Signal Conditioning, the Next Generation

Abstract

This paper describes the changes in signal conditioning techniques used on flight test programs in recent years. Improved sensors require improved signal conditioning. Advanced distributed data acquisition systems, used on major flight test programs, move the signal conditioning closer to the sensor for improved performance and reduced wiring throughout the vehicle. These distributed systems use digital communication between the master controller and the remote conditioning units for improved accuracy and noise immunity. This requires sample- and-hold amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters, and serial encoder/decoders to be located at the signal conditioning location. The changes in signal conditioning designs are driven by the sensors, the architecture of the data acquisition systems, and by vehicle designs (smaller aircraft, smaller missiles, composite structures, and hypervelocity vehicles). A look at the signal conditioning technology employed in many of these systems as well as what is anticipated in the future is described in this paper.