Barnard Microsystems Limited

• Introduction to Barnard Microsystems Limited

• Unmanned Aircraft Systems

• Circuit design capabilities

• Development and marketing of microwave circuit design software

• BML was founded in 1986 and is an independent British company.

• Our main office is located in North London.

• Our initial focus was on the development and marketing of design software.

• We started work on the design and development of Unmanned Aircraft systems in 2005.

• Our current focus is on research and development of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for use in:

  • oil, gas and mineral exploration activities

  • the monitoring of oil or gas pipelines and related installations

  • land and maritime border patrol work

Barnard Microsystems Limited was established in 1986 to develop and market scientific software, for use in the design of microwave Integrated Circuits. The applicability of the WaveMaker software was extended to support the design of:

• microwave circuits

• semiconductor devices and integrated optics components

• metallisation interconnect patterns on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)

With support from an European ESPRIT Program and Lucent Technologies in the USA, a unique time domain simulator was developed, in which frequency domain information, in the form of S parameter data, can be used in a time domain simulation of the waveforms, in a non-linear circuit. The non-linear circuit can consist of step recovery diodes and non-linear transmission lines. This robust simulator can also predict the unexpected onset of oscillations in a non-linear microwave circuit, something no other simulator can do.

In 2005, BML started work on the design and development of navigation, flight control and sensor systems, for use on small Unmanned Aircraft, to be deployed in both pipeline surveillance and geophysical surveys, for the oil and gas Exploration and Production businesses and in the search for mineral deposits. In 2007 BML started on the development of Unmanned Helicopters and on Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

BML has developed the unique InView twin engine Unmanned Aircraft for use in scientific, commercial and state applications.

Above: an early InView IV-001 twin engine Unmanned Aircraft taking off in a test flight.

Barnard Microsystems Limited contributed to EuroCAE Working Group 73, specifically in the areas of Command and Control, and data link security. The European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment, EuroCAE, established WG-73 UAV to start addressing the standards required for civilian Unmanned Aircraft to fly in non-segregated airspace.

WG-73 was tasked with reviewing all the work resulting from a range of recent activities. The initial three deliverables from the WG were an inventory of 'UAS-related elements concerning the Operational Concept', a Work Plan for the development of the Operational Concept and finally the Operational Concept itself.

The WG has prepared a draft 'road map' to provide a high level description of these subsequent activities. WG-73 is organised into three groups, airworthiness, operations and air traffic management.

WG73 is a Working Group of the European Organization for Civilian Aircraft Equipment. It is a 40-ish year old standards writing body which recommends standards to the European authorities, Eurocontrol and EASA (formerly JAA). WG-73 is focused on civilian regulation and on Unmanned Aircraft with a mass greater than 150kg.

EUEUROCAE HQ is in Malakoff in Paris, but the main meetings of the WG73 have taken place at Eurocontrol in Brussels. WG-73 is working closely with RTCA SC203 in the USA and is liaising with ASTM F38, also in the USA.

Barnard Microsystems contribution at UAV 2007 in Paris.

We are also an active contributor at technical conferences on Unmanned Aircraft Systems and exploration geophysics, and contribute technical articles to various publications, such as Hart E&P and AUVSI Unmanned Systems.

Above: all InView aircraft variants can be assembled and tested within one hour.

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In order to prove the useability of the Wavemaker software and the accuracy of both the models and the simulated circuit performance, we have designed numerous test circuits and optoelectronic transceivers. We use advanced microwave test equipment to characterise the performance of our test circuits and systems.

We attend the major international technical conferences, so we are up to date with the latest technical advances, and are aware of the latest optoelectronic and microwave components.

Above: some of the Agilent microwave test equipment used in microwave circuit testing.

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The WaveMaker software has been developed over many years to enable the simulation and design of microwave and optoelectronic circuits, to enable the user to avoid both time consuming and costly iterative design cycles, to achieve desired circuit operation.

This software enables the user to design circuits that either can not, or can not easily, be designed using any other software. The focus on circuit simulation, as part of the design process, has enabled our customers to reduce their design costs by using a more intelligent computer based design approach, as opposed to a far more costly set of matrix experiments, in which expensive fabrication equipment and materials are used, followed by the use of even more expensive test equipment.

WaveMaker LAYOUT software

The WaveMaker LAYOUT software enables the user to define the layout of semiconductor devices, microwave integrated circuits, interconnect tracks on Printed Circuit Boards and integrated optics circuits. The software supports the definition of arbitrary paths and polygons and allows the user to embed elements of the layout, in hierarchical structures. The software supports the GDS II Stream, Gerber, DXF and HPGL data formats.

WaveMaker Waveform time domain simulator

WaveMaker Waveform includes a linear microwave circuit simulator, that supports the prediction of Scattering (S) and noise parameter circuit transfer responses, as a function of frequency. The microwave circuits can contain resistances, capacitances, inductances, transformers, S parameter data blocks, microstrip, stripline and coplanar circuit elements. Additionally, the simulator can be used to optimise the values of the components in the circuit being designed, to achieve a performance that better matches the design objectives.

WaveMaker WAVEFORM is a novel time domain simulator, that enables the prediction of the large signal voltage waveform, at each node, in a non-linear circuit that can contain:

• resistances, capacitances and inductances;

• a wide variety of diodes, including step recovery, PIN and varactor diodes;

• heterojunction bipolar transistors and field effect transistors;

• frequency domain S parameter data, to describe a passive network.

The software can predict autonomous circuit behaviour, such as the onset of unexpected oscillations in a microwave amplifier. The important point concerning this circuit design capability is that we are in the very fortunate position of being able to enhance our software, to make sure we can always predict the performance of any circuit we might wish to design, no matter how non-linear. The WaveMaker Waveform software is the subject of continuous development.

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