Pegasense, LLC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: Z4

Description

The purpose of this effort is to develop the first and largest SAW technology wireless multi-sensor array system for demonstrationnbsp;in NDE and SHM applications. nbsp;SAW wireless sensors have proven performance in harsh and space environments due to their radiation harness, largenbsp;temperature operation range, passive operation, andnbsp;inherent solid state monolithic construction. nbsp;SAW devices are manufactured in high volume and low cost, can be RFID encoded, operate at RF frequencies, and are small in size and weight.nbsp;This Phase I project will provide the requirednbsp;elements for the Phase II implementation of a wireless passive sensor system.nbsp;nbsp;The Phase I effort will provide an analysis and designnbsp;study that includes thenbsp;essential elements for anbsp;wireless SAW temperature sensor system, which include the test frame and sensor array, new RFID encoding theory for SAW device implementation, SAW device simulations and new embodiments, and system configuration analysis including post processing techniques. Thenbsp;approach will use several layers ofnbsp;SAW encoding including:nbsp;PN phase shifting, orthogonal frequency coding, and time delay. nbsp;Temperature sensing will be the initial SAW device since it is ubiquitous and Pegasense has a large experience base. nbsp;Various test-bed aeronautic materials will be studied for their electrical and mechanical properties, approaches considered for sensornbsp;mounting, and for RF communications.The transceiver will use the latest developing systems within Pegasense, which isnbsp;currently about a TRL 5,nbsp;based on a software defined radio (SDR) approach usingnbsp;an ETTUS universal software radio peripheral (USRP). This effort an intended results will lay a foundation for understanding design principles and problem encountered in establishing large SAW based sensor arrays.nbsp;nbsp;The approach leverages NASA SBIR/STTR past efforts in software defined radio (SDR) that allows Pegasense to concentrate on the sensor array, materials and sensor advancements.