Wireless Acquisition of Temperature Data From PCBN Embedded Thin Film Sensors

This paper presents the results of wireless data transmission experiments from micro thin film thermocouples (sensor) embedded into polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) cutting inserts. A small wireless data acquisition system (DAQ) is necessary for sufficiently fast acquisition of experimental data from the embedded micro sensors in PCBN inserts, when mounted on a rotating cutting tool. For a wireless transfer of a low amplitude and high frequency thermal e analog signal, a signal conditioning circuit and wireless transmitting module are used. A Bluetooth transmitter module is used to establish communication with the receiver PC over serial port profile (SPP). To characterize the wireless data transfer system, heat signals are generated in stationary PCBN embedded thermocouples through laser pulses and CNC machining tests. During comparative tests, data was simultaneously acquired with a conventional wired DAQ board and the developed wireless DAQ system. The wireless DAQ capabilities and the overall dimensions of the devised wireless module greatly simplify its integration into various manufacturing applications.