Search Results (14)

Sensor miniaturization offers significant advantages, including enhanced SoC integration efficiency, reduced cost, and lightweight design. While the roll-to-roll printed electronics fabrication process is advantageous for the mass production of sensors compared to the traditional MEMS technology, producing sensors that require air gap-based 3D structures remains challenging. This study proposes an integration of roll-to-roll gravure printing with a transferring and bonding method for touch sensor fabrication. Unlike previously reported methods for sacrificial layer removal, this approach prevents stiction issues, thus enabling sensor miniaturization and providing the flexibility to select materials that minimize sensitivity degradation during scaling. For the lower part of the sensor, Ag and BaSO₄ were roll-to-roll gravure-printed on a flexible PET substrate to form the bottom electrode and dielectric layer, followed by BaSO₄ spin coating on the sensor’s anchor area to form a spacer. For the upper part, a water-soluble PVP sacrificial layer was roll-to-roll gravure-printed on another flexible PET substrate, followed by spin coating Ag and SU-8 to form the top electrode and the structural layer, respectively. The sacrificial layer of the upper part was removed with water to delaminate the top electrode and structural layer from the substrate, then transferred and bonded onto the spacer of the lower part. Touch sensors of three different sizes were fabricated, and their performances were comparatively analyzed along with that of an epoxy resin-based sensor, demonstrating that our sensor attained miniaturization while achieving relatively high sensitivity. Full article

Flexible pressure sensors are increasingly recognized for their potential use in wearable electronic devices, attributed to their sensitivity and broad pressure response range. Introducing surface microstructures can notably enhance sensitivity; however, the pressure response range remains constrained by the limited volume of the compressible structure. To overcome this limitation, this study implements an aligned airgap structure fabricated using 3D printing technology. This structure, designed with a precisely aligned triaxial airgap configuration, offers high deformability under pressure, substantially broadening the pressure response range and improving sensitivity. This study analyzes the key structural parameters—the number of axes and pore size—that influence the compressibility and stability of the dielectric material. The results indicate that the capacitive pressure sensor with an aligned airgap structure, manufactured via 3D printing, exhibits a wide operating pressure range (50 Pa to 500 kPa), rapid response time (100 ms), wide limit of detection (50 Pa), and approximately 21 times enhancement in sensitivity (~0.019 kPa⁻¹ within 100 kPa) compared with conventional bulk structures. Furthermore, foot pressure monitoring trials for wearable sensor applications demonstrated exceptional performance, indicating the sensor’s suitability as a wearable device for detecting plantar pressure. These findings advocate for the potential of 3D printing technology to supplant traditional sensor manufacturing processes. Full article

In underground coal mining, machine operators put themselves at risk when getting close to the machine or cutting face to observe the process. To improve the safety and efficiency of machine operators, a cutting force sensor is proposed. A linear cutting machine is used to cut two separate coal samples cast in concrete with conical pick cutters to simulate mining with a continuous miner. Linear and neural network regression models are fit using 100 random 70:30 test/train splits. The normal force exceeds 60 kN during the rock-cutting tests, and it is averaged using a low pass filter with a 10 Hertz cutoff frequency. The sensor uses measurements of the resonant frequency of capacitive cells in a steel case to determine cutting forces. When used in the rock-cutting experiments, the sensor conforms to the tooling and the stiffness and sensitivity are increased compared to the initial configuration. The sensor is able to track the normal force on the conical picks with a mean absolute error less than 6 kN and an $R^2$ score greater than 0.60 using linear regression. A small neural network with a second-order polynomial expansion is able to improve this to a mean absolute error of less than 4 kN and an $R^2$ score of around 0.80. Filtering measurements before regression fitting is explored. This type of sensor could allow operators to assess tool wear and material type using objective force measurements while maintaining a greater distance from the cutting interface. Full article

This study presents a respiration sensor that is dependent on a parallel capacitor, including connection lines and electrodes embroidered on textiles. First, characterizations of the respiration capacitor using a silver thread, including a combination of porous Eco-flex simulating air in the lungs due to respiration, were evaluated using an LCR meter. Second, the effects of air gaps on the detection of respiration motions according to the change in electrode distance under pressure were presented. The data values were measured from 1 to 300 kHz using an LCR meter and dielectric test fixture. Third, actual breathing was examined in four patterns: normal breathing, deep breathing, hyperventilation, and apnea. The test was performed after fabricating a clothing-type breathing sensor. Finally, the change in capacitance for actual respiration was determined by wearing a clothing-type respiration sensor based on the data collected. The effectiveness of the respiration sensor was demonstrated by measuring it to discern all waveforms, cycles, and ranges associated with the breathing pattern. Full article

A new type of soil moisture sensor using spatial frequency domain transmissometry (SFDT) was evaluated. This sensor transmits and receives ultrawideband (1 to 6 GHz) radio waves between two separated antennas and measures the propagation delay time in the soil related to the dielectric constant. This method is expected to be less affected by air gaps between the probes and the soil, as well as being less affected by soil electrical conductivity (EC), than typical commercial sensors. The relationship between output and volumetric water content ($\theta$), and the effects of air gaps and EC were evaluated through experiments using sand samples and the prototype SFDT sensor. The output of the SFDT sensor increased linearly with $\theta$ and was not affected by even a high salt concentration for irrigation water, such that the EC of the pore water was 9.2 dS·m⁻¹. The SFDT sensor was almost unaffected by polyethylene tapes wrapped around the sensor to simulate air gaps, whereas a commercially available capacitance sensor significantly underestimated $\theta$. Theoretical models of the SFDT sensor were also developed for the calibration equation and the air gaps. The calculation results agreed well with the experimental results, indicating that analytical approaches are possible for the evaluation of the SFDT sensor. Full article

Flexible capacitive pressure sensors with a simple structure and low power consumption are attracting attention, owing to their wide range of applications in wearable electronic devices. However, it is difficult to manufacture pressure sensors with high sensitivity, wide detection range, and low detection limits. We developed a highly sensitive and flexible capacitive pressure sensor based on the porous Ecoflex, which has an aligned airgap structure and can be manufactured by simply using a mold and a micro-needle. The existence of precisely aligned airgap structures significantly improved the sensor sensitivity compared to other dielectric structures without airgaps. The proposed capacitive pressure sensor with an alignment airgap structure supports a wide range of working pressures (20–100 kPa), quick response time (≈100 ms), high operational stability, and low-pressure detection limit (20 Pa). Moreover, we also studied the application of pulse wave monitoring in wearable sensors, exhibiting excellent performance in wearable devices that detect pulse waves before and after exercise. The proposed pressure sensor is applicable in electronic skin and wearable medical assistive devices owing to its excellent functional features. Full article

The photovoltaic evaporative chimney is a novel solar-cooling system that serves a double purpose: it increases the efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) panels and it cools down a water stream which can be used to dissipate the heat from a refrigeration cycle. One of the major issues arising from the operation of the chimney is the temperature stratification in the panel due to the movement of the air in the chimney. This effect can trigger the activation of the bypass diodes of the module, creating local maximum power points (MPP) that can compromise the grid-tied inverter tracking. To fill this gap, this paper deals with the design and implementation of an I–V curve measurement system to be used in the performance analysis of the system. The I–V curve tracer consists of a capacitive load controlled by a single board computer. The final design includes protections, capacitor charging/discharging power electronics, remote commands inputs, and current, voltage, irradiance, and temperature sensors.The results show that the modules bypass diodes are not activated during the tests, and no local MPPs appear. Moreover, the curves measured show the benefits of the photovoltaic chimney: the cooling effect increases the power generated by the PV panels by around 10%. Full article

Flexible and wearable pressure sensors have attracted significant attention owing to their roles in healthcare monitoring and human–machine interfaces. In this study, we introduce a wide-range, highly sensitive, stable, reversible, and biocompatible pressure sensor based on a porous Ecoflex with tilted air-gap-structured and carbonized cotton fabric (CCF) electrodes. The knitted structure of electrodes demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed sensor in enhancing the pressure-sensing performance in comparison to a woven structure due to the inherent properties of naturally generated space. In addition, the presence of tilted air gaps in the porous elastomer provided high deformability, thereby significantly improving the sensor sensitivity compared to other dielectric structures that have no or vertical air gaps. The combination of knitted CCF electrodes and the porous dielectric with tilted air gaps achieved a sensitivity of 24.5 × 10⁻³ kPa⁻¹ at 100 kPa, along with a wide detection range (1 MPa). It is also noteworthy that this novel method is low-cost, facile, scalable, and ecofriendly. Finally, the proposed sensor integrated into a smart glove detected human motions of grasping water cups, thus demonstrating its potential applications in wearable electronics. Full article

The paper deals with a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT)-based sensor dedicated to the detection of acoustic emissions from damaged structures. This work aims to explore different ways to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and the sensitivity of such sensors focusing on the design and packaging of the sensor, electrical connections, signal processing, coupling conditions, design of the elementary cells and operating conditions. In the first part, the CMUT-R100 sensor prototype is presented and electromechanically characterized. It is mainly composed of a CMUT-chip manufactured using the MUMPS process, including 40 circular 100 µm radius cells and covering a frequency band from 310 kHz to 420 kHz, and work on the packaging, electrical connections and signal processing allowed the signal-to-noise ratio to be increased from 17 dB to 37 dB. In the second part, the sensitivity of the sensor is studied by considering two contributions: the acoustic-mechanical one is dependent on the coupling conditions of the layered sensor structure and the mechanical-electrical one is dependent on the conversion of the mechanical vibration to electrical charges. The acoustic-mechanical sensitivity is experimentally and numerically addressed highlighting the care to be taken in implementation of the silicon chip in the brass housing. Insertion losses of about 50% are experimentally observed on an acoustic test between unpackaged and packaged silicon chip configurations. The mechanical-electrical sensitivity is analytically described leading to a closed-form amplitude of the detected signal under dynamic excitation. Thus, the influence of geometrical parameters, material properties and operating conditions on sensitivity enhancement is clearly established: such as smaller electrostatic air gap, and larger thickness, Young’s modulus and DC bias voltage. Full article

This paper presents the fabrication by means of roll-to-roll slot-die coating and characterization of air gap-based cantilever type capacitive acceleration sensors. As the mass of the sensor moves in the opposite direction of the acceleration, a capacitance change occurs. The sensor is designed to have a six layers structure with an air gap. Fabrication of the air gap and cantilever was enabled by coating and removing water-soluble PVA. The bottom electrode, the dielectric layer, and the sacrificial layer were formed using the roll-to-roll slot-die coating technique. The spacer, the top electrode, and the structural layer were formed by spin coating. Several kinds of experiments were conducted for characterization of the fabricated sensor samples. Experimental results show that accelerations of up to 3.6 g can be sensed with an average sensitivity of 0.00856 %/g. Full article

Although printed electronics technology has been recently employed in the production of various devices, its use for the fabrication of electronic devices with air-gap structures remains challenging. This paper presents a productive roll-to-roll printed electronics method for the fabrication of capacitive touch sensors with air-gap structures. Each layer of the sensor was fabricated by printing or coating. The bottom electrode, and the dielectric and sacrificial layers were roll-to-roll slot-die coated on a flexible substrate. The top electrode was formed by roll-to-roll gravure printing, while the structural layer was formed by spin-coating. In particular, the sacrificial layer was coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and removed in water to form an air-gap. The successful formation of the air-gap was verified by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Electrical characteristics of the air-gap touch sensor samples were analyzed in terms of sensitivity, hysteresis, and repeatability. Experimental results showed that the proposed method can be suitable for the fabrication of air-gap sensors by using the roll-to-roll printed electronics technology. Full article

In this paper, the calculation of the conductor temperature is related to the temperature sensor position in high-voltage power cables and four thermal circuits—based on the temperatures of insulation shield, the center of waterproof compound, the aluminum sheath, and the jacket surface are established to calculate the conductor temperature. To examine the effectiveness of conductor temperature calculations, simulation models based on flow characteristics of the air gap between the waterproof compound and the aluminum are built up, and thermocouples are placed at the four radial positions in a 110 kV cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated power cable to measure the temperatures of four positions. In measurements, six cases of current heating test under three laying environments, such as duct, water, and backfilled soil were carried out. Both errors of the conductor temperature calculation and the simulation based on the temperature of insulation shield were significantly smaller than others under all laying environments. It is the uncertainty of the thermal resistivity, together with the difference of the initial temperature of each radial position by the solar radiation, which led to the above results. The thermal capacitance of the air has little impact on errors. The thermal resistance of the air gap is the largest error source. Compromising the temperature-estimation accuracy and the insulation-damage risk, the waterproof compound is the recommended sensor position to improve the accuracy of conductor-temperature calculation. When the thermal resistances were calculated correctly, the aluminum sheath is also the recommended sensor position besides the waterproof compound. Full article

Optimization of the acoustic resonant sensor requires a clear understanding of how the output responses of the sensor are affected by the variation of different factors. During this work, output responses of a capacitive acoustic transducer, such as membrane displacement, quality factor, and capacitance variation, are considered to evaluate the sensor design. The six device parameters taken into consideration are membrane radius, backplate radius, cavity height, air gap, membrane tension, and membrane thickness. The effects of factors on the output responses of the transducer are investigated using an integrated methodology that combines numerical simulation and design of experiments (DOE). A series of numerical experiments are conducted to obtain output responses for different combinations of device parameters using finite element methods (FEM). Response surface method is used to identify the significant factors and to develop the empirical models for the output responses. Finally, these results are utilized to calculate the optimum device parameters using multi-criteria optimization with desirability function. Thereafter, the validating experiments are designed and deployed using the numerical simulation to crosscheck the responses. Full article

A novel capacitive tactile sensor using a polyurethane thin film is proposed in this paper. In previous studies, capacitive tactile sensors generally had an air gap between two electrodes in order to enhance the sensitivity. In this study, there is only polyurethane thin film and no air gap between the electrodes. The sensitivity of this sensor is higher than the previous capacitive tactile sensors because the polyurethane is a fairly flexible elastomer and the film is very thin (about 1 µm). The polyurethane film is formed by spin-coating and etched back from 6 µm to 1 µm using 48% sulfuric acid. As a result of evaluation, the sensitivity of the developed sensor (diameter is 1 mm) is 1.3 pF/Pa (800 pF/N considering the sensing area). Young’s modulus of the thin polyurethane film was estimated to be 20 kPa. Full article