Virtual Sensor Wiring Harness for Hazardous Environments

Continuous environmental health monitoring is a growing requirement for missile systems to ensure their long-term reliability while being stored, transported and operated in harsh environmental conditions. While several sensors currently exist for measuring temperature, relative humidity, shock/vibration, and other key parameters, the wiring required for such a network of embedded sensors, specially for munitions, would be difficult to install and maintain. The wiring harness adds weight and complexity to the missile system, which could be avoided by using a wireless network. But the wireless system would have to work in the complex RF environment within a missile system, and not cause unintended intitiation of electro-explosive components within the missile. Also, such a wireless system would have to be low power, to maintain safety in a potentially explosive environement, and for long-term functioning. The goal of the proposed effort is to develop such a low-power, long-life, safe wireless network for embedded sensors in a missile system, which provides remote end-users with accurate, near real-time health status awareness information for munitions.