Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Wireless strain measurement with a micromachined magnetoelastic resonator using ringdown frequency locking

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
ISSS Journal of Micro and Smart Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Resonant magnetoelastic devices are widely used as anti-theft tags and are also being investigated for a range of sensing applications. The vast majority of magnetoelastic devices are operated at resonance, and rely upon an external interface to wirelessly detect the resonant frequency, and other characteristics. For micromachined devices, this detection method must accommodate diminished signal strength and elevated resonant frequencies. Feedthrough of the interrogating stimulus to the detector also presents a significant challenge. This paper describes a method of interrogating wireless magnetoelastic strain sensors using a new frequency-lock approach. Following a brief excitation pulse, the sensor ring-down is analyzed and a feedback loop is used to match the excitation frequency and the resonant frequency. Data acquisition hardware is used in conjunction with custom software to implement the frequency-lock loop. Advantages of the method include temporal isolation of interrogating stimulus from the sensor response and near real-time tracking of resonant frequencies. The method was investigated using a family of wireless strain sensors with resonant frequencies ranging from 120 to 240 kHz. Strain levels extending to 3.5 mstrain and sensitivities up to 14,300 ppm/mstrain were measured with response times faster than 0.5 s. The standard deviation of the locked frequency did not exceed 0.1%.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson PM III (1982) Magnetomechanical coupling, ΔE effect, and permeability in FeSiB and FeNiMoB alloys. J Appl Phys 53(11):8101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson III PM, Bretts GR, Kearney JE (1985) “Surveillance system having magnetomechanical marker”, US 4510489

  • Barandiaran JM, Gutierrez J, Gómez-Polo C (2000) New sensors based on the magnetoelastic resonance of metallic glasses. Sens Actuators A Phys 81(1–3):154–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry BS, Pritchet WC (1976) Magnetoelastic phenomena in amorphous alloys. AIP Conf Proc 292(1):292–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bozorth RM (1993) Stress and magnetostriction, Ferromagnetism. IEEE Press, New York, p 684

    Google Scholar 

  • Curran JT, Lachapelle G, Murphy CC (2012) Improving the design of frequency lock loops for GNSS receivers. IEEE Trans Aerosp Electron Syst 48(1):850–868

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dean RN, Rane AK (2013) A digital frequency-locked loop system for capacitance measurement. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas 62(4):777–784

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graff KF (1975) “Longitudinal waves in thin rods”, in Wave Motion in Elastic Solids. Dover Publications, Mineola, pp 75–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Green SR, Gianchandani YB (2009) Wireless magnetoelastic monitoring of biliary stents. J Microelectromech Syst 18(1):64–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grimes CA, Roy SC, Rani S, Cai Q (2011) Theory, instrumentation and applications of magnetoelastic resonance sensors: a review. Sensors 11(3):2809–2844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang K, Wentzloff DD (2011) A 60 GHz antenna-referenced frequency-locked loop in 0.13 CMOS for wireless sensor networks. IEEE J Solid-State Circuits 46(12):2956–2965

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huber T, Bergmair B, Vogler C, Bruckner F, Hrkac G, Suess D (2012) Magnetoelastic resonance sensor for remote strain measurements. Appl Phys Lett 101:042402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jain MK, Cai Q, Grimes CA (2001) A wireless micro-sensor for simultaneous measurement of pH, temperature, and pressure. Smart Mater Struct 10(2):347–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson ML, Wan J, Huang S, Cheng Z, Petrenko VA, Kim D-J, Chen I-H, Barbaree JM, Hong JW, Chin BA (2008) A wireless biosensor using microfabricated phage-interfaced magnetoelastic particles. Sens Actuators A Phys 144(1):38–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joy J, Kroh J, Ellis M, Allen M, Pyle W (2007) “Communicating with implanted wireless sensor”, US 7245117

  • Khalil W, Shashidharan S, Copani T, Chakraborty S, Kiaei S, Bakkaloglu B (2011) A 700-μ A 405-MHz all-digital fractional-N frequency-locked loop for ISM band applications. IEEE Trans Microw Theory Tech 59(5):1319–1326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo Z, Kaye M, Diduch C, Chang L (2011) Frequency measurement using a frequency locked loop. IEEE Energy Convers. Congr. Expo. 1:917–921

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Dell TH (1982) Measurement of magnetomechanical coupling factor in amorphous ribbons. Phys Status Solidi 74:565

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pepakayala V, Green SR, Gianchandani YB (2014) Passive wireless strain sensors using microfabricated magnetoelastic beam elements. J. Microelectromech Syst 23(6):1374–1382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sauer S, Marschner U, Adolphi B, Clasbrummel B, Fischer W-J (2012) Passive wireless resonant Galfenol sensor for osteosynthesis plate bending measurement. IEEE Sens J 12(5):1226–1233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen W, Zhang Z, Horikawa S, Zhang A, Teng J, Mathison LC, Chin BA (2010) Time domain characterization of magnetoelastic sensors: a pulse method for resonance frequency determination. Rev Sci Instrum 81(8):084702

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang J, Green SR, Gianchandani YB (2014) Scalable, high-performance magnetoelastic tags using frame-suspended hexagonal resonators. J Micromech Microeng 24(6):065006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torok E, Hausch G (1978) Magnetoelastic effects of some ferromagnetic metallic glasses. Rapidly Quenched Metals III. The Metals Society, London, pp 105–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Viswanath A, Green SR, Kosel J, Gianchandani YB (2013) Metglas–Elgiloy bi-layer, stent cell resonators for wireless monitoring of viscosity and mass loading. J Micromech Microeng 23(2):025010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshizawa N, Yamamoto I, Shimada Y (2005) Magnetic field sensing by an electrostrictive/magnetostrictive composite resonator. IEEE Trans Magn 41(11):4359–4361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng K, Ong KG, Mungle C, Grimes CA (2002) Time domain characterization of oscillating sensors: application of frequency counting to resonance frequency determination. Rev Sci Instrum 73(12):4375

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the University of Michigan and in part by the National Institutes of Health through contract 1R01DK102663.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSensing and Systems (WIMS2), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Venkatram Pepakayala, Scott R. Green & Yogesh B. Gianchandani

Authors
  1. Venkatram Pepakayala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Scott R. Green
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yogesh B. Gianchandani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Venkatram Pepakayala.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pepakayala, V., Green, S.R. & Gianchandani, Y.B. Wireless strain measurement with a micromachined magnetoelastic resonator using ringdown frequency locking. ISSS J Micro Smart Syst 6, 3–13 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41683-017-0001-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41683-017-0001-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation