4.3 GHz Passive Wireless Sensor System

The purpose of this Phase II proposal is development of a completely operational 4.3 GHz passive sensor system that will be compliant in the newnbsp;Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) band.nbsp;nbsp;This band will be useful to both space and aerospace, and the center frequency significantly advances SAW sensor device capabilities to very high frequencies.nbsp;nbsp;The focus of the effort will be on the development of the key technology components: operation of SAW passive temperature and strain sensors (which are the enabling key sensor technology), new sensor antennas and die level sensor-antenna integration, the software defined radio (SDR) that provides the adaptive instrumentation transceiver, the SDR control software, and the post-processing software that extracts the key sensor information.nbsp;nbsp;The results of the Phase I effort demonstrated and verified that all the key technology components can be built and implemented at 4.3 GHz with a 200 MHz bandwidth, which would be a technology leap for SAW sensor technology and the current state-of-the-art in wireless passive system technologies.nbsp;nbsp;Wireless operation of a first-ever 4.3 GHz SAW sensor was achieved, the Phase I final report documents the detailed results, and a demonstration showing the first operational sensor was provided in a Phase I deliverable.nbsp;nbsp;The 4.3 GHz SAW sensors and sensor antenna are very small compared to 1 GHz devices. This small form factor offers new opportunities for insertion in various applications, and some new sensor devices system approaches will be developed.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Success in a Phase II effort will yield a significant technology leap forward by providing reprogrammable SDR transceivers in the WAIC band capable of interrogating multiple sensors and mixed sensor technologies, and also providing advancements in new SAW temperature and strain sensor embodiments at 4.3 GHz. nbsp;Deliverables will include two complete wireless sensor systems, including transceivers, temperature and strain sensors.