Hypersonic Eddy Current Array Position Trigger

The Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT) provides a peerless platform for the testing of hypersonic operations, offering customers the ability to test platforms at speeds of up to 10,000 feet per second, generating high fidelity simulations at a fraction of the cost of flight testing. One of many precision sensing systems the track offers is ultra-high-speed photography, enabling boundary layer measurements on test articles at operational speeds. For these tests, the cameras must be triggered extremely precisely and repeatably to capture the information of interest. To meet this critical need, Luna proposes the development of an eddy current based, non-contact position sensor based on an integrated array of eddy current coils to provide high speed triggering. Data from each coil will be synthesized by an onboard microcontroller to determine the local velocity of the sled and project the its arrival time at the desired location.