Project Details
Projekt
Coordination Funds
Applicant
Professor Dr.-Ing. Eckhard A. Kirchner
Subject Area
Engineering Design, Machine Elements, Product Development
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550411413
Digitalization offers enormous potential from private applications to public life and economy, requiring extensive and reliable data on the operating status of machines and systems. Standardized machine elements, such as screws, bearings, gears, seals and shaft-hub connections, are located in the immediate vicinity of the process in practically every machine. Sensor systems for a wide range of measuring tasks are to be integrated into machine elements in the SPP in order to record and evaluate data "in-situ" in the immediate vicinity of the process. The sensor integrating machine elements (SiME) are to register independently with the machine system's control unit and network ad-hoc. After notification of their individual measurement capabilities, they are assigned individual measurement and evaluation tasks by the control unit. The data is collected on site, reduced and only transmitted wirelessly if required; the SiME obtains the necessary electrical energy wirelessly on site. The aim of the SPP is to establish the fundamentals of SiME, its methodically supported conceptual design and system integration. The focus is on "common" machine elements as standardized basic elements of mechanical engineering. Using SiME, precise measurement data can be obtained across the board and used for a wide range of applications. As SiME, ordinary machine elements thus become the driver of comprehensive digitalization. The expertise required for this research task is spread across scientific institutions in various disciplines. Due to the complex interactions involved, the objectives of this SPP can only be achieved through interdisciplinary cooperation between the specialist disciplines of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science. While the first funding period focused on the development of sensor concepts for SiME, the assessment of the influence of sensor integration on the primary function and an initial proof of function, the second funding period focuses on their system integration. The aim of the second funding period is to transform the prototypes into autonomous systems and to analyze and demonstrate the functional reliability of the sensor system with regard to energy, heat and data management. Autonomy from an external energy supply is to be achieved and wireless data transmission made possible. Furthermore, the software used must be capable of being updated. In order to prove the functionality of the SiME, it must be integrated into the data acquisition and evaluation of the overall system. The reliability of the SiME with regard to the primary function of the machine element as well as the sensory function must be guaranteed and verified. The design of SiME should be documented in a framework for design and development.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
