Sensor Integration

An analytical compact model for giant magnetoresistance (GMR) based current sensors has been developed. Different spin-valve based full Wheatstone bridge sensors, with the current straps integrated in the chip, have been considered. These devices have been ...

Design-related considerations are presented for an optical-waveguide ring resonator which has been formed on a micromachined diaphragm to form a pressure sensor. A description is given of an experimental implementation of a cantilever beam sensor using an optical waveguide structure to measure beam deflection; and the prospective advantages of such optical sensors for rocket and turbine engine performance parameter monitoring

The paper describes a software-architecture for sensor integration in robotic systems. Its supreme goals are flexibility, extensibility and ease of use. These goals include hardware-aspects, such as scalability to the number of sensors, as well as software-aspects, such as reconfigurability to parameters and algorithms. The architecture is quite simple; it consists of two types of software structures. One is called "enhanced-sensor". The other is called "signal-merger". Each sensor is mapped to a software structure of the type "enhanced-sensor". The structure includes the digitized signal, the calibration data of the sensor, additional meta-data and sensor-specific results as well as sensor specific functional- ity. The "signal-merger", on the other hand, includes the strategy to interpret and process the signals, which are included in the "enhanced-sensor"-structures. In that way the processing and control logic is separated from th...

ABSTRACT In this paper, an overview of optical sensor development, testing and evaluation for several geotechnical monitoring applications is presented. Additionally, sensor integration and data interpretation are addressed as key influences to the overall success of the monitoring project. They should be taken into consideration already in the design stage. Particular focus is given on strain sensor development to minimize the slippage of the fiber inside the protection. For the first time, slippage progression monitoring by high spatially resolved Brillouin measurements is presented as a new tool for sensor testing and evaluation for geotechnical projects. The main findings of the study are that in a geotechnical monitoring project, special care has to be taken by choosing the sensor slippage properties, longitudinal stiffness and robustness, as well as in the design of the sensor system itself (fixation, gauge length and bond strength). With appropriate alignment of these factors, reasonable monitoring data can be obtained, as shown in the applications proposed in this manuscript.

... The following medical sensors are used in the VMOTE-II: Digital SP02 Sensor and C02 Sensor, Analog Sensors (Skin Temperature and GSR Sensors). ... The regular SP02 and HR values are calculated on a 4 beat average whilst the E-HR and E-SP02 readings are calculated on ...

An analytical compact model for giant magnetoresistance (GMR) based current sensors has been developed. Different spin-valve based full Wheatstone bridge sensors, with the current straps integrated in the chip, have been considered. These devices have been ...

We report the fabrication and characterization of nickel Hall sensors integrated on SU-8 cantilevers. Sensors having active area down to 1 x 1 mum 2 show a magnetic field resolution better than 1 /n muT / Hz 1/2 in the thermal noise frequency range. The fabricated devices have been tested for magnetic imaging using the scanning Hall probe microscopy technique.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aeronautical programs require structural health monitoring (SHM) to ensure the safety of the crew and the vehicles. Future SHM sensors need to be small, lightweight, inexpensive, and wireless. Orthogonal frequency coded (OFC) surface acoustic wave (SAW) reflectors and transducers have been recently introduced for use in communication, as well as in sensor and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag applications (Malocha , 2004, Puccio , 2004). The OFC SAW technology approach has been investigated by NASA for possible inclusion in ground, space flight, and space exploration sensor applications. In general, SAW technology has advantages over other potentially competitive technologies, because the devices can operate in ranges from cryogenic to furnace temperature. SAW devices can also be small, rugged, passive, wireless, and radiation hard and can operate with variable frequency and bandwidth. SAW sensor embodiments can provide onboard device sensor integration or can provide integration with an external sensor that uses the SAW device for encoding the sensor information and transmission to the receiver. SAW OFC device technology can provide RFID tags and sensors with low loss, large operating temperatures, and a multiuse sensor platform. This paper will discuss the key parameters for OFC device design, which includes reflector and transducer design, coding diversity approaches, and insertion loss considerations. Examples of several OFC device sensors and RFID tags are presented to show the current state-of-the-art performance for several NASA applications. Projections for future sensor and RFID tag platform performance are discussed, along with some of the current challenges and issues of the technology.