Alternative Approach to Contact Type Analogue Data Slipring

ABSTRACT: Contact type slip rings are frequently the limiting factors in a test and measurement system due to its poor reliability and signal quality issues. A non-contact solution is preferred in many mission critical systems. SA Photonics has developed RODS (Rotational Optical Data System), a fiber optic based non-contact solution that promises higher reliability, better signal integrity, improved stability and lower maintenance/operation cost. RODS data acquisition is configurable to simultaneously acquire samples at fixed time intervals and at fixed azimuthal angle increments in a rotating system. RODS supports 4-wire analog, 2-wire analog and digital sensors in rotating and non-rotating reference frames, without physical electric contacts across the rotating/non-rotating interface.; BENEFIT: A reliable, high performance test and measurement system enables both military and commercial test facilities to simultaneously increase the number of sensors that can be monitored simultaneously in rotating test systems, while improving measurement accuracy and consistency, reducing total test time and cost. The new optical system can be built at a cost very similar, if not lower, than a conventional system. RODS can be applied to data acquisition from aircraft, vehicular and multi-body test models.