Refinement of Signal Conditioning Circuits for Low-Cost Piezoelectric Acoustic Emission Sensors in IoT-Based Industry 4.0 Systems

• Grant number: 25/07849-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 30, 2025
• End date: August 03, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Romano Lofrano Dotto
• Grantee: Henrique Alves Della Coletta
• Supervisor: Dennis Brandao
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università degli Studi di Brescia, Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/13409-9 - Characterization of Low-Cost Piezoelectric Ceramics for IoT Acoustic Emission Sensors in Industry 4.0, BP.IC

Abstract

This international research internship aims to enhance and validate signal conditioning circuits designed for low-cost piezoelectric acoustic emission sensors, within the context of Industry 4.0 and IoT applications. The activity builds upon the student's ongoing Scientific Initiation Project and focuses on the refinement of amplification and filtering stages to improve signal quality, reduce noise, and ensure reliable detection of acoustic events. Circuit improvements will be guided by theoretical analysis and experimental validation, with support from the Embedded Systems and Smart Sensors (ES3) group at the Università degli Studi di Brescia (UNIBS). The internship includes testing encapsulated piezoelectric ceramics using the improved circuits and comparing the results with previous data collected using preliminary prototypes. Complementary measurements under varied operational conditions, including possible field testing, will expand the experimental dataset and support a more robust evaluation of circuit performance. The activities will be conducted using UNIBS infrastructure, and the results are expected to directly contribute to the final outcomes of the FAPESP-funded research. In addition, the internship will strengthen scientific cooperation between EESC-USP and UNIBS and foster long-term collaborative opportunities.