MOEMS based sensor for tire carcass deflection monitoring in automobile using photonic crystals

Tire is an essential automotive component, since it plays an important role in safety, mobility, fuel economy and ride comfort. Road irregularities causes deflection of carcass which is an internal layer of tire that sustains load and absorbs shock. This causes tire to generate faulty input to the steering which reduces durability of the automobile in the long run. In this project, MOEMS (Micro Opto-Electra Mechanical System) based sensor associated with photonic crystal is developed to observe carcass deflection and to study its characteristics in order to design a more efficient automobile. The MOEMS device functionality is achieved through micromechanical sub-wavelength inward displacement of the dielectric slabs. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used for analysis of the results with the help of MEEP software. Simulation results show that the displacement occurring (of the dielectric slabs) will change the dimensions of the waveguide carved in the photonic crystal having silicon as a substrate. As a result, this change in spacing alters the propagation virtue of electromagnetic waves that run through them, due to periodic modulation of refractive index. Results show that distinct shift in frequency with high quality factor of 37074.566 was obtained by displacing the inclined and vertical slab by keeping horizontal slabs fixed.