High Speed Digital Image Correlation for Space Vehicle Separation Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for testing separating systems between space vehicles and launch vehicles are inefficient, as they require extensive setup time, add mass and stiffness, and struggle with measuring dynamic events like shock and motion accurately, leading to incomplete and unclear measurements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing High Speed Digital Image Correlation (HSDIC) systems that use high-definition cameras and Digital Image Correlation processes to track point trajectories and detect impact shocks without physical contact, allowing for more precise measurement of system function and verification of stay out volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If transducer point measurements are acquired by a Data Acquisition System (DAS), then dynamic measurements are recorded, but the system takes a significant amount of time to install and verify installation direction and scaling of sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical sensor-based Data Acquisition System with an optical measurement system using Digital Image Correlation (DIC). This substitution eliminates the need for physical sensor installation and verification, while providing full-field dynamic measurements of displacement, velocity, and acceleration without contact with the test specimen.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses digital image copying and processing to create virtual measurement points across the entire test specimen surface. Instead of installing physical transducers at specific locations, the system captures optical images and generates correlation-based measurement data that replicates and extends beyond what physical sensors could provide.
2Measurement precision
If transducer point measurements are acquired by a Data Acquisition System (DAS), then dynamic measurements are recorded, but the system adds mass and stiffness (wires, mounts, etc.) to the clamp band and other structures which can influence measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical sensor systems that add mass and stiffness to the test structure with a non-contact optical measurement system. The DIC system uses only lighting and imaging equipment positioned away from the test specimen, eliminating all physical attachments that could alter the dynamic behavior being measured.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical fields (light) as an intermediary medium to transfer measurement information from the test specimen to the measurement system. This intermediary approach allows measurement without direct physical contact, avoiding the mass and stiffness additions that would result from attaching sensors directly to the clamp band and test structures.
3Measurement precision
If shock accelerometers are used for measurements, then dynamic measurements are obtained, but shock accelerometers have low frequency saturation issues and motion is difficult to measure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical shock accelerometers with an optical measurement system that captures full-field displacement data. By tracking the motion of speckle patterns or features in high-speed images, the system derives velocity and acceleration information without the frequency saturation and measurement limitations inherent to mechanical accelerometer systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from point-based mechanical sensor measurements to full-field optical measurements across the entire specimen surface. This dimensional expansion from discrete points to continuous fields provides redundant measurement paths and enables verification of measurement consistency, improving reliability under shock conditions where single-point sensors may fail.
4Measurement precision
If traditional DAS testing is used, then electrical and mechanical measurements are recorded, but it is difficult to determine if separation motion is within a stay out volume and hard to identify artifacts of testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal optical measurement system that simultaneously performs multiple functions: tracking separation motion, verifying stay out volume compliance, identifying testing artifacts, and providing full-field displacement measurement. The single DIC system replaces multiple specialized measurement approaches, enabling comprehensive analysis of separation events with one integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides continuous full-field measurement throughout the entire separation event, capturing all phases of motion from initial separation to final positioning. This continuous optical recording allows post-processing analysis to verify stay out volume compliance and identify artifacts without gaps or blind spots that would exist with discrete point sensors activated at specific moments.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for testing of separating systems between a space vehicle and a launch vehicle, at a component level and/or at a system level, using High Speed Digital Image Correlation (HSDIC). Proposed embodiments integrate HSDIC into the separation testing processes to better determine system function without contacting the object under test. By applying HSDIC to objects under test, the previously immeasurable quantities may be measured and may provide results leading to more complete and more understandable measurements of interest. As one example, local coordinate systems may be generated indicating symmetry and/or lack of symmetry. Furthermore, stay out volumes may be verified. In some embodiments, trajectories associated with measure targets, (e.g., features of the object under test and/or patterns such as a speckle pattern) may be utilized to track and analysis movements as well as verify stay out volumes.