PCB Transducer Coil Design for a Low-Noise Magnetic Measurement System in Space Missions

Abstract

Here a minimum power dissipation coil transducer has been designed to allow in-flight noise characterization of a low-frequency magnetic measurement system. The coil was produced using PCB technology to provide mechanical stability and easy integration close to the magnetic sensors. The transducer design strategy relies on an inverse boundary element method, which has been efficiently adapted to produce optimal multilayer PCB coils subjected to different geometrical and performance constraints. The resulting coil transducer was simulated and experimentally validated under realistic conditions where the payload is magnetically shielded from low-frequency fluctuations by using a three-layer cylindrical mu-metal enclosure. The results show that the specific transducer coil proposed efficiently produces stable magnetic conditions for adequate validation of the magnetic diagnostic system while providing reduced power dissipation and optimal mechanical stability.