An Investigation into High-Accuracy and Energy-Efficient Novel Capacitive MEMS for Tire Pressure Sensor Application

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Dec 17;24(24):8037. doi: 10.3390/s24248037.

Abstract

Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs) are essential for maintaining driving safety by continuously monitoring critical tire parameters, such as pressure and temperature, in real time during vehicle operation. Among these parameters, tire pressure is the most significant, necessitating the use of highly precise, cost-effective, and energy-efficient sensing technologies. With the rapid advancements in micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology, modern automotive sensing and monitoring systems increasingly rely on MEMS sensors due to their compact size, low cost, and low power consumption. This study presents a novel high-precision capacitive pressure sensor based on a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) structure and a silicon-silicon direct bonding process. The proposed design offers exceptional performance with high accuracy, ultra-low power consumption, and reduced production costs, making it an optimal solution for enhancing the precision and efficiency of TPMS. Leveraging its low power requirements, capacitive sensing technology emerges as a superior choice for energy-efficient systems in the automotive industry.

Keywords: MEMS; capacitive; silicon–silicon bonding; tire pressure monitoring system; ultra-low power consumption.