Development of an extremely compact impedance-based wireless sensing device

This paper describes the development of the next generation of an extremely compact, wireless impedance sensor node for use in structural health monitoring (SHM) and piezoelectric active-sensor self-diagnostics. The sensor node uses a recently developed, low-cost integrated circuit that can measure and record the electrical impedance of a piezoelectric transducer. The sensor node also integrates several components, including a microcontroller for local computing, telemetry for wirelessly transmitting data, multiplexers for managing up to seven piezoelectric transducers per node, energy harvesting and storage mediums, and a wireless triggering circuit into one package to truly realize a comprehensive, self-contained wireless active-sensor node for various SHM applications. It is estimated that the developed sensor node requires less than 60 mW of total power for measurement, computation, and transmission. In addition, the sensor node is equipped with active-sensor self-diagnostic capabilities that can monitor the condition of piezoelectric transducers used in SHM applications. The performance of this miniaturized device is compared to our previous results and its broader capabilities are demonstrated.

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