Radiation Hardened Rotary Angle Sensor

In response to the NAVY SBIR topic N232-114 ōMiniaturized, High-accuracy, Radiation-hardened Rotary Angle Sensorsö, Alphacore Inc. will develop a resolver sensor and control electronics (æsensorÆ for short) that measures the absolute angular position and rotational speed and direction of a rotating member. The sensor will be precise, accurate to 20 arc second, and stable over a long product lifetime, capable of surviving shock, vibration, and radiation characteristic of space flight through a contested environment. The miniaturized sensor will have low power dissipation (<2W), while its electronics will occupy less than 0.5 in3 with a sense head ofĀ 1 inch diameter and 0.5 inch max height. The radiation-hardened sensor is suitable for various applications in defense, aerospace, and commercial markets. These applications include seeker heads, radar fire controls, stabilized platforms, robotic joint feedback, vehicle surface feedback, and flight control surface feedback. Resolvers are well-suited for harsh environments found in military and aerospace equipment. They can withstand high vibrations and shock loads and are insensitive to electrical disturbances. Alphacore's high level of monolithic integration and digitalization of electronics simplifies the processing of analog input signals, reducing complexity.Ā In Phase I Alphacore will research and simulate the resolver and R/D IC. Alphacore will design and simulate the R/D circuit in Phase I and will fabricate and test the prototype IC in Phase II.