Proceedings Article | 8 April 2008
Proc. SPIE. 6934, Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2008
KEYWORDS: Electronics, Environmental monitoring, Sensors, Humidity, Temperature sensors, Microcontrollers, Damage detection, Algorithm development, Environmental sensing, Temperature metrology
The Health Monitor System (HMS) is a low-cost, low-power, battery-powered device capable of measuring temperature,
humidity, and shock. Many mission-critical items are susceptible to shock damage. To help prevent shock damage,
assets often are placed in robust custom containers with shock damping and absorption devices. Assets are still at risk of
damage while in their protective containers. Having a Health Monitor attached to an asset or container allows the status
of the asset to be determined. The Health Monitor can measure, record, store, analyze, and display to the user if a shock
event has occurred that puts the asset at risk of failure. Extensive shock testing and algorithm implementation were
required to develop a Health Monitor that uses a single-point 3-axis accelerometer to determine the type, height, and
severity of a shock event.
