Multi-drop, Simultaneous Sampling Sensor Network System for Aerospace Testing and Monitoring Applications

Typical aerospace test and monitoring systems are based on stand-alone instrumentation and require point-to-point analog wiring, which usually results in cumbersome cabling and connectors, bulky instrumentation, susceptibility to EMI/RFI noise pick up, lack of system flexibility, and a compromised signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This paper describes a miniature smart network sensor solution with multi-drop sensor architecture and smart digital output sensors interconnected to a network interface controller through a common digital transducer bus.