Smart Sensors and MEMS

Intelligent Sensing Devices and Microsystems for Industrial Applications

S Nihtianov, A. Luque

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780081020555
• eBook ISBN: 9780081020562
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Technologie et ingénierie
• Subtopic: Ingénierie de l'électricité et des télécommunications

Smart Sensors and MEMS: Intelligent Devices and Microsystems for Industrial Applications, Second Edition highlights new, important developments in the field, including the latest on magnetic sensors, temperature sensors and microreaction chambers. The book outlines the industrial applications for smart sensors, covering direct interface circuits for sensors, capacitive sensors for displacement measurement in the sub-nanometer range, integrated inductive displacement sensors for harsh industrial environments, advanced silicon radiation detectors in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral range, among other topics. New sections include discussions on magnetic and temperature sensors and the industrial applications of smart micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).The book is an invaluable reference for academics, materials scientists and electrical engineers working in the microelectronics, sensors and micromechanics industry. In addition, engineers looking for industrial sensing, monitoring and automation solutions will find this a comprehensive source of information.- Contains new chapters that address key applications, such as magnetic sensors, microreaction chambers and temperature sensors- Provides an in-depth information on a wide array of industrial applications for smart sensors and smart MEMS- Presents the only book to discuss both smart sensors and MEMS for industrial applications

1

What makes sensor devices and microsystems “intelligent” or “smart”?

Roald Taymanov, and Kseniia Sapozhnikova D.I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Abstract

This chapter demonstrates how the technological progress has resulted in complication of sensors and microelectromechanical systems, formation of the elements of artificial intelligence in them, as well as enhancement of functional possibilities. However, many terms and definitions applied for describing such devices are ambiguous, which complicates communication between specialists, makes the search for required information more difficult, and becomes, in the long run, an obstacle to the development of metrology and measuring techniques. The authors propose a new approach for improving the terminology in this field. It relies on an analogy between biological and technical evolution. Applying this approach, the authors have formed a set of basic interrelated terms in the field under consideration.

Keywords

Intelligent sensor device; Metrological self-check; Sensor; Sensor device; Smart sensor device

1.1. Introduction

The explosive development of computer technologies makes it possible to predict a rapid growth in the number of products and objects that interact and are controlled via the Internet. Enrichment of the relations within the human society, and between the society and the environment, creates a basis for transition to a new stage of technology development, which is characterized by the concept of the “Internet of Things.” The term “thing” is interpreted here in the broadest sense of the word. It can be an object (e.g., some kind of manufacturing) or product. It can be animate or inanimate but should be connected with the digital world through communications and identified in time and space.

Important components of the Internet of Things are the so-called “cyber-physical systems” (CPS) in which various objects are combined by multichannel measurement systems with built-in software.

The CPSs include “smart manufacturing,” “smart building,” “smart energetics,” “smart transportation,” “smart life safety,” “smart health care,” “smart safe city,” and so on. Such systems provide self-organization in the following fields:

1. • city traffic by analysis of data coming from cars, which concern their function and movement direction;
2. • operation of manufacturing equipment for efficient output of small series of various products;
3. • power generation by optimizing power loads of electrical, nuclear, and hydraulic plants, etc.

At the stage of the Internet of Things, rigid hierarchical information structures are replaced by structures in which an efficiency increase is provided due to the self-organization of links of any information levels with each other.

The transition to the Internet of Things and CPSs is usually called the fourth industrial revolution.

In comparison with traditional measurement systems, CPSs have the following special features (Sapozhnikova and Taymanov, 2015):

1. • the number of measuring channels in one CPS may be thousands or many hundreds of thousands of units;
2. • measurement channels can include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and sensors measuring various quantities, either electrical or nonelectrical; as a rule these channels being spaced far from each other;
3. • in the process of CPSs operation, measurands and the number of channels can sufficiently change;
4. • in CPSs the “cloud technologies” can be applied;
5. • in many cases, measurement information has to be transmitted over great distances;
6. • as a rule, an access for metrological maintenance of MEMS and sensors that are components of the CPSs is complicated, and so on.

The analysis of the special features listed above leads to a conclusion that it is economically inefficient to support the CPS channels in the operation state using traditional methods of metrological maintenance.

Calibration of each sensor and MEMS in a year (such is a widely used interval between the procedures of metrological maintenance) or even in four years, would require unacceptably high work load. An alternative is to increase significantly the requirements for reliability (in the first place, metrological reliability) of sensors and MEMS embedded in CPS.

The need for significant improvement of metrological reliability of sensors and MEMS is growing fast also in nuclear energetics, astronautics, and some other fields where an access to embedded measuring instruments is connected with risk or practically impossible.

Analysis of the biological evolution has shown that improvement of “reliability of functioning” of living creatures is due to their complication and development of intelligence. The development of the computer technologies opened new prospects for realization of various measuring instruments applying elements of artificial intelligence.

A strong increase of the number of corresponding theoretical and applied papers can be noticed through the last years (Tarbeyev et al., 2007; Taymanov et al., 2017; Taymanov and Sapozhnikova, 2010b; Sapozhnikova and Taymanov, 2015).

Development of science and the associated technical terminology is an integrated process. As T. Kuhn (1962) has shown, the scientific progress is a series of “scientific revolutions” that correspond to spasmodic changes of concepts (paradigm shifts) concerning further development of sciences.

Such regularity is characteristic not only for the fundamental sciences but also for the applied sciences, and in particular the sciences associated with the development of control systems and measuring instruments, including sensors and MEMS.

The “paradigm shifts” relate to terminology too. In this domain, changes are caused by a desire to define the notions, which are used for new concepts. However, the development of the applied sciences is closely connected with the market: scientists and designers create products for the market, and the market, in its turn, stimulates them and invests in the development of new products. This interaction has an impact on the terminology.

Manufactures and dealers tend to use some “embellishing” attributes for advertising their goods. Without sufficient information about the quality of these goods, customers make their choice based on the name of these goods, which in some cases are not adequate. This may contradict the interests of the society as a whole.

Lack of monosemantic terminology, especially under conditions of an immense technological progress, as well as economy globalization, complicates contacts among specialists, makes the search of required information more difficult, and becomes, in the long run, an obstacle for the development of science and engineering. The ambiguity and insufficient number of terms lead to dishonest competition because the names of goods (among other factors) have an influence on the prices of these goods (Taymanov and Sapozhnikova, 2009a).

In this connection, the need to harmonize the terminology in the field of sensors and MEMS, including those with elements of artificial intelligence, becomes increasingly important. It is believed that many living creatures have intelligence, but crows, dogs, and humans are distinguished by different levels of intelligence. In a similar way, sensors and MEMS can have different levels of intelligence too. It is necessary to find a criterion for determining the level of intelligence of these devices, which could be applied for forming a corresponding terminology group.

One would think that а new concept can be defined with the help of a known term supplemented with a set of qualifying adjectives. However, for popular new concepts described with more than two additional adjectives, a new term will inevitably appear. The fact is that in scientific and technical papers, books and particularly in advertisement booklets, part of the supplemental attributes will be voluntarily or involuntarily omitted. Depending on what specific words have been excluded from the text and what the experience of the reader is, the text interpretation can appear to be different. The situation is redoubled because some terms, which were defined many years ago because of the development of technology, have lost their unambiguity (Taymanov and Sapozhnikova, 2009b). The speed of updating terminology vocabularies, including the International vocabulary of metrology (VIM, 2012), as well as terms given in prescriptive documents, remains behind the pace with which new terms appear. Names for new concepts are born and spread in numerous scientific publications. As a result, quite often it is possible to come across terms, which are differently interpreted. On the other hand, in some cases different terms are used for similar concepts.

1.2. Interpretation of terms re...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Related titles
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• 1. What makes sensor devices and microsystems “intelligent” or “smart”?
• 2. Interfacing sensors to microcontrollers: a direct approach
• 3. Smart temperature sensors and temperature sensor systems
• 4. Capacitive sensors for displacement measurement in the subnanometer range
• 5. Integrated inductive displacement sensors for harsh industrial environments
• 6. Magnetic sensors and industrial sensing applications
• 7. Advanced silicon radiation detectors in the vacuum ultraviolet and the extreme ultraviolet spectral range
• 8. Advanced interfaces for resistive sensors
• 9. Reconfigurable ultrasonic smart sensor platform for nondestructive evaluation and imaging applications
• 10. Advanced Optical Incremental Sensors: Encoders and Interferometers
• 11. Microfabrication technologies used for creating smart devices for industrial applications
• 12. Microactuators: Design and Technology
• 13. Microreaction chambers
• 14. Dynamic behavior of smart microelectromechanical systems in industrial applications
• 15. Microelectromechanical systems integrating motion and displacement sensors
• 16. Microelectromechanical systems print heads for industrial printing
• 17. Photovoltaic and fuel cells in power microelectromechanical systems for smart energy management
• 18. RF-MEMS for smart communication systems and future 5G applications
• 19. Smart acoustic sensor array system for real-time sound processing applications
• Index