Smart Sensor Systems PDF
Smart Sensor Systems PDF
Smart Sensor Systems PDF
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Article in NATO Science for Peace and Security Series B: Physics and Biophysics · January 2012
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4119-5_19
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S
ensors and sensor systems are control and conditioning stages that environment in a given application or
vital to our awareness of our will provide both excitation and signal that can be modified to meet the needs
surroundings and provide safety, data logging and conditioning. The of a wide range of different applications.
security, and surveillance, as well as data acquisition layer will convert the A second major implication of smart
enable monitoring of our health and signal from analog to digital and acquire sensors is the development of a new
environment. A transformative advance additional parameters of interest to generation of smart sensors that can be
in the field of sensor technology provide compensation when needed for networked through the communication
has been the development of smart thermal drift, long term drift, etc. The interface to have the capability of
sensor systems. The definition of a embedded intelligence will continuously individual network self-identification
smart sensor may vary, but typically monitor the discrete sensor elements, and communication allowing
at a minimum a smart sensor is the validate the engineering data being reprogramming of the smart sensor
combination of a sensing element with provided, and periodically verify sensor system as necessary. Further, the output
processing capabilities provided by a calibration and health. The processed from a number of sensors within a given
microprocessor. That is, smart sensors are data becomes information and can then region can be correlated not only to
basic sensing elements with embedded be transmitted to external users. The verify the data from individual sensors,
intelligence. The sensor signal is fed to user can choose the complexity of the but also to provide a better situational
the microprocessor, which processes the data transmitted: from a single reading awareness. Such communication
data and provides an informative output to a complete download of the sensor can be between a single smart sensor
to an external user. A more expansive system’s parameters. and communication hub or between
view of a smart sensor system, which is One major implication of smart individual smart sensors themselves.
used in this article, is illustrated in Fig. 1: sensor systems is that important data can These types of capabilities will provide
a complete self-contained sensor system be provided to the user with increased for a more reliable and robust system
that includes the capabilities for logging, reliability and integrity. Intelligent because they are capable of networking
processing with a model of sensor features can be included at the sensor among themselves to provide the end
response and other data, self-contained level including but not limited to: self- user with coordinated data that is
power, and an ability to transmit or calibration, self-health assessment, based on redundant sensory inputs.
display informative data to an outside self-healing, and compensated Further, information can be shared in
user. The fundamental idea of a smart measurements (auto zero, calibration, a more rapid, reliable, and efficient
sensor is that the integration of silicon temperature, pressure, relative humidity manner with on-board communications
microprocessors with sensor technology correction). The capability of the smart capability in place.
can not only provide interpretive sensor to perform internal processing A driving goal in the development
power and customized outputs, but also allows the system not only to provide the of smart sensor systems is the
significantly improve sensor system user processed data, but also the ability of implementation of systems in a
performance and capabilities. the sensor to be self-aware and to assess nonintrusive manner so that the
The smart sensor possesses several its own health or status and assess even information is provided to the user
functional layers: signal detection the validity of the processed data. The wherever and whenever needed, as well
from discrete sensing elements, smart sensor system can optimize the as in whatever form is needed for the
signal processing, data validation and performance of the individual sensors application. In effect, the objective of
interpretation, and signal transmission and lead to a better understanding smart sensor research is the development
and display. Multiple sensors can of the data, the measurement, and of sensor systems to tell the user what
be included in a single smart sensor ultimately, the environment in which they need to know in order to make
system whose operating properties, the measurement is made. Overall, the sound decisions. While this article is not
such as bias voltage or temperature, presence of the microprocessor-sensor a complete survey of all the activities
can be set by the microprocessor. The combination allows the design of a core in the development of smart sensor
sensor elements interface to signal system that is adaptable to a changing systems, it is a brief sampling of some of
the enabling smart sensor technologies,
two examples of smart sensor
systems, and a discussion of potential
Smart Sensor System Processed ramifications of this technology.
Sensor
Information Smart Sensor
Power
Physical/Chemical Stimulus
Wireless Communication
The smart sensor system will require
an electrical interface that will transmit
the sensor outputs to an external data
collection, recording or acquisition
system. Ideally, this interface does not
require wiring and can be accomplished
by wireless telemetric methods. A
practical telemetry system that can be
integrated with the smart sensor must
be relatively small and have all the
required performance functions. The
advancement of micro-electronic design
and fabrication processing, namely the
MEMS technology, provides a technical
approach for wireless communication
system development. As an example,
a multi-channel wireless telemetric
microsystem that can be integrated with
the smart sensor system is described in
Fig. 3.7
In this telemetry system, four input
channels plus a calibration channel are
designed to ensure the telemetry system
is not malfunctioning. This system has
Fig. 2. Scanning electron micrograph of an array of four microfabricated polysilicon gas sensors, a package size of approximately 1 cm x
with 50 x1 micron (µm) bridge dimensions, designed at KWJ Inc. and built at Georgia Institute of 1 cm x 0.5 cm (including a small watch
Technology. battery) with a total weight of 1.0 gram.
30 The Electrochemical Society Interface • Winter 2010
Fig. 3. ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) chip for the wireless multi-channel telemetric microsystem.7
To achieve the specifications of small the digital world. In the digital world, Fig. 4, in which larger components built
size, a monolithic integrated circuit sensor inputs can be processed to reduce with discrete electronic components
(IC) chip is fabricated. This IC chip is noise, integrated with other sensory are used to emulate all the desired
a low power BiCMOS signal processor inputs for compensation, redundancy, smart sensor features. In Phase II, the
chip, 2 mm x 2 mm in size. This signal and reliability improvements, and then functions are integrated into smaller,
processor chip can also amplify, filter, interfaced to output requirements that smarter, and more complex integrated
and time-division multiplex the signals range from simple digital displays of systems. One of the enabling features
that are in turn transmitted via an RF sensor outputs to wirelessly transmitted about smart sensor systems is that by
link contained within the package to and stored data that feed-back to sensors using microprocessing techniques this
an external radio receiver. The receiver or feed-forward to appropriate system increased complexity can be achieved
drives a demodulator (external) to controls. The evolutionary development with less expense than that of larger,
reconstruct the individual signals of a smart sensor system is exemplified in hand assembled systems.
for display or analysis by waveform
acquisition software. The system
also incorporates a Hall-effect sensor
providing remote on-off capability
for the conservation of power, and it
also can be used to support interactive
procedures. This example illustrates PHASE II integrated Smart
the needs and the required capability
of a wireless multi-channel telemetry Sensor Chip - power in
system, which can be integrated with and compensated signal
a smart sensor system. Ultra low power out is foundation for
wireless systems are also being designed commercial products
for interface to biological systems for
the purpose of sensory data acquisition
and transmission.8
PHASE I Sensor Chip and
Smart Sensor System Examples discrete components
interfaced to a PC
A typical smart sensor contains much demonstrates feasibility
more than just a sensing element, it is
a complete functioning system. The
sensor has an analog circuit for power
management, control, and interface to Fig. 4. Evolution of smart sensors from larger size discrete components to smaller integrated sensory
systems.
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