Home // ALLSENSORS 2025, The Tenth International Conference on Advances in Sensors, Actuators, Metering and Sensing // View article
Authors:
Igor Nazareno Soares
Ruy Alberto Corrêa Altafim
Ruy Alberto Pisani Altafim
Keywords: Piezoelectret accelerometers; vibration sensing; agricultural robotics; inertial sensors; dynamic modeling; resonance tuning; sensor calibration; frequency response analysis.
Abstract:
The advancement of robotic systems in precision agriculture has increased the demand for robust, cost-effective, and customizable inertial sensors capable of operating in diverse mechanical environments. This work evaluates the applicability of a custom-developed Thermo-Formed Piezoelectret Accelerometer (TFPA) for use in agricultural robotics. The sensor, composed of a thermo-formed piezoelectret, a 30 g seismic mass, and a polyurethane foam support, was experimentally characterized over a frequency range of 50 Hz to 3.2 kHz. The sensor was calibrated using a back-to-back method with a reference accelerometer. The measured sensitivity reached a peak of 196 mV/g at 100 Hz, exhibiting a frequency response typical of a second-order underdamped system. An analytical mass–spring–damper model was developed to simulate the sensor's transfer function, and parameter tuning demonstrated strong agreement with experimental results. By comparing the TFPA’s response with vibration frequency bands reported in the literature for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), gear-driven implements, robotic arms, and harvesters, the sensor was found to be suitable for mid- to high-frequency applications, and capable of operating at even higher frequencies with signal amplification. Design parameters, such as foam thickness and Young’s modulus, were shown to enable application-specific tuning of resonance and sensitivity. The TFPA's performance, mechanical robustness, and tunability highlight the potential of piezoelectret-based accelerometers for embedded vibration sensing in agricultural automation. Future work will focus on miniaturization, electronics integration, and extended calibration toward lower frequencies.
Pages: 19 to 25
Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2025
Publication date: May 18, 2025
Published in: conference
ISSN: 2519-836X
ISBN: 978-1-68558-273-9
Location: Nice, France
Dates: from May 18, 2025 to May 22, 2025