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Speeding Up Slow Sensors

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) seeks qualified companies for further development and commercialization of a signal analysis process into application as a method to increase the response speed of existing sensor technologies. Researchers at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center have developed the method. The NASA system predicts the steady state response of a signal and thus can make a normally slow sensor faster. The resulting system can be applied to increase the speed of response of any slow sensor that responds to a step input.

Potential Commercial Uses

• Commercially available hydrogen detection systems
• Industrial applications--including personal safety
• Gas detection
• Medical applications

Benefits
Ability to enhance the response speed of existing sensor technology: A faster response can be attained without developing a faster sensor. Application of the predictive method may be a cost-effective alternative for existing sensors that are limited by slow response times.

The Technology
The system employs a signal-processing algorithm to determine, in near real time, the steady state response of a normally slow sensor. A small microprocessor samples the hydrogen sensor's output at small, regular time intervals and dynamically predicts the sensor's response to a step change in temperature. The algorithm has been implemented using both C and BASIC programming languages and resides as firmware in Erasable Programming Read Only Memory (EPROM).

Options for Commercialization
A patent has issued on the technology. NASA is flexible in its commercial programs, and commercialization opportunities may exist through licensing, cooperative development, and technical consulting.

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