Smart Wireless Transducer Dedicated for Use in Aviation Laboratories

Abstract

Reliable testing of aviation components depends on the quality and configuration flexibility of measurement systems. In a typical approach to test instrumentation, there are tens or hundreds of sensors on the test head and test facility, which are connected by wires to measurement cards in control cabinets. The preparation of wiring and the setup of measurement systems are laborious tasks requiring diligence. The use of smart wireless transducers allows for a new approach to test preparation by reducing the number of wires. Moreover, additional functionalities like data processing, alarm-level monitoring, compensation, or self-diagnosis could improve the functionality and accuracy of measurement systems. A combination of low power consumption, wireless communication, and wireless power transfer could speed up the test-rig instrumentation process and bring new test possibilities, e.g., long-term testing of moving or rotating components. This paper presents the design of a wireless smart transducer dedicated for use with sensors typical of aviation laboratories such as thermocouples, RTDs (Resistance Temperature Detectors), strain gauges, and voltage output integrated sensors. The following sections present various design requirements, proposed technical solutions, a study of battery and wireless power supply possibilities, assembly, and test results. All presented tests were carried out in the Components Test Laboratory located at the Łukasiewicz Research Network–Institute of Aviation.