Nanotok LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A19-117

Description

The project extends previous work which constructed a triaxial acoustic vector sensor prototype from a piezoelectric 3-d accelerometer combined with a microphone. The net density of the sensor approaches that of air by embedding the accelerometer in lightweight rigid foam, which also improves its resistance to wind noise and environmental effects. The APV+P sensor integrates acceleration to derive particle velocity, has well behaved low frequency phase response, and is not dependent on in-situ calibration even in reactive intensity fields. The portable sensor package is suitable for installation in airborne or land-based autonomous platforms. Phase 1 lays a foundation for low SWaP+C productization efforts by creating a parametric APV+P sensor model based on new and highly sensitive 3-d MEMS accelerometers. An associated acoustic source model will facilitate study of the expected sensor performance envelope for both continuous and impulsive stationary monopole point sources. A range of targeted MEMS devices will be investigated encompassing application dependent noise floors and frequency bandwidths. Performance of an APV+P sensor subject to wind noise will be investigated using the sensor model and archived measurement data. Phase 2 focuses on the development of prototypes integrated with Nanotok’s low SWaP+C sensor processing node, and linked to environmental monitoring.