Wireless Pressure Sensors With Built-In Calibration Capability

Embedded sensors are finding widespread use in military systems, demanding that accuracy be assured for the entire life cycles of these systems. The U.S. Navy ensures the accuracy of shipboard sensors via scheduled calibrations and/or maintenance procedures (a manually intensive process). Developing new sensors with automated calibration capability is of primary importance. Leveraging research and simulation work currently being conducted by the University of California (UC) and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), 3eTI will demonstrate the feasibility of a wireless MEMS pressure sensor with built-in calibration (BIC). The proposed work will be based upon the conceptual design consisting of the following three primary components: 1) an integrated MEMS sensor/actuator system, 2) a wireless communication network; and 3) a power-harvesting device tailored for a typical shipboard environment. The integrated sensor/actuator system has two operation modes, i.e., the sensing mode and the calibration mode. The overall objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of the wireless MEMS pressure sensor with built-in calibration. Phase I will focus on demonstrating the most important functionality of this design, i.e., automated calibration over a wireless network. The 3eTI Team will conduct this demonstration by hybridizing bench scale testing with computer simulations and provide a prototype design by developing the key component technological milestones.