SBIR-STTR Award

This proposal describes the development of passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) temperature sensors with enhanced sensitivity and detection range for NASA application to remote wireless sensing of temperature distributions in composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) and development flight instrumentation (DFI) for test facilities for large area composite component validation testing. ASR&D has developed a novel SAW device structure that is more sensitive to temperature variations than previous SAW temperature sensor devices, that will function with the high S/N interrogation electronics being develop by ASR&D for longer range SAW sensor measurement. These demonstrated high sensitivity temperature sensors can be individually coded for identification, to operate in a multi-sensor system consisting of multiple passive solid-state SAW sensors that can be interrogated remotely using RF signals, and that respond with a signal that encodes both the sensor's identity as well as measurements of temperature. The proposed Phase I effort will modify the current temperature sensor devices to incorporate coding, build and test these sensors (wired), verify compatibility of the sensors with the wireless interrogation system electronics, and demonstrate wireless temperature sensing of multiple uniquely identifiable sensors.

This proposal describes the development of a wireless multisensor system for NASA application to remote wireless sensing of temperature distributions in composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) and development flight instrumentation (DFI) for test facilities for large area composite component validation testing. Phase 1 demonstrated ASR&D's ability to produce temperature sensors with sensitivity controlled by device design, and to selectively read any one coded wireless sensor out of a set of up to 32 uniquely identifiable sensors. Phase 2 will further develop these passive wireless sensors for target applications, and will develop a miniaturized wireless electronic reader capable of autonomously reading up to 32 sensors operating simultaneously within its field of view. ASR&D has teamed with Metis Design Corporation for the Phase 2 electronics integration, miniaturization, and DAQ hardware development. After the Phase 1 program, the sensors and selected portions of the wireless reader are TRL 2-3. At the completion of the Phase 2 effort ASR&D will deliver to NASA a complete wireless multisensor temperature measurement system suitable for field testing (TRL 4+), including one wireless reader and 32 individually identifiable temperature sensors.