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Special Applications of Microsensors
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Special Applications of Microsensors

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 29443

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sergiusz Łuczak

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology, 02-525 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: microsensors; mechatronics; MEMS
Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Jakubowska

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology, 02-525 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: electronics; electronic materials; printed electronics; multisensor systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since their introduction to the automotive industry in the 1970s, microsensors have acquired ever-growing importance in numerous applications where automatic control is employed.

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine a modern device that is automatically controlled without a sensor layer. This is true especially with respect to mechatronic systems, where sensors, actuators, and a microprocessor unit are the three essential components. Due to their many advantages (low cost, high reliability, durability, compatibility with electronics, high resistance to mechanical shocks, low power consumption, miniature size), microsensors have been applied more and more frequently in numerous applications related to various branches of technology and science.

Whereas microsensors are used in a standard way in most systems and devices by directly measuring given a physical quantity, they have a broad scope of applications, involving special and untypical methods of measurements, which has led to the development of innovative microsensors.

This Special Issue aims to present untypical applications of microsensors, both commercial MEMS devices as well as custom-built prototypes. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, applications of MEMS accelerometers, MEMS gyroscopes, displacement sensors, and innovative microsensors, as well as original ideas involving direct and indirect measurements of various physical quantities by microsensors.

Prof. Dr. Sergiusz Łuczak
Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Jakubowska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microsensor
  • nanosensor
  • microsystems
  • MEMS

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3865 KiB  
Article
Tilt Sensor with Recalibration Feature Based on MEMS Accelerometer
by Sergiusz Łuczak, Maciej Zams, Bogdan Dąbrowski and Zbigniew Kusznierewicz
Sensors 2022, 22(4), 1504; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22041504 - 15 Feb 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3592
Abstract
The main errors of MEMS accelerometers are misalignments of their sensitivity axes, thermal and long-term drifts, imprecise factory calibration, and aging phenomena. In order to reduce these errors, a two-axial tilt sensor comprising a triaxial MEMS accelerometer, an aligning unit, and solid cubic [...] Read more.
The main errors of MEMS accelerometers are misalignments of their sensitivity axes, thermal and long-term drifts, imprecise factory calibration, and aging phenomena. In order to reduce these errors, a two-axial tilt sensor comprising a triaxial MEMS accelerometer, an aligning unit, and solid cubic housing was built. By means of the aligning unit it was possible to align the orientation of the accelerometer sensitive axes with respect to the housing with an accuracy of 0.03°. Owing to the housing, the sensor could be easily and quickly recalibrated, and thus errors such as thermal and long-term drifts as well as effects of aging were eliminated. Moreover, errors due to local and temporal variations of the gravitational acceleration can be compensated for. Procedures for calibrating and aligning the accelerometer are described. Values of thermal and long-term drifts of the tested sensor, resulting in tilt errors of even 0.4°, are presented. Application of the sensor for monitoring elevated loads is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Applications of Microsensors)
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14 pages, 1553 KiB  
Article
CNT/Graphite/SBS Conductive Fibers for Strain Sensing in Wearable Telerehabilitation Devices
by Piotr Walter, Bartłomiej Podsiadły, Marcin Zych, Michał Kamiński, Andrzej Skalski, Tomasz Raczyński, Daniel Janczak and Małgorzata Jakubowska
Sensors 2022, 22(3), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22030800 - 21 Jan 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3202
Abstract
Rapid growth of personal electronics with concurrent research into telerehabilitation solutions discovers opportunities to redefine the future of orthopedic rehabilitation. After joint injury or operation, convalescence includes free active range of movement exercises, such as joints bending and straightening under medical supervision. Flexion [...] Read more.
Rapid growth of personal electronics with concurrent research into telerehabilitation solutions discovers opportunities to redefine the future of orthopedic rehabilitation. After joint injury or operation, convalescence includes free active range of movement exercises, such as joints bending and straightening under medical supervision. Flexion detection through wearable textile sensors provides numerous potential benefits such as: (1) reduced cost; (2) continuous monitoring; (3) remote telerehabilitation; (4) gamification; and (5) detection of risk-inducing activities in daily routine. To address this issue, novel piezoresistive multi-walled carbon nanotubes/graphite/styrene–butadiene–styrene copolymer (CNT/Gr/SBS) fiber was developed. The extrusion process allowed adjustable diameter fiber production, while being a scalable, industrially adapted method of manufacturing textile electronics. Composite fibers were highly stretchable, withstanding strains up to 285%, and exhibited exceptional piezoresistive parameters with a gauge factor of 91.64 for 0–100% strain range and 2955 for the full scope. Considering the composite’s flexibility and sensitivity during a series of cyclic loading, it was concluded that developed Gr/CNT/SBS fibers were suitable for application in wearable piezoresistive sensors for telerehabilitation application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Applications of Microsensors)
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15 pages, 16037 KiB  
Communication
Indirect Measurement of Loading Forces with High-Speed Camera
by Krzysztof Mendrok, Ziemowit Dworakowski, Kajetan Dziedziech and Krzysztof Holak
Sensors 2021, 21(19), 6643; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21196643 - 6 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2619
Abstract
In the last few decades, there has been a significant increase in interest in developing, constructing, and using structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. The classic monitoring system should, by definition, have, in addition to the diagnostic module, a module responsible for monitoring loads. [...] Read more.
In the last few decades, there has been a significant increase in interest in developing, constructing, and using structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. The classic monitoring system should, by definition, have, in addition to the diagnostic module, a module responsible for monitoring loads. These loads can be measured with piezoelectric force sensors or indirectly with strain gauges such as resistance strain gauges or FBG sensors. However, this is not always feasible due to how the force is applied or because sensors cannot be mounted. Therefore, methods for identifying excitation forces based on response measurements are often used. This approach is usually cheaper and easier to implement from the measurement side. However, in this approach, it is necessary to use a network of response sensors, whose installation and wiring can cause technological difficulties and modify the results for slender constructions. Moreover, many load identification methods require the use of multiple sensors to identify a single force history. Increasing the number of sensors recording responses improves the numerical conditioning of the method. The proposed article presents the use of contactless measurements carried out with the help of a high-speed camera to identify the forces exiting the object. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Applications of Microsensors)
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7 pages, 1444 KiB  
Communication
Concept of an In-Plane Displacement Sensor Based on Grating Interferometry with a Stepwise Change of Sensitivity
by Leszek Sałbut and Sergiusz Łuczak
Sensors 2021, 21(14), 4894; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21144894 - 18 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2563
Abstract
Grating Interferometry, known in the relevant literature as the High Sensitivity Moiré Interferometry, is a method for in-plane displacement and strain measurement. The sensitivity of this method depends on the spatial frequency of the diffraction grating attached to the object under test. For [...] Read more.
Grating Interferometry, known in the relevant literature as the High Sensitivity Moiré Interferometry, is a method for in-plane displacement and strain measurement. The sensitivity of this method depends on the spatial frequency of the diffraction grating attached to the object under test. For typical specimen grating, with high spatial frequency of 1200 lines per mm, the basic sensitivity is 0.417 µm per fringe. A concept of in-plane displacement sensor based on Grating Interferometry with a stepwise change in sensitivity is presented. It is realized by using the specimen grating with lower spatial frequency. In this case, the grating has more higher diffraction orders and by selecting them appropriately, the sensitivity (chosen from 1.25 μm, 0.625 μm, or 0.417 μm) and the resulting measurement range (chosen from about 600 μm, 300 μm, or 200 μm) can be adjusted to the requirements of a given experiment. A special method of filtration is required in this case. Achromatic configuration with illumination grating was chosen due to its low sensitivity to vibration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Applications of Microsensors)
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18 pages, 7414 KiB  
Article
A Framework for Planning and Execution of Drone Swarm Missions in a Hostile Environment
by Barbara Siemiatkowska and Wojciech Stecz
Sensors 2021, 21(12), 4150; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21124150 - 17 Jun 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7866
Abstract
This article presents a framework for planning a drone swarm mission in a hostile environment. Elements of the planning framework are discussed in detail, including methods of planning routes for drone swarms using mixed integer linear programming (MILP) and methods of detecting potentially [...] Read more.
This article presents a framework for planning a drone swarm mission in a hostile environment. Elements of the planning framework are discussed in detail, including methods of planning routes for drone swarms using mixed integer linear programming (MILP) and methods of detecting potentially dangerous objects using EO/IR camera images and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Methods of detecting objects in the field are used in the mission planning process to re-plan the swarm’s flight paths. The route planning model is discussed using the example of drone formations managed by one UAV that communicates through another UAV with the ground control station (GCS). This article presents practical examples of using algorithms for detecting dangerous objects for re-planning of swarm routes. A novelty in the work is the development of these algorithms in such a way that they can be implemented on mobile computers used by UAVs and integrated with MILP tasks. The methods of detection and classification of objects in real time by UAVs equipped with SAR and EO/IR are presented. Different sensors require different methods to detect objects. In the case of infrared or optoelectronic sensors, a convolutional neural network is used. For SAR images, a rule-based system is applied. The experimental results confirm that the stream of images can be analyzed in real-time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Applications of Microsensors)
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14 pages, 4236 KiB  
Communication
Assessment of Dynamic Properties of Variable Area Flowmeters
by Mateusz Turkowski, Artur Szczecki, Maciej Szudarek and Krzysztof Janiszowski
Sensors 2021, 21(9), 2917; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21092917 - 21 Apr 2021
Viewed by 2040
Abstract
In previous works, a non-linear equation describing variable area (VA) flowmeters in transient was presented. The use of a full nonlinear equation, despite giving accurate results, can be difficult and time-consuming and it requires having specific software and knowledge at one’s disposal. The [...] Read more.
In previous works, a non-linear equation describing variable area (VA) flowmeters in transient was presented. The use of a full nonlinear equation, despite giving accurate results, can be difficult and time-consuming and it requires having specific software and knowledge at one’s disposal. The goal of this paper was to simplify the existing model so that it could be used in applications where ease of use and ease of implementation are more important than accuracy. The existing model was linearized and simple formulae describing natural frequency and damping coefficients were derived. With these parameters, it is possible to assess the dynamic properties of a variable area flowmeter. The step response form can be identified and natural frequency and settling time can be estimated. The linearized model and the experiment were in reasonable agreement. The step response type was captured correctly for each of the six VA meter types. The error in the undamped natural frequency was not larger than 15%, which means that the VA meter sensor’s dynamic properties can be predicted at the design stage with sufficient precision. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Applications of Microsensors)
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Review

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20 pages, 7984 KiB  
Review
Electric-Contact Tilt Sensors: A Review
by Sergiusz Łuczak and Magdalena Ekwińska
Sensors 2021, 21(4), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21041097 - 5 Feb 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 6261
Abstract
A review of various kinds of solid tilts sensors, using a free mechanical member for generation of electric-contact (mostly a ball), is presented. Standard and original solutions are discussed. The latest patents are described. A classification of the existing solutions with respect to [...] Read more.
A review of various kinds of solid tilts sensors, using a free mechanical member for generation of electric-contact (mostly a ball), is presented. Standard and original solutions are discussed. The latest patents are described. A classification of the existing solutions with respect to their sensing principle is proposed. Possible types of the electric/electronic circuits are discussed. Advantages of these sensors are emphasized: mainly optional operation without power supply, resistance to electrostatic discharges, and simplicity of signal processing. Technological details are briefly introduced, along with miniaturization prospects. Additionally, liquid tilt sensors are succinctly characterized. The most typical tilt sensing techniques are concisely compared. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Special Applications of Microsensors)
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