Distributed Impact Detection System (DIDS)

Invocon’s Remote Power Control (RPC) Remote Ground Support Equipment (RGSE) provides for power control and monitoring for Avionics or Flight Termination System (FTS) payloads. This includes system monitoring, power switching (e.g., internal/external, on/off), and battery maintenance as well as RS422 communications all through the vehicle’s UMBI(s). The rack is controlled remotely via direct Ethernet connection or through a fiber optic converter for extended range.

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Key Specifications

Sensor Types

Acoustic emission, accelerometer, ultrasonic transducer

Signal Acquisition Frequency

Hundreds of kilohertz range

Average Power Consumption

Micro-watt range (trigger mode)

Battery Life (standard 1 mAh)

Up to 1.9 years

Modes of Operation

Trigger, Data, Processing, RF Transmit

Triangulation

Multi-node network supports impact location determination

Key Features

Extremely Low-Power Trigger Architecture
Innovative signal conditioning circuit operates in the micro-watt range on average while maintaining continuous readiness to capture impact events in the hundreds-of-kilohertz range.
Self-Powered Wireless Nodes
Miniaturized stick-on nodes operate for up to 2 years, with no wiring required.
Multi-Mode Power Management
Four operating modes (Trigger, Data, Processing, RF Transmit) allow DIDS to minimize power while maximizing responsiveness to impact events.
Impact Localization via Triangulation
Multi-node network uses time-of-arrival data to triangulate and determine the location of detected impacts on the monitored structure.
Multi-Transducer Compatibility
Supports acoustic emission, accelerometer, and ultrasonic transducers, enabling application-specific sensor selection across different structure types.
RF Configuration and Data Download
RF interface allows remote configuration of sensor thresholds and download of captured impact waveforms without physical access to the nodes.

Typical Applications

Manned Spacecraft Impact Monitoring
Detects micro-meteoroid and orbital debris impacts on the International Space Station and other crewed vehicles.
Structural Leak Detection
Ultrasonic sensor variant used for detecting leak events in pressurized spacecraft panels.
Launch Vehicle Structural Monitoring
Monitors for acoustic emission events indicative of structural impacts or anomalies during pre-launch and ascent.