MSU Technologies

Quasi-Static Self-Powering, Sensing, and Data Logging

Executive Summary

Slowly acting events can be very difficult to sense, especially for self-powered sensors. Most sensors require an external energy source in order to detect the desired property and report results. For some applications however, a self-powered sensor is desirable that uses energy from the object being sensed in order to record the data. Piezoelectric and other devices have been developed for sensing applications where the property being sensed is as low as 5-10 Hz. However for applications that occur slowly, such as <1 Hz or very slowly <<1 Hz, a piezoelectric system will not produce enough energy to record the data.

Description of Technology

Michigan State University has developed technology capable of recoding very slow acting events. The technology can be implemented for general 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional design solutions. These solutions can be tailored for specific applications of a variety of events or parameters that generate sufficient response to sense and record the data. A 1-dimensional displacement sensor uses the buckling properties of a sensing element to generate energy and an electric data logging response based upon the magnitude of the energy generated. This data can then be interpreted to sense the response of displacement over time. The sensor can be calibrated to sense different energy outputs from the buckling motion of the buckling strip. The same principles can be applied to 2- or 3- dimensional events depending upon the given application.

Key Benefits