SMARTSENSE – ROSA – Romanian Space Agency

SMARTSENSE

PROJECT TITLE: High-precision micro and nano smart sensors for space inertial navigation applications — SMARTSENSE

Coordinator: University of Craiova

Partners: –

Period: 19 November 2012 – 18 November 2015

Project director: Assoc. Prof. Teodor Lucian Grigorie – PhD

Project team: In terms of human resource, the project has a total of 16 members, from which 8 academics with a great theoretical and practical experience in complementary fields (adaptive and optimal control systems, mechanics and fluid mechanics, electrical and electronics circuits and equipment, sensors and transducers, thermodynamics, software engineering, data acquisition and real-time signal processing, intelligent control techniques) and 3 flight test engineers, with a strong background in avionics equipment experimental testing and in software development for embedded systems in aircraft applications. The team includes also 2 PhD supervisors, 1 postdoc, 5 PhD students, and 1 aerospace engineer qualified in aircraft and aircraft equipment fabrication and testing, with outstanding performance in training, having the opportunity to expand their horizon of knowledge and to accumulate experience.

Description: The project is developed in four distinct phases, and starts with documentation on the micro and nano inertial sensors’ design, and on the methods used for the compensation of the noise and of the temperature effects on their performance – existing concepts, principles, methods and implementations. In the second phase, the activities are related to the mathematical modeling and sizing of miniaturized inertial sensors’ such as capacitive, inductive and electron tunneling accelerometers, and capacitive gyros; for each sensor type architectures based on intelligent control are also developed. Based on obtained models, some Matlab/Simulink subroutines are realized and validated by numerical simulation for each sensor type. Subsequently, a plotting method for non-linear systems’ amplitude-frequency characteristics using Matlab/Simulink is developed and validated on the miniaturized inertial sensors’ developed architectures, in order to have a close to reality in frequency analysis of sensors. Furthermore, in the third phase of the project, the development of an optimal design method for the micro and nano smart inertial sensors’ architecture and the development of some methods for the noise on-line compensation by using adaptive algorithms – numerical simulation and validation, are performed. The method for optimal design of the micro and nano inertial sensors’ architectures uses directly in the optimization process the Matlab/Simulink subroutines developed for non-linear systems’ amplitude-frequency characteristics plotting method. Regarding the noise on-line compensation by using adaptive algorithms, two methods are to be developed: a wavelet transform based one and a neural-network based one. Both are to be implemented in Matlab/Simulink subroutines with the functionality verification and experimental validation by using noise analysis, before and after compensation, with Allan-Variance method. In the last phase of the project the development, numerical simulation and experimental validation of some adaptive algorithms to compensate the temperature effects on the inertial sensors performance are performed. Based on adaptive neuro-fuzzy systems, the algorithms estimate and compensate on-line the variations with the temperature for the inertial sensors bias and scale factor. Finally, a smart Inertial Measurement Unit (3 gyros, 3 accelerometers, software subroutines for the noise and for the temperature effects compensation, microcontroller, and temperature sensor) is realized and experimentally validated.

Project objectives:

General objectives

Fulfilling the main objective of the project determines the definition of general objectives which can be found among the objectives of the STAR program:

OG1. To capitalize superior the scientific-technological potential of the Romanian research–development institutions, by forming a team of experts from academic and research areas.
OG2. To increase the capacity of the involved team in the solving of scientific and technical problems of high interest and modernity, by means of original research.
OG3. To develop the Romanian research and to increase its prestige in Europe and worldwide by value, quality and competitiveness of the projects’ expected results.
OG4. To form and train young specialists by involving them in multidisciplinary valuable research and by their materially sustenance of the PhD studies.
OG5. To solve borderline scientific domains’ open issues which have a strong interdisciplinary character, with direct impact on the substantial growth of the involved team competitiveness in European and international space research programs.

Specific objectives

To achieve the general objectives we will consider the following specific objectives:

O1. To know the existing concepts, principles and methods in the micro and nano inertial sensors’ design, as well as their functional and qualitative characteristics, in various navigation applications.
O2. To know the existing concepts, principles and implementations in the inertial sensors noise compensation, correlated to the navigation applications where they are used.
O3. To know the existing concepts, principles, methods and implementations in the compensation of temperature effects on the inertial sensors performance.
O4. To develop mathematical models and to derive architectures based on intelligent control for miniaturized inertial sensors, with capacitive, inductive and electron tunneling detection devices.
O5. To implement the developed models and architectures in Matlab/Simulink subroutines, and to validate them by numerical simulation.
O6. To develop a plotting method for non-linear systems’ amplitude-frequency characteristics using Matlab, and to validate it on the miniaturized inertial sensors’ developed architectures.
O7. To develop a method for optimal design of the miniaturized inertial sensors’ architecture, based on their amplitude-frequency characteristics, with the amplitude and phase distortions limitation.
O8. To validate the design method by applying it on the miniaturized inertial sensors’ developed architectures and numerical simulation with Matlab.
O9. To develop methods for sensors’ noise on-line compensation, based on adaptive algorithms.
O10. To implement the obtained methods for sensors’ noise on-line compensation in Matlab subroutines, and to demonstrate their functionality by numerical simulations.
O11. To experimentally validate the methods for sensors’ noise on-line compensation for several miniaturized inertial sensors.
O12. To develop algorithms, based on adaptive neuro-fuzzy systems, for the on-line estimation and compensation of the variation with the temperature of the miniaturized inertial sensors’ bias and scale factor.
O13. To implement the obtained algorithms in Matlab subroutines, and to demonstrate their functionality by numerical simulations.
O14. To experimentally validate the algorithms for several miniaturized inertial sensors provided with temperature sensor.
O15. To realize and experimental validate a Smart Inertial Measurement Unit, with temperature sensor and microcontroller for the on-line compensation of the inertial sensors’ noise, and of their bias and scale factor variations with the temperature, using adaptive algorithms.
O16. To disseminate the results in the scientific and academic environment by the publication of articles in journals and at prestigious international conferences, a periodically updated web page and improving courses for the master program.

Activities:

Documentation on the micro and nano inertial sensors’ design, and on the methods used for the compensation of the noise and of the temperature effects on their performance – existing concepts, principles, methods and implementations. (1 month / 2012)
Mathematical modeling and derivation of miniaturized inertial sensors’ architectures based on intelligent control – sizing, numerical simulation and in frequency analysis. (12 months / 2013)
Optimal design of the micro and nano smart inertial sensors’ architecture and the development of some methods for the noise on-line compensation by using adaptive algorithms – numerical simulation and validation. (12 months / 2014)
Development of some adaptive algorithms to compensate the temperature effects on the inertial sensors performance – numerical simulation and experimental validation; realization and experimental validation of a smart Inertial Measurement Unit with temperature sensor and microcontroller. (11 months / 2015)

Contributions to the STAR programme objectives:

By specific means of achieving, the project can be included in a very modern and world-wide interesting domain, a domain which has a high research potential in Romania as well-being considered by the Research-Development-Innovation Program, SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED RESEARCH (STAR) – such as – Space domain. From the Project Types (included in the STAR Program) point of view, the project theme fit into CDI projects type: Subprogram S1 – Research.
The project desires to assemble a research team, which, by means of the members’ specific competences, to contribute to the issuing of new Romanian products, meanwhile offering a possibility to extend the collaboration in the future, for other research projects in the European Space Agency (ESA) programs. From the technical point of view the project aims to develop new modeling, optimization and design procedures to obtain an important performance achievement for the miniaturized inertial sensors. The planned research activities follow some identified open issues at the miniaturized inertial sensors level.
In the last decade ESA has promoted the development of miniaturized inertial navigation sensors in Europe. This effort has been met with success for the European space industry, both from the point of view of technology and commercially. In this way, an important contribution to the identification of the open issues at the miniaturized inertial sensors level have brought the feasibility assessments for space qualified micro gyros and accelerometers contracted by ESA, as, for example, “Accelerometer Needs for IMU” (ESA contract 21221/07/NL/ST with Thales Alenia Space), and “Micro Gyroscope Feasibility Study” (ESA contract 16331/02/NL/LvH with Astrium Ltd). On the other way, studies like these offered a pertinent analysis of the inertial sensors needed level of performance correlated with their potential applications in space missions. Conclusions were encouraging from the point of view of the identified possible space applications, as a consequence of the development of new boarding equipment and old technologies replacement, imposed by the new space missions’ specificities and desired targets.
It is estimated that the miniaturized accelerometers will successfully be used in a lot of future space applications, such as: 1) IMU for Attitude and Orbit Control Systems (AOCS); 2) Aerobraking; 3) IMU for Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) (accelerometers and gyros); 4) IMU for Rover navigation. Besides the applications in common with the accelerometers (in miniaturized IMUs), the space applications that is suitable for use gyros are: 1) Failure detection in large satellite for Earth observation or in Science applications; 2) Attitude propagation and rate determination in micro-satellites for Earth observation, GEO platforms, launchers, planets landers and rovers.
Two ESA concrete projects implying the use of such miniaturized inertial sensors are: 1) The Sentinel-3 satellite (planned to use MEMS gyro); 2) AURORA project (planned to use miniaturized IMUs); two missions were established for AURORA: a) The ExoMars programme 2016-2018; and b) Mars Sample Return. Also, two missions are planned for ExoMars: a 2016 mission, which includes a Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and an Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM), and a 2018 mission which consists of two rovers, one developed by ESA and the other by NASA.
From the point of view of existing miniaturized sensors for these missions, until now ESA obtained just two reliable systems: 1) A Miniaturized Space Qualified MEMS IMU for Rover Navigation, developed by the contract “Multi Wafer Hybrid Integration: Rover IMU I” (AAC Microtec – Sweden, DFKI Bremen – Germany, Systems Engineering & Assessment – England); 2) A three axis MEMS based gyro solution (SiREUS – the silicon rate sensor) for use in Geostationary satellites, as well as applications in LEO Earth Observation, Scientific and Exploratory space missions, developed by UK’s Atlantic Inertial Systems Limited (AIS), Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA) and SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems.
At first sight of those previously presented, can be concluded easily, that the development of high-precision miniaturized inertial sensors for space applications is still an open issue for scientific research.
Furthermore, ESA comes to reinforce this conclusion by its current actions; in 2012 ESA issued two “Invitation To Tender”, and intends to issue another two, on the development of miniaturized inertial sensors for space applications: 1) Miniature MEMS based IMU Feasibility Demonstrator (PH. 1 & 2). 2) European IMU breadboard. The intended invitations are: 1) One-Axis inertial MEMS sensor development. 2) Multi Wafer Hybrid Integration: Robotics IMU II.
Also, the proposed topic in different scientific meetings organized by ESA supports the need to develop miniaturized inertial sensors for space applications: 1) the 8th ESA Round Table on Micro and Nano Technologies for Space Applications (October 2012) presentation highlighted that Micro and Nano Technologies have a large potential in space applications, and encouraged a topic for “Design and modeling of MEMS and MST”; 2) in the series of ESA Conferences on Guidance & Navigation Control Systems, sessions related to Advances in Sensors and Actuators and Navigation and Estimation were assigned.
Having in mind the objectives of here proposed project and its associated work plan we can conclude that our planned activities are in trend with the ESA actions for its future programs.

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