EnviroMEMtal: MEMS Enable Green Technology
From Engine Monitoring, to Washing Machines, to Energy Generation, Sensors are Everywhere
Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) sensors are playing a key role in the green revolution, enabling energy conservation and reducing pollution in diverse areas including automobiles, appliances and industrial facilities, according to iSuppli Corp.
MEMS sensors can improve the overall performance and efficiency of cars and limit their emissions. They also can reduce the power consumption and water usage of white goods like washing machines. Furthermore, MEMS can increase the efficiency of industrial facilities, providing key metering functions.
MEMS Sensors Monitor Engine Performance
Automotive engine monitoring was one of the first applications for MEMS sensors. Pressure sensors long have been used in the manifold intake to measure the quantity of air and to determine the correct air/fuel mix.
Increasingly stringent emission standards and rising concerns regarding fuel efficiency have driven accuracy requirements up, causing other MEMS sensors to be added to autos. These include barometric air pressure sensors to account for altitude to manage fuel mix, and mass airflow sensors, which are higher-accuracy MEMS flow sensing devices that are particularly important for diesels.
High-pressure MEMS sensors also support the operation of common fuel rail systems, which are being deployed in modern diesel and gasoline-injection systems. A trend among OEMS seeking to meet today’s very challenging emission targets is to downsize engines. Turbo charging is one way to do this with no loss in performance, using pressure sensors to monitor the process. Finally, pressure sensors are used in diesel particle filters to optimize performance or to detect a hole in the system.
iSuppli expects China to play a larger role in the global car market, especially as it will lead the world in production this year. Exhaust emissions are a key issue in China, where urban pollution is severe. Emissions legislation is expected to be at the top of the agenda—ahead of safety—for both cars and motorcycles.
Greener Washing Machines
Energy efficiency is one of the key selling points for today’s appliances, which typically come with energy ratings. Sensors for some time have been used in high-end washing machines and dishwashers to monitor load and water levels. Although very basic switches often are used for water level monitoring, MEMS pressure sensors are more sophisticated, providing measurement of water levels.
Accelerometers even can provide wash-loading information to optimize the cycles and energy use. For example, Panasonic recently introduced a washing machine using a 3-axis accelerometer to analyze the motion of the drum to determine the optimal loading, altering its speed and rotation accordingly and contributing to lower power usage and reduced water consumption.
Ultra Low-Power Sensors for Industrial Metering
For industrial applications, there are two MEMS applications: vibration sensors and ultra-low power sensors, i.e. switches. These devices are expected to appear during the next two or three years, a view that is based on the status of advanced development at several European companies.
Sensors and switches, with either low or zero power requirements, can be integrated in sensor systems with
passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) elements to enable monitoring systems. Integration will reduce losses at the system level, optimize efficiency and provide devices that improve the efficiency of processes. Furthermore, this approach dispenses with batteries and the associated disposal problem.
So far, demonstrations of this technology have been comprised of industrial RFID metering applications using
wireless sensors/switches, and iSuppli believes there are many other potential applications for machines and even
facility-monitoring to optimize energy consumption. MEMS is an enabling technology in this context.
Energy from the Environment
Further out on the horizon the so-called ambient energy harvesters. There is a lot of buzz around these devices
today, but iSuppli does not foresee MEMS used in these products in the market or a contribution to green energy
until 2013 or 2015 at the earliest.
Energy harvesters scavenge ambient vibration and turn it into energy. While other technologies with much larger collection volumes are achieving some success, the amount of energy available to a tiny MEMS harvester is very, very small. The exception is for certain high-vibration environments like the interior of a tire, where there
is sufficient energy to power a MEMS pressure sensor and RF transceiver to provide information for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). No battery would be needed in this case, a boon for the environment as disposal of hundreds of millions of batteries would be saved annually.
The TPMS opportunity is significant as tire pressure monitors are already the law in the United States and will be required on cars in Europe in 2012. This uptake is partly for safety reasons but also is environmental—a 20 percent reduction in tire pressure leads to 6 percent reduction in fuel economy.
Their combination of small size, low power consumption and high performance continues to favor MEMS sensors and switches in supporting the improved efficiency of machines and processes.
Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) sensors are playing a key role in the green revolution, enabling energy conservation and reducing pollution in diverse areas including automobiles, appliances and industrial facilities, according to iSuppli Corp.
MEMS sensors can improve the overall performance and efficiency of cars and limit their emissions. They also can reduce the power consumption and water usage of white goods like washing machines. Furthermore, MEMS can increase the efficiency of industrial facilities, providing key metering functions.
MEMS Sensors Monitor Engine Performance
Automotive engine monitoring was one of the first applications for MEMS sensors. Pressure sensors long have been used in the manifold intake to measure the quantity of air and to determine the correct air/fuel mix.
Increasingly stringent emission standards and rising concerns regarding fuel efficiency have driven accuracy requirements up, causing other MEMS sensors to be added to autos. These include barometric air pressure sensors to account for altitude to manage fuel mix, and mass airflow sensors, which are higher-accuracy MEMS flow sensing devices that are particularly important for diesels.
High-pressure MEMS sensors also support the operation of common fuel rail systems, which are being deployed in modern diesel and gasoline-injection systems. A trend among OEMS seeking to meet today’s very challenging emission targets is to downsize engines. Turbo charging is one way to do this with no loss in performance, using pressure sensors to monitor the process. Finally, pressure sensors are used in diesel particle filters to optimize performance or to detect a hole in the system.
iSuppli expects China to play a larger role in the global car market, especially as it will lead the world in production this year. Exhaust emissions are a key issue in China, where urban pollution is severe. Emissions legislation is expected to be at the top of the agenda—ahead of safety—for both cars and motorcycles.
Greener Washing Machines
Energy efficiency is one of the key selling points for today’s appliances, which typically come with energy ratings. Sensors for some time have been used in high-end washing machines and dishwashers to monitor load and water levels. Although very basic switches often are used for water level monitoring, MEMS pressure sensors are more sophisticated, providing measurement of water levels.
Accelerometers even can provide wash-loading information to optimize the cycles and energy use. For example, Panasonic recently introduced a washing machine using a 3-axis accelerometer to analyze the motion of the drum to determine the optimal loading, altering its speed and rotation accordingly and contributing to lower power usage and reduced water consumption.
Ultra Low-Power Sensors for Industrial Metering
For industrial applications, there are two MEMS applications: vibration sensors and ultra-low power sensors, i.e. switches. These devices are expected to appear during the next two or three years, a view that is based on the status of advanced development at several European companies.
Sensors and switches, with either low or zero power requirements, can be integrated in sensor systems with
passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) elements to enable monitoring systems. Integration will reduce losses at the system level, optimize efficiency and provide devices that improve the efficiency of processes. Furthermore, this approach dispenses with batteries and the associated disposal problem.
So far, demonstrations of this technology have been comprised of industrial RFID metering applications using
wireless sensors/switches, and iSuppli believes there are many other potential applications for machines and even
facility-monitoring to optimize energy consumption. MEMS is an enabling technology in this context.
Energy from the Environment
Further out on the horizon the so-called ambient energy harvesters. There is a lot of buzz around these devices
today, but iSuppli does not foresee MEMS used in these products in the market or a contribution to green energy
until 2013 or 2015 at the earliest.
Energy harvesters scavenge ambient vibration and turn it into energy. While other technologies with much larger collection volumes are achieving some success, the amount of energy available to a tiny MEMS harvester is very, very small. The exception is for certain high-vibration environments like the interior of a tire, where there
is sufficient energy to power a MEMS pressure sensor and RF transceiver to provide information for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). No battery would be needed in this case, a boon for the environment as disposal of hundreds of millions of batteries would be saved annually.
The TPMS opportunity is significant as tire pressure monitors are already the law in the United States and will be required on cars in Europe in 2012. This uptake is partly for safety reasons but also is environmental—a 20 percent reduction in tire pressure leads to 6 percent reduction in fuel economy.
Their combination of small size, low power consumption and high performance continues to favor MEMS sensors and switches in supporting the improved efficiency of machines and processes.
Posts
No comments: