An Integrated Structure of Airflow Velocity Sensing and Piezoelectric Motion for Dynamic Airflow Velocity Measurement

In narrow spaces, it is difficult to sense and locate airflow changes caused by accidents. In this article, an integrated structure of wind velocity sensing and piezoelectric motion is proposed, achieving rapid device movement and real-time wind velocity sensing in narrow spaces. The integrated structure includes a piezoelectric wind velocity sensor with a cavity structure based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a wireless signal processing system for the sensor, and a multilegged piezoelectric actuator. Moreover, an electromechanical coupling model is established to verify the enhanced sensitivity of the sensor and the optimization of the distribution structure of the actuator. Furthermore, experimental results indicate that the sensor has high sensitivity (120 mV/ms−1) and fast response (65 ms), the actuator has a mass of 0.9 g, supporting a maximum load of 55 g (thrust-to-weight ratio of 61.1), and the time required for the integrated structure to detect airflow and activate the actuator is a mere 105 ms; the device requires only 615 ms from perceiving airflow changes to moving to a target position 100 mm away. The integrated structure (9 g) has the capability for rapid positioning and detection, verified by experiments, including airflow avoidance test, maze navigation with wind disturbance, and autonomous pipeline leakage detection.