximum deformation value, blocking force and stiffness. Then, a clamping and fixing structure is designed to integrate the HBM sensor with the piezoelectric stack. The clamping and fixing structure, piezoelectric stack and HBM load sensor comprise the sensing part of the enhanced load sensor. The load-deformation curve and the voltage-deformation curve of the enhanced load sensor are then investigated experimentally. Because a hysteresis effect exists in the piezoelectric structure, the relationship between the control signal and the deformation value of the piezoelectric material is nonlinear. The hysteresis characteristic in a quasi-static condition is studied and fitted using a quadratic polynomial, and its coefficients are analyzed to enable control signal prediction. Applied arithmetic based on current theory and the fitted data is developed to predict the control signal. Finally, the experimental effects of the proposed method are presented. It is shown that when a quasi-static load is exerted on this enhanced strain-type load sensor, the deformation is reduced and the equivalent stiffness appears to be almost infinite. (paper)

Development of sensor system for indoor location based service implementation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cha, Joo Heon; Lee, Kyung Ho [Kookmin Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2012-11-15

This paper introduces a sensor system based on indoor locations in order to implement the Building Energy Management System. This system consists of a thermopile sensor and an ultrasonic sensor. The sensor module is rotated by 360 .deg. and yawed up and down by two electric motors. Therefore, it can simultaneously detect the number and location of the inhabitants in the room. It uses wireless technology to communicate with the building manager or the smart home server, and it can save electric energy by controlling the lighting system or heating/air conditioning equipment automatically. We also demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed system by applying it to a real environment.

Development of sensor system for indoor location based service implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cha, Joo Heon; Lee, Kyung Ho

2012-01-01

This paper introduces a sensor system based on indoor locations in order to implement the Building Energy Management System. This system consists of a thermopile sensor and an ultrasonic sensor. The sensor module is rotated by 360 .deg. and yawed up and down by two electric motors. Therefore, it can simultaneously detect the number and location of the inhabitants in the room. It uses wireless technology to communicate with the building manager or the smart home server, and it can save electric energy by controlling the lighting system or heating/air conditioning equipment automatically. We also demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed system by applying it to a real environment

Miniaturized optical sensors based on lens arrays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hanson, Steen Grüner; Jakobsen, M.L.; Larsen, H.E.

2005-01-01

A suite of optical sensors based on the use of lenticular arrays for probing mechanical deflections will be displayed. The optical systems are well suited for miniaturization, and utilize speckles as the information-carriers. This implementation allows for acquiring directional information...

Emotion and Cognitive Reappraisal Based on GSR Wearable Sensor

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LI Minjia; XIE Lun; WANG Zhiliang; REN Fuji

2017-01-01

Various wearable equipment enables us to measure people behavior by physiological signals. In our research, we present one gal-vanic skin reaction (GSR) wearable sensor which can analyze human emotions based on cognition reappraisal. First, We research the factors of emotional state transition in Arousal-Valence-Stance(AVS) emotional space. Second, the influence of the cognition on emotional state transition is considered, and the reappraisal factor based on Gross regulation theory is established to correct the effectiveness from cognitive reappraisal ability to emotional state transition. Third, based on the previous work, we establish a GSR emotion sensing system for predicting emotional state transition and considering the correlation between GSR signals and emotions. Finally, an overall wearable sensor layout is built. In the experiment part, we invited 30 college students to wear our GSR sensors and watch 14 kinds of affective videos. We recorded their GSR signals while asking them to record their emotional states synchronously. The experiment results show different reappraisal factors can predict subjects'emotional state transition well and indirectly confirm the feasibility of the Gross regulation theory.

Modeling Sensor Reliability in Fault Diagnosis Based on Evidence Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaijuan Yuan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sensor data fusion plays an important role in fault diagnosis. Dempster–Shafer (D-R evidence theory is widely used in fault diagnosis, since it is efficient to combine evidence from different sensors. However, under the situation where the evidence highly conflicts, it may obtain a counterintuitive result. To address the issue, a new method is proposed in this paper. Not only the statistic sensor reliability, but also the dynamic sensor reliability are taken into consideration. The evidence distance function and the belief entropy are combined to obtain the dynamic reliability of each sensor report. A weighted averaging method is adopted to modify the conflict evidence by assigning different weights to evidence according to sensor reliability. The proposed method has better performance in conflict management and fault diagnosis due to the fact that the information volume of each sensor report is taken into consideration. An application in fault diagnosis based on sensor fusion is illustrated to show the efficiency of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method improves the accuracy of fault diagnosis from 81.19% to 89.48% compared to the existing methods.

Immunizations on small worlds of tree-based wireless sensor networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Qiao; Zhang Bai-Hai; Cui Ling-Guo; Fan Zhun; Vasilakos Athanasios, V.

2012-01-01

The sensor virus is a serious threat, as an attacker can simply send a single packet to compromise the entire sensor network. Epidemics become drastic with link additions among sensors when the small world phenomena occur. Two immunization strategies, uniform immunization and temporary immunization, are conducted on small worlds of tree-based wireless sensor networks to combat the sensor viruses. With the former strategy, the infection extends exponentially, although the immunization effectively reduces the contagion speed. With the latter strategy, recurrent contagion oscillations occur in the small world when the spatial-temporal dynamics of the epidemic are considered. The oscillations come from the small-world structure and the temporary immunization. Mathematical analyses on the small world of the Cayley tree are presented to reveal the epidemic dynamics with the two immunization strategies. (general)

Sensor network based vehicle classification and license plate identification system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frigo, Janette Rose [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Brennan, Sean M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Rosten, Edward J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Raby, Eric Y [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Kulathumani, Vinod K [WEST VIRGINIA UNIV.

2009-01-01

Typically, for energy efficiency and scalability purposes, sensor networks have been used in the context of environmental and traffic monitoring applications in which operations at the sensor level are not computationally intensive. But increasingly, sensor network applications require data and compute intensive sensors such video cameras and microphones. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of two such systems: a vehicle classifier based on acoustic signals and a license plate identification system using a camera. The systems are implemented in an energy-efficient manner to the extent possible using commercially available hardware, the Mica motes and the Stargate platform. Our experience in designing these systems leads us to consider an alternate more flexible, modular, low-power mote architecture that uses a combination of FPGAs, specialized embedded processing units and sensor data acquisition systems.

Adaptive inferential sensors based on evolving fuzzy models.

Science.gov (United States)

Angelov, Plamen; Kordon, Arthur

2010-04-01

A new technique to the design and use of inferential sensors in the process industry is proposed in this paper, which is based on the recently introduced concept of evolving fuzzy models (EFMs). They address the challenge that the modern process industry faces today, namely, to develop such adaptive and self-calibrating online inferential sensors that reduce the maintenance costs while keeping the high precision and interpretability/transparency. The proposed new methodology makes possible inferential sensors to recalibrate automatically, which reduces significantly the life-cycle efforts for their maintenance. This is achieved by the adaptive and flexible open-structure EFM used. The novelty of this paper lies in the following: (1) the overall concept of inferential sensors with evolving and self-developing structure from the data streams; (2) the new methodology for online automatic selection of input variables that are most relevant for the prediction; (3) the technique to detect automatically a shift in the data pattern using the age of the clusters (and fuzzy rules); (4) the online standardization technique used by the learning procedure of the evolving model; and (5) the application of this innovative approach to several real-life industrial processes from the chemical industry (evolving inferential sensors, namely, eSensors, were used for predicting the chemical properties of different products in The Dow Chemical Company, Freeport, TX). It should be noted, however, that the methodology and conclusions of this paper are valid for the broader area of chemical and process industries in general. The results demonstrate that well-interpretable and with-simple-structure inferential sensors can automatically be designed from the data stream in real time, which predict various process variables of interest. The proposed approach can be used as a basis for the development of a new generation of adaptive and evolving inferential sensors that can address the

Micro technology based sun sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hales, Jan Harry; Pedersen, Martin; Fléron, René

2003-01-01

various payloads and platforms. The conventional and commercial actuators and attitude sensors are in most cases not suited for these satellites, which again lead to new design considerations. Another important property is the launch cost, which can be kept relatively low as a result of the concept....... This fact enables students to get hands-on experience with satellite systems design and project management. This paper describes the attitude control and determination system of a Danish student satellite (DTUsat), with main focus on the two-axis MOEMS sun sensor developed. On the magnetotorquer controlled...... DTUsat sun sensors are needed along with a magnetometer to obtain unambiguous attitude determination for the ACDS and the payloads - an electrodynamic tether and a camera. The accuracy needed was not obtainable by employing conventional attitude sensors. Hence a linear slit sensor was designed...

Novel membrane-based electrochemical sensor for real-time bio-applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Al Atraktchi, Fatima Al-Zahraa; Bakmand, Tanya; Dimaki, Maria

2014-01-01

This article presents a novel membrane-based sensor for real-time electrochemical investigations of cellular- or tissue cultures. The membrane sensor enables recording of electrical signals from a cell culture without any signal dilution, thus avoiding loss of sensitivity. Moreover, the porosity...... of the membrane provides optimal culturing conditions similar to existing culturing techniques allowing more efficient nutrient uptake and molecule release. The patterned sensor electrodes were fabricated on a porous membrane by electron-beam evaporation. The electrochemical performance of the membrane electrodes...

Sodium tripolyphosphate cross-linked chitosan based sensor for enhacing sensing properties towards acetone

Science.gov (United States)

Nasution, T. I.; Asrosa, R.; Nainggolan, I.; Balyan, M.; Indah, R.; Wahyudi, A.

2018-02-01

In this report, sensing properties of sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) cross-linked chitosan based sensor has been successfully enhanced towards acetone. Chitosan solutions were cross-linked with sodium TPP in variation of 0.1%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% w/v, respectively. The sensors were fabricated in film form using an electrochemical deposition method. The sensing properties of the sensors were observed by exposing the pure chitosan and sodium TPP cross-linked chitosan sensors towards acetone concentrations of 5, 10, 50, 100 and 200 ppm. The measurement results revealed that the maximum response in output voltage value of pure chitosan sensor was 0.35 V while sodium TPP crosslinked chitosan sensors were above 0.35 V towards 5 ppm acetone concentration. When the sensors were exposed towards acetone concentration of 200 ppm, the maximum response of pure chitosan was 0.45 V while sodium TPP crosslinked chitosan sensors were above 0.45 V. Amongst the variation of sodium TPP, the maximum response of 1% sodium TPP was the highest since the maximum response was 0.4 V and 0.6 V towards 5 ppm and 200 ppm acetone concentration, respectively. While the maximum responses of other sodium TPP concentrations were under 0.4 V and 0.6 V towards 5 ppm and 200 ppm acetone concentration. Moreover, 1% sodium TPP cross-linked chitosan based sensor showed good reproducibility and outstanding lifetime. Therefore, 1% sodium TPP cross-linked chitosan based sensor has exhibited remarkable sensing properties as a novel acetone sensor.

Wireless Sensor Network Based Smart Parking System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey JOSEPH

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Ambient Intelligence is a vision in which various devices come together and process information from multiple sources in order to exert control on the physical environment. In addition to computation and control, communication plays a crucial role in the overall functionality of such a system. Wireless Sensor Networks are one such class of networks, which meet these criteria. These networks consist of spatially distributed sensor motes which work in a co-operative manner to sense and control the environment. In this work, an implementation of an energy-efficient and cost-effective, wireless sensor networks based vehicle parking system for a multi-floor indoor parking facility has been introduced. The system monitors the availability of free parking slots and guides the vehicle to the nearest free slot. The amount of time the vehicle has been parked is monitored for billing purposes. The status of the motes (dead/alive is also recorded. Information like slot allocated, directions to the slot and billing data is sent as a message to customer’s mobile phones. This paper extends our previous work 1 with the development of a low cost sensor mote, about one tenth the cost of a commercially available mote, keeping in mind the price sensitive markets of the developing countries.

Deployment-based lifetime optimization model for homogeneous Wireless Sensor Network under retransmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ruiying; Liu, Xiaoxi; Xie, Wei; Huang, Ning

2014-12-10

Sensor-deployment-based lifetime optimization is one of the most effective methods used to prolong the lifetime of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) by reducing the distance-sensitive energy consumption. In this paper, data retransmission, a major consumption factor that is usually neglected in the previous work, is considered. For a homogeneous WSN, monitoring a circular target area with a centered base station, a sensor deployment model based on regular hexagonal grids is analyzed. To maximize the WSN lifetime, optimization models for both uniform and non-uniform deployment schemes are proposed by constraining on coverage, connectivity and success transmission rate. Based on the data transmission analysis in a data gathering cycle, the WSN lifetime in the model can be obtained through quantifying the energy consumption at each sensor location. The results of case studies show that it is meaningful to consider data retransmission in the lifetime optimization. In particular, our investigations indicate that, with the same lifetime requirement, the number of sensors needed in a non-uniform topology is much less than that in a uniform one. Finally, compared with a random scheme, simulation results further verify the advantage of our deployment model.

Performance of a carbon monoxide sensor based on zirconia-doped ceria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noriya Izu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Resistive-type carbon monoxide sensors were fabricated using zirconia-doped ceria, and their sensing properties were evaluated and compared with equivalent devices based on non-doped ceria. The response of both sensor types was found to increase with decreasing temperature, while the response at 450 °C of a sensor fired at 950 °C was greater than that of a sensor fired at 1100 °C. When fired at 950 °C, however, the response at 450 °C of a sensor created using zirconia-doped ceria was slightly less than that of a sensor constructed from non-doped ceria. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the response of both sensor types is proportional to the resistance raised to the power of about 0.5, and inversely proportional to the particle size raised to a power of about 0.8. The sensor response time can be considered almost the same regardless of whether zirconia doping is used or not.

Fast humidity sensors based on CeO2 nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, X Q; Wang, C; Yu, H C; Wang, Y G; Wang, T H

2007-01-01

Fast humidity sensors are reported that are based on CeO 2 nanowires synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Both the response and recovery time are about 3 s, and are independent of the humidity. The sensitivity increases gradually as the humidity increases, and is up to 85 at 97% RH. The resistance decreases exponentially with increasing humidity, implying ion-type conductivity as the humidity sensing mechanism. A model based on the morphology and surface energy of the nanowires is given to explain these results further. Our experimental results indicate a pathway to improving the performance of humidity sensors

A multi-axis MEMS sensor with integrated carbon nanotube-based piezoresistors for nanonewton level force metrology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullinan, Michael A; Panas, Robert M; Culpepper, Martin L

2012-01-01

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a multi-axis microelectromechanical system (MEMS) force sensor with integrated carbon nanotube (CNT)-based piezoresistive sensors. Through the use of proper CNT selection and sensor fabrication techniques, the performance of the CNT-based MEMS force sensor was increased by approximately two orders of magnitude as compared to current CNT-based sensor systems. The range and resolution of the force sensor were determined as 84 μN and 5.6 nN, respectively. The accuracy of the force sensor was measured to be better than 1% over the device’s full range. (paper)

A proteorhodopsin-based biohybrid light-powering pH sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Siyuan; Guo, Zhibin; Liang, Dawei; Chen, Deliang; Wei, Yen; Xiang, Yan

2013-10-14

The biohybrid sensor is an emerging technique for multi-functional detection that utilizes the instinctive responses or interactions of biomolecules. We develop a biohybrid pH sensor by taking advantage of the pH-dependent photoelectric characteristics of proteorhodopsin (pR). The transient absorption kinetics study indicates that the photoelectric behavior of pR is attributed to the varying lifetime of the M intermediate at different environmental pH values. This pR-based biohybrid light-powering sensor with microfluidic design can achieve real-time pH detection with quick response and high sensitivity. The results of this work would shed light on pR and its potential applications.

Nanostructured Polypyrrole-Based Ammonia and Volatile Organic Compound Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milena Šetka

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this review is to summarize the recent progress in the fabrication of efficient nanostructured polymer-based sensors with special focus on polypyrrole. The correlation between physico-chemical parameters, mainly morphology of various polypyrrole nanostructures, and their sensitivity towards selected gas and volatile organic compounds (VOC is provided. The different approaches of polypyrrole modification with other functional materials are also discussed. With respect to possible sensors application in medicine, namely in the diagnosis of diseases via the detection of volatile biomarkers from human breath, the sensor interaction with humidity is described as well. The major attention is paid to analytes such as ammonia and various alcohols.

Open-loop magneto-resistance sensor-based DC current transformer for FAIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soliman, Eman; Hofmann, Klaus [Technical University Darmstadt (Germany); Reeg, Hansjoerg; Schwickert, Marcus [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt (Germany)

2016-07-01

A Novel DC Current Transformer (N-DCCT) is currently under development for FAIR. The N-DCCT is going to be installed inside the SIS100 synchrotron. The proposed system is no longer based on magnetic modulation principle of the conventional DCCT. Instead, a Magneto-resistance sensor is utilized to detect the magnetic field of the ion-beam. For a first prototype the N-DCCT is realized as an open-loop system. It consists of a high permeability slotted ring core and up to two MR sensors. The maximum ion-beam current magnetic field is concentrated inside the ring core air gaps. MR sensors are placed inside the core air gaps. The sensor output voltage is directly proportional to the ion-beam current. The system is implemented using commercial Tunneling MR sensors. Measurements using one single sensor, as well as the application of two sensors are presented in this work. The sensitivity of the proposed N-DCCT is 0.566 [V/A] for one single MR sensor and 1.56 [V/A] when two sensors are implemented.

Self-assembled micro-structured sensors for food safety in paper based food packaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hakovirta, M., E-mail: marko.hakovirta@storaenso.com; Aksoy, B.; Hakovirta, J.

2015-08-01

Natural self-assembled microstructured particles (diatomaceous earth) were used to develop a gas sensor paper with detection mechanism based on visible and distinct color changes of the sensor paper when exposed to volatile basic nitrogen compounds. The coating formulation for paper was prepared by applying diatomites, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and pH sensitive dyes on acidic paper substrate. The surface coating was designed to allow a maximum gas flow through the diatomite sensors. The produced sensor paper was tested for sensitivity using different ammonia concentrations and we observed a sensitivity lower limit at 63 ppm. As a comparison, the results show comparable sensitivity levels to carbon nanotube based sensor technologies reported in literature. - Highlights: • Novel sensor paper was developed using micro-structured diatomaceous earth and pH sensitive dye. • The functionality is based on pH sensitive dye to indicate spoilage of meat or fish by color change. • Diatomaceous earth was successfully immobilized to the polyvinyl alcohol coating. • The coating was engineered to maximize the exposure of the diatom morphology. • The sensor paper achieved very high sensitivities for ammonia gas detection.

Self-assembled micro-structured sensors for food safety in paper based food packaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakovirta, M.; Aksoy, B.; Hakovirta, J.

2015-01-01

Natural self-assembled microstructured particles (diatomaceous earth) were used to develop a gas sensor paper with detection mechanism based on visible and distinct color changes of the sensor paper when exposed to volatile basic nitrogen compounds. The coating formulation for paper was prepared by applying diatomites, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and pH sensitive dyes on acidic paper substrate. The surface coating was designed to allow a maximum gas flow through the diatomite sensors. The produced sensor paper was tested for sensitivity using different ammonia concentrations and we observed a sensitivity lower limit at 63 ppm. As a comparison, the results show comparable sensitivity levels to carbon nanotube based sensor technologies reported in literature. - Highlights: • Novel sensor paper was developed using micro-structured diatomaceous earth and pH sensitive dye. • The functionality is based on pH sensitive dye to indicate spoilage of meat or fish by color change. • Diatomaceous earth was successfully immobilized to the polyvinyl alcohol coating. • The coating was engineered to maximize the exposure of the diatom morphology. • The sensor paper achieved very high sensitivities for ammonia gas detection

Sensor-based automated docking of large waste canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drotning, W.D.

1990-01-01

Sensor-based programmable robots have the potential to speed up remote manipulation operations while protecting operators from exposure to radiation. Conventional master/slave manipulators have proven to be very slow in performing precision remote operations. In addition, inadvertent collisions of remotely manipulated objects with their environment increase the hazards associated with remote handling. This paper describes the development of a robotic system for the sensor-based automated remote manipulation and precision docking of large payloads. Computer vision and proximity sensing are used to control the precision docking of a large object with a passive target cavity. Specifically, a container of nuclear spent fuel on a transport vehicle is mated with an emplacement door on a vertical storage borehole at a waste repository

High Temperature Capacitive Pressure Sensor Employing a SiC Based Ring Oscillator

Science.gov (United States)

Meredith, Roger D.; Neudeck, Philip G.; Ponchak, George E.; Beheim, Glenn M.; Scardelletti, Maximilian; Jordan, Jennifer L.; Chen, Liang-Yu; Spry, David J.; Krawowski, Michael J.; Hunter, Gary W.

2011-01-01

In an effort to develop harsh environment electronic and sensor technologies for aircraft engine safety and monitoring, we have used capacitive-based pressure sensors to shift the frequency of a SiC-electronics-based oscillator to produce a pressure-indicating signal that can be readily transmitted, e.g. wirelessly, to a receiver located in a more benign environment. Our efforts target 500 C, a temperature well above normal operating conditions of commercial circuits but within areas of interest in aerospace engines, deep mining applications and for future missions to the Venus atmosphere. This paper reports for the first time a ring oscillator circuit integrated with a capacitive pressure sensor, both operating at 500 C. This demonstration represents a significant step towards a wireless pressure sensor that can operate at 500 C and confirms the viability of 500 C electronic sensor systems.

Gas Sensors Based on Semiconducting Nanowire Field-Effect Transistors

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Ping Feng

2014-09-01

Full Text Available One-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures are unique sensing materials for the fabrication of gas sensors. In this article, gas sensors based on semiconducting nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs are comprehensively reviewed. Individual nanowires or nanowire network films are usually used as the active detecting channels. In these sensors, a third electrode, which serves as the gate, is used to tune the carrier concentration of the nanowires to realize better sensing performance, including sensitivity, selectivity and response time, etc. The FET parameters can be modulated by the presence of the target gases and their change relate closely to the type and concentration of the gas molecules. In addition, extra controls such as metal decoration, local heating and light irradiation can be combined with the gate electrode to tune the nanowire channel and realize more effective gas sensing. With the help of micro-fabrication techniques, these sensors can be integrated into smart systems. Finally, some challenges for the future investigation and application of nanowire field-effect gas sensors are discussed.

A fluid density sensor based on a resonant tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Yong; Dao, Dzung Viet; Woodfield, Peter

2014-01-01

A fluid density sensor based on resonance frequency change of a metallic tube is presented. The sensor has been developed without using a complex micro-fabrication process. The sensor is able to identify fluid types/contaminations and improve the performance by reducing testing time, decreasing complexity of testing equipment and reducing sample sizes. The sensor can measure the resonance frequency of its own structure and determine the change in resonance frequency due to the subsequent sample inside the tube. Numerical modelling, analytical modelling and physical testing of a prototype sensor showed comparable results for both the magnitude and resonance frequency shift. The modelling results yielded a resonance frequency shift of 200 Hz from 9.87 kHz to 9.67 kHz after the water was filled into the tube. The actual testing illustrated a resonance frequency change of 280 Hz from 9.11 kHz to 8.83 kHz. The ultimate aim of the work is to determine resonance frequencies of desired samples at a level that could detect genetic disease on a cellular level. (paper)

A Matrix-Based Proactive Data Relay Algorithm for Large Distributed Sensor Networks.

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Xu, Yang; Hu, Xuemei; Hu, Haixiao; Liu, Ming

2016-08-16

In large-scale distributed sensor networks, sensed data is required to be relayed around the network so that one or few sensors can gather adequate relative data to produce high quality information for decision-making. In regards to very high energy-constraint sensor nodes, data transmission should be extremely economical. However, traditional data delivery protocols are potentially inefficient relaying unpredictable sensor readings for data fusion in large distributed networks for either overwhelming query transmissions or unnecessary data coverage. By building sensors' local model from their previously transmitted data in three matrixes, we have developed a novel energy-saving data relay algorithm, which allows sensors to proactively make broadcast decisions by using a neat matrix computation to provide balance between transmission and energy-saving. In addition, we designed a heuristic maintenance algorithm to efficiently update these three matrices. This can easily be deployed to large-scale mobile networks in which decisions of sensors are based on their local matrix models no matter how large the network is, and the local models of these sensors are updated constantly. Compared with some traditional approaches based on our simulations, the efficiency of this approach is manifested in uncertain environment. The results show that our approach is scalable and can effectively balance aggregating data with minimizing energy consumption.

Advances in SAW gas sensors based on the condensate-adsorption effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiuling; Wang, Wen; Li, Shunzhou; Liu, Minghua; He, Shitang

2011-01-01

A surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) gas sensor with a low detection limit and fast response for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) based on the condensate-adsorption effect detection is developed. In this sensor a gas chromatography (GC) column acts as the separator element and a dual-resonator oscillator acts as the detector element. Regarding the surface effective permittivity method, the response mechanism analysis, which relates the condensate-adsorption effect, is performed, leading to the sensor performance prediction prior to fabrication. New designs of SAW resonators, which act as feedback of the oscillator, are devised in order to decrease the insertion loss and to achieve single-mode control, resulting in superior frequency stability of the oscillator. Based on the new phase modulation approach, excellent short-term frequency stability (±3 Hz/s) is achieved with the SAW oscillator by using the 500 MHz dual-port resonator as feedback element. In a sensor experiment investigating formaldehyde detection, the implemented SAW gas sensor exhibits an excellent threshold detection limit as low as 0.38 pg.

A decentralized receptance-based damage detection strategy for wireless smart sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Shinae; Spencer Jr, Billie F; Sim, Sung-Han

2012-01-01

Various structural health monitoring strategies have been proposed recently that can be implemented in the decentralized computing environment intrinsic to wireless smart sensor networks (WSSN). Many are based on changes in the experimentally determined flexibility matrix for the structure under consideration. However, the flexibility matrix contains only static information; much richer information is available by considering the dynamic flexibility, or receptance, of the structure. Recently, the stochastic dynamic damage locating vector (SDDLV) method was proposed based on changes of dynamic flexibility matrices employing centrally collected output-only measurements. This paper investigates the potential of the SDDLV method for implementation on a network of wireless smart sensors, where a decentralized, hierarchical, in-network processing approach is used to address issues of scalability of the SDDLV algorithm. Two approaches to aggregate results are proposed that provide robust estimates of damage locations. The efficacy of the developed strategy is first verified using wired sensors emulating a wireless sensor network. Subsequently, the decentralized damage detection strategy is implemented on MEMSIC’s Imote2 smart sensor platform and validated experimentally on a laboratory scale truss bridge. (paper)

Development of a Dynamic Web Mapping Service for Vegetation Productivity Using Earth Observation and in situ Sensors in a Sensor Web Based Approach

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Sytze de Bruin

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the development of a sensor web based approach which combines earth observation and in situ sensor data to derive typical information offered by a dynamic web mapping service (WMS. A prototype has been developed which provides daily maps of vegetation productivity for the Netherlands with a spatial resolution of 250 m. Daily available MODIS surface reflectance products and meteorological parameters obtained through a Sensor Observation Service (SOS were used as input for a vegetation productivity model. This paper presents the vegetation productivity model, the sensor data sources and the implementation of the automated processing facility. Finally, an evaluation is made of the opportunities and limitations of sensor web based approaches for the development of web services which combine both satellite and in situ sensor sources.

PIYAS-Proceeding to Intelligent Service Oriented Memory Allocation for Flash Based Data Centric Sensor Devices in Wireless Sensor Networks

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Sanam Shahla Rizvi

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Flash memory has become a more widespread storage medium for modern wireless devices because of its effective characteristics like non-volatility, small size, light weight, fast access speed, shock resistance, high reliability and low power consumption. Sensor nodes are highly resource constrained in terms of limited processing speed, runtime memory, persistent storage, communication bandwidth and finite energy. Therefore, for wireless sensor networks supporting sense, store, merge and send schemes, an efficient and reliable file system is highly required with consideration of sensor node constraints. In this paper, we propose a novel log structured external NAND flash memory based file system, called Proceeding to Intelligent service oriented memorY Allocation for flash based data centric Sensor devices in wireless sensor networks (PIYAS. This is the extended version of our previously proposed PIYA [1]. The main goals of the PIYAS scheme are to achieve instant mounting and reduced SRAM space by keeping memory mapping information to a very low size of and to provide high query response throughput by allocation of memory to the sensor data by network business rules. The scheme intelligently samples and stores the raw data and provides high in-network data availability by keeping the aggregate data for a longer period of time than any other scheme has done before. We propose effective garbage collection and wear-leveling schemes as well. The experimental results show that PIYAS is an optimized memory management scheme allowing high performance for wireless sensor networks.

PIYAS-proceeding to intelligent service oriented memory allocation for flash based data centric sensor devices in wireless sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Rizvi, Sanam Shahla; Chung, Tae-Sun

2010-01-01

Flash memory has become a more widespread storage medium for modern wireless devices because of its effective characteristics like non-volatility, small size, light weight, fast access speed, shock resistance, high reliability and low power consumption. Sensor nodes are highly resource constrained in terms of limited processing speed, runtime memory, persistent storage, communication bandwidth and finite energy. Therefore, for wireless sensor networks supporting sense, store, merge and send schemes, an efficient and reliable file system is highly required with consideration of sensor node constraints. In this paper, we propose a novel log structured external NAND flash memory based file system, called Proceeding to Intelligent service oriented memorY Allocation for flash based data centric Sensor devices in wireless sensor networks (PIYAS). This is the extended version of our previously proposed PIYA [1]. The main goals of the PIYAS scheme are to achieve instant mounting and reduced SRAM space by keeping memory mapping information to a very low size of and to provide high query response throughput by allocation of memory to the sensor data by network business rules. The scheme intelligently samples and stores the raw data and provides high in-network data availability by keeping the aggregate data for a longer period of time than any other scheme has done before. We propose effective garbage collection and wear-leveling schemes as well. The experimental results show that PIYAS is an optimized memory management scheme allowing high performance for wireless sensor networks.

Event-Based Color Segmentation With a High Dynamic Range Sensor

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Alexandre Marcireau

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a color asynchronous neuromorphic event-based camera and a methodology to process color output from the device to perform color segmentation and tracking at the native temporal resolution of the sensor (down to one microsecond. Our color vision sensor prototype is a combination of three Asynchronous Time-based Image Sensors, sensitive to absolute color information. We devise a color processing algorithm leveraging this information. It is designed to be computationally cheap, thus showing how low level processing benefits from asynchronous acquisition and high temporal resolution data. The resulting color segmentation and tracking performance is assessed both with an indoor controlled scene and two outdoor uncontrolled scenes. The tracking's mean error to the ground truth for the objects of the outdoor scenes ranges from two to twenty pixels.

Flexible Piezoelectric-Induced Pressure Sensors for Static Measurements Based on Nanowires/Graphene Heterostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zefeng; Wang, Zhao; Li, Xinming; Lin, Yuxuan; Luo, Ningqi; Long, Mingzhu; Zhao, Ni; Xu, Jian-Bin

2017-05-23

The piezoelectric effect is widely applied in pressure sensors for the detection of dynamic signals. However, these piezoelectric-induced pressure sensors have challenges in measuring static signals that are based on the transient flow of electrons in an external load as driven by the piezopotential arisen from dynamic stress. Here, we present a pressure sensor with nanowires/graphene heterostructures for static measurements based on the synergistic mechanisms between strain-induced polarization charges in piezoelectric nanowires and the caused change of carrier scattering in graphene. Compared to the conventional piezoelectric nanowire or graphene pressure sensors, this sensor is capable of measuring static pressures with a sensitivity of up to 9.4 × 10 -3 kPa -1 and a fast response time down to 5-7 ms. This demonstration of pressure sensors shows great potential in the applications of electronic skin and wearable devices.

Corrosion Sensor Development for Condition-Based Maintenance of Aircraft

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Gino Rinaldi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Aircraft routinely operate in atmospheric environments that, over time, will impact their structural integrity. Material protection and selection schemes notwithstanding, recurrent exposure to chlorides, pollution, temperature gradients, and moisture provide the necessary electrochemical conditions for the development and profusion of corrosion in aircraft structures. For aircraft operators, this becomes an important safety matter as corrosion found in a given aircraft must be assumed to be present in all of that type of aircraft. This safety protocol and its associated unscheduled maintenance requirement drive up the operational costs of the fleet and limit the availability of the aircraft. Hence, there is an opportunity at present for developing novel sensing technologies and schemes to aid in shifting time-based maintenance schedules towards condition-based maintenance procedures. In this work, part of the ongoing development of a multiparameter integrated corrosion sensor is presented. It consists of carbon nanotube/polyaniline polymer sensors and commercial-off-the-shelf sensors. It is being developed primarily for monitoring environmental and material factors for the purpose of providing a means to more accurately assess the structural integrity of aerospace aluminium alloys through fusion of multiparameter sensor data. Preliminary experimental test results are presented for chloride ion concentration, hydrogen gas evolution, humidity variations, and material degradation.

An Exposed-Core Grapefruit Fibers Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor

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Xianchao Yang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available To solve the problem of air hole coating and analyte filling in microstructured optical fiber-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR sensors, we designed an exposed-core grapefruit fiber (EC-GFs-based SPR sensor. The exposed section of the EC-GF is coated with a SPR, supporting thin silver film, which can sense the analyte in the external environment. The asymmetrically coated fiber can support two separate resonance peaks (x- and y-polarized peaks with orthogonal polarizations and x-polarized peak, providing a much higher peak loss than y-polarized, also the x-polarized peak has higher wavelength and amplitude sensitivities. A large analyte refractive index (RI range from 1.33 to 1.42 is calculated to investigate the sensing performance of the sensor, and an extremely high wavelength sensitivity of 13,500 nm/refractive index unit (RIU is obtained. The silver layer thickness, which may affect the sensing performance, is also discussed. This work can provide a reference for developing a high sensitivity, real-time, fast-response, and distributed SPR RI sensor.

Wireless prototype based on pressure and bending sensors for measuring gait [corrected] quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Grenez, Florent; Viqueira Villarejo, María; García Zapirain, Begoña; Méndez Zorrilla, Amaia

2013-07-29

This paper presents a technological solution based on sensors controlled remotely in order to monitor, track and evaluate the gait quality in people with or without associated pathology. Special hardware simulating a shoe was developed, which consists of three pressure sensors, two bending sensors, an Arduino mini and a Bluetooth module. The obtained signals are digitally processed, calculating the standard deviation and establishing thresholds obtained empirically. A group of users was chosen with the aim of executing two modalities: natural walking and dragging the left foot. The gait was parameterized with the following variables: as far as pressure sensors are concerned, one pressure sensor under the first metatarsal (right sensor), another one under the fifth metatarsal (left) and a third one under the heel were placed. With respect to bending sensors, one bending sensor was placed for the ankle movement and another one for the foot sole. The obtained results show a rate accuracy oscillating between 85% (right sensor) and 100% (heel and bending sensors). Therefore, the developed prototype is able to differentiate between healthy gait and pathological gait, and it will be used as the base of a more complex and integral technological solution, which is being developed currently.

A novel self-powered wireless temperature sensor based on thermoelectric generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Yongming; Wang, Yao; Deng, Yuan; Gao, Hongli; Lin, Zhen; Zhu, Wei; Ye, Huihong

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A self-powered temperature sensor, based on thermoelectric generator, is presented. • This novel sensor can operate without any batteries or other power sources. • This sensor combines signal sensing and power supplying together. • The measurement error is 0.5 K during the sensor operating period. • This sensor can detect temperature fluctuation situations such as fire disaster. - Abstract: A novel self-powered wireless temperature sensor has been designed and presented for solving the power supply problem of temperature sensors. This sensor can autonomously measure temperature under positive temperature fluctuation situations. The self-powered characteristic, realized by using four thermoelectric generators, enables the sensor to operate without any batteries or other power sources. In order to obtain these features, attentions are not only focused on the method to combine signal sensing and power generating together, but also on the method to improve measurement accuracy. Experimental results confirm that this novel sensor has excellent measurement accuracy. The measured performance is consistent with the calculated characteristics. For typical application, this self-powered temperature sensor can detect fire before it develops to flashover state. And the maximum detection distance grows with the growth of burning rate. All the results indicate this innovative sensor is a promising self-powered device which can be used to measure temperature value in positive temperature fluctuation situations

Oriented Edge-Based Feature Descriptor for Multi-Sensor Image Alignment and Enhancement

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Myung-Ho Ju

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present an efficient image alignment and enhancement method for multi-sensor images. The shape of the object captured in a multi-sensor images can be determined by comparing variability of contrast using corresponding edges across multi-sensor image. Using this cue, we construct a robust feature descriptor based on the magnitudes of the oriented edges. Our proposed method enables fast image alignment by identifying matching features in multi-sensor images. We enhance the aligned multi-sensor images through the fusion of the salient regions from each image. The results of stitching the multi-sensor images and their enhancement demonstrate that our proposed method can align and enhance multi-sensor images more efficiently than previous methods.

Boronic acid-based chemical sensors for saccharides.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiao-Tai; Liu, Guang-Jian; Ning, Zhang-Wei; Xing, Guo-Wen

2017-11-27

During the past decades, the interaction between boronic acids-functionalized sensors and saccharides is of great interest in the frontier domain of the interdiscipline concerning both biology and chemistry. Various boronic acid-based sensing systems have been developed to detect saccharides and corresponding derivatives in vitro as well as in vivo, which embrace unimolecular sensors, two-component sensing ensembles, functional assemblies, and boronic acid-loaded nanomaterials or surfaces. New sensing strategies emerge in endlessly with excellent selectivity and sensitivity. In this review, several typical sensing systems were introduced and some promising examples were highlighted to enable the deep insight of saccharides sensing on the basis of boronic acids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Hierarchical Energy-Efficient Method Based on Combinatorial Optimization for Wireless Sensor Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yuchao; Tang, Hongying; Cheng, Yongbo; Zhao, Qin; Yuan, Baoqing Li andXiaobing

2017-07-19

Routing protocols based on topology control are significantly important for improving network longevity in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Traditionally, some WSN routing protocols distribute uneven network traffic load to sensor nodes, which is not optimal for improving network longevity. Differently to conventional WSN routing protocols, we propose a dynamic hierarchical protocol based on combinatorial optimization (DHCO) to balance energy consumption of sensor nodes and to improve WSN longevity. For each sensor node, the DHCO algorithm obtains the optimal route by establishing a feasible routing set instead of selecting the cluster head or the next hop node. The process of obtaining the optimal route can be formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem. Specifically, the DHCO algorithm is carried out by the following procedures. It employs a hierarchy-based connection mechanism to construct a hierarchical network structure in which each sensor node is assigned to a special hierarchical subset; it utilizes the combinatorial optimization theory to establish the feasible routing set for each sensor node, and takes advantage of the maximum-minimum criterion to obtain their optimal routes to the base station. Various results of simulation experiments show effectiveness and superiority of the DHCO algorithm in comparison with state-of-the-art WSN routing algorithms, including low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH), hybrid energy-efficient distributed clustering (HEED), genetic protocol-based self-organizing network clustering (GASONeC), and double cost function-based routing (DCFR) algorithms.

A Review on Surface Stress-Based Miniaturized Piezoresistive SU-8 Polymeric Cantilever Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Mathew, Ribu; Ravi Sankar, A.

2018-06-01

In the last decade, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) SU-8 polymeric cantilevers with piezoresistive readout combined with the advances in molecular recognition techniques have found versatile applications, especially in the field of chemical and biological sensing. Compared to conventional solid-state semiconductor-based piezoresistive cantilever sensors, SU-8 polymeric cantilevers have advantages in terms of better sensitivity along with reduced material and fabrication cost. In recent times, numerous researchers have investigated their potential as a sensing platform due to high performance-to-cost ratio of SU-8 polymer-based cantilever sensors. In this article, we critically review the design, fabrication, and performance aspects of surface stress-based piezoresistive SU-8 polymeric cantilever sensors. The evolution of surface stress-based piezoresistive cantilever sensors from solid-state semiconductor materials to polymers, especially SU-8 polymer, is discussed in detail. Theoretical principles of surface stress generation and their application in cantilever sensing technology are also devised. Variants of SU-8 polymeric cantilevers with different composition of materials in cantilever stacks are explained. Furthermore, the interdependence of the material selection, geometrical design parameters, and fabrication process of piezoresistive SU-8 polymeric cantilever sensors and their cumulative impact on the sensor response are also explained in detail. In addition to the design-, fabrication-, and performance-related factors, this article also describes various challenges in engineering SU-8 polymeric cantilevers as a universal sensing platform such as temperature and moisture vulnerability. This review article would serve as a guideline for researchers to understand specifics and functionality of surface stress-based piezoresistive SU-8 cantilever sensors.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Space-based infrared sensors of space target imaging effect analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Huayu; Zhang, Yasheng; Zhou, Haijun; Zhao, Shuang

2018-02-01

Target identification problem is one of the core problem of ballistic missile defense system, infrared imaging simulation is an important means of target detection and recognition. This paper first established the space-based infrared sensors ballistic target imaging model of point source on the planet's atmosphere; then from two aspects of space-based sensors camera parameters and target characteristics simulated atmosphere ballistic target of infrared imaging effect, analyzed the camera line of sight jitter, camera system noise and different imaging effects of wave on the target.

A sensor and video based ontology for activity recognition in smart environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, D; Morrow, Philip J; Nugent, Chris D

2014-01-01

Activity recognition is used in a wide range of applications including healthcare and security. In a smart environment activity recognition can be used to monitor and support the activities of a user. There have been a range of methods used in activity recognition including sensor-based approaches, vision-based approaches and ontological approaches. This paper presents a novel approach to activity recognition in a smart home environment which combines sensor and video data through an ontological framework. The ontology describes the relationships and interactions between activities, the user, objects, sensors and video data.

A Denoising Based Autoassociative Model for Robust Sensor Monitoring in Nuclear Power Plants

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Ahmad Shaheryar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sensors health monitoring is essentially important for reliable functioning of safety-critical chemical and nuclear power plants. Autoassociative neural network (AANN based empirical sensor models have widely been reported for sensor calibration monitoring. However, such ill-posed data driven models may result in poor generalization and robustness. To address above-mentioned issues, several regularization heuristics such as training with jitter, weight decay, and cross-validation are suggested in literature. Apart from these regularization heuristics, traditional error gradient based supervised learning algorithms for multilayered AANN models are highly susceptible of being trapped in local optimum. In order to address poor regularization and robust learning issues, here, we propose a denoised autoassociative sensor model (DAASM based on deep learning framework. Proposed DAASM model comprises multiple hidden layers which are pretrained greedily in an unsupervised fashion under denoising autoencoder architecture. In order to improve robustness, dropout heuristic and domain specific data corruption processes are exercised during unsupervised pretraining phase. The proposed sensor model is trained and tested on sensor data from a PWR type nuclear power plant. Accuracy, autosensitivity, spillover, and sequential probability ratio test (SPRT based fault detectability metrics are used for performance assessment and comparison with extensively reported five-layer AANN model by Kramer.

Smart sensor-based geospatial architecture for dike monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Herle, S.; Becker, R.; Blankenbach, J.

2016-04-01

Artificial hydraulic structures like dams or dikes used for water level regulations or flood prevention are continuously under the influence of the weather and variable river regimes. Thus, ongoing monitoring and simulation is crucial in order to determine the inner condition. Potentially life-threatening situations, in extreme case a failure, must be counteracted by all available means. Nowadays flood warning systems rely exclusively on water level forecast without considering the state of the structure itself. Area-covering continuous knowledge of the inner state including time dependent changes increases the capability of recognizing and locating vulnerable spots for early treatment. In case of a predicted breach, advance warning time for alerting affected citizens can be extended. Our approach is composed of smart sensors integrated in a service-oriented geospatial architecture to monitor and simulate artificial hydraulic structures continuously. The sensors observe the inner state of the construction like the soil moisture or the stress and deformation over time but also various external influences like water levels or wind speed. They are interconnected in distributed network architecture by a so-called sensor bus system based on lightweight protocols like Message Queue Telemetry Transport for Sensor Networks (MQTT-SN). These sensor data streams are transferred into an OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) data structure providing high-level geo web services to end users. Bundled with 3rd party geo web services (WMS etc.) powerful processing and simulation tools can be invoked using the Web Processing Service (WPS) standard. Results will be visualized in a geoportal allowing user access to all information.

Sensor fault diagnosis of aero-engine based on divided flight status

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhen; Zhang, Jun; Sun, Yigang; Liu, Zhexu

2017-11-01

Fault diagnosis and safety analysis of an aero-engine have attracted more and more attention in modern society, whose safety directly affects the flight safety of an aircraft. In this paper, the problem concerning sensor fault diagnosis is investigated for an aero-engine during the whole flight process. Considering that the aero-engine is always working in different status through the whole flight process, a flight status division-based sensor fault diagnosis method is presented to improve fault diagnosis precision for the aero-engine. First, aero-engine status is partitioned according to normal sensor data during the whole flight process through the clustering algorithm. Based on that, a diagnosis model is built for each status using the principal component analysis algorithm. Finally, the sensors are monitored using the built diagnosis models by identifying the aero-engine status. The simulation result illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Sensor fault diagnosis of aero-engine based on divided flight status.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhen; Zhang, Jun; Sun, Yigang; Liu, Zhexu

2017-11-01

Fault diagnosis and safety analysis of an aero-engine have attracted more and more attention in modern society, whose safety directly affects the flight safety of an aircraft. In this paper, the problem concerning sensor fault diagnosis is investigated for an aero-engine during the whole flight process. Considering that the aero-engine is always working in different status through the whole flight process, a flight status division-based sensor fault diagnosis method is presented to improve fault diagnosis precision for the aero-engine. First, aero-engine status is partitioned according to normal sensor data during the whole flight process through the clustering algorithm. Based on that, a diagnosis model is built for each status using the principal component analysis algorithm. Finally, the sensors are monitored using the built diagnosis models by identifying the aero-engine status. The simulation result illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Photonic Crystal Sensors Based on Porous Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Pacholski

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Porous silicon has been established as an excellent sensing platform for the optical detection of hazardous chemicals and biomolecular interactions such as DNA hybridization, antigen/antibody binding, and enzymatic reactions. Its porous nature provides a high surface area within a small volume, which can be easily controlled by changing the pore sizes. As the porosity and consequently the refractive index of an etched porous silicon layer depends on the electrochemial etching conditions photonic crystals composed of multilayered porous silicon films with well-resolved and narrow optical reflectivity features can easily be obtained. The prominent optical response of the photonic crystal decreases the detection limit and therefore increases the sensitivity of porous silicon sensors in comparison to sensors utilizing Fabry-Pérot based optical transduction. Development of porous silicon photonic crystal sensors which allow for the detection of analytes by the naked eye using a simple color change or the fabrication of stacked porous silicon photonic crystals showing two distinct optical features which can be utilized for the discrimination of analytes emphasize its high application potential.

Photonic Crystal Sensors Based on Porous Silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Pacholski, Claudia

2013-01-01

Porous silicon has been established as an excellent sensing platform for the optical detection of hazardous chemicals and biomolecular interactions such as DNA hybridization, antigen/antibody binding, and enzymatic reactions. Its porous nature provides a high surface area within a small volume, which can be easily controlled by changing the pore sizes. As the porosity and consequently the refractive index of an etched porous silicon layer depends on the electrochemial etching conditions photonic crystals composed of multilayered porous silicon films with well-resolved and narrow optical reflectivity features can easily be obtained. The prominent optical response of the photonic crystal decreases the detection limit and therefore increases the sensitivity of porous silicon sensors in comparison to sensors utilizing Fabry-Pérot based optical transduction. Development of porous silicon photonic crystal sensors which allow for the detection of analytes by the naked eye using a simple color change or the fabrication of stacked porous silicon photonic crystals showing two distinct optical features which can be utilized for the discrimination of analytes emphasize its high application potential. PMID:23571671

Air Pollution Monitoring and Mining Based on Sensor Grid in London

OpenAIRE

Ma, Yajie; Richards, Mark; Ghanem, Moustafa; Guo, Yike; Hassard, John

2008-01-01

In this paper, we present a distributed infrastructure based on wireless sensors network and Grid computing technology for air pollution monitoring and mining, which aims to develop low-cost and ubiquitous sensor networks to collect real-time, large scale and comprehensive environmental data from road traffic emissions for air pollution monitoring in urban environment. The main informatics challenges in respect to constructing the high-throughput sensor Grid are discussed in this paper. We pr...

Structural health monitoring system of soccer arena based on optical sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Shishkin, Victor V.; Churin, Alexey E.; Kharenko, Denis S.; Zheleznova, Maria A.; Shelemba, Ivan S.

2014-05-01

A structural health monitoring system based on optical sensors has been developed and installed on the indoor soccer arena "Zarya" in Novosibirsk. The system integrates 119 fiber optic sensors: 85 strain, 32 temperature and 2 displacement sensors. In addition, total station is used for measuring displacement in 45 control points. All of the constituents of the supporting structure are subjects for monitoring: long-span frames with under floor ties, connections, purlins and foundation.

The Combination of Micro Diaphragm Pumps and Flow Sensors for Single Stroke Based Liquid Flow Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenke, Christoph; Pallejà Rubio, Jaume; Kibler, Sebastian; Häfner, Johannes; Richter, Martin; Kutter, Christoph

2017-04-03

With the combination of micropumps and flow sensors, highly accurate and secure closed-loop controlled micro dosing systems for liquids are possible. Implementing a single stroke based control mode with piezoelectrically driven micro diaphragm pumps can provide a solution for dosing of volumes down to nanoliters or variable average flow rates in the range of nL/min to μL/min. However, sensor technologies feature a yet undetermined accuracy for measuring highly pulsatile micropump flow. Two miniaturizable in-line sensor types providing electrical readout-differential pressure based flow sensors and thermal calorimetric flow sensors-are evaluated for their suitability of combining them with mircopumps. Single stroke based calibration of the sensors was carried out with a new method, comparing displacement volumes and sensor flow volumes. Limitations of accuracy and performance for single stroke based flow control are described. Results showed that besides particle robustness of sensors, controlling resistive and capacitive damping are key aspects for setting up reproducible and reliable liquid dosing systems. Depending on the required average flow or defined volume, dosing systems with an accuracy of better than 5% for the differential pressure based sensor and better than 6.5% for the thermal calorimeter were achieved.

A new pyrazoline-based fluorescent sensor for Al3+ in aqueous solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Shengli; Song, Jingjing; Wu, Gongying; Cheng, Cuixia; Gao, Qing

2015-02-05

A new pyrazoline-based fluorescent sensor was synthesized and the structure was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The sensor responds to Al(3+) with high selectivity among a series of cations in aqueous methanol. This sensor forms a 1:1 complex with Al(3+) and displays fluorescent quenching. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Approach for Self-Calibrating CO2 Measurements with Linear Membrane-Based Gas Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Detlef Lazik

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Linear membrane-based gas sensors that can be advantageously applied for the measurement of a single gas component in large heterogeneous systems, e.g., for representative determination of CO2 in the subsurface, can be designed depending on the properties of the observation object. A resulting disadvantage is that the permeation-based sensor response depends on operating conditions, the individual site-adapted sensor geometry, the membrane material, and the target gas component. Therefore, calibration is needed, especially of the slope, which could change over several orders of magnitude. A calibration-free approach based on an internal gas standard is developed to overcome the multi-criterial slope dependency. This results in a normalization of sensor response and enables the sensor to assess the significance of measurement. The approach was proofed on the example of CO2 analysis in dry air with tubular PDMS membranes for various CO2 concentrations of an internal standard. Negligible temperature dependency was found within an 18 K range. The transformation behavior of the measurement signal and the influence of concentration variations of the internal standard on the measurement signal were shown. Offsets that were adjusted based on the stated theory for the given measurement conditions and material data from the literature were in agreement with the experimentally determined offsets. A measurement comparison with an NDIR reference sensor shows an unexpectedly low bias (<1% of the non-calibrated sensor response, and comparable statistical uncertainty.

Developing a Framework for E-Manufacturing Based on Wireless Sensor Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Xi

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the current situation of business environment and business intelligence systems integration at first. With emerging applications of internet and wireless communication technologies, e-manufacturing is focused on the use of internet, monitoring and communications technologies to make things happen collaboratively on a global basis. A wireless sensor network based data acquisition system gives enormous benefits such as ease and flexibility of deployment in addition to low maintenance and deployment costs. This paper reviews wireless sensor network and its application for e-manufacturing. To provide a dependable, non-intrusive, secure, real-time automated health monitoring, a distributed reconfigurable sensor network is introduced which consists of real and virtual sensor nodes over a communication wireless sensor network using Mica2 motes.

Design of Mine Ventilators Monitoring System Based on Wireless Sensor Network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Sheng; Song Haiqiang

2012-01-01

A monitoring system for a mine ventilator is designed based on ZigBee wireless sensor network technology in the paper. The system consists of a sink node, sensor nodes, industrial personal computer and several sensors. Sensor nodes communicate with the sink node through the ZigBee wireless sensor network. The sink node connects with the configuration software on the pc via serial port. The system can collect or calculate vibration, temperature, negative pressure, air volume and other information of the mine ventilator. Meanwhile the system accurately monitors operating condition of the ventilator through these parameters. Especially it provides the most original information for potential faults of the ventilator. Therefore, there is no doubt that it improves the efficiency of fault diagnosis.

Design of Mine Ventilators Monitoring System Based on Wireless Sensor Network

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Sheng; Song, Haiqiang

2012-05-01

A monitoring system for a mine ventilator is designed based on ZigBee wireless sensor network technology in the paper. The system consists of a sink node, sensor nodes, industrial personal computer and several sensors. Sensor nodes communicate with the sink node through the ZigBee wireless sensor network. The sink node connects with the configuration software on the pc via serial port. The system can collect or calculate vibration, temperature, negative pressure, air volume and other information of the mine ventilator. Meanwhile the system accurately monitors operating condition of the ventilator through these parameters. Especially it provides the most original information for potential faults of the ventilator. Therefore, there is no doubt that it improves the efficiency of fault diagnosis.

Vulnerability of OFDR-based distributed sensors to radiations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rizzolo, S. [Laboratoire Hubert Curien, Universite Jean Monnet, CNRS UMR 5516, 18 Rue Benoit Lauras, 42000, Saint-Etienne (France); Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica, Universita di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Parco d' Orleans II, Ed. 17, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Areva Centre Technique, Boulevard de l' Industrie, 71200, Le Creusot (France); Boukenter, A.; Marin, E.; Ouerdane, Y.; Girard, S. [Laboratoire Hubert Curien, Universite Jean Monnet, CNRS UMR 5516, 18 Rue Benoit Lauras, 42000, Saint-Etienne (France); Cannas, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica, Universita di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Parco d' Orleans II, Ed. 17, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Perisse, J. [Areva NP, 10 Rue Juliette Recamier, 69006, Lyon (France); Bauer, S. [Areva Centre Technique, Boulevard de l' Industrie, 71200, Le Creusot (France); Mace, J.R. [Areva NP, 1, Place Jean-Millier 92084, Paris-La Defense (France)

2015-07-01

Silica-based optical fibers have recently attracted much interest for their use in harsh environments such as the ones encountered in space, military or high energy physics applications. Small size, fast response, light weight and immunity to electromagnetic fields are favorable advantages that often become decisive for fiber sensing to be chosen over other conventional sensing technologies. As an important and representative example, Fukushima's accident highlighted weaknesses in the safety of nuclear power plants. Since, one of the strategic research axis of the nuclear industry is devoted to the development of novel technologies and sensors to enhance and reinforce the safety in nuclear power plants, especially in the case of accidental conditions associated with a strong increase of the constraints applied to the fiber-based system. The objective of this research field is to develop classes of distributed fiber-based sensors using scattering-based techniques, powerful solutions for various measurands measurement. Optical fiber properties, indeed, depend on several external parameters such as temperature, strain and therefore the fiber itself can be used as the sensitive element. Different classes of fiber-based sensing techniques have been recently investigated such as Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) for discrete measurements and Brillouin, Raman and Rayleigh [8,9] scattering based techniques for distributed measurements of various environmental parameters. Whereas Brillouin and Raman sensor resolutions remain in the range of one meter, the advantage of Rayleigh scattering based technique is that it offers very high spatial resolution from 1 cm down to few μm over several hundred meters of fiber length down to few meters respectively. For nuclear industry, integrating fibers-based sensors has to improve the performances (resolution, operating range,...) of security systems in current nuclear power plants (NPPs) and offers new alternative technologies that may

The pH-static enzyme sensor : An ISFET-based enzyme sensor, insensitive to the buffer capacity of the sample

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Schoot, Bart H.; Bergveld, Piet

1987-01-01

An ISFET-based urea sensor is combined with a noble-metal electrode which provides continuous coulometric titration of the products of the enzymatic reaction. The sensor thus becomes independent of the buffer capacity of the sample; and because the enzyme is operating at a constant pH, the linear

Application of a sensor array based on capillary-attached conductive gas sensors for odor identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bahraminejad, Behzad; Basri, Shahnor; Isa, Maryam; Hambali, Zarida

2010-01-01

An electronic nose based on an array of capillary-attached conductive gas sensors was fabricated. The identification ability of the developed structure was investigated by employing different categories of simple and complex odor databases. Feature data sets were generated from the dynamic and steady state responses of the sensor array to the applied odor databases. Combinations of different feature extraction and classification methods were used to detect target gases. Validation of each technique was evaluated. Achievements of the study proved high classification rates of the fabricated e-nose in odor identification. It was indicated that gas identification is possible by applying the early selected portion of transient responses of the developed sensor array. The ability of the mentioned structure in analyzing gas mixtures was also investigated. The results presented high accuracy in the classification of gas mixtures

A multifunctional PVDF-based tactile sensor for minimally invasive surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Sokhanvar, S.; Packirisamy, M.; Dargahi, J.

2007-08-01

In this paper a multifunctional tactile sensor system using PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), is proposed, designed, analyzed, tested and validated. The working principle of the sensor is in such a way that it can be used in combination with almost any end-effectors. However, the sensor is particularly designed to be integrated with minimally invasive surgery (MIS) tools. In addition, the structural and transduction materials are selected to be compatible with micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, so that miniaturization would be possible. The corrugated shape of the sensor ensures the safe tissue grasping and compatibility with the traditional tooth-like end effectors of MIS tools. A unit of this sensor comprised of a base, a flexible beam and three PVDF sensing elements. Two PVDF sensing elements sandwiched at the end supports work in thickness mode to measure the magnitude and position of applied load. The third PVDF sensing element is attached to the beam and it works in the extensional mode to measure the softness of the contact object. The proposed sensor is modeled both analytically and numerically and a series of simulations are performed in order to estimate the characteristics of the sensor in measuring the magnitude and position of a point load, distributed load, and also the softness of the contact object. Furthermore, in order to validate the theoretical results, the prototyped sensor was tested and the results are compared. The results are very promising and proving the capability of the sensor for haptic sensing.

Recent Advances in Quartz Crystal Microbalance-Based Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandeep Kumar Vashist

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM has gained exceptional importance in the fields of (biosensors, material science, environmental monitoring, and electrochemistry based on the phenomenal development in QCM-based sensing during the last two decades. This review provides an overview of recent advances made in QCM-based sensors, which have been widely employed in a plethora of applications for the detection of chemicals, biomolecules and microorganisms.

VLC-based indoor location awareness using LED light and image sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seok-Ju; Yoo, Jong-Ho; Jung, Sung-Yoon

2012-11-01

Recently, indoor LED lighting can be considered for constructing green infra with energy saving and additionally providing LED-IT convergence services such as visible light communication (VLC) based location awareness and navigation services. For example, in case of large complex shopping mall, location awareness to navigate the destination is very important issue. However, the conventional navigation using GPS is not working indoors. Alternative location service based on WLAN has a problem that the position accuracy is low. For example, it is difficult to estimate the height exactly. If the position error of the height is greater than the height between floors, it may cause big problem. Therefore, conventional navigation is inappropriate for indoor navigation. Alternative possible solution for indoor navigation is VLC based location awareness scheme. Because indoor LED infra will be definitely equipped for providing lighting functionality, indoor LED lighting has a possibility to provide relatively high accuracy of position estimation combined with VLC technology. In this paper, we provide a new VLC based positioning system using visible LED lights and image sensors. Our system uses location of image sensor lens and location of reception plane. By using more than two image sensor, we can determine transmitter position less than 1m position error. Through simulation, we verify the validity of the proposed VLC based new positioning system using visible LED light and image sensors.

Carbon nanostructure-based field-effect transistors for label-free chemical/biological sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, PingAn; Zhang, Jia; Li, Le; Wang, Zhenlong; O'Neill, William; Estrela, Pedro

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, electrical detection of chemical and biological species using novel nanostructure-based devices has attracted significant attention for chemical, genomics, biomedical diagnostics, and drug discovery applications. The use of nanostructured devices in chemical/biological sensors in place of conventional sensing technologies has advantages of high sensitivity, low decreased energy consumption and potentially highly miniaturized integration. Owing to their particular structure, excellent electrical properties and high chemical stability, carbon nanotube and graphene based electrical devices have been widely developed for high performance label-free chemical/biological sensors. Here, we review the latest developments of carbon nanostructure-based transistor sensors in ultrasensitive detection of chemical/biological entities, such as poisonous gases, nucleic acids, proteins and cells.

An embedded stress sensor for concrete SHM based on amorphous ferromagnetic microwires.

Science.gov (United States)

Olivera, Jesús; González, Margarita; Fuente, José Vicente; Varga, Rastislav; Zhukov, Arkady; Anaya, José Javier

2014-10-24

A new smart concrete aggregate design as a candidate for applications in structural health monitoring (SHM) of critical elements in civil infrastructure is proposed. The cement-based stress/strain sensor was developed by utilizing the stress/strain sensing properties of a magnetic microwire embedded in cement-based composite (MMCC). This is a contact-less type sensor that measures variations of magnetic properties resulting from stress variations. Sensors made of these materials can be designed to satisfy the specific demand for an economic way to monitor concrete infrastructure health. For this purpose, we embedded a thin magnetic microwire in the core of a cement-based cylinder, which was inserted into the concrete specimen under study as an extra aggregate. The experimental results show that the embedded MMCC sensor is capable of measuring internal compressive stress around the range of 1-30 MPa. Two stress sensing properties of the embedded sensor under uniaxial compression were studied: the peak amplitude and peak position of magnetic switching field. The sensitivity values for the amplitude and position within the measured range were 5 mV/MPa and 2.5 µs/MPa, respectively.

An Embedded Stress Sensor for Concrete SHM Based on Amorphous Ferromagnetic Microwires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús Olivera

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A new smart concrete aggregate design as a candidate for applications in structural health monitoring (SHM of critical elements in civil infrastructure is proposed. The cement-based stress/strain sensor was developed by utilizing the stress/strain sensing properties of a magnetic microwire embedded in cement-based composite (MMCC. This is a contact-less type sensor that measures variations of magnetic properties resulting from stress variations. Sensors made of these materials can be designed to satisfy the specific demand for an economic way to monitor concrete infrastructure health. For this purpose, we embedded a thin magnetic microwire in the core of a cement-based cylinder, which was inserted into the concrete specimen under study as an extra aggregate. The experimental results show that the embedded MMCC sensor is capable of measuring internal compressive stress around the range of 1–30 MPa. Two stress sensing properties of the embedded sensor under uniaxial compression were studied: the peak amplitude and peak position of magnetic switching field. The sensitivity values for the amplitude and position within the measured range were 5 mV/MPa and 2.5 µs/MPa, respectively.

Silicon Carbide-Based Hydrogen Gas Sensors for High-Temperature Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sangchoel Kim

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We investigated SiC-based hydrogen gas sensors with metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS structure for high temperature process monitoring and leak detection applications in fields such as the automotive, chemical and petroleum industries. In this work, a thin tantalum oxide (Ta2O5 layer was exploited with the purpose of sensitivity improvement, because tantalum oxide has good stability at high temperature with high permeability for hydrogen gas. Silicon carbide (SiC was used as a substrate for high-temperature applications. We fabricated Pd/Ta2O5/SiC-based hydrogen gas sensors, and the dependence of their I-V characteristics and capacitance response properties on hydrogen concentrations were analyzed in the temperature range from room temperature to 500 °C. According to the results, our sensor shows promising performance for hydrogen gas detection at high temperatures.

Alcohol sensor based on u-bent hetero-structured fiber optic

Science.gov (United States)

Patrialova, Sefi N.; Hatta, Agus M.; Sekartedjo, Sekartedjo

2016-11-01

A sensor based on a fiber optic hetero-structure to determine the concentration of alcohol has been proposed. The structure of the sensing probe in this research is a singlemode-multimode-singlemode (SMS) which bent into Ushaped and soon called as SMS u-bent. The SMS structure was chosen to get a higher sensitivity. This research utilizes the principle of multimode interference and evanescent field by modifying the cladding with various alcohol concentration. Testing of the sensor's performance has been done by measuring the sensor's power output response to the length of the SMS fiber optic, bending diameter, and alcohol concentration. Based on the experiment result, the ubent SMS fiber optic with 50 mm bending diameter and 63 mm MMF lenght has the highest sensitivity, 3.87 dB/% and the minimum resolution, 0.26 x 10-3 %.

Performance Evaluation of Page Migration Scheme for NVRAM-Based Wireless Sensor Nodes

OpenAIRE

Ryu, Yeonseung

2013-01-01

A wireless sensor network consists of low-powered and multifunctional sensor nodes. Since each sensor node is operated by a battery, the energy management has become one of the critical design challenges in wireless sensor networks. Some recent studies have shown that DRAM-based main memory spends a significant portion of the total system power. In this paper, we studied a buffer management scheme for hybrid main memory that combines low-power nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) and DRAM in order to redu...

Nanoporous Pirani sensor based on anodic aluminum oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Gwang-Jae; Kim, Woo Young; Shim, Hyun Bin; Lee, Hee Chul

2016-09-01

A nanoporous Pirani sensor based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) is proposed, and the quantitative relationship between the performance of the sensor and the porosity of the AAO membrane is characterized with a theoretical model. The proposed Pirani sensor is composed of a metallic resistor on a suspended nanoporous membrane, which simultaneously serves as the sensing area and the supporting structure. The AAO membrane has numerous vertically-tufted nanopores, resulting in a lower measurable pressure limit due to both the increased effective sensing area and the decreased effective thermal loss through the supporting structure. Additionally, the suspended AAO membrane structure, with its outer periphery anchored to the substrate, known as a closed-type design, is demonstrated using nanopores of AAO as an etch hole without a bulk micromachining process used on the substrate. In a CMOS-compatible process, a 200 μm × 200 μm nanoporous Pirani sensor with porosity of 25% was capable of measuring the pressure from 0.1 mTorr to 760 Torr. With adjustment of the porosity of the AAO, the measurable range could be extended toward lower pressures of more than one decade compared to a non-porous membrane with an identical footprint.

An Ambulatory System for Gait Monitoring Based on Wireless Sensorized Insoles

Science.gov (United States)

González, Iván; Fontecha, Jesús; Hervás, Ramón; Bravo, José

2015-01-01

A new gait phase detection system for continuous monitoring based on wireless sensorized insoles is presented. The system can be used in gait analysis mobile applications, and it is designed for real-time demarcation of gait phases. The system employs pressure sensors to assess the force exerted by each foot during walking. A fuzzy rule-based inference algorithm is implemented on a smartphone and used to detect each of the gait phases based on the sensor signals. Additionally, to provide a solution that is insensitive to perturbations caused by non-walking activities, a probabilistic classifier is employed to discriminate walking forward from other low-level activities, such as turning, walking backwards, lateral walking, etc. The combination of these two algorithms constitutes the first approach towards a continuous gait assessment system, by means of the avoidance of non-walking influences. PMID:26184199

An Ambulatory System for Gait Monitoring Based on Wireless Sensorized Insoles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iván González

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A new gait phase detection system for continuous monitoring based on wireless sensorized insoles is presented. The system can be used in gait analysis mobile applications, and it is designed for real-time demarcation of gait phases. The system employs pressure sensors to assess the force exerted by each foot during walking. A fuzzy rule-based inference algorithm is implemented on a smartphone and used to detect each of the gait phases based on the sensor signals. Additionally, to provide a solution that is insensitive to perturbations caused by non-walking activities, a probabilistic classifier is employed to discriminate walking forward from other low-level activities, such as turning, walking backwards, lateral walking, etc. The combination of these two algorithms constitutes the first approach towards a continuous gait assessment system, by means of the avoidance of non-walking influences.

Paper-based sensors for rapid detection of virulence factor produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alatraktchi, Fatima AlZahra'a; Noori, Jafar Safaa; Tanev, Georgi Plamenov

2018-01-01

method to quantify pyocyanin in bacterial cultures without the conventional time consuming pretreatment of the samples. The electrochemical properties of the paper-based sensors were evaluated by ferri/ferrocyanide as a redox mediator, and showed reliable sensing performance. The paper-based sensors...

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer/Metal Organic Framework Based Chemical Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenzhong Guo

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The present review describes recent advances in the concept of molecular imprinting using metal organic frameworks (MOF for development of chemical sensors. Two main strategies regarding the fabrication, performance and applications of recent sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers associated with MOF are presented: molecularly imprinted MOF films and molecularly imprinted core-shell nanoparticles using MOF as core. The associated transduction modes are also discussed. A brief conclusion and future expectations are described herein.

A novel capacitive absolute positioning sensor based on time grating with nanometer resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Pu, Hongji; Liu, Hongzhong; Liu, Xiaokang; Peng, Kai; Yu, Zhicheng

2018-05-01

The present work proposes a novel capacitive absolute positioning sensor based on time grating. The sensor includes a fine incremental-displacement measurement component combined with a coarse absolute-position measurement component to obtain high-resolution absolute positioning measurements. A single row type sensor was proposed to achieve fine displacement measurement, which combines the two electrode rows of a previously proposed double-row type capacitive displacement sensor based on time grating into a single row. To achieve absolute positioning measurement, the coarse measurement component is designed as a single-row type displacement sensor employing a single spatial period over the entire measurement range. In addition, this component employs a rectangular induction electrode and four groups of orthogonal discrete excitation electrodes with half-sinusoidal envelope shapes, which were formed by alternately extending the rectangular electrodes of the fine measurement component. The fine and coarse measurement components are tightly integrated to form a compact absolute positioning sensor. A prototype sensor was manufactured using printed circuit board technology for testing and optimization of the design in conjunction with simulations. Experimental results show that the prototype sensor achieves a ±300 nm measurement accuracy with a 1 nm resolution over a displacement range of 200 mm when employing error compensation. The proposed sensor is an excellent alternative to presently available long-range absolute nanometrology sensors owing to its low cost, simple structure, and ease of manufacturing.

Methods and Systems for Configuring Sensor Acquisition Based on Pressure Steps

Science.gov (United States)

DeDonato, Mathew (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Technologies are provided for underwater measurements. A system includes an underwater vessels including: a plurality of sensors disposed thereon for measuring underwater properties; and a programmable controller configured to selectively activate the plurality of sensors based at least in part on underwater pressure. A user may program at what pressure ranges certain sensors are activated to measure selected properties, and may also program the ascent/descent rate of the underwater vessel, which is correlated with the underwater pressure.

Carbon Nanotube Based Chemical Sensors for Space and Terrestrial Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing; Lu, Yijiang

2009-01-01

A nanosensor technology has been developed using nanostructures, such as single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), on a pair of interdigitated electrodes (IDE) processed with a silicon-based microfabrication and micromachining technique. The IDE fingers were fabricated using photolithography and thin film metallization techniques. Both in-situ growth of nanostructure materials and casting of the nanostructure dispersions were used to make chemical sensing devices. These sensors have been exposed to nitrogen dioxide, acetone, benzene, nitrotoluene, chlorine, and ammonia in the concentration range of ppm to ppb at room temperature. The electronic molecular sensing of carbon nanotubes in our sensor platform can be understood by intra- and inter-tube electron modulation in terms of charge transfer mechanisms. As a result of the charge transfer, the conductance of p-type or hole-richer SWNTs in air will change. Due to the large surface area, low surface energy barrier and high thermal and mechanical stability, nanostructured chemical sensors potentially can offer higher sensitivity, lower power consumption and better robustness than the state-of-the-art systems, which make them more attractive for defense and space applications. Combined with MEMS technology, light weight and compact size sensors can be made in wafer scale with low cost. Additionally, a wireless capability of such a sensor chip can be used for networked mobile and fixed-site detection and warning systems for military bases, facilities and battlefield areas.

Perception-based Co-evolutionary Reinforcement Learning for UAV Sensor Allocation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Berenji, Hamid

2003-01-01

.... A Perception-based reasoning approach based on co-evolutionary reinforcement learning was developed for jointly addressing sensor allocation on each individual UAV and allocation of a team of UAVs...

Flexible optical fiber sensor based on polyurethane

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaysir, Md Rejvi; Stefani, Alessio; Lwin, Richard

Polyurethane (PU) based hollow core fibers are investigated as optical sensors. The flexibility of PU fibers makes it suitable for sensing mechanical perturbations. We fabricated a PU fiber using the fiber drawing method, characterized the fiber and experimentally demonstrated a simple way...... to measure deformation, in the form of applied pressure....

Optical cascaded Fabry-Perot interferometer hydrogen sensor based on vernier effect

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yina; Zhao, Chunliu; Xu, Ben; Wang, Dongning; Yang, Minghong

2018-05-01

An optical cascaded Fabry-Perot interferometer hydrogen sensor based on vernier effect has been proposed and achieved. The proposed sensor, which total length is ∼594 μm, is composed of a segment of large mode area fiber (LMAF) and a segment of hollow-core fiber (HCF). The proposed sensor is coated with the Pt-loaded WO3/SiO2 powder which will result in the increase of local temperature of the sensor head when exposed to hydrogen atmosphere. Thus the hydrogen sensor can be achieved by monitoring the change of resonant envelope wavelength. The hydrogen sensitivity is -1.04 nm/% within the range of 0 % -2.4 % which is greatly improved because of the vernier effect. The response time is ∼80 s. Due to its compact configuration, the proposed sensor provides a feasible and miniature structure to achieve detection of hydrogen.

Optofluidic refractive index sensor based on partial reflection

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Zhang; Wang, Yichuan; Ye, Meiying; Fang, Wei; Tong, Limin

2017-06-01

We demonstrate a novel optofluidic refractive index (RI) sensor with high sensitivity and wide dynamic range based on partial reflection. Benefited from the divergent incident light and the output fibers with different tilting angles, we have achieved highly sensitive RI sensing in a wide range from 1.33 to 1.37. To investigate the effectiveness of this sensor, we perform a measurement of RI with a resolution of ca. 5.0×10-5 refractive index unit (RIU) for ethylene glycol solutions. Also, we have measured a series of liquid solutions by using different output fibers, achieving a resolution of ca. 0.52 mg/mL for cane surge. The optofluidic RI sensor takes advantage of the high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, small footprint, and low sample consumption, as well as the efficient fluidic sample delivery, making it useful for applications in the food industry.

Low-Power Silicon-based Thermal Sensors and Actuators for Chemical Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vereshchagina, E.