NASA is sponsoring a collaborative effort by Argonne and Expert Microsystems, Inc., to develop software to verify sensor readings. The system may help NASA monitor Space Shuttle engine performance.
Sensors monitor thousands of processes in most sectors of the economy.
Perhaps the most familiar types of sensors are the warning lights in cars and trucks that indicate low fuel or oil pressure levels or show that an engine is running hot. Such false signals can cause unnecessary loss of time, money and effort. Argonne, a U.S. Department of Energy research laboratory, and Expert Microsystems, in a project funded by a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I grant from NASA, have been working to develop a system that will help operators determine, on the fly, the probability that a sensor reading is accurate. DSVS is based on Argonne's patented Multivariate State Estimation Technique System. The DSVS prototype software tested well against data from the Space Shuttle's main engine.