July 30, 2012
SBIR Award for Radiation Monitor
The US Air Force has issued to Invocon, Inc. a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract for the development of a Radiation Environment Monitor for Spacecraft (REMS). The technology measures, stores, and communicates information about radiation dose, dose rate, and angle of incidence. It also differentiates between types of radiation, including all particles composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons. The small, low-power nature of REMS will have minimal logistical impact on its host platforms, and its ability to change measurement characteristics after deployment significantly increases its long-term relevance in the event of changing regulations and updated weather models.
Invocon’s Radiation Environment Monitor for Spacecraft (REMS) is useful for monitoring satellites and other spacecraft to determine the real-time space weather to which they are subjected. This technology is small and low power, making it useful for both large and small satellites. The real-time capabilities of REMS will enable ground controllers to mitigate the effect of significant weather events on satellites. In addition to satellites, REMS can be deployed on other space vehicles for monitoring radiation exposure by equipment and personnel, not to mention its usefulness in measuring radiation on earth.
April 1, 2012
Radiation Alert Immediate Disclosure (RAID) SBIR Phase II Proposal Selected
Invocon’s Radiation Alert Immediate Disclosure (RAID) SBIR proposal was selected for Phase II funding by NASA. Invocon will use this opportunity to complete the development and delivery fieldable badges to NASA.
Invocon’s Radiation Alert Immediate Disclosure (RAID) system is a miniature, low-power, real-time, active radiation badge. It is designed for monitoring personnel, equipment, and environments while minimizing complicated user interfaces. RAID’s ability to determine characteristics and dose rate in addition to total dose provide significant advantages over other types of devices. A single sensor provides information about all types of ionizing radiation in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of radiation environments. Many radiation health experts believe that dose rate is an important parameter in addition to total dose for determining tissue damage.The real-time nature of RAID enables personnel to respond proactively to radiation events in order to minimize damage to personnel and the equipment on which they depend. RAID’s wireless interface provides advantages for interrogating badges in difficult or inconvenient locations.
February 3, 2012
HVI Damage Assessment SBIR Phase I Proposal Selected
Invocon’s Hypervelocity Impact Damage Assessment Phase I Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) proposal was selected for Phase I funding by NASA. Invocon will use this opportunity to build on the hypervelocity impact knowledge with the objective of providing a device that can track the electrical charge dispersion generated by the hypervelocity impacts. The tracked information can be used to provide accurate location along with damage assessment information on structures affected by hypervelocity impact events.
March 2012
Invocon at Missile Defense Conference
Invocon, Inc displayed a variety of new instrumentation technologies at the 10th Annual Missile Defense Conference, held this week at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC. Invocon’s booth was buzzing with activity as attendees interested in target missile systems and technologies were able to view Invocon’s Sequencer, Capacitive Discharge Initiator (CDI), Smart Battery, and Kinetic Impact Position Systems.
The features and benefits of the Lithium Ion Polymer technology and the Battery Management System used in Invocon’s Smart Battery were of particular interest because of the ability to continuously monitor State of Charge (SoC) and State of Health (SoH), an important capability for mission critical applications. However, a demonstration of Invocon’s “Wireless” Kinetic Impact Position System (WKIPS) was the featured attraction. Replacing the wired “hit grids” that have been used for years to report the location of impact when a kinetic kill vehicle intercepts a target missile in flight, the new WKIPS “wireless” hit grid system provides impact location information with significantly less infrastructure and at significantly lower cost.
This annual conference, organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), is a unique opportunity for the U.S. missile defense community to meet and discuss key issues facing the development, testing, and deployment of missile defense systems. This is Invocon’s fifth year to attend the conference.