ISFD: Efficient and Fault-tolerant In-System-Failure-Detection for LP FPGA-based Smart-Sensors in Space Expeditions

The health of astronauts is a top priority in manned space missions, and space conditions can have a major impact on the physiology of the human body. This is why extensive health monitoring is essential, especially for future missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), where astronauts will be increasingly exposed to higher radiation doses. To address these challenges, the AuRelia project has developed space-capable smart sensors that are designed to be failure-tolerant and autonomous. These sensors employ an innovative In-System-Failure-Detection (ISFD) technique that caters to the increasing need for Single Event Effect (SEE)-induced failure tolerance in resource-constrained and ultra-low power SRAM-based FPGAs used in miniaturized smart sensors. The ISFD technique integrates a hardware-based radiation-tolerant Test Core (using only 77 LUTs) with a software-based Test Controller, resulting in a lightweight yet efficient solution for failure detection. What's more, the adaptability of ISFD facilitates seamless integration into existing firmware and software, offering developers a swift implementation process. ISFD complements traditional blind scrubbing methods, enhancing sensor data reliability, and has been validated with radiation up to 70Krad.