NASA SBIR 2009 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
VIP Sensors
32242 Paseo Adelanto, Suite C
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 - 3610
(949) 429-3558

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Alexis Karolys
alex@vipsensors.com
32242 Paseo Adelanto, Suite C
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 - 3610
(949) 949-3558

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
VIP Sensors proposes to develop a Fiber Optic Pressure Sensor Array System for measuring air flow pressure at multiple points on the skin of aircrafts for Flight Load Test applications. The array consists of multiple micro-miniature optical MEMS pressure sensors interconnected by a common optic fiber to an Interrogation Module located inside the airplane.
The proposed optical pressure sensors are practically flat, light weight, fully passive (no electrical power), and EMI/RFI immune, they exhibit superior performance regarding accuracy, dynamic range and noise. They are inherently self identifiable; the interrogation system knows what data belongs to what sensor.
The proposed sensor array technology is applicable to different types of optical sensors (accelerometers, strain, temperature, etc). Each sensor in the array is designed to work at preset optical wavelengths; they are read by the Interrogation Module using Wave Division and Time Division Multiplexing.
Testing of aircrafts requires a large numbers of sensors. Each sensor needs four to six wires to interconnect to signal conditioners. For large measuring systems, this means very large numbers of wires that add weight and occupy space.
The proposed FO sensor array system not only has the potential to significantly improve pressure measurements for Flight Load Testing, but its novel technology of micro-miniature networking sensors will benefit many other aircraft ground and flight testing applications.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Applications are in flight and ground/wind tunnel testing of aircrafts where surface pressure measurements are needed. The proposed system, for many applications, is a better alternative to the Electronic Scanner Pressure system, which are used across NASA wind tunnel facilities and flight test programs:
1. Subsonic Facilities: Low Speed Wind Tunnel at GRC, Subsonic Tunnel and Vertical Spin Tunnel at LaRC
2. Transonic Facilities: National Transonic Facility and Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at LaRC, Unitary Plan Facility at ARC
3. Supersonic Facilities: Supersonic Wind Tunnels at GRC and ARC, Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) at LaRC's
4. Flight Loads Laboratory (FLL) at Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC).
NASA fight & wind tunnel test scientists have shown a high degree of interest on the system as demonstrated by the participation of three Technology Infusion Application Advisers listed below:
Organization Transition Program Mission Directive
James Bell
NASA/ARC
Moffett Fundamental Aeronautics Aeronautics Research
David Star
Facility Manag. Planning Office Wind Tunnel Testing Aeronautics Research
Allen R. Parker
NASA Dryden SOFIA, Ikhana, 853 (one of Dryden's F-18), Global Hawk Aeronautics Research

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The Fiber Optic Pressure Sensor Array System is applicable to many other fields where passive sensors of small size, high accuracy, and networking features are important. F/O Sensor Array technology developed in this program is directly applicable to other types of inertial sensors such as optical accelerometers, microphones, etc.
Flight Testing – Thousands of sensors to test and qualify aircraft; the networking feature drastically reduces cabling and testing costs.
Wind Tunnel Testing – Hundred of pressure and vibration measurement channels are used world wide
Airplane and Satellite Monitoring –Large number of sensors of different types are used for on-board monitoring.
Naval Ship Monitoring – Thousands of sensors are used on board military and commercial ships.
Helicopter Condition Based Monitoring - Hundreds of sensors are used in Health Usage Monitoring Systems on board helicopters.
Structural Testing – Hundreds of sensors are used to test the modal behavior of airplanes, satellites, missiles and other structures.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)

Optical Sensor Webs/Distributed Sensors Testing Facilities Testing Requirements and Architectures