The RSVP power scavenging levels range from micro-watts to watts, Toomey said. The microwatt ranges are currently available, while watt-level power scavenging is several years away. The three technologies that are going to be demonstrated are thermal electric, vibration to electric and photoelectric, Toomey said. Power management techniques are being developed to extend the life expectancy of the sensor clusters. Power management can be described as turning electronics or portions of electronics off, better matching central processing unit speeds to the desired tasks, and utilizing power efficient communication protocols, Toomey said.
Packaging is a critical element for the sensor cluster.
The notional size of the sensor cluster is 3 inches wide by 5 inches in length by 1 inch in height. A road map will be presented in the final report detailing the necessary efforts to accomplish the goals. Included in the packaging task are jobs that address maintenance, mounting and shipboard environment, Toomey said. The facility has a mock up of a DDG-51 engineering plant, Novak said. RSVP will be used to monitor the ship's system for 120 days.