Invention:
This technology is a new sensor board that converts dynamic capacitance in a sensor into an analog voltage signal. The signal created by this sensor board can then be used with any off-the-shelf wired or wireless data acquisition system.
Background:
Sensors are increasingly used for structural monitoring. For example, networks of hundreds of strain-measuring sensors can be attached to large structures such as bridges, to analyze their performance in real time and identify potential problems with greater accuracy than visual inspection.
Existing technologies typically make use of sensor elements that detect strain by changing their electrical resistive properties in the presence of changes in strain. However, these sensors have limited effectiveness in larger structures because each individual sensor can only measure a small area, often requiring expensive arrays of sensor elements to cover a larger area.
Capacitive strain sensors offer the promise of covering larger areas. But existing capacitive sensing solutions do not provide the level of sensitivity to make them feasible in monitoring strain on larger steel structures. This technology solves this problem, detecting minute strain deformations at a high sampling rate.
Applications:
- Wireless sensor networks
- Structural health monitoring
Advantages:
- Inexpensive to produce
- Ideal for wireless applications
- Can accurately detect low levels of capacitance with a high sampling rate
