Sensors have invaded our society in the last decade. Due to MEMS technology, a broad range of low accuracy but small sensors have appeared in our daily cars, laptops or mobile phones. Off the shelf sensors are available in this cases. But in many applications an specific sensor is needed, and it also must be high reliable since the measurement may be responsible for an alarm, or to achieve a scientific breakthrough. In these cases ARQUIMEA Sensors Group can help you with the sensor definition, development and implementation.

We understand that the first goal of the sensor is to achieve an optimum measurement, but also, as any other part of the system it is desire to be small, light, zero false alarms, Cheap, and low power consumption. Our highly qualified engineers will work with you from the beginning to set the requirements of the sensors in order optimize all of these design drivers. At the end of the project We will deliver a functional Sensor qualified for your application and if required, ready for flight. It will also be manufactured in series if required.

ARQUIMEA has worked intensively the past years with research centers, space agencies and customers in the following sensing domains.

  • Optical detectors (Infrared, visible, UV).
  • Radiation detectors.
  • Ambient detectors (Pressure, Humidity, Airbone Particles, Flow, Wind, magnetic field).
  • Remote particle identification (LIDAR, LIBS, RAMAN...).
  • Electrical alarms (arc detection, ESD, EMC, noise, over current, overvoltage).
  • Improvised Explosive Devices (fluorescent polymers, submilimeter, X-RAY).
  • Biological detection (proteins, bacteries...).
  • Nuclear particles detection.
  • Position detection (GPS,GLONASS,Innertial Units, Tilt, weight, deformation, compass, star tracker).
  • Ammunition and Weapons (load, fatigue, mainteinance data, stock inventory).
  • Structural sensing (Fibre grating, ultrasonic sensor).
  • Sensor networks.

Please check our hi-rel sensor catalogue.

Technical Characteristics
CharacteristicValueNotes
Mass 41.2 grams
Power consumption 360 mW nominal 820 mW peak consumption during 750 ms max.
Voltage operation 5 V
Communications 422 serial comms Command oriented instrument.
Dust concentration accuracy ±10-10000 particles/cm3 This value strongly depends on the reflection coefficient of the Dust to be measured.
Temperature accuracy ±1.5°C
Reflector position accuracy ±7.5°
Operational temperature range -90 °C to +25 °C In vacuum

The Dust Sensor instrument of the MEIGA-MetNet Mission will perform airborne dust opacity measurements in the Mars surface. The Dust sensor is an ultralow instrument (41 g) that performs an active measurement. The sensor uses back scattering to estimate the concentration of particles in the airborne dust.

The Dust Sensor is composed of a set of IR detectors, an IR emitter, both working in the IR band (1-5 um). Emitter points to the airbone dust and detector collects the scattering signal produced by the emitter light when interacting with particles similar in size to the light wavelength.

The Dust Sensor also includes an in flight calibration system based on a reflector stick that allows directing the emitter optical signal directly to the detector. The reflector stick is inserted in the optical path by means of a novel actuator based on a proprietary Shape memory alloy. This in/flight Calibration system is used to compensate the error in the entire Dust Sensor acquisition chain.

During the mission, the instrument acts as an active sensor, and will perform measurements of the dust in suspension, discriminating on scattering/absorption. It will also distinguish the size of the airbone dust particles with a resolution of 1 bit (large, small).

The Dust Sensor has passed successfully a complete Qualification Test plan at INTA facilities:

  • Random and sinusoidal vibration test in the 3 axis
  • Temperature cycling and Thermal Vacuum test: 6 cycles from -90 ºC to 70 ºC in vacuum. The Dust Sensor was not damaged and it worked in all the temperature range.
  • Shock test: 2000g in Z axis and 500 g tests in X and Y axis completed successfully.
  • Bioburden reduction test: 111 ºC during 50 hours.

The MetNet Precursor mission to Mars is based on a new type of semi-hard landing vehicle called MetNet Lander (MNL). The consortium includes the FMI, Lavochkin Association (LA), the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI) and Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA). The MNL will carry a versatile science payload focused on the atmospheric science of Mars. [http://metnet.fmi.fi

MEIGA (Mars Environmental Instrumentation for Ground and Atmosphere). Leaded by INTA, is the Spanish consortium related with Metnet Mission.

Arquimea-UC3M group participates in MEIGA-MetNet mission developing a compact robust andreliable sensor for the measurement of airborne dust concentration and characterizationon Mars surface.

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