The ChronoMEMS® solutions use a new generation of hybrid MEMS sensors that function without any electronics or energy source. They are capable of counting and memorizing mechanical incidents, such as deformations, vibrations, impacts and accelerations over periods lasting several decades.

Once installed on the structure (an aircraft, ship, vehicle, bridge, pipeline, building, etc.), this innovation operates like a black box that records the real life of the support. In this way, the ChronoMEMS® innovation addresses the need for structural health monitoring, which produces data to improve dependability. Precise and individual knowledge of the events affecting the monitored structure reveals its potential residual lifespan and allows for unmatched quality in the assessment of its operating reliability. This means that the ChronoMEMS® solutions can be used to take operational decisions immediately and on the spot, for example for fleet management purposes. An approach diametrically opposed to big data! These solutions can also be used to optimize maintenance in operational condition, with a view to cutting operating costs.

They form an essential supplement to simulations and theoretical models, because the ChronoMEMS® solutions produce objective and individual information on the actual use of a structure that is isolated or part of a fleet.

The applications of ChronoMEMS®

• Passive health and usage monitoring systems (P-HUMS),

• Individual monitoring and/or fleet management by capturing factual information in situ that can be used to determine the residual lifespan of the monitored structures,

• Maintenance in operational condition and maintenance according to condition in order to make equipment more available,

• Optimization of maintenance in order to cut operating costs,

• Safety and reliability of structures and components using a decision-support system before returning to service after an incident (“GO/NO GO” type operational decisions),

• Detection of critical and/or out of spec events based on the impartial monitoring of the actual conditions of use.

ChronoMEMS® is very simple to implement, due to its passive character. There is no need to install cables, electronics or batteries.

ChronoMEMS® is service- and maintenance-free.

ChronoMEMS® has an unlimited lifespan. This means that it can be installed on facilities that will last for several decades.

Every ChronoMEMS® is tested individually before shipment, so there is no need for on-site calibration. And unlike conventional stress measurement devices, it does not have to be re-calibrated.

The information produced by ChronoMEMS® is 100% useful, while other widely-used techniques demand complex post-processing of the data. Since there is no need for post-processing in the field, the number of ChronoMEMS® sensors can be multiplied so that each structure is monitored individually, instead of just a sample. Consequently, the information is significantly more reliable.

The information in ChronoMEMS® is tamper-proof. The information can only be altered or modified by destroying the sensor.

ChronoMEMS® is an infallible monitor of the physical condition of the monitored structure, because the mechanical memory in situ is inalterable. Errors of interpretation are ruled out by the simple read-out system.

ChronoMEMS® is compatible with severe environments. In particular, it is insensitive to all forms or radiation and electromagnetic interference. It is also suitable for use in pyrotechnical environments and can even be configured to withstand temperatures of several hundreds of degrees.

Ultra-compact, ChronoMEMS® can be easily integrated into any object requiring real-time monitoring.

It is available in a range of versions offering functionalities tailored to users' needs:

• A non-connected version with direct visual readout (100% energy-free)
• A version that can be interrogated from a short distance using a passive RFID chip (100% energy-free)
• A highly autonomous connected version (10 years) via LoRa communication module

Les versions RFID et connectées ouvrent les perspectives d’emploi de ChronoMEMS® aux systèmes automatisés de surveillance des structures et équipements dans un contexte d’exploitation opérationnel temps réel.