In-Flight Health Monitoring of Pyro Initiator: Resistance Analysis for Actuating Devices and Igniters

Pyrotechnic initiators play a pivotal role in various applications involving explosive devices, such as launch vehicle staging, missile ignition and separation mechanisms. Due to their single-shot operation, assessing the health of these initiators before operation is crucial. This study focuses on evaluating the health of pyrotechnic devices in-flight by analyzing the resistance of initiator nichrome bridge wires and their isolation from other vehicle avionics. Traditional measurement techniques, often employed for ground applications, are limited in their scope due to non-isolation or ability to handle large number of resistance measurements in real time operations. This paper introduces novel approaches for in-flight health monitoring of pyrotechnic initiator resistance, ensuring safety and mission reliability. The proposed techniques aim to mitigate non-linearities resulting from voltage/current variation and impedance fluctuations in the measurement circuits. Unlike existing methodologies that primarily address pre-flight resistance measurements, this research emphasizes in-flight assessment to prevent catastrophic failures during operation.