Technical overview of MicroWire sensing system

Sensors

MicroWire sensors by RVmagnetics are miniaturized (diameter ca. 3–70 µm) magnetic contactless sensors of physical quantities (temperature, pressure, pull, mechanical stress, torsion, magnetic field, position, etc.). MicroWires are made of metallic alloy core (diameter ca. 1–50 µm) and glass coating (thickness 2–20 µm). Their size, high added value, robustness, simple production process and also their symmetry, glass-coating, possibility of contactless sensing leads to their utilization as a miniaturized sensor with a wide range of applications in different industries: IoT, Industry 4.0, Structural Health Monitoring, Automotive, Aerospace, Smart materials, Healthcare, Anticounterfeiting area, etc.

Sensing system – coils, microprocessor, electronics

MicroWire sensors are magnetic. To sense them, we need to generate an AC magnetic field (triangual or other) with excitation coil. Unless present in noisy magnetic or electric fields, coil is powered with a few milliAmperes. The magnetic response from the MicroWires (with high sensitivity to temperature, pressure and position in the magnetic field), in terms of a magnetization change, is sensed with another pick up/sensing coil.

Output from the sensing coil includes signals from magnetic and electric noises present in the vicinity of the sensing coil during the measurements. Signal obtained needs to be filtered out of noises and also amplified.*

Filtered and amplified signal is digitalised in MCU (ARM chip) and ready for data post-processing in customer's pre­ferred software.

* The signal can be obtained from a maximum distance up to 10cm.

We use ARM customized chip as a processing system. Coils are directly connected to the electronics, while electronics di­gitalize the received data, and through USB, or using Bluetooth / Wi-Fi / SigFox, … It can send the digitalised data where you need them for further processing.

Software

Digitalised data output from electronics is further processed and calibrated using our tailor-made software for ARM chip. Calibrated values are transferred for further post-processing to clients preferred peripheral or software.


Summary

To obtain local data – MicroWire (of length 1–4 cm) needs to be placed on / in the material. As the sensing system needs to be placed in the proximity of the MicroWire – within 10 cm range – measurements can be obtained even through other materials (even metallic, magnetic materials).