A Novel Readout System for Wireless Passive Pressure Sensors

This paper presents a novel readout system for wireless passive pressure sensors based on the inductively coupled inductor and cavity （LC） resonant circuits. The proposed system consists of a reader antenna inductively coupled to the sensor circuit, a readout circuit, and a personal computer （PC） post processing unit. The readout circuit generates a voltage signal representing the sensor＇s capacitance. The frequency of the reader antenna driving signal is a constant, which is equal to the sensor＇s resonant frequency at zero pressure. Based on mechanical and electrical modeling, the pressure sensor design based on the high temperature co-fired ceramic （HTCC） technology is conducted and discussed. The functionality and accuracy of the readout system are tested with a voltage-capacitance measurement system and demonstrated in a realistic pressure measurement environment, so that the overall performance and the feasibility of the readout system are proved.

Wireless contactless pressure measurement of an LC passive pressure sensor with a novel antenna for high-temperature applications

In this paper, a novel antenna is proposed for high-temperature testing, which can make the high-temperature pressure characteristics of a wireless passive ceramic pressure sensor demonstrated at up to a temperature of 600℃. The design parameters of the antenna are similar to those of the sensor, which will increase the coupling strength between the sensor and testing antenna. The antenna is fabricated in thick film integrated technology, and the properties of the alumina ceramic and silver ensure the feasibility of the antenna in high-temperature environments. The sensor, coupled with the ceramic antenna, is investigated using a high-temperature pressure testing platform. The experimental measurement results show that the pressure signal in a harsh environment can be detected by the frequency diversity of the sensor.