Application of M-A352AD in Health Monitoring of Bridges/Building Structures

     The emergence of reinforced concrete has brought human infrastructure to a new stage, with large-scale bridges and high-rise buildings rising from the ground. Along with it comes concerns about its safety. Therefore, we need to monitor its structural safety and health to ensure proper maintenance and early detection of hidden dangers. Bridge/building structural health monitoring is based on scientific monitoring theories and methods, using various appropriate inspection and testing methods to obtain data, providing validation for structural design methods, calculation assumptions, and structural model analysis. Among them, monitoring the settlement, displacement, and inclination of key parts of the main structure is the main means and indicator. So, how to measure quickly, efficiently, and with high accuracy is an important consideration in bridge/building structure monitoring.

    However, in practical applications, many problems are often encountered, such as high interference noise, low measurement resolution, and non intuitive measurement output. EPSON has been deeply involved in the sensor industry for many years and has unique insights. Next, in response to the above application requirements, let's take a look at how its product M-A352AD10 addresses user pain points. High impedance, ultra-low average sound density, and ultra-high resolution ensure accurate measurement of the system, providing a solid theoretical basis for algorithm analysis. In actual monitoring environments, there are often many interferences and noises, such as the different operating frequencies of different objects on bridges or buildings, complex electromagnetic interference environments, and changes in conduction frequencies caused by different media and structures, which will greatly affect the actual required data for our measurements.

    Due to the advanced quartz crystal resonance frequency shift detection technology adopted by M-A352AD10, it has performance far superior to traditional accelerometers, with high stability and anti-interference ability. The M-A352AD10 has an average noise density as low as 0.2uGNHz and an ultra-high output resolution of 0.06uG/LSB. For bridges/buildings within the measurement range of 0-500Hz, the maximum sound impact is only about 4uG, and the impact on the measurement results is negligible.

     At the same time, in order to cope with strong interference application scenarios, The M-A352AD10 is equipped with a programmable low-pass filter, allowing it to freely optimize according to the actual required measurement frequency range to obtain accurate data for the best desired frequency range, providing precise data support for subsequent algorithm analysis. Integrated digital output, intuitive and convenient, more efficient data transmission facilitates accurate data collection. In the monitoring of cup beams/buildings, some scenes require long-term observation at designated locations, while others only require regular inspections.

    How to meet the needs of both is a completely new requirement for sensors. Moreover, traditional analog output sensors cannot be directly connected to the host end and require additional precision analog-to-digital conversion units to ensure data accuracy.

    The M-A352AD10 integrates digital signal processing units into the sensor through semiconductor and advanced packaging technology, changing the traditional single analog signal acquisition and output method and transforming into a new digital sensor with support for universal digital interfaces SPI and UART.

    This has two obvious advantages and benefits: 1. It reduces the need for expensive external long transmission cables to resist interference, avoids the risk of analog signals being affected during transmission, and ensures effective data transmission from the side. If it needs to be used with a host, the correct data can be directly output to the host through a universal digital interface, without the need for complex and expensive analog-to-digital conversion units, greatly reducing system costs.

Overall, M-A352AD10 is very suitable for health monitoring applications in bridge/building structures. It not only has good usability, but also excellent parameter performance, which can meet various applications well, providing a good data foundation for the diagnosis and analysis of abnormal bridge/building structures, and safeguarding social development.