Inductive Catapult Elongation (ICE) smart sensor for Catapult Elongation Sensing

The current technique for measurement of aircraft carrier catapult thermal elongation, while effective, is manpower intensive, slowly communicated, and potentially dangerous. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes a powerful new enabling technology for sensing linear displacement of the catapult end automatically using a non-contacting, inductive technique. This technique uses the physical phenomenon of mutual inductance between an engineered conductive target and a planar array of conductors, both encapsulated in steel housings to form a sensor module. The sensor module outputs an electrical reading of displacement to a remote readout and display circuitry. To achieve this, PSI is teaming with OEM sensor provider Zettlex Limited, a world leader in monolithic, encapsulated, non-contact position sensing. The proposed measurement technique requires no moving parts, including bearings or couplings, no precise mounting, and no hands-on calibration. The result is an ideal linear displacement measurement for extreme shock and temperature environments where mechanical tolerances are difficult to maintain.