Patch-Antenna-Based Structural Strain Measurement Using Optimized Energy Detection Algorithm Applied on USRP
Guo Chun Wan, Meng Meng Li, Yang Yu, Liyu Xie, Lan Chen
Abstract
A new structural health monitoring (SHM) program using spectrum sensing and radio-frequency identification technology is presented to measure structural strain. The proposed program involving universal software radio peripheral (USRP) provides an economical alternative to these type of measurements as compared to high-end equipment while this method can achieve more flexible data processing. The overall system for strain detection consists of three main parts: 1) a patch antenna as the sensor for strain; 2) an USRP as a measuring instrument; 3) a computer for data processing. The patch antenna can be used to measure structural strain by interrogating resonant frequency shift due to changes in antenna length. In this article we use the optimized energy detection algorithm applied on USRP to detect the spectrum of the patch antenna, the final measurement results show that the patch antenna sensor has a strain sensitivity 1.7678 kHz/ μ ε while the error between the measured value and the true value of the stress is 2.443% after corrected by machine learning.