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At least 19 records

Wireless Sensing Opportunities for Aerospace Applications

Wireless sensors and sensor networks is an emerging technology area with many applications within the aerospace industry. Integrated vehicle health monitoring (IVHM) of aerospace vehicles is needed to ensure the safety of the crew and the vehicle, yet often high costs, weight, size and other constraints prevent the incorporation of instrumentation onto spacecraft. This paper presents a few of the areas such as IVHM, where new wireless sensing technology is needed on both existing vehicles as well as future spacecraft. From ground tests to inflatable structures to the International Space Station, many applications could receive benefits from small, low power, wireless sensors. This paper also highlights some of the challenges that need to overcome when implementing wireless sensor networks for aerospace vehicles.

Wilson, William↗

Toward Reliable and Energy Efficient Wireless Sensing for Space and Extreme Environments

Reliability is the critical challenge of wireless sensing in space systems operating in extreme environments. Energy efficiency is another concern for battery powered wireless sensors. Considering the physics of wireless communications, we propose an approach called Software-Defined Wireless Communications (SDC) that dynamically decide a reliable channel(s) avoiding unnecessary redundancy of channels, out of multiple distinct electromagnetic frequency bands such as radio and infrared frequencies.We validate the concept with Android and Raspberry Pi sensors and pseudo extreme experiments. SDC can be utilized in many areas beyond space applications.

Choi, Baek-Young↗

Wireless Sensing System Using Open-circuit, Electrically-conductive Spiral-trace Sensor

A wireless sensing system includes a sensor made from an electrical conductor shaped to form an open-circuit, electrically-conductive spiral trace having inductance and capacitance. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the sensor resonates to generate a harmonic response having a frequency, amplitude and bandwidth. A magnetic field response recorder wirelessly transmits the time-varying magnetic field to the sensor and wirelessly detects the sensor's response frequency, amplitude and bandwidth.

Woodard, Stanley E.↗

Wireless sensing system for non-invasive monitoring of attributes of contents in a container

A wireless sensing system monitors the level, temperature, magnetic permeability and electrical dielectric constant of a non-gaseous material in a container. An open-circuit electrical conductor is shaped to form a two-dimensional geometric pattern that can store and transfer electrical and magnetic energy. The conductor resonates in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field to generate a harmonic response. The conductor is mounted in an environmentally-sealed housing. A magnetic field response recorder wirelessly transmits the time-varying magnetic field to power the conductor, and wirelessly detects the harmonic response that is an indication of at least one of level of the material in the container, temperature of the material in the container, magnetic permeability of the material in the container, and dielectric constant of the material in the container.

Woodard, Stanley E.↗

User Needs and Advances in Space Wireless Sensing and Communications

Decades of space exploration and technology trends for future missions show the need for new approaches in space/planetary sensor networks, observatories, internetworking, and communications/data delivery to Earth. The User Needs to be discussed in this talk includes interviews with several scientists and reviews of mission concepts for the next generation of sensors, observatories, and planetary surface missions. These observatories, sensors are envisioned to operate in extreme environments, with advanced autonomy, whereby sometimes communication to Earth is intermittent and delayed. These sensor nodes require software defined networking capabilities in order to learn and adapt to the environment, collect science data, internetwork, and communicate. Also, some user cases require the level of intelligence to manage network functions (either as a host), mobility, security, and interface data to the physical radio/optical layer. For instance, on a planetary surface, autonomous sensor nodes would create their own ad-hoc network, with some nodes handling communication capabilities between the wireless sensor networks and orbiting relay satellites. A section of this talk will cover the advances in space communication and internetworking to support future space missions. NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program continues to evolve with the development of optical communication, a new vision of the integrated network architecture with more capabilities, and the adoption of CCSDS space internetworking protocols. Advances in wireless communications hardware and electronics have enabled software defined networking (DVB-S2, VCM, ACM, DTN, Ad hoc, etc.) protocols for improved wireless communication and network management. Developing technologies to fulfil these user needs for wireless communications and adoption of standardized communication/internetworking protocols will be a huge benefit to future planetary missions, space observatories, and manned missions to other planets.

Kegege, Obadiah↗

Wireless Chemical Sensing Method

A wireless chemical sensor includes an electrical conductor and a material separated therefrom by an electric insulator. The electrical conductor is an unconnected open-circuit shaped for storage of an electric field and a magnetic field. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the first electrical conductor resonates to generate harmonic electric and magnetic field responses. The material is positioned at a location lying within at least one of the electric and magnetic field responses so-generated. The material changes in electrical conductivity in the presence of a chemical-of-interest.

Woodard, Stanley E.↗

AFRC Wireless Development Plans and Needs

This presentation highlights NASA AFRCs wireless systems development plans as well as technological needs and airworthiness challenges for flight test/research applications. The presentation discusses desired wireless sensing and wireless data communication methodologies for specific aircraft areas such as wings, tail, engines, and landing gears. The presentation also provides information for potential industry partners seeking to collaborate in the development of sensors through various means as well as to verify and validate wireless sensors and systems through flight at AFRC.

telemetry systems↗

Wireless Temperature Sensing Method Using no Electrical Connections

A wireless temperature sensor includes an electrical conductor and a material spaced apart from the conductor and located within one or more of the responding electric field and responding magnetic field of the conductor. The conductor is electrically unconnected and is shaped for storage of an electric field and a magnetic field. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the conductor resonates to generate harmonic electric and magnetic field responses, each of which has a frequency associated therewith. The material is selected such that it experiences changes in one of dielectric properties and magnetic permeability properties in the presence of a temperature change. Shifts from the sensor's baseline frequency response indicate that the material has experienced a temperature change.

Woodard, Stanley E.↗

Wireless Damage Location Sensing System

A wireless damage location sensing system uses a geometric-patterned wireless sensor that resonates in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field to generate a harmonic response that will experience a change when the sensor experiences a change in its geometric pattern. The sensing system also includes a magnetic field response recorder for wirelessly transmitting the time-varying magnetic field and for wirelessly detecting the harmonic response. The sensing system compares the actual harmonic response to a plurality of predetermined harmonic responses. Each predetermined harmonic response is associated with a severing of the sensor at a corresponding known location thereof so that a match between the actual harmonic response and one of the predetermined harmonic responses defines the known location of the severing that is associated therewith.

Woodard, Stanley E.↗

A Piezoelectric Passive Wireless Sensor for Monitoring Strain

Interest in passive wireless sensing has grown over the past few decades to meet demands in structural health monitoring.(Deivasigamani et al., 2013; Wilson and Juarez, 2014) This work describes a passive wireless sensor for monitoring strain, which does not have an embedded battery or chip. Without an embedded battery, the passive wireless sensor has the potential to maintain its functionality over long periods in remote/harsh environments. This work also focuses on monitoring small strain (less than 1000 micro-ɛ). The wireless sensing system includes a reader unit, a coil-like transponder, and a sensing unit. It operates in the Megahertz (MHz) frequency range, which allows for a few centimeters of separation between the reader and sensing unit during measurements. The sensing unit is a strain-sensitive piezoelectric resonator that maximizes the energy efficiency at the resonance frequency, so it converts nanoscale mechanical variations to detectable differences in electrical signal. In response to an external loading, the piezoelectric sensor breaks from its original electromechanical equilibrium, and the resonant frequency shifts as the system reaches a new balanced equilibrium. In this work, the fixture of the sensing unit is a small, sticker-like package that converts the surface strain of a test material to measurable shifts in resonant frequencies. Furthermore, electromechanical modeling provides a lumped-parameter model of the system to describe and predict the measured wireless signals of the sensor. Detailed characterization demonstrates how this wireless sensor has resolution comparable to that of conventional wired strain sensors for monitoring small strain.

Zou, Xiyue↗

Ubiquitous Wireless Smart Sensing and Control

Need new technologies to reliably and safely have humans interact within sensored environments (integrated user interfaces, physical and cognitive augmentation, training, and human-systems integration tools). Areas of focus include: radio frequency identification (RFID), motion tracking, wireless communication, wearable computing, adaptive training and decision support systems, and tele-operations. The challenge is developing effective, low cost/mass/volume/power integrated monitoring systems to assess and control system, environmental, and operator health; and accurately determining and controlling the physical, chemical, and biological environments of the areas and associated environmental control systems.

Wagner, Raymond↗

Ubiquitous Wireless Smart Sensing and Control. Pumps and Pipes JSC: Uniquely Houston

Need new technologies to reliably and safely have humans interact within sensored environments (integrated user interfaces, physical and cognitive augmentation, training, and human-systems integration tools).Areas of focus include: radio frequency identification (RFID), motion tracking, wireless communication, wearable computing, adaptive training and decision support systems, and tele-operations. The challenge is developing effective, low cost/mass/volume/power integrated monitoring systems to assess and control system, environmental, and operator health; and accurately determining and controlling the physical, chemical, and biological environments of the areas and associated environmental control systems.

Wagner, Raymond↗

Passive Wireless Vibration Sensing for Measuring Aerospace Structural Flutter

To reduce energy consumption, emissions, and noise, NASA is exploring the use of high aspect ratio wings on subsonic aircraft. Because high aspect ratio wings are susceptible to flutter events, NASA is also investigating methods of flutter detection and suppression. In support of that work a new remote, non-contact method for measuring flutter-induced vibrations has been developed. The new sensing scheme utilizes a microwave reflectometer to monitor the reflected response from an aeroelastic structure to ultimately characterize structural vibrations. To demonstrate the ability of microwaves to detect flutter vibrations, a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite panel was vibrated at various frequencies from 1Hz to 130Hz. The reflectometer response was found to closely resemble the sinusoidal response as measured with an accelerometer up to 100 Hz. The data presented demonstrate that microwaves can be used to measure flutter-induced aircraft vibrations.

Wilson, William C.↗

Structural Health Monitoring Sensor Development at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA is applying considerable effort on the development of sensor technology for structural health monitoring (SHM). This research is targeted toward increasing the safety and reliability of aerospace vehicles, while reducing operating and maintenance costs. Research programs are focused on applications to both aircraft and space vehicles. Sensor technologies under development span a wide range including fiber-optic sensing, active and passive acoustic sensors, electromagnetic sensors, wireless sensing systems, MEMS, and nanosensors. Because of their numerous advantages for aerospace applications, fiber-optic sensors are one of the leading candidates and are the major focus of this presentation. In addition, recent advances in active and passive acoustic sensing will also be discussed.

Prosser, W. H.↗

Delay Tolerant, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID )-enabled Sensing

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology offers a completely passive method to transmit fixed data sequences from an RFID tag, which typically doesn’t have its own power supply, to an interrogator. Radio frequency (RF) energy harvested from the interrogator is rectified by the tag and used to charge an integrated circuit (IC). The IC then modulates the received signal with the data stored on the tag and reflects the energy back to the interrogator. RFID has seen great proliferation in terrestrial inventory management applications, and it has recently made the jump to spaceflight applications onboard the International Space Station, augmenting an existing optical bar‐code infrastructure for tracking supplies. A number of advanced automated logistics management (ALM) concepts employing RFID are currently being developed and evaluated, including so‐called “smart” shelves, cubbies, and trash receptacles using low‐power, embeddable RFID interrogators. An infrastructure where both crew members and robotic assistants, such as autonomous free flyers, are similarly equipped with small RFID interrogators seems likely. It therefore behooves us to consider extending this infrastructure beyond ALM to applications such as low power, embedded sensing. Typically, data on an RFID tag can only be written by an RFID interrogator, using interrogator energy. In recent years, however, a few efforts have focused on using that energy to drive data acquisition from the tag IC, allowing the tag to modify its stored data sequence with sensor data before replying to an interrogator. In this way, the tag can act as a completely passive sensing device. One problem exists with this approach, however: the tag cannot gather data when an interrogator is not present. Thus, strictly passive RFID sensing tags cannot gather data at regular intervals, in the manner of a typical wireless sensor network, without careful, and impractical, planning of mobile interrogator movements. To address this shortcoming, we look to a recent advance in RFID technology which allows an external microprocessor to power the tag IC and write directly into its RFID memory using a wired serial interface. In this paradigm, data gathering is driven by a small, on‐board power supply (using batteries or harvested energy), and data transfer is provided passively through the RFID interrogation service. Since communication typically consumes the lion’s share of power in WSNs, such a technique has the potential to enable extremely long‐lived, embedded wireless sensing when used with extremely low‐current microcontrollers. Since the communication channel is only open when an interrogator is present and actively interrogating the RFID sensing tag, transport of periodically‐sampled sensor data presents itself as a delay/disruption‐tolerant networking (DTN) problem. In this paper, we present the design of a DTN‐like overlay on the common EPC Global, Class 1, Generation 2 RFID standard. This overlay allows seamless, guaranteed data transfer using the EPC Global protocol, supporting extremely low‐power, embedded sensing using an infrastructure likely to be already in place for ALM applications. We evaluate a prototype implementation of a complete end‐to‐end system using a robotic RFID interrogation agent, and we present future directions for the development of this sensing technique.

Raymond S. Wagner↗

NASA Applications of Structural Health Monitoring Technology

This presentation provides examples of research and development that has recently or is currently being conducted at NASA, with a special emphasis on the application of structural health monitoring (SHM) of aerospace vehicles. SHM applications on several vehicle programs are highlighted, including Space Shuttle Orbiter, the International Space Station, Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles, and Expendable Launch Vehicles. Examples of current and previous work are presented in the following categories: acoustic emission impact detection, multi-parameter fiber optic strain-based sensing, wireless sensor system development, and distributed leak detection.

Fiber Optic Sensors↗