Angel Lucena

Ethernet-based smart networked elements (sensors and actuators)

This paper outlines the present design approach for the Ethernet-Based Smart Networked Elements (SNE) being developed by NASAs Instrumentation Branch and the Advanced Electronics and Technology Development Laboratory of ASRC Aerospace Corporation at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The SNEs are being developed as part of the Integrated Intelligent Health Management System (IIHMS), jointly developed by Stennis Space Center (SSC), KSC, and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). SNEs are sensors/actuators with embedded intelligence, capable of networking among themselves and with higher-level systems (external processors and controllers) to provide not only instrumentation data but also associated data validity qualifiers. NASA KSC has successfully developed and preliminarily demonstrated this new generation of SNEs. SNEs that collect pressure, strain, and temperature measurements (including cryogenic temperature ranges) have been developed and tested in the laboratory and are ready for demonstration in the field.

Smart actuators: Valve Health Monitor (VHM) system

The health of electromechanical systems (actuators) and specifically of solenoid valves is a primary concern at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). These systems control the storage and transfer of such commodities as liquid hydrogen. The potential for the failure of electromechanical systems to delay a scheduled launch or to cause personnel injury requires continual maintenance and testing of the systems to ensure their readiness. Monitoring devices need to be incorporated into these systems to verify the health and performance of the valves during real operating conditions. It is very advantageous to detect degradation and/or potential problems before they happen. This feature will not only provide safer operation but save the cost of unnecessary maintenance and inspections. Solenoid valve status indicators are often based upon microswitches that work by physically contacting a valves poppet assembly. All of the physical contact and movement tends to be very unreliable and is subject to wear and tear of the assemblies, friction, breakage of the switch, and even leakage of the fluid (gas or liquid) in the valve. The NASA Instrumentation Branch, together with its contractor, ASRC Aerospace, has developed a solenoid valve smart current signature sensor that monitors valves in a noninvasive mode. The smart system monitors specific electrical parameters of the solenoid valves and detects and predicts the performance and health of the device. The information obtained from the electrical signatures of these valves points to not only electrical components failures in the valves but also mechanical failures and/or degradations.

Highly reliable multisensor array (MSA) smart transducers

Many developments in the field of multisensor array (MSA) transducers have taken place in the last few years. Advancements in fabrication technology, such as Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology, have made implementation of MSA devices a reality. NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has been developing this type of technology because of the increases in safety, reliability, and performance and the reduction in operational and maintenance costs that can be achieved with these devices. To demonstrate the MSA technology benefits, KSC quantified the relationship between the number of sensors (N) and the associated improvement in sensor life and reliability. A software algorithm was developed to monitor and assess the health of each element and the overall MSA. Furthermore, the software algorithm implemented criteria on how these elements would contribute to the MSA-calculated output to ensure required performance. The hypothesis was that a greater number of statistically independent sensor elements would provide a measurable increase in measurement reliability. A computer simulation was created to answer this question. An array of N sensors underwent random failures in the simulation and a life extension factor (LEF equals the percentage of the life of a single sensor) was calculated by the program. When LEF was plotted as a function of N, a quasiexponential behavior was detected with marginal improvement above N = 30. The hypothesis and follow-on simulation results were then corroborated experimentally. An array composed of eight independent pressure sensors was fabricated. To accelerate sensor life cycle and failure and to simulate degradation over time, the MSA was exposed to an environmental tem-perature of 125°C. Every 24 hours, the experiments environmental temperature was returned to ambient temperature (27°C), and the outputs of all the MSA sensor elements were measured. Once per week, the MSA calibration was verified at five different pressure points. Results from the experiment correlated with the results obtained in the computer simulation, in which the overall LEF of the MSA transducer was extended. Furthermore, it was concluded that the MSA approach was capable of extending calibration cycle times at least three times when compared to single-element transducers. These characteristics provided not only an increase in sensor reliability but also a reduction in operational and maintenance costs.

Wireless sensor network

Current and future requirements of aerospace sensors and transducers demand the design and development of a new family of sensing devices, with emphasis on reduced weight, power consumption, and physical size. This new generation of sensors and transducers will possess a certain degree of intelligence in order to provide the end user with critical data in a more efficient manner. Communication between networks of traditional or next-generation sensors can be accomplished by a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) developed by NASAs Instrumentation Branch and ASRC Aerospace Corporation at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), consisting of at least one central station and several remote stations and their associated software. The central station is application-dependent and can be implemented on different computer hardware, including industrial, handheld, or PC-104 single-board computers, on a variety of operating systems: embedded Windows, Linux, VxWorks, etc. The central stations and remote stations share a similar radio frequency (RF) core module hardware that is modular in design. The main components of the remote stations are an RF core module, a sensor interface module, batteries, and a power management module. These modules are stackable, and a common bus provides the flexibility to stack other modules for additional memory, increased processing, etc. WSN can automatically reconfigure to an alternate frequency if interference is encountered during operation. In addition, the base station will autonomously search for a remote station that was perceived to be lost, using relay stations and alternate frequencies. Several wireless remote-station types were developed and tested in the laboratory to support different sensing technologies, such as resistive temperature devices, silicon diodes, strain gauges, pressure transducers, and hydrogen leak detectors.