Development of a Compact Wireless Sensor for Electric Field Measurements

Measuring the electrical field strength generated by any charged surface is of great interest but can only be carried out by using rather bulky measurement devices. Depending on the material, which is exposed to varying environmental conditions, changes in the surface charges lead to a changing electric field strength in its vicinity. In this paper we describe the development of a compact sensor, based on a variable plate capacitor electrostatic voltmeter principle, to quantify the field strength. The measurement result of the system is verified with a commercial field mill device, showing a close correlation. The presented solution, therefore, can be used as simple measurement unit for electric fields and in a wider sense for surface charge detection.