Evaluation of a modular microsystem structure for sensor-integrating machine elements

Condition monitoring of machines is playing an increasingly important role in the digitization of Industry 4.0. Rising demands on processes and safety make early detection of wear and in time intervention necessary. For this purpose, existing components and those to be designed have to be equipped with sensors. In particular, machine elements such as feather keys, toothed belts, screws, etc., are enhanced as sensor-integrating machine elements (SiME) via the integration of measuring systems. For a SiME, retention of the original shape of the machine element is a key requirement. In addition, maintaining their primary function is crucial when integrating the measuring system. The implementation using microsystems (MEMS) plays a decisive role due to miniaturization and lower costs. However, the sensors to be integrated have to be carefully selected taking into account possible disturbance factors of the SiME and its application environment. Therefore, up to now SiME usually have to be implemented as an individual solution for each respective application. In the interdisciplinary project MiMoSe (microelectronic modular system for sensor-integrating machine elements) of the Priority Program (SPP) 2305, electrical engineers and mechanical engineers are unitedly developing a modular kit for SiME, in which electrical and mechanical engineering boundary conditions are taken into account including disturbance factors. The aim of this work is to show the procedure, which is important when developing an electronic toolbox, with regard to the component properties and their integration into SiME, in which aspects such as miniaturization, lifespan, range of functions, data processing, data storage, data exchange and modularity are discussed.