A Complete Design Flow of a General Purpose Wireless GPS/Inertial Platform for Motion Data Monitoring

This work illustrates a complete design flow of an electronic system developed to support applications in which there are the need to measure motion parameters and transmit them to a remote unit for real-time teleprocessing. In order to be useful in many operative contexts, the system is flexible, compact, and lightweight. It integrates a tri-axial inertial sensor, a GPS module, a wireless transceiver and can drive a pocket camera. Data acquisition and packetization are handled in order to increase data throughput on Radio Bridge and to minimize power consumption. A trajectory reconstruction algorithm, implementing the Kalman-filter technique, allows obtaining real-time body tracking using only inertial sensors. Thanks to a graphical user interface it is possible to remotely control the system operations and to display the motion data

Improvement of Inertial Navigation System Accuracy Using Alternative Sensors

Katedra měřen

Fifteenth Space Simulation Conference: Support the Highway to Space Through Testing

The Institute of Environmental Sciences Fifteenth Space Simulation Conference, Support the Highway to Space Through Testing, provided participants a forum to acquire and exchange information on the state-of-the-art in space simulation, test technology, thermal simulation and protection, contamination, and techniques of test measurements

Tracking for Mobile 3D Augmented Reality Applications

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Hybrid Energy Harvesting for Self Powered Human Applications

Continuing progress in reduction of size and power consumption of semiconductors, and significant improvement in their capability to compute sense and communicate data, have enabled a new area of wearable electronics and smart garments. Mobile electronics devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, e-readers and GPS devices have shaped and defined the world of consumer electronics. As such those devices interact with us on every day level, keeping us connected with environment through the use of sensors, imagers, location based services and data networks. Looking beyond typical consumer applications, there is an increasing demand for a wearable and energy efficient electronics capable of operating from human harvested energy. This study will present a solution that is capable of providing basic human bio-parametric data such as: body temperature, pressure, man down indication, impact occurrence indication as well as data on orientation and inclination. All those functions will be embedded as wearable electronics and be able to operate from the energy that was harvested from human body. The need to have this kind of data collected on the human subject in especially demanding environments and situations is greatly appreciative in applications related to search and rescue agencies, paramedics, firefighters and security and police. The solution presented in this thesis is focusing on energy harvesting from human body and the environment, together with utilization of such energy for wearable electronic

Full-scale monitoring of the wind-induced response of vertical slender structures, with fixed and rotating masses

Nowadays, structural monitoring is gaining more and more attention in the field of wind engineering. On the wake of these developments, the thesis develops and applies a comprehensive structural monitoring procedure tailored for the validation and investigation in full-scale of the wind-induced response of vertical slender structures, with fixed and rotating masses. All the main aspects of the monitoring practice are discussed, regarding the number, location and type of the sensors, the acquisition and the transmission of the full-scale data, as well as the management of the experimental database by following an encoded scheme. In addition, the thesis highlights a number of issues typical of the monitoring activity that are not addressed in literature, providing inspiration to solve them. The defined procedure finds application in two monitoring campaigns launched by the Wind Engineering group at the University of Genoa: one slender structure with fixed masses (a light tower) and one slender structure with rotating masses (a small vertical axis wind turbine). As regards the light tower, a reference calculation model of the wind-induced response of poles and towers is selected from literature and is validated in full-scale. The input parameters needed for the application of the model are identified from experimental surveys, intersecting wind tunnel tests and dynamic identification techniques. The results highlight the goodness of the selected model and the large uncertainties associated to the input parameters. As regards the wind turbine, the full-scale data are used to investigate the contribution of the rotating parts to the dynamic behavior. In addition, the fatigue damage of the supporting tower is calculated under stationary and non-stationary excitation due to wind, turbine rotation, emergency stop and start. The results highlight the importance of the detail modeling, the fundamental role played by the non-stationary conditions and the errors committed when using conventional models of the load

NASA Tech Briefs, October 1991

Topics: New Product Ideas; NASA TU Services; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences; Life Sciences

33rd Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium

The proceedings of the 33rd Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium are reported. JPL hosted the conference, which was held at the Pasadena Conference and Exhibition Center, Pasadena, California, on May 19-21, 1999. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space cosponsored the symposium. Technology areas covered include bearings and tribology; pointing, solar array and deployment mechanisms; orbiter/space station; and other mechanisms for spacecraft

NASA Tech Briefs, March 1996

Topics: Computer-Aided Design and Engineering; Electronic Components and Cicuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery/Automation; Manufacturing/Fabrication; Mathematics and Information; Books and Reports

Index to NASA Tech Briefs, 1972

Abstracts of 1972 NASA Tech Briefs are presented. Four indexes are included: subject, personal author, originating center, and Tech Brief number