Phone:
PI:
Topic#:
DoD SBIR FY02.1 - SOLICITATION SELECTIONS w/ ABSTRACTS
---------- NAVY ----------
230 Phase I Selections from the 02.1 Solicitation
(In Topic Number Order)
GS ENGINEERING, INC.
22015 Coal Dock Rd.
Hancock, MI 49930 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(906) 370-6832
Dr. Glen Simula
NAVY 02-001 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Durability Improvement of Lightweight Track and Suspension Components for Armored Vehicles |
| Abstract: | GS Engineering, Inc. will develop several concepts
of lightweight road wheels for the AAAV along with
exploring wear options. The casting will include
high pressure lost foam aluminum wheel castings,
permanent mold castings, and aluminum forging for
the structural road wheel. Advanced wear
techniques including High Velocity Particle
Compaction, Selectively Reinforced Silicon Carbide
Whiskers, Titanium Composites, and typical
Induction Hardened Steel will be placed as inserts
on the wheel. This will allow for refurbishment
of the road wheels when the elastomer wears out.
The road wheel elastomer will be polyurethane.
This Phase I investigation will allow concept
weights, wear mechanisms, cost and risk to be
evaluated.
A secondary issue will be a preliminary
investigation into selectively reinforced aluminum
silicon carbide whiskers of the current AAAV
forged aluminum track block using stronger alloys.
The composite wear characteristics will allow the
current shoe design to last longer at the current
weight.
A high pressure lost foam aluminum road wheel
with high wear resistant inserts at the center
guide wear location will result in a longer
lasting, lower cost wheel than the current
production wheel, at the same weight. This is
desirable for the AAAV program to reduce O&S costs
of the road wheels. Also, a selectively
reinforced aluminum shoe body will last longer
than the current track shoe at a higher initial
cost, but a lower life cycle cost.
Both of these technologies have direct
applications to commercial off-road construction
equipment, forestry, and automotive applications
along with FCS applications.
|
MATERIAL SOLUTIONS INC.
826 Harold St.
Moscow, ID 83843 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(208) 885-6743
Dr. Keith Prisbrey
NAVY 02-001 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Durability Improvement of Lightweight Track and Suspension Components for Armored Vehicles by Using Ti-6Al-4V |
| Abstract: | The objective is to replace AAAV aluminum idler
wheels with titanium to allow better wheel and
spoke designs for mud-clogging prevention. Cost
and weight limitations are the main constraint.
The weight limitations will be met by designing
the wheel using finite element calculations.
Titanium is heavier, but since it is stronger,
less is necessary, thus producing a wheel close to
the current aluminum wheel's weight (perhaps
lighter). The cost limitations will be met by
using low- cost nanocrystalline Ti-6Al-4V powders
produced from a recently patented mechanochemical
process. The nanocrystalline quality of the
titanium powders enables an advanced metal
injection molding plus super plastic forming
manufacturing method.
1)Advanced mechanochemical processing insures a
domestic source of low cost titanium powder. The
only other low cost titanium powders come from
strategically vulnerable foreign sources (China,
Ukraine). Some of these low cost sources have
quality risks because they depend on secondary
processing such as hydriding-dehydriding titanium
scrap. By contrast our Ti-6Al-4V powder comes
from a primary process through the direct
mechanochemical reduction of TiCl4 + AlCl3 + VCl3
for quality control.
2) The idler wheel microstructure is
nanocrystalline. This increases fatigue,
strength, modulus, impact resistance, Poisson's
ratio and lowers metal injection molding costs
when compared to conventional titanium powders.
3) The manufacturing process of metal injection
molding combined with low cost titanium powders
has wide commercial application. For example,
these titanium powders could replace much of the
expanding stainless steel powder metallurgy market
because the costs are almost equal.
|
MATERIALS & ELECTROCHEMICAL RESEARCH (MER) CORP.
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85706 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(520) 574-1980
Dr. Roger Storm
NAVY 02-001 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Durability Improvement of Lightweight Track and Suspension Components for Armored Vehicles |
| Abstract: | x x
|
OPTRA, INC
461 Boston Street
Topsfield, MA 01983 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 887-6600
Ms. Julia H. Rentz
NAVY 02-002 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Compact Two-Band Thermographer for Remote Measurement of Skin Temperature |
| Abstract: | OPTRA proposes the development of a novel
two-color imaging remote thermographer for skin
temperature measurements at large standoffs. This
system employs a unique optical layout that
separates an infrared image into two spectral
channels registered laterally on a single uncooled
microbolometer focal plane array. The difference
between corresponding pixels of the two images
effectively quantifies the location of the center
wavelength of the Planck profile associated with
the temperature of the target. The sensor
response is continuous and monotonic with
temperature. We have carefully constructed the
two infrared channels to minimize the effects of
atmospheric water vapor in the measurement path
and eliminate the effects of carbon dioxide. The
difference technique also allows for the rejection
of stray radiation common to both channels. This
system offers spatial resolution of 10 cm at a
standoff of 200 m with a projected ñ 1øC accuracy
The anticipated benefits of the proposed system is
the capability to accurately measure skin
temperature at large standoffs in the presence of
high humidity and ultimately rain and fog.
Applications of the proposed system include skin
temperature measurement within the military as
well as for emergency response and medical use.
Other applications include machine monitoring,
perimeter surveillance, and remote monitoring of
industrial equipment and chemical processes.
|
PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC.
20 New England Business Center
Andover, MA 01810 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 689-0003
Dr. William J. Marinelli
NAVY 02-002 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Remote Thermographer to Measure Skin Temperatures |
| Abstract: | Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), in conjunction with
Spectral Sciences Inc. (SSI), proposes to develop
a multispectral thermal imaging system, operating
in the wavelength range from 7.6 to 10.5 mm, for
the measurement of skin temperature to within ñ 1
deg C at ranges to 1 km. The multispectral imaging
sensor is based on PSI's Adaptive Infrared Imaging
Spectroradiometer system, now in development as
part of the U.S. Army's Chemical Imaging Sensor.
Critical to the achievement of the temperature
measurement requirement is the need to accurately
determine atmospheric attenuation of infrared
radiation from the subject. In our concept
multispectral infrared measurements in this
wavelength region are used to measure water vapor
absorption band intensities that, in conjunction
with well-established models of atmospheric
radiative transfer, can be used to estimate
atmospheric attenuation to within 1 percent.
Radiative transport modeling, used to provide
real-time correction to the infrared imagery, is
provided by SSI, this country's leader in such
modeling and developers of the widely used MODTRAN
code. The team will experimentally demonstrate
the ability to acquire infrared imagery, with high
spatial resolution, and to correct the imagery for
atmospheric effects so as to provide a measure of
skin temperature with an accuracy of ñ 1 deg C. If
successful the proposed effort will lead to the
development of a long range dermal imaging system
for use with active denial systems and in combat
care applications. The primary commercial
customer will be the U.S. Defense Department, with
secondary commercial markets in emergency
management and medical thermal imaging.
|
VOXTEL INC.
2640 SW Georgian Place
Portland, OR 97201 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(503) 421-4389
Mr. George M. Williams
NAVY 02-002 Selected for Award |
| Title: | DUAL BAND INFRARED RADIOMETER FOR PRECISE BATTLEFIELD SKIN TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS |
| Abstract: | Voxtel Inc. proposes in this Phase I effort to
develop and optimize for the battlefield
environment, a miniature, robust, and reliable
multi-band infrared radiometer that will remotely
monitor vital physiological parameters and provide
accurate measures of millimeter wave induced
hyperthermia. Thermography is a well-established
discipline, but in real world situations, the
parameters governing heat transfer are variable
and uncontrollable; variations in ambient
conditions such as temperature, wind, rain, fog,
background noise, etc., as well as the
physiological state of the human subject, all
reduce the accuracy of conventional thermography
methods. To solve these problems, Voxtel will
develop and integrate precise models of the
temporal and spatial heat transfer mechanisms of
the human body with and without EM induced
hyperthermia, emissivity models of various
obscurants, environmental and atmospheric models,
and sensor and signal processing models. The
result of this effort will be an optimize design
of a precision, multi-band, infrared, imaging
(BMI2R) radiometric instrument capable of high
accuracy at a 200-meter or longer battlefield
range. Our trade studies will include: 1) a
baseline handheld, dual band, QWIP camera design
contrasted with the performance of: 2) single and
dual band HgCdTe and 3) a split window, uncooled
LWIR microbolometer. A novel infrared face
detection and tracking will augment the system. In
addition to the mature applications of
thermography such as industrial control,
insulation test, the innovation is expected to
improve the research, diagnostic, and clinical
tools necessary for dosimetry, optical and cancer
detection and RF induced thermal cancer therapy,
bioeffects research and compliance measures for RF
communications devices, skin welding, veterinary
studies, and a variety of other medical,
scientific, and industrial applications.
|
EUREKA AEROSPACE, LLC
400 Continental Blvd, 6th Floo
El Segundo, CA 90245 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 426-2160
Dr. James Tatoian
NAVY 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Non-Lethal Area Denial to Vehicles |
| Abstract: | Eureka Aerospace proposes a novel approach for
denying ground vehicles the entrance to selected
area by stopping them using a microwave system for
stopping vehicles(MSSV). The proposed system
consists of high power source, such as magnetron
and suitable antenna to direct the microwave
energy towards the vehicle and bring the vehicle
to rest, without causing permanent damage to the
vehicle or pose any danger to humans.
The MSSV can be deployed in a variety of places
including (1) an airborne platform such as
helicopter, or fixed-wing plane including the
UAVs, (2) ground vehicle, such as a car, van or a
truck or (3) ground-based utility pole or a tree.
The proposed effort will focus on the parameter
trade-off analysis to arrive to an optimal and
practical operational HPMS, whose prototype will
be tested in Phase II. The benefits include
nonlethal approach to quickly and safely stop cars
on roads and highways for law enforcement. In
addition MSSV can effectively protect high
priority state,local and commercial assets.
|
MISSION RESEARCH CORPORATION
735 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 339-6500
Dr. John A. Pasour
NAVY 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Electromagnetic System for Non-Lethal Area Denial to Vehicles |
| Abstract: | The goal of this program is to develop a robust,
practical system that uses electromagnetic energy
to disable vehicles. Critical electronic
components in most modern military and civilian
vehicles can be damaged or disrupted by
illuminating them with high power electromagnetic
radiation. In this program, the emphasis is on
dramatically reducing the size, weight, and power
requirements of the system needed to generate and
transmit sufficient electromagnetic energy to
disable the targeted vehicle. During Phase I,
analyses, computer simulations, design studies,
and limited laboratory testing will be performed
to study energy transmission and coupling details,
optimize system configurations, and determine
operational limitations of a practical device. A
prototype system will be developed and field
tested in Phase II. The system will provide an
effective means of disabling vehicles. It can be
installed in a semi-permanent configuration (e.g.,
for perimeter defense) or on mobile platforms
(e.g., for pursuit or fast-response applications).
Compared to conventional electromagnetic systems
that have been studied for this application, the
proposed system is much more compact, requires
much less power, reduces the risk of fratricide,
and allows increased stand-off distances. The
system can be used for a broad range of other
non-lethal military applications, including mine
clearing, disabling small boats, and interrupting
communications, command, and control facilities.
It also can be used by civilian law enforcement
agencies.
|
AQUA-DYNE, INC.
3620 W. 11th Street
Houston, TX 77008 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(713) 864-6929
Mr. Mark Naedler
NAVY 02-004 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Dual Sander/High-Pressure Water Cleaning (HP WC) Unit for Recoat Surface Preparation |
| Abstract: | The surface preparation industry has always had a
need for selectively removing areas of coatings,
which have lost their adhesion while maintaining
the areas of soundly adhered coatings. Most
recently, carefully blasting with grit or
ultra-high pressure water have been the primary
means to perform this procedure, although blasting
can impair the integrity of sound coatings by
fracturing their structure. New environmentally
preferred water based coatings have increased the
demand for surface preparation that don't remove
the sound coatings since these new coatings don't
adhere as well to bare surfaces as their solvent
based predecessors.
The proposed devise is a remotely controlled
vertical wall climbing unit that uses a three-step
method to prepare surfaces for recoat without
damaging the areas of sound coatings. First, the
surface is cleaned with 4,000psi (275 bar) water
spray-jets to remove the bulk dirt and grim.
Second, grit sanders scuff the areas of sound
coating. Finally, 8,000psi (550 bar) water-jets
thoroughly remove any dislodged coating or dirt.
The All waste is captured beneath a vacuum shroud.
The wall climber uses pneumatic winches to
maneuver over large surfaces. This process will
provide a better surface for recoat at a lower
cost than equivalent existing methods.
A dual sander/high-pressure water-cleaning unit
can be used in commercial and military
applications where sound coatings do not need to
be stripped completely from the surface. It is a
functional improvement over present blasting
methods because there is no impact to fracture the
coating's structure. The anticipated cleaning
rate greatly exceeds current methods used on ship
hulls, storage tanks, steel and concrete
structures. It is expected that the unit's cost
effectiveness and its environmental and ergonomic
friendliness will make it a valuable tool for
those preparing large surfaces for recoat.
Shipyards, storage tank facilities and other large
vessels requiring coatings are potential
purchasers of the proposed unit. New coating
technology is increasing the need for an
alternative to blasting to the bare surface,
further expanding the proposed unit's potential
market.
|
TDA RESEARCH, INC.
12345 W. 52nd Ave.
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(303) 940-2317
Dr. Silvia Luebben
NAVY 02-005 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Premixed Non-skid Media for Aviation Facility Flooring |
| Abstract: | Today's anti-slip coatings for industrial flooring
consist of a multi-layer coating system with a
surface-broadcasted grit element. The
installation of such a coating is expensive and
time-consuming, and broadcasting is the most
labor-intensive part of the installation.
Moreover, it is difficult to obtain a floor with
homogeneous non-skid properties by broadcasting
because of the uneven distribution of the grit.
Inorganic grits such as aluminum oxide are not
covalently bonded into the coating matrix and,
therefore, they tend to chip off easily; the
coating system wears out quickly and must be
replaced or repaired every few months.
To address these problems, reduce the cost and
time of the installation and increase the lifetime
of the applied flooring system, TDA Research, Inc.
(TDA) will develop a new non-skid urethane coating
with pre-mixed grit. The use of TDA's non-skid
coating with pre-mixed grit will eliminate the
need for broadcasting while reducing the floor
installation time and cost. TDA's grit will be
covalently cross-linked within the urethane
matrix, considerably increasing the wear
resistance and durability of the coating compared
to the current system. This in turn will reduce
the number of required repairs and
re-applications.
TDA's material will have immediate application as
a non-skid coating for the Navy aviation hangers.
The new non-skid coatings may find numerous other
applications in civil aviation and as flooring
system for chemical manufacturers, petrochemical
plants, paper mills, wastewater plants, and other
industrial applications. Other uses of non-skid
coatings in the civil market include ship decks,
ramps, aisles, walkways, steps, garages, swimming
pools, and handicap zones.
|
POLYMERIGHT, INC.
4404-C Enterprise Place,
Fremont, CA 94538 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(510) 252-9090
Dr. Leonid Rappoport
NAVY 02-006 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Polysulfide Modified Epoxy Novolac Cladding for Steel Immersion/Splash Zone Service |
| Abstract: | Environmentally-resistant, spray-applied,
self-priming, fast-cure, flexible, edge-retentive,
impact- and abrasion-resistant,
polysulfide-modified epoxy novolac cladding for
corrosion control of steel in immersion/splash
zones is achieved using formulations containing
epoxy novolac, urethane-epoxies and
urethane-mercaptan resins with saturated
hydrocarbon/polysulfide backbone, which are
produced by polycondensation of saturated dimeric
fatty acids and di(2-hydroxyethyl)disulfide.
The molecular structure of cured cladding includes
the following chemical blocks:
* Cured epoxy structures, contributing high
adhesion to steel;
* Urethane groups, providing excellent wear
resistance, toughness, oil/gasoline resistance,
flexibility and chemical stability;
* Multiple disulfide links producing high
hydrophobicity, flexibility, oil/gasoline
resistance, low glass transition temperature and
reduced viscosity of resin;
* Multiple ester groups contributing toughness,
good UV and chemical resistance
* Long saturated chains that contribute UV
resistance hydrophobicity and flexibility/hardness
of coating.
POLYMERight will use technology that produces
effective odorless mercaptan curing agents at
relatively low cost from commercial precursors.
Carefully controlled assembling of the chemical
blocks will provide both tough and flexible cured
polymers.
This approach involves the creation of reactive
resins with properties not currently available
commercially. We expect these resins, and polymer
formulations using them, to permit production by
many companies of new castable polyurethanes,
adhesives, coatings and sealants with improved
properties.
In addition to providing the improved cladding
desired by the Navy, the technology developed
under this SBIR will demonstrate the production
and use of novel polymers having properties not
now available in the market place. The newly
developed resins employed, and the additional new
polymers that can be made using them, will enable
advantageous applications in fields such as:
* Other protective coatings
* Encapsulating and potting compounds for
electrical and electronic components designed to
serve in harsh environments
* High dielectric materials for electrical
insulation and radar systems
* Sealants, barrier coatings, equipment linings,
underwater coatings in construction, fuel
handling, marine uses, etc.
POLYMERight expects to both make polymer
formulations for such commercial applications and
to offer the resins themselves for sale to other
formulators. The resulting broad availability of
these resins, with the unique attributes they
impart, will permit many formulators to develop
better performing materials for their own spheres
of activity at modest costs. This will have wide
spread importance in many commercial areas of the
economy.
|
POLYSPEC, L.P.
6614 Gant Road
Houston, TX 77066 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(281) 397-0033
Mr. Paul H. Anderson
NAVY 02-006 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Polysulfide Modified Epoxy Novolac Cladding for Steel Immersion/Splash Zone Service |
| Abstract: | The proposed Phase I research will develop a
sprayable, self-priming, fast cure, flexible, edge
retentive, impact and abrasion resistant,
polysulfide modified epoxy Novolac cladding for
steel immersion/splash zone service. Currently
the coatings of steel waterfront structures have a
life expectancy of 5 years splash zone service.
Maintenance applied coatings give an additional 3
years service prior to reapplication. This
required regular maintenance and repair cycle is
costly. The initial application of a polysulfide
modified epoxy novolac will extend the maintenance
cycle, thereby reducing repair costs. Potential
commercial applications will include bridges,
roofing, bilges, bulkheads(sheet pile, pipe pile,
H-piles, cranes, in/offshore petrochemical
structures, water and waste water structures,
industrial facilities, contaiment systems, mooring
structures, and marine equipment.
|
TEXAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AUSTIN, INC.
9063 Bee Caves Road
Austin, TX 78733 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(512) 263-2101
Dr. George Hansen
NAVY 02-006 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Polysulfide Modified Epoxy Novolac Cladding for Steel Immersion/Splash Zone Service |
| Abstract: | US Naval piers and offshore drilling platforms are
common steel structures located in marine splash
zones around the world. To provide adequate use
life, these structures must be protected from
persistent corrosion, with current coatings
considered to be inadequate to meet the end-user's
needs for protection and time between maintenance
re-coats. TRI/Austin proposes development and
production of a novel polysulfide-Novolac epoxy
paint designed to be impact and abrasion resistant
and have a useful life far in excess of currently
used materials. A joint venture team consisting
of TRI/Austin and Vickers Industrial Coatings will
be assembled to develop this new product platform
based on products already on the market. This
team of coating engineers, scientists, and NACE
professionals is highly motivated to bring this
product into its current product line and is
committed to demonstrating product scale-ability
in manufacturing as a deliverable of the Phase I
effort. The proposed work will result in
development of an improved corrosion prevention
coating for steel structures in the marine splash
zone. This market represents significant business
potential for members of the joint venture. The
product to be developed will also provide a
platform from which other markets can be derived
such as storage tank and chemical reactor vessel
linings, waste water effluent pipe lining,
military hardware protective coatings, military
and commercial ship exterior coatings, steel
bridge coatings, marine-industrial facilities
coatings and chemical plant and refinery
protective coatings.
|
ZWEAVE, INC.
98 Greene Street
New York, NY 10012 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(212) 343-3959
Ms. Laura McCann
NAVY 02-008 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Three-Dimensional (3-D) Anthropometrie Data; Apparel Application Methods and Tools |
| Abstract: | Use of 3-D scanning systems for capture of human
body dimensions is becoming prevalent.
Incorporation of 3-D anthropometric data into the
design process promises significant breakthroughs
and benefits for a wide variety of industries and
applications, including the Apparel industry.
Despite clear customer satisfaction, quality, and
cost benefits, however, the Apparel industry has
been slow to adopt 3-D anthropometry in its design
and manufacturing processes.
This Phase 1 SBIR study will investigate new
methods and tools that can help accelerate the
incorporation of 3-D anthropometry into the
Apparel industry design and manufacturing
processes. The study will include an assessment
of the typical design and manufacturing practices
in use in the Apparel industry today, with
emphasis on the use of sizing-related practices,
information and tools. Industry research,
interviews, "As-Is" business process descriptions,
and assessment of the current technology landscape
will be used to identify the factors inhibiting
use of 3-D anthropometry.
The study will identify and develop the conceptual
design of new methods and tools to integrate 3-D
anthropometry and identify and describe the key
technical requirements for developing and
integrating these solutions. Business, economic
and technical feasibilities will be performed to
assess the likelihood of industry adoption.
Adoption of 3-D anthropometry will permit an
Apparel manufacturer to respond to sophisticated
customer expectations and drive more effective
product development and supply chain workflows,
while fostering a collaborative environment both
within the enterprise and in the customer
relationship. Those early adopters who have
embraced mass customization are already
experiencing higher gross profit margins, reduced
inventory, fewer returns and increased customer
satisfaction and intimacy. Accelerating this
adoption rate is critical to the introduction of
3-D anthropometry in the industry.
|
ADVANCED MATERIALS AND DEVICES
4451 Lynnfield Way
Reno, NV 89509 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(775) 826-8306
Mr. Gregory Hitchcock
NAVY 02-009 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A Fail-Safe Controllable Magneto-Rheological Fluid Smart Pad/Damper System for Submarine Based Weapon Shock and Vibration Mitigation |
| Abstract: | The goal of the proposed Phase I effort is a
feasibility study on the design and development of
an innovative, fail-safe, controllable
magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) smart pad for
shock and vibration mitigation of Trident
submarine based vertical launch weapon systems.
The objective of this project is to explore the
design feasibility of the proposed MRF shock
absorber system which consists of a MRF material,
a fail-safe MRF damper, and a control system. The
effort includes preparation of a MRF material
system suitable for this particular application.
The properties of the base fluid and magnetic
particles will be studied. In addition, a
feasibility study of a novel MRF damper will be
conducted in which the magnetic circuit and
orifices will be designed to meet the shock pad
requirements. Moreover, a robust control system
that can provide accurate and fast response will
be developed. Numerical simulations will be
performed to demonstrate the capabilities of the
MRF damper's dynamic force range and control
design. The MRF shock pad design will be
extensively evaluated against current elastomeric
pad technology. Emphasis will also be placed on
applicability to other emerging sectors especially
automotive industry. Advanced weapon shock and
vibration mitigation systems require reliable,
fast responding, controllable devices with a broad
range of damping forces to effectively reduce
vibration during possible impacts. Modified
versions of the new proposed MRF smart pad for
Navy's Trident submarine based vertical launch
weapon systems can potentially be used for other
DoD applications, such as, vibration suppression
of the U.S. Army's high mobility multi-purposed
wheeled vehicles (HMMWV) and tanks in rough
terrains, as well as helicopters' rotor systems,
artillery and weapon recoil systems. In addition,
the off-road application can be commercially
pursued for sport utility vehicles, racing
motorcycles and mountain bicycles in the public
sector. The same technology can be extended to
vibration mitigation in engine and transmission
mounts, automotive shock absorbers, stabilizers
for camera systems of new commercial satellites,
automation and motion control for industrial
manufacturing systems, and protective smart
systems for building and bridges.
|
CSA ENGINEERING, INC.
2565 Leghorn Street
Mountain View, CA 94043 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(650) 210-9000
Mr. Jason E. Lindler
NAVY 02-009 Selected for Award |
| Title: | System for Reconfigurable Shock and Vibration Mitigation |
| Abstract: | Current attempts to enhance the ability of SSBNs
to deploy guided missiles has created the
opportunity to replace the existing pad-based
missile shock isolation systems with those based
on smart material technologies. The utilization
of these advanced materials promises to deploy
more modular, adaptable isolation systems that may
be tuned to a broad class of current and future
missiles. Working closely with our Naval
contacts, CSA will develop a system requirements
trade space that incorporates the isolation needs
of several strategic and guided missiles. From
these requirements we will then investigate the
feasibility of various isolation technologies.
These disciplines will range from passive VEM
based solutions to fully "active" technologies
that employ sensors, actuators and intelligent
control. From these studies we will develop
detailed component level and material-specific
requirements that dictate device design and test.
Out of these component requirements will come an
assessment as to the best technology to employ in
the real system. Our goal is to develop a shock
isolation system whose shock attenuation exceeds
that of the existing systems and yet can be easily
tuned and reconfigured to several classes of
ballistic and guided missiles. Beyond the stated
application, the proposed system would be an
invaluable tool for the transportation of high
dollar items in air-borne, land or sea-borne
platforms for both military and commercial
applications.
|
ADVANCED ENERGY SYSTEMS, INC.
27 Industrial Blvd, Unit E
Medford, NY 11763 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(609) 514-0315
Dr. Hans Bluem
NAVY 02-010 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Improved High-Current Injector Design |
| Abstract: | With the achievement of 2.1 kW CW I R operation
and an upgrade to10 kW in progress, free-electron
lasers (FEL) are now a serious option for
high-power, military and commercial applications.
As specifically identified in the recent
"Department of Defense Laser Master Plan", the key
technology issue on the path to high-power FEL
deployment is the demonstration of reliable,
high-brightness, photocathode injector operation.
A DC gun/superconducting accelerator combination
provides the most promising and most mature path
to efficient, weapon-level electron beam power.
One of the primary issues identified with this
type of gun is beam quality degradation for
operation at weapon system charge levels that
approach 1 nC per bunch or higher. Longitudinal
phase space aberrations set in that can
significantly reduce the lasing efficiency of the
FEL. We are proposing to design a doubly resonant
first accelerating cavity to both correct the
development of this aberration and accelerate the
electron beam for current levels that approach one
ampere. The proposed design will represent a
proof-of-principle demonstration. The
discriminating attributes of FELs are their
wide-band tunability, their implicit potential for
very high-power operation and the intrinsic
picosecond pulse structure that promises superior
performance for certain applications. Significant
military FEL directed energy weapon (DEW),
countermeasure and communication applications
exist at various power levels, which will benefit
from the proposed SBIR project. Commercial
applications spanning high-value-added
micro-machining to low-value-added,
high-throughput surface processing of metals and
polymers have also been demonstrated and patented.
Their immediate deployment is prevented only by
the availability of a suitable, economic,
high-power light source, to which development the
present project contributes. The development of
the proposed high-brightness, electron injector
would provide a significant benefit in terms of
improved efficiency and thus cost reduction for
both the military and commercial FEL applications.
In addition, the applications identified for
material processing with radiation could lead to
the development of new, on-shore, high-technology,
environmentally-friendly manufacturing
opportunities.
|
ENERGEN, INC.
17 D Sterling Road
Billerica, MA 01862 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 671-5400
Dr. Chad H. Joshi
NAVY 02-010 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Active Vibration Control for Free Electron Laser Systems |
| Abstract: | The Navy is exploring the use of Free Electron
Lasers (FEL) on ships for use in directed energy
weapons. The potency of the laser based weaponry
is directly related to vibration isolation from
the floor and other sources. Active vibration
control is preferred because of the stringent
requirements on alignment and isolation over a
broad range of frequencies.
Energen, Inc. proposes to develop a high force
support that provides active vibration damping
based on magnetic `smart" material actuators The
system consists of motion sensors that measures
motion due to vibration, a high speed digital
signal processor and high force actuators based on
magnetic smart materials and capable of operating
at cryogenic temperatures.
In Phase I, Energen, Inc. will develop a prototype
actuator and measure its performance
characteristics and sensitivity, and develop a
design for an optimal control system. The
developed control systems will be able to actively
damp vibrations in one dimension.
In Phase I option, Energen, Inc. will investigate
and develop low frequency velocity sensors
operating at cryogenic temperatures. The control
systems design for a 3-dimensional active
vibration isolation platform will be developed.
Active vibration control technology has a wide
range of applications. The low frequency damping
capability that will be developed under this
program will be valuable for semiconductor
processing equipment, sensitive instrumentation
such as electron or tunneling microscopes, etc.
|
MISSION RESEARCH CORPORATION
735 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 339-6500
Dr. John A. Pasour
NAVY 02-010 Selected for Award |
| Title: | FEL Efficiency Enhancement via Concurrent RF Acceleration |
| Abstract: | The goal of this program is to analyze, design,
and develop an efficiency enhancement scheme for
free-electron lasers (FELs). In the proposed
technique, a radio-frequency (RF) electric field
is superimposed on the FEL wiggler field to
reaccelerate the electron beam as it loses energy.
This reacceleration allows the electrons to remain
in resonance with the wiggler and radiation fields
over a longer distance, much as tapering the
wiggler does in typical FEL enhancement schemes.
The advantage to be gained by the RF acceleration
technique is improved control of the longitudinal
electron beam dynamics (minimization of beam
energy spread). During Phase I, the primary focus
will be on use of the lower frequency FEL
resonance to accelerate the electrons in an
applied RF field (inverse FEL mechanism). This
approach will be contrasted with an alternative
design in which an RF accelerating structure is
added to the FEL interaction region. In Phase II,
a preferred approach will be selected for detailed
design, fabrication, and testing. Efficiency
enhancement is crucial in high-average-power FELs,
such as are being suggested for antiship cruise
missile defense and other defense applications, as
well as for industrial processing and other
commercial uses. An important drawback of
conventional tapered-wiggler efficiency
enhancement is the large energy spread it imposes
on the electrons, making subsequent acceleration
or energy recovery very difficult. The concurrent
RF acceleration approach proposed here can
overcome this disadvantage, making the application
of high-average-power FELs much more practical for
both military and civilian uses.
|
RELIABILITY TOOLS & ANALYSES, INC.
PMB 5029, 2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 500
Arlington, VA 22202 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 780-6017
Mr. Reid Willis
NAVY 02-011 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Battle Force Reliability Modeling and Simulation |
| Abstract: | This project consists of three related efforts.
The first is to conduct research into the
requirements, procedures, and algorithms needed to
model the reliability aspects of a battle force of
ships operating over a multiphase mission
timeline. The second effort is to incorporate
these results into the design of the Navy TIGER
computer program for mission reliability
prediction and analyses. The final effort is the
implementation of the design to produce TIGER
Force, a battle force-capable program with an
intuitive user interface that will run on desktop
host computers. The battle force-capable TIGER
program will support engineering for reliability
assurance of complex commercial systems. Examples
of other applications are commercial airlines,
electric utilities, and package delivery systems.
|
SOHAR INCORPORATED
8421 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 201
Beverly Hills, CA 90211 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(323) 653-4717
Dr. Herbert Hecht
NAVY 02-011 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Battle Force Reliability Modeling and Simulation |
| Abstract: | This research will define and implement
enhancements to TIGER, the standard assessment
tool used by the Navy to measure readiness in
terms of operational availability. The current
version can handle the thousands of components
aboard a ship. However, it is not suited to
modeling the massive task of Battle Force
simulation and tradeoffs. In this research, we
will identify the functional, user interface, and
structural requirements to extend TIGER to
modeling Battle Forces. The innovations in this
research are algorithms for the aggregation of
individual ship functions into group-level
services. In addition, we will define user
interface enhancements to reduce training and
provide higher quality output. The result of the
Phase I effort will be the definition of
SuperTIGER, a tool to provide battle force level
availability and reliability assessments, spare
allowances, and related functions. The benefits of
this research will be to update one of the most
significant tools used by the Navy to predict
operational availability, perform tradeoff
analyses, and evaluate cost-effective sparing
strategies. TIGER PLUS will be of value not only
to the U.S. Navy but also to many Federal, State,
and Local Government authorities responsible for
maintenance planning, logistics support and
sparing. In addition, TIGER PLUS will be of use
to private entities with large investments in
complex maintainable assets.
|
GENEX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
10605 Concord Street, #500
Kensington, MD 20895 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 962-6565
Dr. Jason Geng
NAVY 02-012 Selected for Award |
| Title: | An Intelligent Omnidirectional Digital Video System for Shipboard Machinery Condition and Personnel Assessments |
| Abstract: | The primary objective of this SBIR is to develop
and demonstrate an advanced omnidirectional
digital video system that overcomes the
shortcomings of existing technology for machinery
condition and personnel assessments in a harsh
shipboard environment. The proposed Omni-Guide
system consists of a novel omnidirectional IR
sensor for temperature measurement and human
activity detection, a low-light visible PTZ camera
for tracking human activity and for acquire facial
image for face ID, an intelligent controller to
coordinate actions of these two sensors, and a
host computer to perform digital recording of both
IR and visible imagery, event trigger actions,
facial identification, database management, and
alarm settings. Five major innovations in the
proposed Omni-Guide system include
(1) The highly sensitive omnidirectional IR sensor
(2) Intelligently controlled PTZ low-light camera
(3) 3D Facial Identification scheme
(4) Registered 3D-IR-visible modalities
(5) Intelligent Watchdog for Machinery Condition
Assessment.
The commercial market for the technologies to be
developed under this SBIR is obviously sizable.
The proposed Omni-Guide systems can be used in
machinery condition and personnel activity
assessment in factory or environmentally harsh
areas. It also could be used in physically
unacceptable or dangerous areas where direct human
interaction is prohibited. In general, the
technologies of omnidirectional imaging, low-light
PTZ, 3D face ID and 3D-IR model can lead to
significant advances in security enhancement for
any types of military and civilian applications.
These technologies can be used in other security
applications, ranging from warehouse,
train-stations, airports, Government facilities,
corporations, sport events, to public and private
schools in US, from elementary to university. The
tragic event of 9/11 triggers tremendous interests
in the security enhancement for all private
sectors. We see great potentials for the
commercial applications of the technologies
developed under this SBIR project.
|
PHOTON-X, INC
102A Wynn Drive
Huntsville, AL 35805 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(256) 704-3416
Mr. Blair Barbour
NAVY 02-012 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Intelligent Video System for Condition Based Maintenance |
| Abstract: | The U.S. Navy has aggressively pursued the
implementation of Smart Ship technology
initiatives to achieve Total Ownership Cost (TOC)
savings primarily through reduced manpower
requirements. These reductions are enabled by
innovative adaptation of Commercial Off-The-Shelf
(COTS) technologies, substantial changes in Policy
and Procedures and new Maintenance methods such as
Condition Based Maintenance (CBM). The team also
brings a wealth of technical experience in state
of the art spatial phase video development,
passive 3D reconstruction, shadow penetration,
hardware prototyping, and other applicable video
sensing technologies.
Photon-X team offers a new innovative video
technology, which is capable of breaking down and
recording the phase elements of the light in a
revolutionary manner. Photon-X has developed a
patented imaging process, which has demonstrated
initial proof of concept for passive
shadow/fog/haze penetration, passive 3D video
processing/reconstruction, measurement of the
structural changes in materials and enhanced
biometric recognition and tracking. The
Photon-X's innovations are:
(1) Passive real-time personnel
identification (Biometrics) and tracking using
invisible passive tagging techniques.
(2) Enhanced vision through rough
environmental conditions, such as fog, haze and
shadowed low light areas.
(3) Visually detect structural changes in
materials and automation of the machinery
conditions using Photon-Xs intelligent phase based
processing.
The photon-X technology has multiple commercial
markets, such as passive tracking with invisible
barcodes and the intelligent 3D shape based video.
Both of these technology directions offer
tremendous market potential. Photon-X has patents
pending for this technology and has formed a
commercial spin-off company called Sport-X to
rapidly develop the tagging technology for Sports
tracking/broadcasting and enhanced interactive
computer animation.
The ability to non-obtrusively tag someone or
something and both tracking it real-time and to
identify each tag has been a long-term goal of
researchers and commercial developers. Photon-X
has spun-off a commercial venture dedicated to
developing a tagging, tracking and identification
optical bar code system to be used in the Sports
and interactive gaming markets. The Sport-X
mission is to develop non-intrusive tags that can
be easily placed on athletes and other sports gear
to track these elements for real-time analysis of
the players performance, fatigue, weaknesses,
etc., this can be used by coaches or by
broadcasters as sports commentary.
Shape based video or 3D vision has a desire by
technologist as well as consumers around the
world. And the fact that these cameras are
intelligent and can develop object signatures,
which are invariant to its look angle, will
revolutionize the robotic vision market.
|
KAZAK COMPOSITES INCORPORATED
32 Cummings Park
Woburn, MA 01801 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 932-5667
Dr. Jerome Fanucci
NAVY 02-014 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low Cost, Pultrusion-Based Composite Joiner Panel System with Simplified Installation |
| Abstract: | KaZaK Composites proposes, with Bath Iron Works
and Newport News Shipbuilding, to develop and
demonstrate a new joiner panel system that makes
substantial material, configuration, manufacturing
and installation process changes to the system
currently in use on Naval vessels. At least two of
the primary components, the joiner panel itself
and the coaming, will be made from pultruded
composites. Significant, cost-saving changes to
techniques for attaching the coaming to the deck
and the joiner panel to the coaming will be
investigated. Alternatives to the current
cut-and-fit technology for patching the curtain
plate around many overhead obstructions will be
studied. A key component of the Phase I work will
be a demonstration of joiner panel pultrusion
using KCI's 10-foot wide pultrusion machine.
Advantages of pultrusion will include lower
fabrication cost and the ability to make panels in
arbitrarily long lengths. This will create a new
installation cost and weight paradigm by reducing
the number of joints. Phase I will terminate with
a prototype demonstration, including a pultruded
joiner panel, a new composite coaming, possibly a
variation of the curtain plate, plus evaluation of
new installation concepts. In the Option Phase we
will perform FST and other key property tests.
Successful completion of the proposed work will
result in a light weight, low cost joiner panel
system with a widespread market in both the
commercial and military shipbuilding industry. KCI
will work to adapt and apply the developed system
to both new installations aboard CG-47, LPD-17,
DDG-51, CVN-X and other platforms, as well for
service life extension programs in the military
and commercial world. More importantly for KCI and
the Navy, use of large pultruded joiner panels on
Naval vessels in a low risk application will
provide an opportunity to demonstrate the
significant cost saving potential of pultruding
very large ship structure, compared to making
similar structure by VARTM technology, without
requiring the Navy to commit to installation of
experimental composite parts in some difficult to
replace mission-critical location of ship's
structure. Success with the joiner panel product
could represent the first step in the path to
acceptance of a new material and process
technology combination that will have a broad
reaching effect on the future use of composites in
shipbuilding.
|
WEBCORE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
591 Congress Park Drive
Dayton, OH 45459 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(937) 435-5034
Dr. Donald Klosterman
NAVY 02-014 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of Lightweight, Fireproof Composite Joiner Panel for Navy Ship |
| Abstract: | This phase I SBIR project is focused on the
development of lightweight, fireproof,
damage-tolerant and affordable composite joiner
panels for Navy ship. The Phase I work will
demonstrate the feasibility of using WebCore's
patented TYCOR fiber reinforced foam (FRF) core
sandwich panel to meet the structural, fire and
cost targets for this application. Phase I work
will include composite joiner panel design
requirements definition; design and fabrication of
TYCOR composite panels; physical, mechanical and
fire testing; design of attachments; and an
optional task to design and fabricate a prototype
joiner panel. WebCore will team up with Newport
News Shipbuilding (now part of Northrop Grumman
Ship Systems) to obtain the necesary design
requirements and also to implement the technology
in the Navy fleet. The proposed research will
provide an affordable solution to the Navy by
replacing heavy metal joiner panels with
lightweight, fireproof composite panels. Fireproof
and damage-tolerant composite panel can be used
extensively in Navy ships to reduce the weight and
cost of maintenance in many parts such as doors,
scuttles and hatches as well as topside
structures. The technology developed in this
program has broad applications in marine,
transportation, construction, industrial and
aerospace market.
|
AGUILA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
310 Via Vera Cruz, Suite 107
San Marcos, CA 92069 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(760) 752-1192
Dr. Y. Joon Lee
NAVY 02-015 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of High Temperature Barrier Coating |
| Abstract: | The object of this proposal is a cost-effective
coating to be used to guard bulkheads and other
naval structures from exposure to
high-temperatures during a fire event. Material is
to be capable of withstanding the action of a
flame while preventing the covered surface from
reaching a temperature of 225-250øF above ambient
temperature, meeting the requirements of UL 1709.
The approach is to provide a high temperature
coating with novel fillers and additives in a
variety of paint compositions. Commercially
available thermosetting resins, such as cyanate
resin and aromatic epoxy resin, are good
candidates as the resin matrix material. We
propose to use a proprietary filler in the resin
coating mix for thermal insulation. During a fire
event, the filler will expand, resulting in a
foamed resin composite structure. Ease of
reparability of the coating is targeted as well as
low maintenance and long service life. Feasibility
demonstration shall include ease of installation,
ease of removal, cost and anticipated service life
expectancy. The paint will be especially tailored
for use on new types of lightweight naval
structural materials that require barrier coatings
to prevent them from reaching elevated
temperatures during a fire situation, which will
significantly reduce their strength. One of the
primary markets for this product is for the
protection of bulkheads and various structures in
naval vessels. Another somewhat smaller market is
barrier coatings for fire insulation in power
plants, chemical plants, and other industrial
facilities.
|
METSS CORPORATION
300 Westdale Avenue
Westerville, OH 43082 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(614) 797-2200
Dr. Donald Bigg
NAVY 02-015 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of High Temperature Barrier Coating |
| Abstract: | METSS plans to develop an intumescent coating that
can be applied and bonded to a steel structure
that provides sufficient protection to keep the
temperature of the steel below 325§F for at least
30 minutes. Two similar approaches will be
examined for maximum cost and performance
effectiveness. The first approach consists of a
complex coating based on a polymeric binder. This
coating will adhere strongly to steel, intumesce
to form a strong, flake-resistant char foam that
evolves heat absorbing water vapor and contains an
infrared reflecting additive. This composition
will contain hollow microspheres to reduce the
density of the coating. Exfoliated nanoclays will
be incorporated into the matrix polymer to
strengthen the char foam. The second approach is a
similarly complex ceramic-based coating. Ceramics
do not burn, and therefore offer excellent fire
resistance. Intumescent ceramic based coatings
also release water, form an insulating foam,
contain density reducing hollow microspheres, and
IR reflecting additives. The most significant
potential difference and the focus of the research
relates to adhesion to the steel and the stability
of the intumescent foam. The addition of IR
reflecting additives represents a unique and
significant addition to intumescent formulations.
METSS proposal also addresses the critical issues
of modifying both coatings systems to maximize
adhesion to the steel, and the stability of the
foam in order to meet the Navy's cost and
performance goals. There are considerable benefits
to developing a barrier coating system that
prevents weakening of structural steel members
during an intense fire. Fires, particularly those
from petrochemical sources, produce very high
temperatures and are similarly energetic. As
such, they cannot only destroy combustible
materials and structures, but also weaken
nonflammable support structures such as steel.
There are very significant material, structure,
and life savings that can be realized by limiting
the damage to structural members during an intense
fire. The longer a structure can survive the
greater the possibility of saving life and the
structure. The Navy is not the only potential
beneficiary of the development of high temperature
barrier coatings. Commercial ships, cruise ships,
oil platforms, petroleum processing facilities,
chemical processing plants, commercial buildings,
and hotels are among the structures that can
benefit from improved fire barriers.
|
MAINSTREAM ENGINEERING CORPORATION
200 Yellow Place, Pines Industrial Center
Rockledge, FL 32955 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(321) 631-3550
Mr. Lawrence R. Grzyll
NAVY 02-016 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Demonstration of an Autocascade Cryocooler for Rapid Cooldown of OASIS Towed Bodies |
| Abstract: | The goal of the Phase I effort is to demonstrate
Mainstream's innovative multi-stage autocascade
refrigeration technology as a portable, temporary
cooling system that could interface with an
Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep
(OASIS) towed body to quickly cool the system and
decrease the preparation time required to deploy
it. Mainstream's autocascade refrigeration system
incorporates several innovative technologies to
provide high reliability and high efficiency in a
shipboard and flightdeck environment. Previous
demonstration experiments have shown that this
technology has efficiencies as high as 20% of
Carnot. The military application for this
technology is of great importance to the Navy.
There are also significant commercial applications
for this technology. The immediate market for
these systems are medical and biological
laboratories and test facilities where the 1997
sales are between 20 and 40 million dollars. The
semi-conductor industry, which uses cryocoolers
for condensing impurities from gas streams used in
wafer manufacture, is also very attractive.
|
DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY, INC.
21311 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 300
Torrance, CA 90503 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 543-5433
Dr. Enson Chang
NAVY 02-017 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Classification Enhanced Target Tracking |
| Abstract: | Anti-submarine warfare in shallow water is
notoriously difficult, especially against
low/no-doppler targets. Tracking is a useful means
for differentiating a candidate contact from
clutter tracks. However, weak target returns and
high false alarm rates in the littoral often
result in large number of false tracks and
operator saturation.
Current tracker-classifiers such as the ETC
operate in a sequential mode with tracking
preceding classification. A feedback loop that
passes contact classification information back to
the tracker can prune the number of false alarms
significantly. Furthermore, certain contact
features (e.g., its orientation) can be
incorporated into the tracker's state vector to
improve tracking performance. These and other
potentially viable architectures are obviously
more effective if the system has sufficient
spatial resolution to resolve contact features. We
propose to use our high-fidelity target and
environmental simulations to assess the
feasibility of several classification-enhanced
tracking architectures based on the high azimuthal
resolution offered by synthetic aperture
processing.
The enhanced tracking and classification
techniques will find direct applications in any
government and commercial activities that require
active sonar, e.g., harbor surveillance and
security, rapid coastal bathymetric mapping,
location and characterization of environmental
dumping in both U.S. and international waters,
petrochemical and mineral exploration, harbor
surveys for industrial and municipal outfall
installation, and underwater search and recovery
operations.
|
ORINCON CORPORATION
9363 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego, CA 92121 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(858) 455-5530
Mr. Mike Kurnow
NAVY 02-018 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Statistical Operator Workload Allocation to Maintain USW Performance |
| Abstract: | A major driver in total cost of ownership of
Navy's surface combatants is the cost of manning
the platforms. Reducing USW manning is an
exceptionally difficult area ORINCON is already
working under IUSW 21 automation. However,
workstation automation addressed by that program
provides no systematic methodology to allocate
available operator workload to tasks both
tactically significant and necessary to maintain
acceptable performance. Additionally, all focus
is on single manned USW operations without
consideration for operators to flex and perform as
a team. This SBIR will investigate and add
innovative techniques for directing operator
attention to high probability of importance
actions which increase total performance of the
USW system. Specifically, we will draw the
operator's attention to areas having higher
likelihood of a threat, insure his awareness of
how well the underlying automated DCL is
operating, and direct his attention to areas
needing assistance. Methods for insitu grouping
of automated DCL outputs into families will be
investigated. Initial focus will be on the DCL
problem, leaving work on other aspects of the USW
workload until Phase II. We will also look at
methods and rationale for distributing work across
multiple operators with differing proficiency
levels by extending workstation automation
capabilities and doctrine already developed by
ORINCON and TecFocus for IUSW-21. By using the
existing IUSW-21 workstation automation as a
starting point for this effort, the risk in
accomplishing program objectives is reduced while
the immediate benefit to the Navy is maximized.
This Phase I SBIR effort will provide a
demonstrable foundation for Phase II effort that
will result in a comprehensive, automated,
distributed, statistical USW workload capability
integrated into IUSW-21 workstations and available
for integration into continuing IUSW-21 ADM
developments. The development and integration of
statistical workload management techniques within
the TAIPE technology intelligent user interface
framework can be applied to numerous military and
commercial domains that require an intelligent
interactive control of complex systems by human
operators, such as, power plant operations, space
station operations, and advanced military C4ISR
systems.
|
DESKIN RESEARCH GROUP, INC.
555 E. Weddell Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(408) 400-8036
Dr. James M. Marshall
NAVY 02-019 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Robust Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Satellite Communications Protocol for UUVs |
| Abstract: | A program is proposed that is intended to develop
recommended signaling technique(s), protocols and
a system architecture that will permit robust UHF
SATCOM communications to UUV platforms under
adverse sea state conditions as high as sea state
4. The outage problems encountered on UUVs are
similar in nature to outages encountered on UHF
MSS Satellite links. This effort will apply the
design and protocol development experience from a
commercial UHF packet communications MSS satellite
program to the UUV problem. Message delivery
reliability and messaging services requirements
are similar in nature to the UUV problem. It is
anticipated that the results of this program in
developing a robust link protocol will be mutually
beneficial to the Navy as well as commercial MSS
SATCOM. A second phase of this program will
provide a technology demonstration under
controlled laboratory conditions. A third phase
will provide a prototype system for integration
and testing into a UUV test vehicle. The proposed
program affords the Navy the opportunity to solve
both the washover problem and the robust link
reliability problem of the UUV environment. The
UUV environment while unique, does offer an
opportunity to solve similar communication link
problems that are encountered on mobile satellite
networks. For example, the washover outage is
similar to underpass outages of terrestrial ground
mobile satellite links. This is not an area most
commercial satellite developers would be focused
on, but it is relevant to the class of MSS
Satellites that DRG has developed. It is
anticipated that the results of this program in
developing a robust link protocol will be mutually
beneficial to the Navy as well as commercial MSS
SATCOM.
|
WAVIX, INCORPORATED
8100 Professional Place, Suite 205
Landover, MD 20785 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 459-6682
Dr. Jeffrey N. Shaumeyer
NAVY 02-019 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Robust Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Satellite Communications Protocol for UUVs |
| Abstract: | Wavix proposes to capitalize on its unique
combination of expertise in satellite
communications and oceanographic systems to
develop an optimized-protocol solution to the
problem of RF satellite communications in
disadvantaged marine environments. Our solution
will invoke a diverse but coordinated array of
noise-mitigation techniques that function at the
lowest levels of the 7-layer OSI Model, namely,
the Physical Layer and the Link Layer of the
protocol.
In this Phase-I effort we will characterize the
physical marine environment for the requirements
it places on RF systems. Working from those
requirements, we will develop a parameterized
conceptual model for low-level protocols that
addresses the degraded performance faced by
maritime users. We will also consider compatible
error-reduction strategies and approaches to
embedding higher-level protocols that can further
increase data-transmission efficiency.
In modeling the low-level protocol, our
requirements analysis will go beyond just noise
characteristics. We also will consider constraints
imposed by the physical limitations of the
application, e.g., small UUVs or profiling buoys
of limited power, weight, and size, as well as
compatibility with existing UHF SATCOM systems.
Wavix has an ongoing business in satellite
communications, with our current major customer
being users of e-mail services in developing
countries. Our intention from the start was, and
remains, to serve the oceanographic community with
a system that can retrieve data from buoys. The
system we currently have in place is achieving
this goal but with some serious limitations. The
protocol envisioned for this effort will increase
our link margins somewhat allowing us to decrease
antenna size enough to serve a larger customer
base. In addition, it will allow us to increase
our current system capacity as well as the density
of users in any particular location.
There are other niche markets that such a system
can serve that, when aggregated, become a
significant opportunity. There is a high demand
world-wide for inexpensive data transmission
services. By dropping the price for such services,
many new markets will open, such as providing
inexpensive e-mail and data services on ships for
crew and passengers and supporting Arctic,
Antarctic, and other scientific research in remote
areas. A satellite system designed to serve
oceanographic research can easily accommodate
these other niche markets.
|
CONTINENTAL CONTROLS AND DESIGN, INC.
1921 N. Gaffey Suite J
San Pedro, CA 90731 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 831-8669
Mr. James P. Hynes
NAVY 02-020 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Remote Controlled Non-Gasoline Burning Water Craft |
| Abstract: | In this project we investigate non-gasoline
burning, remote controlled, high speed surface
craft. The possibilities include an improved
Roboski, modified for heavy fuel. Orbital Engines
designs and oversees the manufacture of direct
injection fuel management systems for many of the
current PWC manufacturers. They will help us
modify the injection and ignition maps, and
recommend compression changes for jp5 and DFM
fuel. We also consider slightly smaller (<200lb)
craft, powered by 50-100cc stochiometric
homogeneous charge combustion ignition engines.
That's a fancy name for the `model airplane
diesel' that was developed almost 50 years ago. As
a third option, we investigate a 16' target based
on a COTS diesel stern drive or outboard. Working
as much as possible with existing technology, and
teaming with good people, we should be able to
demonstrate multiple solutions in Phase 1
Everybody in the defense field is looking for
non-gasoline burning engines. Both the
air-assisted direct injection, and the
stochiometric HCCI approaches are promising
approaches.
|
GSE, INC.
219 East Enterprise St., P.O. Box 7743
Incline Village, NV 89450 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(775) 831-3917
Mr. Greg Stevenson
NAVY 02-020 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Remote Controlled Non-Gasoline Burning Water Craft |
| Abstract: | Current DoD policy prohibits the procurement of
future combat systems dependent on gasoline type
fuels, while simultaneously Congress strongly
supports DoD acquisitions that are based on
Commercial off-the-shelf solutions. Commercial
recreational equipment such as Personal Watercraft
and outboard motors have high-speed performance,
fitted with optimum lightweight, compact,
efficient transmission and propeller designs.
Near term federal regulations mandated by the EPA
have influenced PWC and outboard manufactures to
convert high-end 2-cycle gasoline powerplants to
Direct Cylinder Fuel Injection. (i.e.: OMC-FICHT
or Mercury orbital). These spark injection (SI)
technologies have greatly reduced the emissions of
2-cycle engines operating on gasoline, but are
limited in performance on kerosene based fuels
such as Diesel #2. This proposal outlines a true
multi-fuel compression ignition (CI) technology
that operates at speeds comparable to existing
gasoline SI engines up to 8,000 RPM. The brake
mean effective pressure (BMEP) of the CI cycle is
75-80% of the SI cycle at the same RPM. Therefore
the proposed approach operates at high speed on
multi-fuels enabling direct injection with a
comparable specific output. Since the CI cycle is
immune to detonation of low octane kerosene fuel,
higher power is immediately available through the
adoption of some form of supercharge. Both
military and commercial applications will benefit
directly with a high-speed diesel technology
yielding a specific weight ratio comparable to
current gasoline engines. The ability to operate
a small diesel at high speed represents the
potential for a paradigm shift in commercial
applications that are to vast to list.
|
AIR CYCLE CORPORATION
2000 S. 25th Avenue, Suite C
Broadview, IL 60155 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(708) 344-7860
Mr. Richard Beierwaltes
NAVY 02-021 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Fluorescent Light Compression/Containment |
| Abstract: | Disposal of spent fluorescent lamps everywhere,
and on ships in particular, is made difficult by
the hazardous levels of both liquid and vaporous
mercury they contain. Existing practice is
storing whole lamps for on-shore disposal, which
is both expensive and dangerous - storage space,
unnecessary handling, accidental breakage (due to
the handling of long tubes of glass in confined
areas) with related vapor releases, and higher
final disposal cost are common deterrents.
We propose a drum-mounted, lamp-crushing machine
with powder and mercury vapor capture to allow for
safe and clean compacting of spent lamps at sea.
The machine will be simple to operate, durable and
extremely compact: machine and the waste
container combined will be no larger than
24x34x40" high. Having manufactured and sold more
than 3000 lamp crushing systems worldwide, we will
draw on our ten plus years of experience to
optimize a system for the Navy.
Air Cycle proposes either a secondary on-ship
purifying system designed to remove remaining
mercury from the containerized lamp waste or a low
cost nationwide recycling program currently
offered by Air Cycle to pick up, transport, and
recycle the lamp waste at designated, permitted
recycling facilities.
Because we are already a commercial business
manufacturing lamp crushers, we can immediately
capitalize on the products that will come out of
this effort.
|
RISSER TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING COMPANY
2724 W. Palomino Dr.
Chandler, AZ 85224 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(480) 755-4554
Mr. Scott J. Risser
NAVY 02-021 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Fluorescent Light Compression/Containment |
| Abstract: | A low cost fluorescent light bulb processing
system having a very small footprint less than an
average students desk has been proposed. The
system will render the solid components of the
bulb non-hazardous for recycling or disposal in a
typical refuse landfill. The system crushes the
bulb and removes the mercury contained in them.
The processed bulb is disposed in a non-hazardous
metal receptacle for recycling or disposal. The
mercury is verified to be in the elemental form
using an R-TEC proprietary reactor system and
fixed on a solid substrate for subsequent recovery
or disposal as hazardous material. The system
allows the Navy to dispose of spent fluorescent
light bulbs in an environmentally and hygienically
acceptable method that saves space on-board ship
and can be used at land bases as well. Fluorescent
light bulbs provide some of the most efficient
white light of any electric light source. However,
the mechanism producing the light utilizes a
hazardous material, mercury. This ingredient
requires that the spent bulb be land filled as
hazardous waste. An efficient, cost and space
effective processing system that can remove and
efficiently immobilize the mercury from the bulb
material would allow the glass and metal to be
disposed as non-hazardous refuse or be recycled.
The mercury could be reclaimed or land filled. The
danger of breakage and the hassles of storage of
large quantities of bulbs before land filling
would be eliminated. This is of major benefit to
both the environment and the large quantity
fluorescent bulb user.
|
BMH ASSOCIATES, INC.
5365 Robin Hood Road, Suite 100
Norfolk, VA 23513 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(757) 857-5670
Dr. David Cavitt
NAVY 02-022 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Front-end Controller for an Intelligent Synthetic Forces Simulation Engine |
| Abstract: | The Battle Force Tactical Training (BFTT) system
provides realistic, high-stress combat team
training. Current implementation relies upon
pre-scripted simulation in the synthetic
battlespace, resulting in rigid and
non-interactive behavior. JSAF models have been
integrated into BFTT to begin addressing
limitations. However, BFTT must be further
enhanced to 1) provide an operator interface to
facilitate dynamic instantiation, monitoring and
tasking ISF entities; and 2) improve
representation and reasoning capabilities of ISF
entities. This paper proposes developing a
"distributed reasoning" architecture to support
new behavioral component integration and take
advantage of technologies and approaches not
supported by JSAF. These "plug-able" behavioral
entities will be attached to BFTT via an HLA "bus"
and will drive existing JSAF physical models via
the SAF Generic Model Interface. Exploring this
new architecture and as proof of concept, a
well-understood/simple behavioral model will be
re-implemented using LISA, an open source platform
supporting intelligent software agent development.
Finally, to support operator interaction, a
dynamic, enhanced representation of entity
subsystems will be developed. This capability will
allow BFTT to 1) observe or manipulate a synthetic
entity's reasoning and behavioral models
interactively; and 2) add/remove behaviors during
runtime. The proposed architecture will
significantly enhance the combat training
environment. A distributed reasoning environment
that leverages existing JSAF physical models
provides an opportunity to develop more powerful
and sophisticated behavioral and reasoning
components that can take advantage of a wide array
of applied AI technologies.
|
MAK TECHNOLOGIES
185 Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 876-8085
Mr. Kevin Johnson
NAVY 02-022 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Front-end Controller for an Intelligent Synthetic Forces Simulation Engine |
| Abstract: | The Battle Force Tactical Training (BFTT) System
is currently being deployed and used aboard US
Navy ships to provide realistic combat training.
The BFTT instructors provide pre-scripted
scenarios to students based on training
objectives. The setup of these pre-scripted
scenarios is labor intensive, and the execution of
the scenario is fairly brittle, requiring
significant intervention by instructors to keep
the scenario believable. Significant improvement
in training value, and significant reduction in
instructor time spent crafting, customizing, and
running exercises can be enjoyed through the
development of more advanced technologies in
exercise setup, and computer generated entity
intelligence. MAK will develop new versions of its
COTS product line to meet the needs of the BFTT
program. The underlying VR-Link toolkit will be
FOM-mapped for the NTMF, thereby making all MAK
products NMTF compliant. A Subsurface Stealth
will be derived from the MAK Stealth for
underwater 3D visualization, and an Automated
Laydown Engine will be developed on the VR-Forces
CGF toolkit, to include adaptable behaviors for
Naval vessels, and high-level behavioral interface
for the user. In addition, MAK will make its
current scenario file format generic and propose
it as an industry standard in the SISO process.
This effort will result in several benefits that
will help the BFTT program and the Navy in general
going forward. An NTMF compliant product line
will exist. A well-known developer?s toolkit
(VR-Link) will enable other simulation developers
to make NTMF compliant federates. A COTS
replacement for JSAF, with a much friendlier user
interface, will make the lives of BFTT instructors
much easier, and an industry-wide standard for CGF
scenario interchange will enable scenarios to be
swapped between CGFs. By the end of Phase II, we
expect to have the following accomplishments
commercialized and institutionalized not only
within the BFTT program, but benefiting the entire
Navy: 1. NTMF Compliant VR-Link, 2. NTMF Compliant
VR-Forces toolkit, 3. NTMF version of Stealth, 4.
NTMF version of PVD, 5. NTMF version of Data
Logger, 6. Industry standard scenario file format.
|
DIVERSIFIED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
35 Wiggins Ave.
Bedford, MA 01730 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 275-9444
Dr. Ian Roth
NAVY 02-023 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Shipboard Power Conversion |
| Abstract: | Legacy electronics require 400-Hz power, and need
a frequency converter to operate with 60-Hz ship
power. A converter is specifically needed for
submarine weapon systems. This converter should
produce low conducted and radiated emission,
should be sufficiently cooled, and should deliver
a well-regulated output into transient and
non-linear loads. DTI will develop a switching
frequency converter that meets these
specifications. This will be done by using
high-frequency switching, well-designed filters,
high-gain feedback with a large phase margin, and
mounting all power components on a cold plate.
The Weapon Power Converter developed under this
SBIR will completely meet the specific
power-converter specifications, as well as the
Navy's overall need for reliable, safe, and
maintainable electronics systems. This approach
will also provide a cost-effective solution for
other frequency converter requirements - in the
military, and for commercial applications where
frequency conversion is required, such as between
50 and 60 Hz, and various military and commercial
aircraft support. Furthermore, the controls
developed here, in conjunction with DTI's
high-voltage switching technology, are applicable
to a wide range of commercial and military
power-conditioning and control applications,
including power factor correction, VAR
compensation, and Flexible AC Transmission
Systems.
|
SATCON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
161 First Street
Cambridge, MA 02142 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 349-0114
Mr. Andrew Barnett
NAVY 02-023 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Shipboard Power Conversion |
| Abstract: | SatCon Technology Corporation proposes to develop
a modular, expandable 60 Hz to 400 Hz power
converter system for shipboard power conversion
applications. The proposal objectives in support
of this converter are twofold. The primary
objective will be to implement a converter that
meets the output power, voltage regulation,
transient response, and nonlinear load
requirements defined by Navy SBIR # N02-023 and
the references given by that SBIR, specifically
Reference 2, "Weapon Power Converter Procurement
Specification, dated 5/15/01". The second
objective will be to implement a modular control
topology that will allow for parallel operation of
multiple converters into a common load while
maintaining independent control and operation of
the individual converters. In this manner higher
power 400 Hz load requirements can be met by
parallel connection of multiple converters into
the common load while drawing power from a single
common 60 Hz source. The modular, stackable design
will allow multiple 60 Hz to 400 Hz converters to
be connected in parallel to meet higher power load
requirements. Independent control of each
converter will minimize unwanted interactions and
circulation of power between individual converters
and will allow each converter to source an equal
portion of the net load. The control topology can
be applied to higher power converters as well,
increasing system flexibility.
The primary commercial use of the resulting
converter will be for Uninterruptible Power Supply
(UPS) applications. This will require a change in
output frequency from the 400 Hz requirement
however this is a minor control issue. SatCon in
fact produces an in-line UPS, rated at 100KVA
steady state and 150KVA peak, that combines a 480
Volt three phase input with a low voltage dc input
from a battery or similar energy storage device to
provide uninterruptible 480 Volt three phase 60 Hz
power. The control topology that will be
developed under this proposal is directly
applicable to this and other higher power
converters. The ability to independently stack
multiple converters in parallel will significantly
enhance the market potential of SatCon's in-line
UPS product line.
The baseline low power 60 Hz to 400 Hz converters
could be adapted to UPS applications for critical
point loads, with varying power levels met by
stacking the proper number of converters in
parallel.
|
PROGENY SYSTEMS CORPORATION
8809 Sudley Road, Suite 101
Manassas, VA 20110 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 368-6107
Mr. Michael W. Redden
NAVY 02-024 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automated/Simplified Weapons OMI |
| Abstract: | Consistent with the NAVSEA identified need for
reducing the timeline from target acquisition to
time of fire, Progeny Systems Corporation is
pleased to propose the development of streamlined
displays, a knowledge based computing tool kit and
remote display access for achieving this goal. By
approaching this need with a three pronged
approach, we feel that we can best meet the needs
of NAVSEA and the fleet in enhancing weapon
employment.Among the expected favorable
characteristics are: (1) De-clutter/Streamline
current Combat Control Displays to enhance "user
friendliness" and speed weapon employment; (2)
Shorten the number of manual steps required by an
operator; (3) Integrate disparate data sources
into a machine recommended set of tactics that can
be approved/modified by an operator; (4) Update
current displays into a more modern/adaptable
display software language; and (5) Provide
remote/wireless access to decision makers both
within the attack center as well as at other
locations. The results of this SBIR effort are
expected to be widely applicable to both
commercial facilities that can use or are
currently using expert system technology as well
as all current U.S. and foreign maritime assets.
|
MIKEL, INC
2050 W. Warm Springs Rd, #1923
Henderson, NV 89014 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(702) 521-4020
Mr. Brian Guimond
NAVY 02-025 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Non-collinear Wave-front Curvature Range Measurement |
| Abstract: | Improvements in wave front curvature (WFC)
techniques to account for non-collinear sensor
placements will decrease acquisition costs
associated with submarine WFC ranging systems.
Because the number and placement of sensors is not
constrained to be collinear, improved target
localization coverage and accuracy is achievable
at reduced cost. This work will specifically
develop time difference of arrival (TDOA)
estimation algorithms using generalized cross
correlators, matched filters and leading edge
detectors. Target localization algorithms will be
developed that estimate the target's range,
bearing and depression elevation angle based on
the TDOAs measured from non-collinear sensor
pairs. The localization algorithms will consider
the number of sensor placements as well as varying
sound speed profiles and inexact knowledge of the
hydrophone postions when processing the TDOAs to
determine target range, bearing and
depression/elevation angle. A laboratory
simulation will be developed to test the
performance of the TDOA and target localization
estimation algorithms. Finally, a sensitivity
analysis will be peformed using monte carlo
methods to determine target localization accuracy
as a function of target geometry, TDOA accuracy,
number of hydrophones and hydrophone
spacing/geometry. The use of TDOA estimation for
localization of moving objects has been
successfully utilized in systems such as GPS and
LORAN. It is expected that the successful
development of an underwater "GPS like system" for
tracking acoustic emissions of stationary and
moving underwater objects will have great
applicabity in marine mammal as well as oil and
gas exploration activities including underwater
seismic measurements.
|
OCEAN ACOUSTICAL SERVICES AND INSTRUMENTATION SYST
5 Militia Drive
Lexington, MA 02421 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 862-8339
Philip Abbot
NAVY 02-025 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Non-collinear Wave-front Curvature Range Measurement |
| Abstract: | Present submarine passive sonars utilize
collinearly located sensors to obtain target range
by the method of Wavefront Curvature Ranging
(WCR). The requirement for sensor collinearity
creates difficult and costly installation
problems. Thus, the goal of the proposed effort
is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of
using non-collinear sensors and a WCR method to
obtain range, bearing and D/E estimates of
incoming threat targets in the frequency range of
1 kHz to 100 kHz. The feasibility will address
the following issues: 1) basic physics and
geometry, including range, accuracy, sensor
number, location; 2) acoustics, signal and noise,
including time delay estimation, signal
properties, sensor properties, shallow water
environments, sensor backing impedance; and 3)
advanced signal processing techniques. Also,
practical system issues such as optimizing the use
of onboard sensors, system architecture and
integration, and cost-benefit tradeoffs will be
evaluated. A preliminary design for a
cost-effective, reliable, and robust acoustic
intercept (AI) system will be developed. The
system will likely utilize the existing AN/WSQ-9
sensors working in conjunction with other sensors.
A plan to demonstrate the system feasibility will
be provided for the Phase II effort. The end
benefit is a significantly improved Acoustic
Intercept System for the protection of submarines.
|
IDOLON TECHNOLOGIES
72 Stone Place
Melrose, MA 02176 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 665-9200
Mr. George Hovorka
NAVY 02-026 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Sealing Method for Odor Barrier Bags (OBBs) |
| Abstract: | The requirement for an inexpensive portable odor
barrier bag sealer arises from the
need to reliably close these bags in a variety of
Navy shipboard applications. The
objective of the Phase 1 is to determine the
feasibility of a lightweight and
portable odor bag sealer that will be highly
reliable, lightweight, quiet and
low-cost. This device will have a simple user
interface and rugged construction.
It is a further objective to demonstrate the
feasibility of a "smart sealer" system
that is able to automatically compensate for
variations in the odor barrier bag and
the environment in which the bag is sealed. The
aim of the proposed program is to
build a prototype unit and evaluate it under a
variety of realistic operational
scenarios. The results of this work are expected
to be a odor barrier bag sealing system that
can be used in a variety of military situations.
The application of this device
will also include commercial food service and will
have applications in industry
where a reliable device with a simple user
interface is required.
|
TEXAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AUSTIN, INC.
9063 Bee Caves Road
Austin, TX 78733 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(512) 263-2101
Dr. M. Dingus/Mr. P. Hall
NAVY 02-026 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Sealing Method for Odor Barrier Bags (OBBs) |
| Abstract: | The U. S. Navy has a requirement to meet the
provisions of the Act to Prevent Pollution from
Ships (APPS) before the current exemption for
submarines expires. Currently, plastic waste is
compacted inside an Odor Barrier Bag (OBB), then
placed inside another OBB, heat sealed, and stored
or ejected. The OBBs, when sealed properly, have
kept noxious odors from being
released. The Doboy electric heat sealer
currently used to make the seals is difficult to
use, inconsistent, expensive, loud, unreliable,
and requires too much skill. TRI/Austin proposes
to develop a sealing approach especially for
submarines and other Naval vessels required to
seal plastic waste in OBBs. Naval vessels have a
wide array of power sources available. TRI will
examine the feasibility of using a submarine
specific sealer powered by electricity, compressed
air, or other sources. A steam powered sealer
will also be examined for applications where steam
is available in the galley area such as surface
ships. Alternative approaches, such as mechanical
seals and enhanced adhesive technology, will be
considered as well. The ideal approach will allow
Naval vessels to achieve their mission, meet the
requirements of APPS, and provide enhanced quality
of life for sailors.
A shipboard compatible heat sealer will be
developed to meet the unique demands of shipboard
use. This device will be designed with few moving
parts, contributing to greater reliability, and
the device will be repairable onboard and require
no skill to use effectively. The same benefits
will be useful on all Navy and Coast Guard
vessels, plus commercial and NATO naval ships
around the world.
|
B&B ENGINEERING
78349 Kistler Way
Palm Desert, CA 92211 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(760) 200-4406
Dr. Robert A. Sielski
NAVY 02-027 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Submarine Rescue Chamber/Hold-down Installation Via Underwater Friction Stud Welding Using Atmospheric Diving Systems |
| Abstract: Abstract not available...
|
DIGITAL SYSTEM RESOURCES, INC.
12450 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 625
Fairfax, VA 22033 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 263-2889
Dr. Bill Mahood
NAVY 02-028 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Advance Algorithm for Total Ship Monitoring Improvements |
| Abstract: | The Navy has recently exerted a focused management
effort TSMS for submarines, resulting in
significant progress in several areas. TSMS
functionality includes noise detection, noise
localization, and extrapolation of measured noise
to far field vulnerability. Due to limited
research and development funding, none of these
functional areas has received concerted attention
for algorithmic improvement since the
implementation of existing TSMS baselines.
In our view TSMS is not primarily an analysis
workstation but a tactical tool to identify
acoustic vulnerabilities as promptly and
quantitatively as possible, and to identify
actions required for mitigation. While the
current baseline makes it a valuable measurement
and diagnostic asset, it has potential to be a
prominent tool used establish and maintain
tactical control against threat submarines. DSR
intends to focus on the goals of making TSMS more
tactically useful and less operator intensive.
This SBIR topic presents an opportunity to
explore and develop significant improvements to
the TSMS functional capabilities. The opportunity
for transition of any developed improvements is
especially good since the modularity of the
current TSMS COTS-based software baseline can
support a wide range of processing improvements
flexibly and without architectural impact. DSR
proposes to identify improvements in five specific
areas of TSMS performance:
ú More rigorous transient detection and
characterization, integrating data from
accelerometers and hydrophones;
ú Automated classification and identification of
offending steady state and transient signals;
ú More automated localization of offending
signals, integrating data from accelerometers and
hydrophones;
ú Improved estimation of far field tactical
vulnerability from own ship noise; and
ú Identification of simplified and more
tactically useful OMI.
|
ALPHATECH, INC.
50 Mall Road
Burlington, MA 01803 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 273-3388
Dr. Peter B. Weichman
NAVY 02-029 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Non-Gaussian Likelihood Detectors for Broadband Active Sonar |
| Abstract: | In shallow water environments or using broadband
processing, sonar signals can exhibit highly
non-Gaussian noise statistics due to the discrete
nature of the background returns from different
clutter elements in different range/bearing
resolution cells. Optimal likelihood detectors
rely crucially on accurate noise statistics
estimation, and poor fits to an assumed Gaussian
PDF can lead to increased false alarm rates when
the true PDF is heavy tailed. We will implement
both empirical and physics-based models of
non-Gaussian clutter statistics, in order in
improved likelihood detectors. For example,
physics-based forms for bottom reverberation
statistics may be derived from assumed forms for
the scale-dependent surface roughness spectra,
which also provide models for statistical
correlation between different range cells. SIRV or
Gaussian mixture model parameterizations will be
used to construct rapidly computable analytic or
semi-analytic forms for the PDF. Our approach
smoothly interpolates between the low frequency
regime (100 Hz to 1000 Hz) to mid and high
frequency ranges. This is because our acoustic
models have natural low, middle and high frequency
implementations, and because of the adaptive
nature of our models for the clutter returns. We
also propose to develop criteria to optimize
active waveforms for improved suppression of
clutter interference. The improved detection
performance of broadband active sonar systems
equipped with algorithms capable of exploiting the
non-Gaussian statistics of the shallow water
littorals promise to provide great benefits to the
government and private sector. Some of the areas
where the increased performance of sonars will be
of benefit include search and rescue, harbor
safety, fish finding and marine resource
management, drug interdiction, and a variety of
other Coast Guard related activities. The
generality of the approach will also allow direct
application of our results to high-resolution
radar problems.
|
KAZAK COMPOSITES INCORPORATED
32 Cummings Park
Woburn, MA 01801 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 932-5667
Dr. Jerome Fanucci
NAVY 02-030 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Simplified, Low Cost, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Recovery System |
| Abstract: | The Navy is rapidly committing to Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs) in support of fleet operations.
Current systems for recovering these vehicles are
difficult and labor intensive to employ. KCI,
working with Bath Iron Works, proposes to design
and build a new UAV recovery device that serves
three purposes: launch, recovery and transport.
The concept, essentially a multi-functional
wheeled platform incorporating a unique, low cost
arresting mechanism to capture and hold the
landing UAV, will be made using a combination of
stainless steel and pultruded composite structural
elements fabricated by KCI for this application.
We will draw heavily on experience gained in the
design and fabrication of a similar
multifunctional system for the Air Force. Our
proposed capture system will eliminate the need
for the 100 pound device currently carried by the
specified baseline vehicle, greatly increasing its
effective payload. In Phase I KCI will work
directly with BIW to conceive and iterate various
system alternatives, compare them with our
baseline system, and discuss the best of the
alternative with the Navy. We will also develop
test methods, fabricate test specimens and perform
experimental studies to determine the
effectiveness of our proposed vehicle arresting
system. KCI's proposed solution for the UAV
recovery problem will provide the Navy with a low
cost, light weight, corrosion resistant platform
that greatly reduces manpower required to launch
and recover UAVs. A side benefit of KCI's unique
method for capturing the UAV is the elimination of
the need for a 100 pound probe on the vehicle,
greatly increasing the payload of the UAV. The
proposed capture system technology has direct
application to other hardware programs currently
underway at KCI.
|
SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC.
7331 Hanover Pkwy, Suite D
Greenbelt, MD 20770 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 474-1310
Dr. Jason S. Kiddy
NAVY 02-030 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Advanced Ship/UAV Recovery, Securing and Handling Interface |
| Abstract: | Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) proposes
to develop a novel shipboard recovery, securing,
and handling interface for the VTUAV and other
helicopter systems. This system will be designed
to effectively recover the landing UAV without
human intervention. During the Phase I effort,
the effectiveness of the automatic guidance and
securing systems will be analyzed and
demonstrated. Handling and transportation of the
aircraft will also be possible without disengaging
the securing mechanism. Furthermore, the proposed
system will overcome a major deficiency in current
systems by requiring the aircraft to be outfitted
with only a securing pin in place of 200 lb
grappling hook. Use of a single attachment point
will allow for the aircraft to be easily rotated
into the wind during takeoffs. Furthermore, the
handling system will have a limited logistical
burden and can be integrated with little to no
modification of the existing ship structure. The
proposed system will provide benefits for all
shipboard helicopter flight operations. This
low-cost, simplistic recovery, securing, and
handling system will benefit both military and
commercial helicopter operators. The proposed
system is especially attractive as a retrofit to
current vessels which have limited resources or
use of helicopters where a more advanced recovery
system is economically prohibitive.
|
AGILE SYSTEMS, INC
3050 Clover Road
Bethel, OH 45106 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(513) 734-7009
Mr. James P. Karlen
NAVY 02-031 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automated Bin-Picking and Package Delivery System |
| Abstract: | Opportunities exist to use sensor-guided robotic
manipulator systems on future surface combatants
to automate the process of breaking-out palletized
loads into individual packages and items, and to
assemble mixed loads of such goods--to order--for
delivery to end-users aboard ship. The system
envisioned will be capable of handling provisions,
consumables, spare parts and similar commodities
originally delivered to the ship and stowed in
storerooms on pallets or in containers. It will
be designed such that the "hand-off" of packages
from automation system to sailor assures crew
safety and system reliability in high seas, and to
be cost-effective. In Phase I, the preliminary
design will be developed and its feasibility
established through engineering and process
analyses. In Phase II, an operational prototype
of the bin-picking system will be built using
commercial manipulators for laboratory tests and
demonstrations, and designs for a shipboard model
will be developed. In Phase III, a shipboard
system will be built for tests on a Ship Motion
Simulator and, ultimately, for sea trials. This
automated bin-picking and package delivery system
will be designed to be fully compatible with the
NAVSTORS automated stowage and retrieval system
and the Universal Loading Tray. - Reduced crew
workload associated with shipboard palletized load
break-out, package distribution and inventory
control.
- Enhanced crew safety during strike-down
operations in high seas.
- Robotic bin-picking systems for industrial
applications.
|
BENEDICT ENGINEERING COMPANY, INC.
3660 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL 32303 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(850) 576-1176
Mr. Charles E. Benedict, Ph.D.,P.E.
NAVY 02-031 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automated Shipboard Provisions and Material Transfer System |
| Abstract: | Automated storage and retrieval systems have
proven effective methods of increasing efficiency
and lowering overhead costs in many land-based
industries. Implementing such systems in Navy
Destroyer class ships is the objective of the next
generation DDX. Automated or semi-automated
storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) improve the
efficiency of and reduce manpower required for
storing, retrieving and tracking inventory. An
(AS/RS) decreases time needed to re-supply the
ship and retrieve supplies on demand, while
increasing the stowage capacity of the ship, a
direct result from more efficient use of manpower
and space in the cargo hold. Before a system
concept can be developed to fit (or retrofit) the
destroyer or any vessel, a thorough spatial
analysis must be performed to assess feasibility.
This analysis will allow insight into design
content selection, clearly show features most
critical for a successful systems operation, and
provide information for simulating the entire
system. Thus, development time and cost of the
scaled model in Phase II will be reduced, allowing
for more effective design effort to be spent on
creating an evolutionary, cost effective, rugged,
user-friendly, and operationally reliable AS/RS,
which satisfies shipboard constraints and
restrictions. No strike down is required.
Development of this automated or semi-automated
storage/retrieval system AS/AR as described in
this proposal will benefit many existing
industries by providing a low cost, reliable
system, which will improve inventory tracking and
maximize storage density. Currently, billions of
dollars are spent annually on the installation,
maintenance and management of inventory through
the use of existing storage and material retrieval
system. The simplicity of the proposal concept,
coupled with its multidirectional capability by
use of multiple transporters will enable many
businesses to automat3e their material handling of
inventory, whereas in the past this was cost
prohibited. Thus, they will become more cost
competitive and profitable. Industries that will
benefit include but are not limited to: military
logistics commands, distribution warehouses,
assembly lines, baggage handling (both airline and
cruise ship), and parcel/package services such as
FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service. This
system will also translate into future
applications in the medical industry for homebound
and handicap patient mobility.
|
FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
350 Second Ave.
Waltham, MA 02451 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 684-4096
Mr. William Leary
NAVY 02-031 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automating the Navy's Provision and Material Transfer System |
| Abstract: | Foster-Miller proposes to develop a plan to
automate a portion of the Navy's existing
provision and material transfer system. Current
methodologies used in material and provision
transfer onto and within Navy ships are manpower
intensive, sometimes unsafe, and don't utilize the
more modern equipment and automation processes
found in private industry. Furthermore, the
readiness of the Navy is diminished through an
inefficient flow of material and provisions
through the system. Total asset visibility,
through an automated information system, is the
enabling technology for an automated PTS.
Foster-Miller will explore current DOD and private
sector initiatives to develop wireless asset
tracking methods. A high-level automation
solution will be developed in Phase I that will
utilize a state-of-the-art wireless asset tracking
system. Simulation modeling will be utilized as a
tool for optimizing material flow and processes
within the proposed PTS solution. This system
will be the basis for a laboratory prototype to be
built and demonstrated in a Phase II program.
(P-020166)
Automation of the Navy's provision and material
transfer system will reduce the highly intensive
manpower operations currently in place, improve
safety, improve planning and logistics, utilize
space more efficiently, reduce signature impacts,
reduce outfitting requirements, and improve
overall readiness. Potential opportunities exist
for utilizing asset identification and automation
in all material transfer operations within the DOD
and commercial sector.
|
ADVANCED ROTORCRAFT TECHNOLOGY, INC.
1685 Plymouth Street, Suite 250
Mountain View, CA 94043 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(650) 968-1464
Dr. Chengjian He
NAVY 02-032 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Modeling Tool for Design, Manning, and Training of Shipboard Aircraft Operations |
| Abstract: | Increased reliance on shipboard deployment of
aircraft in modern combat operations has placed
increased demands on the efficiency and safety of
shipboard aircraft operations. The ability to
optimize design parameters early in the
development cycle can result in considerable
savings. A shipboard aircraft operations modeling
and simulation tool is needed to provide early
evaluation and modification of design variables to
facilitate safe and efficient shipboard aircraft
operations with minimal cost. The operational
scenarios modeled with this tool will also be
valuable training aids for shipboard personnel.
ART has developed FLIGHTLAB, the leading
commercial modeling and simulation tool for
rotorcraft. Under recent Navy SBIRs, specialized
capabilities to model the Dynamic Interface
phenomena of shipboard landing have been added to
FLIGHTLAB, in support of Shipboard flight testing.
Operational scenarios using detailed rotorcraft
dynamics models and a nonlinear ship dynamics
model in FLIGHTLAB are being used to evaluate
operating limits. ART's visualization products,
PilotStation and FL_PLAYBACK, provide three
dimensional rendering, animation and replay of the
scenarios modeled in FLIGHTLAB to aid in assessing
their safety and efficiency.
Under this Phase I SBIR, ART proposes to expand
FLIGHTLAB's shipboard modeling and simulation to
address the impact of modifications in the ship's
design on shipboard aircraft operations. Graphical
editing tools can be used to interactively alter
the ship's geometry and the revised parameters can
be accessed by FLIGHTLAB and PilotStation to
explore the effect on the ship's airwake and on
the ship's dynamic response to sea state.
Under Phase II, combat operations and the modeling
and animation of human resources will be added, a
training application will be developed, and the
ship design capability will be expanded. The
proposed effort is a logical extension of
FLIGHTLAB's existing ship/aircraft modeling
capability and will result in a new product with
significant commercial potential.
A modeling and simulation tool for the design of
ships and shipboard operations to support aviation
will allow the design to be optimized early in the
life cycle, resulting in significant cost savings.
The utilization of the design tool to create
training applications will improve safety and
operational efficiency. Potential customers for
the design tool include research and development
organizations, Government acquisition
organizations, and commercial organizations
involved in the development of new ships to
support aircraft operations. The training tool
should be of use to all personnel involved in
shipboard aircraft operations both individually
and networked for collective training. The tool
can also support design and training for aircraft
operations on offshore platforms and be used to
optimize aircraft for shipboard operations.
|
SONALYSTS, INC.
215 Parkway North, P.O. Box 280
Waterford, CT 06385 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(860) 326-3770
Mr. Daniel L. Bowden
NAVY 02-032 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Modeling Tool for Design, Manning, and Training of Shipboard Aircraft Operations |
| Abstract: | Sonalysts, Inc. proposes to develop a networked
modeling tool to demonstrate design, manning, and
training of shipboard aircraft operations. This
project will leverage Sonalysts' commercial naval
simulation technology to provide computations,
graphics, video capture, and simulation for
shipboard aviation operations model. This proof
of concept will demonstrate the ability to
simulate a variety of fixed wing, rotary, and
unmanned aircraft during launch, recovery, and
ground handling operations from different types of
surface combat ships. This simulation will allow
the user access to a 3-D camera view of the
aircraft during these aircraft operations to
determine structural interference, effects of
ship's motion in various sea states, visibility
and weather conditions. The Naval combat
environment is included in the simulation for
own-ship and associated aircraft to experience
combat damage from other ships, aircraft, and
ground-based objects. The proof of concept will
include the ability to create and modify ship's
geometry required in this simulation. Finally,
this tool will demonstrate that the model
development and execution processes can be bundled
into a compact package for use during concept
design. The application tool will be of a modular
design to incorporate modifications and updates
with changes in functionality, technology, and
missions. Potential benefits derived from this
research project will have applications to other
military, government and commercial interests
involving air operations. This concept design
model could prove beneficial to U.S. Coast Guard,
National Guard, police departments, federal
agencies, and commercial aviation companies
operating fixed wing and/or helicopter aircraft
from a training perspective. The ability to
conduct networked training using a computer-based
simulation would benefit both individual and team
training. Sonalysts, with a history of commercial
military simulations, believes this project has
strong potential to market as a software
development kit option for a future commercial
simulation product.
|
ALLIED SYSTEMS COMPANY
2300 Oregon St.
Sherwood, OR 97140 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(503) 625-2560
Mr. Robert Nourse
NAVY 02-033 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automated Handling Systems for Launch and Recovery of Offboard Vehicles |
| Abstract: | The objective of this proposal is to describe an
automated (or semi-automated) lightweight,
low-cost handling system for lauch & recovery of
offboard vehicles which can be fitted to existing
Navy ships or designed into new classes of ships.
Many of the systems required for this effort are
either in preliminary development of have been
developed. It is intended that by combining
existing offboard handling techniques and
integrating new technologies, a suitable system
can be offered and demonstrated in a reasonable
amount of time. The non-hydraulic systems to be
developed and demonstrated as a result of this
using modern Direct Torque Control variable-speed
electric drives and Remote-controlled automation
control systems. Reduced manning, safer handling
and reduced total ownership costs with the
proposed electric systems. Constant tension/heave
compensation systems and pendulation control
impose less shock on handling equipment and
offboard vehicles (e.g. RIB's, Remote Minehunting
Systems, ORCA semisubmersibles, and oceanographic
research & exploration devices. Potential
commercial applications include subsea
exploration, oceanographic research, undersea
mining, oil & gas exploration and multi-mission
small boat handling for diving, rescue and related
activities).
|
INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION, INC.
7519 Standish Place, Suite 200
Rockville, MD 20855 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 222-0444
Dr. Donald Myers
NAVY 02-033 Selected for Award |
| Title: | "Flying Carpet" Offboard Launch and Recovery System |
| Abstract: | A ship maintenance system, the "Flying Carpet"
(FC), is being prototyped at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology. FC is a
work platform suspended by powered cables from the
side of a dry dock to permit rapid placement of
personnel and loads at the bow, stern, or sides of
a ship. During this proposed SBIR program,
Intelligent Automation, Inc. (IAI) will adapt the
FC mechanism to launch and recovery of offboard
vehicles. The FC systems offers several unique
advantages, including complete
six-degree-of-freedom control of the vehicle and
the ability to actively control the stiffness of
the vehicle carrier when contacting the vehicle.
The FC also ensures stability against wind gusts
and high sea states. To automate recover, we
propose to investigate the use of a novel
communications system that supports both two-way
communications and range measurement. In Phase I
IAI will produce a realistic dynamic simulation of
the device in operational launch and recovery
retrofitted to an existing ship. Automated
handling systems are in great demand throughout
industry; the oil exploration industry in
particular employs a large number of off board
vehicles and would have a use for such a system.
|
BEACON INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS
30 Spinelli Place
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 441-9229
Ms. ML Mackey
NAVY 02-034 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Scalability and Reusability Methods for Intelligent Tutors and Job Performance Aids for the Maintenance of Reduced Manning Ships |
| Abstract: | Phase I of this solicitation sets the groundwork
for the creation of an integrated intelligent
tutoring and JPA solution. The work accomplished
here addresses not only the status of the broader
technical and business marketplaces, but also the
specific needs of a sample system. By taking this
multi-path approach, the solution will be on-topic
for the Navy as well as for commercial
organizations.
At the heart of Phase I is the performance of a
functional specification, or needs analysis,
focused on a sample system. This in-depth
analysis provides real-world basis for the
development of patterns and methodologies used in
creating a broad-based solution, one that can work
in any type of environment and to any scale. Using
a diverse team of engineers, analysts and
scientists, methodologies for reusability,
scalability, multi-modal information presentation,
and porting will be developed.
Phase I also includes a review of current
marketplace initiatives such as SCORM in order to
ensure compatibility, modularity and reusability.
As a final step, Phase I will result in a
conceptual design that takes into consideration
not only research and methodologies, but also the
capabilities of the chosen host application for
meeting real-world needs.
The anticipated benefits of this Phase I proposal
is to take the results and create a commercially
viable product for an immense and growing need.
Based on a study by IDC, the market for E-learning
solutions is growing at over 80% per year. The
innovativeness of an integrated approach of
learning and JPA in a multi-modal environment
makes for a compelling market solution.
Today, companies are looking for ways to cut
costs, increase efficiency and provide better
customer service as a way of increasing sales. By
creating a dynamic and flexible system that
combines on-demand intelligent tutors with
contextual job performance aids, many companies
will benefit. Beacon Interactive Systems is in an
excellent position to provide this type of
solution. Since our founding, we have been
developing workflow, content delivery,
collaboration and data sharing software systems in
a variety of commercial environments. These
systems have involved presenting data and
information in a multi-modal environment, whether
text, graphics, video or audio.
Using our development capabilities in both
software and hardware, we expect to push the
envelope with ADL and SCORM and take it beyond
simple training capabilities into the operational
aspects of an organization, adding to the
feasibility of commercialization.
|
MICRO ANALYSIS AND DESIGN, INC.
4949 Pearl East Circle, Suite 300
Boulder, CO 80301 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(517) 347-6117
Dr. Thomas Carolan
NAVY 02-034 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Scalability and Reusability Methods for Intelligent Tutors and Job Performance Aids for the Maintenance of Reduced Manning Ships |
| Abstract: | The focus of this Phase I SBIR effort will be to
research and develop a conceptual design for an
integrated training and job performance aid system
to target maintenance tasks aboard the reduced
manning ships that are the future of the U.S.
Navy. The ultimate tool that will result from
this effort will be called the Maintenance
Assistance and Training (MAT) package. This tool
will include software modules that function, as
both on demand training materials as well as real
time job performance aids for specific maintenance
tasks. The goal of MAT will be to provide an
extensible software system composed of multiple
levels of maintenance tasks (component to platform
level) that can be utilized by maintenance
personnel to not only improve their ability to
perform required maintenance tasks, but also to
function in a real time maintenance situation and
provide the information required to perform the
maintenance tasks.
The final MAT system will be easily extensible to
include new systems introduced to the ship,
multiple levels of maintenance tasking and be
capable of being deployed on reduced manning ships
with minimal impact to the ship's computing
resources.
The research and development effort undertaken in
Phase I of this SBIR has many potential benefits
to both DoD and commercial organizations. Through
the extensive research into creating an on-demand
training and job performance aid system that is
scalable, with reusable content that combines
intelligent tutor methodology with what the latest
developments in distance learning architecture and
hands free computing the resulting system will
represent a leap forward in JPA's and on demand
training for maintenance tasks. The methods
developed in the creation of MAT will be easily
transferable to industrial maintenance
environments where training is infrequent and job
performance aids are not readily available.
|
SONALYSTS, INC.
215 Parkway North, P.O. Box 280
Waterford, CT 06385 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(860) 326-3760
Mr. John L. Wayne
NAVY 02-034 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Scalability and Reusability Methods for Intelligent Tutors and Job Performance Aids for the Maintenance of Reduced Manning Ships |
| Abstract: | This Phase I effort will include a detailed
methodology for the dual-use application of an
intelligent tutoring system Domain Expert that
supports training, and that also functions as an
Intelligent Agent that supports performance in a
maintenance setting. Techniques for scaling
Domain Expert software to support training from
system- to component-level will be examined. The
Tactical Readiness Instruction, Authoring, and
Delivery (TRIAD) delivery mechanism will be used
to provide electronic documentation support in
both training and performance support settings.
Sonalysts ExpertTrainTM simulation-based
intelligent tutoring technology will be leveraged
to support design of the Domain Expert/Intelligent
Agent and Learner Model. Phase II will include
development of a prototype training/performance
support system for maintenance tasks. This
research will significantly contribute to the
cost-effective development of training and
performance support applications for a given
domain. In other words, if the decision is made
to build an Intelligent Agent to provide
performance support in a certain domain, then that
same software can be used (with minimal
modification) to provide training support in the
same domain; and vice-versa. We expect that the
technology developed under this SBIR topic will be
employed in future naval ships (DD (X), CVNX,
etc.), and within the Navy's afloat- and
shore-based maintenance and training
infrastructures.
|
APPLIED ORDNANCE TECHNOLOGY
103 Paul Mellon Court, Suite A
Waldorf, MD 20602 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 863-0422
Mr. William A. Schroeder
NAVY 02-035 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Integrated Ship Environmental Management System (IS-EMS) |
| Abstract: | Phase I will define the requirements and
architecture of a shipboard environmental
compliance information and tracking system that is
web-enabled and supported by a shore side website
for information aggregation and dissemination
based on extensive prior experience with web
and/or GIS-enabled technologies in an
environmental analysis and documentation
environment. The objective of this research
project is to develop a software tool that will
facilitate and enable the development and use of a
functional Environmental Management System (EMS)
for the management and assessment of the operating
ship environmental responsibilities. The intended
result of the Integrated Ship Environmental
Management System (IS-EMS) is to improve ship
environmental performance, provide current and
updated environmental requirements and
regulations, Navy policy, crewmember
responsibilities, and reporting features to
streamline shipboard environmental workload. The
maritime industry is required to implement Safety
Management Systems by the International Safety
Management Code. These systems must include
pollution prevention management, and are very
similar to EMS. The maritime industry could
benefit from an EMS capability. A Navy generated
IS-EMS system would have great benefit to the
commercial fleets and an even greater benefit to
the environments of the states and ports involved.
The potential for future applications of the
software/website concepts developed during Phase I
include expanded functionality for Navy use,
adoption for other government and commercial
fleets and cruise line industry, and adoption for
the offshore oil industry.
|
GEOMET TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
20251 Century Blvd., Suite 300
Germantown, MD 20874 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 428-9898
Mr. Mark Stunder
NAVY 02-035 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Integrated Ship Environmental Management System (IS-EMS) |
| Abstract: | A naval ship in the 21st Century will be faced
with increased environmental regulations and
sailor environmental burdens, while having to
maintain mission readiness. In addition, the
advancement of Pollution Prevention (P2) type
technology will also help environmental
efficiency, yet increase and complicate the
overall environmental burden. Thus, the deployment
of IS-EMS is focused on reducing the environmental
burden through a series of functional modules
designed to meet compliance and other goals. In
addition, linkages to onboard sensors or alarms
will allow the Afloat Environmental Protection
Officer (AEPC)and others the ability to monitor
the environmental situation. Meeting INSURV or
self assessment type requirements on the
environmental side will also be a priority. An
architecture utilizing Palm/PDAtechnology coupled
with server database development should allow
IS-EMS maximum flexibility with respect to sailor
usage, expansion and fleet deployment. IS-EMS will
allow sailors to reduce their environmental work
burden through a variety of means including
providing an easy way for compliance tracking and
paperwork production. IS-EMS will allow for
better tracking of maintenance needs including
assisting in the inspection process as well as
assist in tracking personnel training needs and
emergency related items. Commercial applications
of IS-EMS clearly point to use by cruise lines who
face similar yet sometimes different maritime
environmental regulations. Additional users could
include the merchant marine fleet worldwide.
|
SONALYSTS, INC.
215 Parkway North, P.O. Box 280
Waterford, CT 06385 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(860) 326-3809
Mr. John Carlson
NAVY 02-035 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Integrated Ship Environmental Management System (IS-EMS) |
| Abstract: | The Phase I effort will include a detailed
analysis identifying the fundamental requirements
needed to effectively develop an Integrated Ship
Environmental Management System (IS-EMS). A ship
to shore infrastructure will be defined that will
accommodate individual, ship-and shore-based
environmental policy requirements within a
PC-based software system. It will employ a
seamless combination of policy compliance, program
management, automatic feedback and connectivity.
Sonalysts will examine several Sonalysts'
technologies as well as EMS technologies during
the Phase I study for potential leverage into the
Phase II prototype system. These include:
TRIADT, wXstationT as well as representative,
robust EMS systems.
Phase II will include development of a small-scale
IS-EMS system focused on a shipboard safety
organization.
This research will significantly contribute to
development of a fully functional IS-EMS system
that will support individual and team training and
policy compliance within a total ship-to-shore
environment. We anticipate that the technology
developed under this SBIR topic will be employed
in future naval ships (DD-X, CVNX, etc.) as well
as back-fitted into current platforms, and within
the Navy's shore-based environmental policy
monitoring infrastructure.
|
CARLOW INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
20856 Waterbeach Pl
Potomac Falls, VA 20165 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 444-4666
Dr. Thomas B. Malone
NAVY 02-036 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Engineering Control Human Performance Tool to Enhance Situational Awareness |
| Abstract: | The objective of this effort is to develop and
demonstrate an automated tool designated the
Engineering Manning, Business processes,
interaction with Automation, and Requirements for
Knowledge (EMBARK) tool. EMBARK will enhance the
ability of human systems integration (HSI)
professionals and systems engineers to identify
shipboard engineering operational tasks in which a
high potential for human overload and error can be
expected, and to develop solutions in the form of
prototype displays that will provide needed
information and situational awareness while
reducing cognitive workload and human error
potential. The EMBARK tool will also address the
enhancement of situation awareness and human
performance achieved through an optimal
interaction between the operator and the
automation. The objectives of the Phase I effort
are to (a) develop requirements and conceptual
design for the EMBARK tool; (b) develop prototype
user interfaces for the tool; and (c) conduct a
limited demonstration of the operation of the
tool. This tool will support early HSI analysis to
assess workloads, manning and human performance of
commercial as well as military systems with
significantly reduced time, effort and cost of the
analysis. Potential commercial applications
include commercial shipping, maritime and offshore
systems, manufacturing plants, electrical power
plants, chemical and pharmaceutical plants, and
any other commercial enterprise where manpower
reduction and human performance improvement is a
priority.
|
MICRO ANALYSIS AND DESIGN, INC.
4949 Pearl East Circle, Suite 300
Boulder, CO 80301 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(303) 442-6947
Ms. Beth Plott
NAVY 02-036 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Engineering Control Human Performance Tool to Enhance Situational Awareness |
| Abstract: | Reductions in crew sizes and the increased use of
autonomous machinery control have caused the
crewmember to become more of a supervisory
controller, where a computer makes complex
transformations on system data to produce
integrated (chunked) displays for the human, or
retransforms crewmember commands to generate
detailed control actions. In this environment, it
is critical for humans to know how and when to
intervene. When humans do not attend to the
information display or fail to recognize that
status changes shown in the display require
intervention, or when cognitive workload is so
high that they miss a critical signal, they are
not maintaining adequate situational awareness.
Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate
display/controller interaction to determine
whether the human can reasonably maintain adequate
situational awareness to prevent omissions and
errors. This project will design and prototype a
tool that can be used by HSI professionals to
identify tasks that have a high potential for
human overload and error. The proposed tool can
be iteratively used to design and evaluate the
interfaces that provide information in shipboard
supervisory control systems to maximize the
probability that the operator will maintain
adequate situational awareness and respond
appropriately. The issues that are currently
driving the acquisition of military and commercial
hardware systems are those that revolve around
personnel costs, system performance, and safety.
Designers and manufacturers of advanced commercial
systems must respond to the pressure to be more
cost effective without sacrificing efficiency and
safety. The proposed software tool will advance
the state of the art in human systems integration
technology because information about the ability
of sailors to detect, process, and comprehend
information presented in complex displays will be
used to impact system design. This will result in
a more effective force under today's reality of
the shift from being an engineer/operator to
having supervisory control over multiple
autonomous systems.
|
AMERICAN GNC CORPORATION
888 Easy Street
Simi Valley, CA 93065 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(805) 582-0582
Mr. Harlis Brend
NAVY 02-037 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low-Cost Wireless Shipboard Local Area Network Management |
| Abstract: | The object of this project is to develop an
integrated approach for automatic configuration
management of shipboard physical systems and
related information by exploiting shipboard
wireless local area networks (WLAN). This
innovative approach will facilitate a reduction in
total ownership cost by reducing shipboard
workload and enable simplified technology and
other shipboard upgrades due to streamlined
configuration management. Wireless configuration
based on the physical layer and network layer will
be designed, which takes advantage of the features
of the newer IPv6. Shipboard wireless systems
offer adaptability for COTS technology refresh
over long shipboard lifecycles and are
particularly applicable for collecting system
data/information from multiple remotely located
systems and for mobile access to computer
networks. An automatic shipboard wireless
configuration management system using WCM tags
would find utility in any system with a wireless
LAN such as a building for tracking high value
equipment, an off-shore oil platform tracking
parts and components, an commercial aircraft
tracking components and their maintenance records.
|
ARCHITECTURE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
9971 Valley View Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(952) 829-5864
Mr. Jordan C. Bonney
NAVY 02-037 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Shipboard Wireless Management, Repair, and Tracking System (SWiM-RTS) |
| Abstract: | This proposal presents a new method for tracking
large numbers of assets with RFID tags using
wireless-LAN technology. An innovative approach
to dispersing RFID readers and wireless LAN nodes
is presented, as is an approach to a
fully-wireless LAN infrastructure. The end user
of the proposed system accesses information
relating to an RFID tag from a handheld computer.
While this handheld computer is not directly
connected to an RFID reader, the wireless-LAN
infrastructure enables the handheld computer to
gather information from nearby readers and in turn
fetch associated asset information. An innovative
method for providing visual feedback from queried
assets is also presented. SWiM-RTS is intended to
provide a complete asset tracking and
maintenance-information system for shipboard
environments. The concept is easily adaptable to
any asset-tracking environment, especially those
that can benefit from wireless LAN technology. The
technology that allows a user with no RFID reader
to gather information on assets within close
proximity to the user is expected to be marketed
through the proposing firm's commercial-software
distribution channels. Design and implementation
of similar systems is expected to be marketed as a
consulting service.
|
DIGITAL SYSTEM RESOURCES, INC.
12450 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 625
Fairfax, VA 22033 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(808) 338-1647
Mr. Charles Walton
NAVY 02-037 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low-Cost Automatic Shipboard Wireless Configuration Management |
| Abstract: | The objective of this SBIR is to demonstrate an
inexpensive, open architecture and accurate ship
based automated Configuration Management (C/M)
System. This system will employ wireless
Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) such as
passive Radio Frequency Identification Devices
(RFID) or Real Time Location System (RTLS). These
AIT devices are read/write addressable and will
internally store National Stock Number (NSN), Part
Number, Model Number, Modification Number and
other O&M data as allowed by addressable storage
on the device. These devices when interrogated by
a fixed array or mobile tag readers are merged
into a single cohesive C/M database. The
middleware platform serves to universally
communicate with different types of RFID
technologies and provide for navigational
cross-referencing to ship's Operations &
Maintenance (O&M) databases. Middleware will be
designed using a "customer's based approach for
establishing requirements". Middleware allows
technology refresh, cost competitiveness and
seamless integration with existing C/M databases.
This system will simplify current shipboard C/M
administration/validation, reduce manual human
interaction with numerous databases, forms and
documentation. The goal is to reduce manpower,
data entry errors, improve integrity of the ship's
C/M database(s) and ultimately provide for
sustained operational readiness. The proposed
Phase I investigation is expected to yield
strategies for exploiting the capabilities of a
DSR Middleware- (MW) based solution. MW will
provide a mechanism for rapidly porting and
scaling application software to new hardware
platforms. Our approach will demonstrate the
feasibility of using an open
architecture/middleware to facilitate the most
prudent selection of AIT hardware. DSR's open
system and middleware-based technical approach
enables N-tier software architectures that
strongly encourage the use of open source and open
specifications for all system interfaces.
Published interfaces for components will enable a
"plug and work" architecture that allows the
middleware to rapidly absorb and adapt new devices
and will enable the seamless integration of new
technology components as they become commercially
available. Vendors will work to isolate
individual proprietary technology dependencies and
strive to cooperate and share the open source
interfaces for applications that have an open
source specification, such as Automated Wireless
Shipboard Configuration Management.
|
WILLIAMS-PYRO,INC.
2721 White Settlement Rd
Fort Worth, TX 76107 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(817) 335-1147
Mr. Kartik Moorthy
NAVY 02-037 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low-Cost Automatic Shipboard Wireless Configuration Management |
| Abstract: | This proposal focuses on decreasing total
ownership costs of Naval ships by reducing
shipboard workload. Specifically, there is
emphasis on the development of an automatic
configuration management system for physical
shipboard systems, using prevailing wireless
location area networks (WLAN) technology. This
proposal builds on the extensive experience of
Williams-Pyro, Inc. and our ongoing working
relationship with Bath Iron Works. The proposed
structure consists of passive wireless
configuration management (WCM) Tags for rugged and
robust shipboard handling and neural networks
featuring a new Discrete Event Controller based on
matrices designed to dynamically detect the
addition/deletion of equipment from the existing
setup and perform failure diagnosis and fault
prognosis. The system will employ an
industry-standard Open Systems Architecture for
seamless integration of the WCM Tag information
into the WLAN. The Tags will be designed to permit
distributed use for ship systems.
Commercialization at WPI is generally a five-step
process after technology development. The first
step is to host a product demonstration at WPI's
in-house laboratory for the U.S. Navy and Bath
Iron Works. Second, our system will undergo a
field test on Navy ships. The third step is a
trial production to supply a test market. Because
WPI will be manufacturing its own parts throughout
the development process, there will be no delay in
preparing a suitable manufacturing facility or
training technicians. Fourth, WPI's marketing
department will investigate alternative product
applications. WPI's relationship with companies
in these markets will be especially useful in
determining a good product fit. The final
commercialization step is full production and
product launch. As the components of our system
are largely inexpensive, initial cost estimates
indicate the price of the system should be
reasonable for the intended consumer, and may
decrease as systems are mass produced. Enabled by
our extensive facilities and experienced
personnel, WPI will develop, market, and
manufacture the WCM Tags and readers in house.
With more than 200 products on the market, WPI
possesses the experience, expertise, and resources
to drive this solution from the concept level to a
commercialized product.
|
Q-DOT, INC.
1069 Elkton Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80907 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(719) 590-1112
Mr. Michael E. Harrell
NAVY 02-038 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Bandpass, Delta-Sigma, Analog-to-Digital Converter (BP Delta-Sigma ADC) for advanced Digital Array Radar (DAR) (9611) |
| Abstract: | Q-DOT proposes to develop a BP delta-sigma ADC in
120 GHz SiGe for use in advanced DAR. IBM's 7HP
SiGe BiCMOS process enables the integration of a
complete ADC modulator plus support circuitry
(e.g., laser diode driver) on a single small,
inexpensive silicon chip. It's small size, low
power dissipation, and low cost permit this
high-performance ADC to be included in the T/R
module for each array element! Its single-bit
digital output supports data transmission via COTS
optical fiber components. Together with a
single-bit delta-sigma DAC (under development
separately by Q-DOT), the entire signal interface
to the T/R module comprises two, single-bit
streams of digital data. The ADC (and DAC)
combined with wide bandwidth, one-bit delta-sigma,
true-time-delay, digital beamforming will yield an
innovative, high-performance, low-cost,
multi-function DAR. The BP delta-sigma ADC will
be conceptually designed in Phase I to assess its
performance. It will be designed and fabricated
in Phase II and integrated into a demonstration
system in Phase III. The BP delta-sigma ADC
technology will enhance the capability of radar
for commercial aviation on aircraft and on the
ground. It will enable Direct Broadcast Satellite
(DBS) reception on moving vehicles (e.g.,
automobiles). Single ADCs will enable highly
versatile, software-configured receivers for
communications hand-sets and base stations.
|
SOPHIA WIRELESS, INC.
14225-C Sullyfield Circle
Chantilly, VA 20151 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 961-9573
Dr. Philip Koh
NAVY 02-038 Selected for Award |
| Title: | High Power, High Frequency Amplifiers |
| Abstract: | A new power amplifier architecture is proposed
which will give significantly higher power at
higher frequencies than is currently available.
Wireless base stations for 3 GHz and 5 GHz
unlicensed bands, aviation radar.
|
MIKROS SYSTEMS CORPORATION
707 Alexander Road, Building 2, Suite 208
Princeton, NJ 08540 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(610) 687-2255
Mr. David C. Bryan
NAVY 02-039 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Multiple Function Distributed Test and Analysis Tool |
| Abstract: | This project will focus on developing standardized
test equipment and testing processes, using modern
software techniques enabled by recent advances in
information technology, to provide a foundation
for new methods of system maintenance, alignment,
fault detection and isolation. The long-term goals
for the new testing approach to be developed by
this project are:
ú Increased readiness through reduced
maintenance downtime
ú Increased system reliability through
predictive failure analysis and proactive
remediation
ú More efficient and effective use of technical
manpower through increased automation, distance
support and interactive training.
Specifically, this effort will use the AN/SPY-1
AEGIS Radar as the testbed to accomplish the
following five things:
ú Develop an automated "smart" capability for
troubleshooting and repair
ú Develop a data collection capability for
alignment and maintenance efforts
ú Reduce alignment and calibration time
ú Develop an interactive capability for distance
support
ú Develop an interactive training capability.
The techniques to be investigated could reduce
the complexity and time required for calibration
and alignment of complex systems as diverse as PCS
and cellular communications systems, broadcasting
systems, commercial radar and air traffic control,
automated assembly lines and remote monitoring
systems.
|
TECHNOLOGY SERVICE CORPORATION
11400 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90064 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(812) 336-7576
Mr. Robert C. English
NAVY 02-039 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Multiple Function Distributed Test and Analysis Tool |
| Abstract: | TSC proposes an Active Maintenance and
Sustainability Support (AMaSS) system. AMaSS is
based on the concept of a Critical Item (CI),
defined as "a component or a product whose failure
can significantly affect safety, operating success
or repair/replacement costs." AMaSS will allow
technical personnel to collect complex electronic
system characteristics from each CI through remote
monitoring, and analyze the data to identify
degraded performance and incipient failures.
AMaSS provides the following benefits: assists
Fleet personnel in identifying problems that
threatening Combat System availability, provides
Sailors with precise information on impending
component failures, augments Sailor's skills with
expert shore-based support, increases component
life through proactive maintenance strategies, and
provides Fleet-wide trending information that can
improve system readiness and reduce life cycle
costs.
Phase I will identify the CIs for the AN/SPY-1
D(V), develop CI performance indicators, i.e., a
single signal, or a series of signals that AMaSS
can combine, to determine whether a component has
failed or needs adjustment, establish the
requirements to send AMaSS information over the
Navy Remote Support System (NRSS), and develop an
assistance package for the Sailor based on the
AN/PSM-93 (V)test set and support from shore-based
experts via the NRSS. The Active Monitoring and
Sustainability Support (AMaSS) system will help
users of complex, single-purpose electronic
equipment reduce manning costs while maintaining a
high level of system availability. AMaSS is
directly applicable to critical government systems
such as FAA ASRs, and to private companies relying
on complex electronic monitoring equipment to
ensure continuous high quality production, e.g.,
semiconductor industry, paper production, and
continuous casting facilities. Failures in these
complex systems can have catastrophic
consequences. Reactive solutions to problems are
expensive, requiring unplanned tasking of skilled
and expensive personnel. AMaSS offers equipment
maintainers a proactive solution to both the
criticality issue and the cost issue. AMaSS
active monitoring of key components, its provision
for feedback to support personnel, and its ability
to analyze data over time and across installations
will reduce maintenance costs, improve system
performance, and raise availability.
|
APTIMA, INC.
12 Gill Street, Suite 1400
Woburn, MA 01801 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 496-2428
Dr. Gavan Lintern
NAVY 02-040 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Multi-Function Displays for Warfighter Consolidation |
| Abstract: | The Navy is under pressure to reduce staffing
levels on its combat ships. However, current
displays are designed to support single-functions,
which makes it difficult to reduce manning without
limiting the crew's ability to perform the current
number of combat functions. New multi-function
displays are needed to allow smaller crews to
perform a greater number of functions. We propose
a revolutionary approach to interface design for
multifunctional systems, drawing on the techniques
of Cognitive Work Analysis and Ecological
Interface Design, to design a multi-function
interface tailored for two mission areas within a
modern US Navy warship. Tentatively, we propose
that these be time-critical targeting and damage
control. The interface will be structured on the
basis of functional properties identified by
application of Cognitive Work Analysis. In Phase I
of this project we will demonstrate the
integration of Cognitive Work Analysis methods and
tools to produce a prototype interface that spans
two disparate work functional areas. In Phase II
we will extend that analysis and design effort to
resolve issues related to the shared, distributed
and dynamic nature of the work and we will
evaluate the effectiveness of our interface design
as it impacts worker effectiveness. There is a
virtually unlimited market for methods and tools
that can increase the productivity of workers
interacting with complex systems of systems. Tools
for the creation of computer-based multi-function
interfaces will directly benefit, for example,
military C2 centers, air traffic control centers,
hospitals, virtual manufacturing environments,
managers of corporate databases, and both military
and commercial maintenance operations.
|
MAK TECHNOLOGIES
185 Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 876-8085
Mr. Kevin Johnson
NAVY 02-040 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Multi-Function Display System for Warfighter Consolidation |
| Abstract: | MŽK Technologies, along with the Fraunhofer Center
for Research in Computer Graphics, propose to
develop a display management architecture to
manage and display information to support multiple
roles on a single display. The Multi-Function
Display System (MFDS) design will be based on an
open architecture approach, using agent and
knowledge base technology to manage the data
inputs and information displayed. In Phase I we
will design the Multi-Function Display System,
which will then be prototyped during Phase II. We
propose to base the system architecture on the
Fraunhofer CRCG Decision-Centered Visualization
(DCV) design. This will be augmented with an
internal, HLA-based communications architecture
for the data input and information display to
facilitate distributed processing and embedded
training requirements. The primary Phase II
deliverable will be a prototype system, based on
the Phase I design, for managing multiple,
simultaneous, synchronized, intelligent displays.
The proposed effort will leverage COTS,
standards-based, visualization software, reducing
cost, development time, and risk. Recent research
has achieved advances in information and knowledge
management, and information display management
that can provide a direct benefit toward this
effort. MŽK is currently working with the US Army
CECOM to develop a display management toolkit for
C4ISR displays. Fraunhofer CRCG has performed
research and developed prototypes for advanced
displays and agent-based information management.
The proposed MFDS has the following benefits: 1.
Increased effectiveness of reduced number of
watchstanders by enabling consolidation of
displays into integrated, intuitive presentations.
2. Reduction of decision times by timely
presentation of mission-relevant and
mission-critical information. 3. Reduction of
role-specific stations via multiple uses of
displays based on roles and situation assessment.
Leveraging MŽK?s COTS PVD, Stealth and CGF
software, Fraunhofer CRCG?s visualization and DCV
architecture work, and MŽK?s extensive experience
supporting commercial-grade software toolkits has
the following benefits: 1. Increased capability of
the proposed multi-function display system due to
the $2M internal, product funding commitment MŽK
has made to these products. 2. Increased viability
of the proposed multi-function display system due
to MŽK?s best-commercial-practices design,
implementation, documentation, and support
capability. 3. Low cost, time, and risk via
extensive leverage of non-developmental software.
|
PATHFINDER SYSTEMS, INC.
200 Union Blvd., Suite 300
Lakewood, CO 80228 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(303) 763-8660
Mrs. Sheila Jaszlics
NAVY 02-040 Selected for Award |
| Title: | IMAN - Intelligent Information Management System |
| Abstract: | We will develop an information management system
that provides an efficient and fully synthesized
picture of the Battlespace to support successful
naval operation execution. We call our system the
Intelligent Information Management System (IMAN).
IMAN will use a distributed architecture of
intelligent agents that will assist naval
personnel in the execution of their duties. These
intelligent agents will execute a variety of user
defined data analysis and fusion tasks to reduce
manning requirements on US Navy ships. Innovative
display technologies will include two-dimensional,
three-dimensional and augmented reality displays
that will portray the state of the Battlespace to
the users. The first application of the
technology will be to support CIC operations
onboard Arleigh Burke DDG-51 class destroyers. It
is anticipated that this effort will result in the
development of a set of information management and
display technologies that will reduce manning
requirements on US Navy ships. The IMAN system
will provide an enhanced view of the battlespace
that will translate into missions successfully
executed with fewer resources and longer lasting
results. The technology can be directly applied
to transportation systems, command and control
systems for other military services as well as the
management of large-scale amusement parks and
power plants.
|
NANOENGINEERING CO.
23 Sundown Way
Dawsonville, GA 30534 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(706) 216-4930
Mr. Jerome J. Schmitt
NAVY 02-041 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Radar Technology/Unit Cost Reduction |
| Abstract: | Recent pioneering work in the field of
electrically tunable ferroelectric thin-film
microwave devices provides compelling motivation
to develop low cost manufacturing methods that
will enable practical uses of these devices in
commercial and defense electronic systems.
NanoEngineering is a new company with a focus on
engineering improved manufacturing methods for
advanced electronic materials and devices. In
this Phase I project, we plan to adapt for the
purposes of microwave device fabrication a newly
available, production-proven large wafer (200-mm)
thin film process tool that was originally
developed for the silicon integrated circuit
industry. This project will be carried out in
collaboration with the process tool company. Phase
I materials and device will be tested and
evaluated by the Naval Research Lab under
subcontract. Success in Phase I will provide
technical demonstrations that will point the way
toward manufacturing process and device
performance optimization in Phases II and III.
During Phase I we will seek to identify a test
vehicle application, in collaboration with a
leading defense radar system OEM that will lead to
technology insertion early in Phase III.
Candidate radar applications include phase
shifters and notch filters. There are also
significant potential uses in the
telecommunications and automotive industries. The
work could produce lower cost, higher peformance
tunable microwave system devices for applications
in phased-array antenna, tunable filters and other
components for radar and radio systems for use in
defense, automotive and telecommunications
systems.
|
PEREGRINE SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
6175 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego, CA 92021 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(858) 455-0660
Dr. Ron Reedy
NAVY 02-041 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Single Chip Phased Array Antenna Elements |
| Abstract: | The objective of this proposal is to develop
technology that enables direct integration of
power and thermal management functions at the
component level of transmit and receive phased
array antenna modules (TRAM). The project will
enable flexible use of the highest performance
active devices such as PHEMT and HBT GaAs or InP
by means of a novel chip-on-chip (COC) flip-chip
integration technique. The project will include
design, manufacture and test of one integrated
circuit each for transmit and receive sides, with
each chip providing amplification, phase shifting,
signal power routing and control logic. The chip
will be manufactured in an advanced silicon on
sapphire (SOS) technology called Ultra Thin
Silicon (UTSi) CMOS. This advanced technology
enables integration of RF, IF and base band
control functions in a single CMOS chip, a
capability which is not possible in any other form
of CMOS. Potential system level benefits of this
technology would be improvements in antenna
performance along with mass, size and cost
reduction, These will be accomplished primarily
through integration of phase shifters, active RF
circuitry, RF switching elements and passive
devices for both LNA and PA circuits. By
flip-chipping GaAs or InP transistors onto the
UTSi device (which will contain all passive
matching circuits along with active current and
temperature control circuits), the highest
available performance can be achieved in a
monolithic structure. Choice of CMOS on sapphire
is necessary to keep high performance passive
devices at the 10-20 GHz frequencies typically
used in phased array antennae. Use of a
commercially established CMOS on sapphire process
ensures that the devices will be highly
manufacturable (which is necessary for the large
number of antenna elements required for all
applications) and that the performance and cost
constraints of both commercial and military
requirements will be met.
The significance of this project is that projected
high volume applications of phased array antennae
for both commercial and military uses in both
satellite and aerospace applications require
easy-to-implement systems based on highly
integrated TRAM's. High levels of integration have
proven value in computing and digital signal
processing functions, but RF and IF functions have
not previously been integrated because of
isolation and substrate issues in most IC
technologies. Therefore, this project not only
will solve the need for a low cost, miniature
phased array transmit/receive antenna module, it
will also demonstrate a single chip device
capability which could be applied to other high
frequency systems and to higher frequency TRAM's
when deeper submicron UTSi CMOS is developed.
|
AEPTEC MICROSYSTEMS, INC.
15800 Crabbs Branch Way, Suite 290
Rockville, MD 20855 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 670-6779
Mr. Ray Wang
NAVY 02-042 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low-Cost Wireless Shipboard Local Area Network |
| Abstract: | As the Navy is expanding its shipboard information
networks, information technology systems requiring
wireless technologies are being developed to
support increased shipboard information gathering
for logistical, personnel, and maintenance-related
functions. Such wireless systems - like the
Wireless LAN (WLAN) - offer simplified
adaptability for Commercial off the Shelf (COTS)
technology refresh over long shipboard lifecycles.
Further, they are particularly applicable for
collecting system data/information from remotely
located systems as well as for mobile and
un-tethered access to shipboard computer networks.
In addition to productivity enhancements, WLANs
offer the potential to reduce or eliminate
expensive shipboard cabling installations and
modifications thereby reducing ship impacts and
installation/maintenance costs. The cost savings
over a ship's lifecycle when compared with "wired"
networks can be quite significant. Further, new
ship construction benefits will include costs
savings from the drastic reduction or elimination
of cable installations, and the increase in space
availability and weight reductions associated with
shipboard cabling. Despite the significant gains
that may be achieved from WLANs, their acquisition
and installation costs are a major impediment to
fleet-wide implementations. The cost for
acquiring and installing separate systems to
satisfy differing wireless requirements including
RF LAN access, infrared data synchronization, and
RF voice communications are quite significant.
This program will address these challenges with a
focused research and development effort.
A successful approach will result in a blueprint
for development of a low cost and robust wireless
local are network that will be capable of being
acquired for fleet wide deployment to support
applications including voice, data and multi-media
communications. It is further expected to have
wide application in areas such as DOD operational
forces, inter and intra ship communications,
hospitals, emergency response centers, space
stations, underground command bunkers, nuclear
plants, mobile and remote workers, and any high
value industrial asset or process.
|
TALKING LIGHTS LLC
28 Constitution Road
Boston, MA 02129 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 242-0050
Mr. Al-Thaddeus Avestruz
NAVY 02-042 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Hybrid Optical Wireless Network |
| Abstract: | The objective of this Phase I program is to
provide an optical wireless network based on the
use of modulated illumination as the information
carrier. Existing Talking Lights technology will
be expanded to increase bandwidth and achieve
two-way communication. The system is very
inexpensive because it creates the communication
network using existing lights and lighting
fixtures and only requires replacement of
fluorescent light ballasts to implement the
network. This Phase I program will develop a
prototype hybrid optical wireless network (HOWN)
transmitters and receivers which will combine
optical and RF communications systems to enhance
the capabilities of each. The capabilities of
HOWN will be evaluated and demonstrated. In Phase
II, minaturized HOWN stationary and mobile
transceivers will be designed and built , and then
the HOWN network demonstrated and evaluated in
actual ship-board installations. Phase III will
involve the commercial manufacture and sale of
HOWN devices for operational use.
Transceivers developed in this project will be
installed on operational surface vessels to
provide enhanced functional communication
capability at low cost. The same wireless
technologies should also be of commercial value in
submarines, aircraft, buses and autos. Hybrid
wireless technologies should provide new
communication technology and the HOWN transceivers
will be commercial products.
|
TRANS WORLD TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
100 West Main Street, Suite 205
Lansdale, PA 19446 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(215) 855-4002
Mr. Stephen J. Drabouski, Jr.
NAVY 02-042 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Impulse Radio Transceiver Wireless Local Area Networks |
| Abstract: | This research effort explores Impulse Radio as an
enabling technology for the implementation of
wireless LANs aboard U.S. Navy ships. Impulse
radio, a form of ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) spread
spectrum signaling, has properties that make it a
viable candidate for short range communications in
dense multipath environments such as those
encountered on steel hull ships. Additionally,
current impulse radio technologies exhibit the
potential to operate at the sub-milliwatt average
power levels required for the efficient use of
power harvesting methods that eliminate power
cables for sensors and actuators. This research
effort identifies, analyzes and evaluates
currently available impulse signal technology from
the standpoint of developing a cost effective, low
power, UWB transceiver with excellent multipath
and interference immunity. The development of this
transceiver will enable the cost-effective
implementation of wireless Local Area Networks
aboard U.S. Navy ships. Additionally, this
research effort identifies and evaluates previous
government and commercial wireless automation
research to identify leveraging opportunities.
Finally, this proposed effort includes a
production, implementation, and life cycle cost
analysis for the candidate UWB transceiver that
addresses both retrofit and forward fit
applications. Recent advances in wireless LAN and
power harvesting technologies exhibit the
potential to substantially reduce the initial and
life cycle cost for ship monitoring and control
automation systems.
Commercial applications for the proposed system
include business applications, industrial process
control systems, robotics and various Merchant
Marine, Marine Salvage, and Off-Shore drilling
applications. Environmentally sensitive vessels
involved with hazardous cargoes such as oil,
chemicals, are nuclear waste are primary
candidates for this technology.
|
WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTS, LLC
20 Miry Brook Road
Danbury, CT 06810 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(203) 798-0755
Mr. James L. Saulnier
NAVY 02-042 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low-Cost Wireless Shipboard Local Area Network |
| Abstract: | Wireless Communications Products Mobility and
portability for users and equipment,
security of wireless information links,
modular scalable wireless system,
clear channel operations of wireless links in a
metal box environment
locator functions for personnel and equipment
no interference with RF sensitive equipment
|
ENGENIUM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
4220 Eagles Wing Ct., Suite 100
Ellicott City, MD 21042 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(410) 908-8003
Dr. Mike Pascale
NAVY 02-043 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Long Range Wireless Network Communication Capability |
| Abstract: | We propose the Flexceiver, an ultra-wideband,
spread spectrum modem for long range wireless
networks. The basic concept of the Flexceiver is
to sweep the carrier frequency of a modulated
signal very rapidly across a wide bandwidth. The
Flexceiver avoids interfering with other RF
systems operating in dedicated bands by
dynamically constructing frequency profiles that
hop over the frequencies occupied by those
systems. RF interference from other systems is
avoided in the same manner. All-weather
capability is enabled by operating below the 4 GHz
band where attenuation due to weather is
insignificant. Low latency is afforded by the
FPGA based implementation.
By eliminating from the link budget a fading
allowance, high data rate and range performance
are facilitated by multipath tolerance of the
system. While the total occupied bandwidth is
wide, the instantaneous bandwidth of the waveform
is narrow, consistent with that of the rate and
type of modulation. The channel fades that occur
at specific frequencies can be very deep, but are
narrow and low duty cycle compared to the total
occupied bandwidth. By sweeping rapidly,
individual fades can be limited to single bit
duration or less. Forward error correction is
employed to recover faded bits.
The anticipated benefit of developing a
Flexceiver, a flexible Software Defined Radio
(SDR) transceiver, targeted for long range
wireless networks include: all-weather
capability, ElectroMagnetic Compatability (EMC)
with other RF devices, resistance to
ElectroMagnetic Interference (EMI), Low
Probability of Detection (LPD), and Low
Probability of Jamming (LPJ).
|
PHYSICAL OPTICS CORPORATION
Information Technologies Div., 20600 Gramercy Place
Torrance, CA 90501 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 320-3088
Dr. Andrew Kostrzewski
NAVY 02-043 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Ultrawide Bandwidth Communication System for Mobile Platforms |
| Abstract: | Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is seeking a
new type of all weather communication system,
potentially non-RF, to carry data between mobile
platforms. Physical Optics Corporation (POC)
proposes to develop a novel Ultra-wide Band Laser
Communication (UBLC), as a new full scale laser
communication system, which will integrate laser
communication, optoelectronics, gimbal mechanics,
processing software, hardware, and high speed data
interfaces. UBLC uniquely integrates technology
that POC has already developed in laser
optoelectronics, laser communication hardware, and
video/imagery communication. POC's compact
multiple LD source and collimator/concentrator
have regulated divergence for continuous high
bandwidth (more than 1 GHz) communication. UBLC's
optical power budget (100 mW of continuous laser
power) at an invisible eye-safe wavelength of 1.55
micrometers allows for line?of?sight (LOS) 5 km
communication even through fog. All UBLC critical
components will be designed, tested, and analyzed
in the course of a six month Phase I project. A
preliminary feasibility demonstration will also be
explored in Phase I, and a full-scale system
demonstration on mobile platforms will be ready at
the end of Phase II. Key advantages of the UBLC
system stem from its compact design, based on a
lightweight laser transceiver with a multiple
laser diode (LD) source that replaces a bulky
Nd:YAG laser source. The UBLC system will open new
possibilities for high speed communication between
mobile platforms with very low probability of
intercept or jamming. This is essential to
achieve high-security data exchange, and can also
be used for future satellite communication.
|
CREARE INC.
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(603) 643-3800
Dr. Nabil A. Elkouh
NAVY 02-044 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Improved Primary Battery Reliability Via Non-Destructive Evaluation |
| Abstract: | We propose a comprehensive non-destructive
evaluation approach to primary battery quality
management that takes into account (1) batteries
in the weapons stockpile, (2) batteries in
production, and (3) next generation batteries.
Current evaluation practices are limited to
expending batteries and statistical modeling to
extend those results. A deterministic evaluation
of potential battery performance is not currently
possible. In Phase I, we will gather data and
information regarding how both production
practices and temporal degradation can lead to
reduced battery performance in the field. We will
consider both thermal and zinc/silver-oxide
battery systems. Our investigation will involve
interactions with both battery producers and DoD
personnel, which will lead to the establishment of
evaluation priorities. We will focus much of our
effort in Phase I demonstrating powerful
extensions to current manual NDE practices already
in place that are highly labor intensive and
subjective, and as a result do not prevent
batteries of inferior quality from entering the
stockpile. We will examine the extension of these
preferred techniques to field use. Furthermore,
we will outline possible redesign of next
generation batteries to allow simple and
inexpensive monitoring of battery quality in the
field. The development program is specifically
focused on improving primary battery quality that
will lead to high weapons system reliability and
lower total ownership costs. The NDE techniques
developed under this program will find
applications in aerospace, marine, and automotive
industries where NDE techniques are relied upon to
monitor product quality both during production and
in the field.
|
US NANOCORP, INC.
74 Batterson Park Road
Farmington, CT 06032 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(860) 678-7561
Dr. David E. Reisner
NAVY 02-044 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Fuzzy Logic-Based Non-Destructive Testing of Thermal Batteries |
| Abstract: | Primary reserve batteries used in weapons systems
are typically not activated until immediately
before use. To periodically test the condition of
these inactivated batteries, sample batteries are
removed from the weapons, activated, tested, and
from the tested samples, statistical techniques
used to estimate the condition of the stockpile.
This takes considerable time and money. In this
project non-destructive techniques for determining
the condition of these reserve batteries will be
considered. Various stimuli to the battery
including electrical, mechanical, and thermal
together with the batteries' responses to these
stimuli will be assessed. Both theoretical
analysis of the battery response and experimental
verification will be performed to develop a few
candidate approaches for non-destructive testing
of primary reserve batteries. One of the
techniques that will be investigated in more depth
is ac impedance measurements at various
temperatures for the molten-salt Li-based primary
thermal batteries. The present method of
monitoring the condition of primary reserve
batteries used in weapons systems is to test
samples of stockpiled batteries by activating the
batteries, and using statistical analysis to
estimate the condition of batteries in the
stockpile. This method has several drawbacks. It
requires that samples be selected for testing, and
the selected samples be activated for testing.
This means that these particular tested batteries
must be replaced and so a procurement process for
these replacement batteries must be conducted.
Additionally, time and money are spent in
performing the statistical analysis to estimate
the condition of the batteries in a particular
stockpile. Clearly, the development of a
non-destructive technique for estimating the
condition of a stockpile of reserve batteries can
provide considerable savings in time and money.
Reducing the cost and time to assess the
conditions of primary reserve batteries will be an
important result of this project. The same
approach developed in this project for
non-destructive testing of batteries would be of
use in weapons systems across the armed services
and therefore benefit the entire Department of
Defense (DoD). Furthermore, some of the techniques
developed in this program may be applicable to
commercial electrochemical systems and for
biomedical applications where remote monitoring of
implanted defibrillator and pacemaker batteries
may benefit from the technology being developed in
this project.
|
K TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
500 Office Center Drive, Suite 250
Fort Washington, PA 19034 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(215) 628-8681
Mr. Mark J. Montesano
NAVY 02-045 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Advanced T/R Module Thermal Management and Packaging Development (kTC P206) |
| Abstract: | Radar antenna and T/R module thermal management
and cooling technologies are critical for today's
high power radars. A significant investment is
made each year in the continued development of
increasingly robust and sophisticated cooling
system technologies, which are applied to the
ballistic missile technology program and other
major defense acquisition programs.
kTC proposes to develop an encapsulated annealed
pyrolytic graphite (APG) cold plate with
integrated cavities for use as T/R module
packages. The encapsulation material will have a
CTE value close to the T/R module components to
allow for direct mounting. The cavity walls will
accommodate the electrical feed-throughs and
hermetic metal lid. The conductivity of the cold
plate will be greater than 900 W/mK (five times
aluminum) and the conductance of the thermal path
from the T/R components to the clod plate edges
will be 40% better than the current solution
(discrete T/R modules attached to an aluminum
encapsulated APG cold plate). This proposed
effort will develop a material system and
packaging configuration that can significantly
improve the performance and lower the cost of the
thermal management system of current and future
phased array radar systems
The encapsulated APG material to be demonstrated
under this program would have applications in the
commercial satellite market, as well as the
obvious military and NASA uses. Key potential
post application relies heavily on the successful
verification and certification of the proposed
materials' performance. With increasing
acceptance, encapsulated APG will be attractive to
automotive and power supply manufacturers.
Enabling technologies will allow the increase of
production and the realization of the economies of
scale. At this level, one can only estimate the
potential impact on the personal computer and
other high volume heat sensitive products.
|
MATERIALS & ELECTROCHEMICAL RESEARCH (MER) CORP.
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85706 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(520) 574-1980
Dr. Chris Chen
NAVY 02-045 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Thermal Management |
| Abstract: | With both the increasing density of semiconductor
devices and the increasing power from these
devices, substrates having high thermal
conductivity will be needed. This program
proposes an innovative materials that has thermal
conductivity higher than 500 W/m§K, CTE matches to
Si or GaAs, and remains cost effective. A common
problem in the design of microelectronic packages,
however, is that material candidates having high
thermal conductivity also have a high CTE. The
uniqueness of this composite material is that the
carrier substrates can be tailored to match the
thermal expansion characteristics of the chip or
other heat-generating components attached to the
carrier substrate which also providing improved
heat transfer. The innovative material in this
program is a technology that enables electronics
to acheive higher speeds, smaller size and higher
reliability. High thermal conductivity heat sink
materials are primarily found in fiber optic
components in internet related applications which
include amplifiers, receivers, transmitters,
tunable lasers, modulators. Other areas of
application include RF power package components
that are used in wireless telecommunication
infrastructure for cellular phones, base stations,
high definition television (HDTV), and satellite
communications.
|
POWDERMET INC.
9960 Glenoaks Blvd, Unit A
Sun Valley, CA 91352 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(818) 768-6420
Mr. Andrew Sherman
NAVY 02-045 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Thermal Management |
| Abstract: | In the proposed phase I SBIR program, Powdermet
will demonstrate the production of
controlled thermal expansion,high thermla
conductivity packaging matreials.
Increasing packing densities and power consumption
in Transmit/recieve modules
require improved, higher thermal conductivity
packaging to remove heat from active
elements. Current heat spreader materials cannot
remove heat fast enough from,
or do not match the thermal expansion of, Si, SiC,
and/or GaAs substrates using in
military electronics. Int he current program,
Powdermet will abricate and characterize
net shape fabricated graphite-reinforced copper
composite packaging materials for
discreet, chip-level, and multidie high power
electronics packages. The proposed
technology enables bottom-up control over
composition, bonding, and distribution in
highly reinforced composites, extending property
ranges by 30-50% (expansion and
conductivity)over current state of the art
materials systems. The proposed program will
result in the availability of higher conductivity
materials
tailored to electronics packaging. The materials
will incease heat dissipation from
active elements, increasing reliability, speed,
and operating limits in T/R modules.
The technooogy is applicable to commercial
electronics, including both discreet and
multidie packaging.
|
CREARE INC.
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(603) 643-3800
Dr. Joel L. Berg
NAVY 02-046 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Combined Shock and Vibration Isolation Mounts Incorporating Novel Shock Dissipation Mechanisms |
| Abstract: | A critical need exists for improved shock mounts
to assure that equipment being developed under the
Navy's Advanced Damage Countermeasures (ADC)
program are well isolated and shock tolerant.
These mounts must minimize shock transmission
during extreme catastrophic events while retaining
excellent vibration isolation characteristics
under normal conditions of operation. Heretofore
it has been impossible to optimize performance for
both of these requirements in a single isolator
component. To address this problem, the
innovation proposed by Creare is a highly
effective vibration isolator that incorporates a
set of novel shock dissipation mechanisms. The
primary benefits of Creare's design are that it
combines shock mitigation and vibration isolation
in a single mount and has the potential to greatly
reduce shock loads experienced by critical ADC
systems. In addition, the mounts will be highly
durable and resistant to environmental effects, be
straightforward to install in new or retrograde
applications, require no maintenance and exhibit
low life-cycle cost. We will demonstrate the
feasibility of our innovation during Phase I with
laboratory proof-of-concept tests. During Phase
II, we will fabricate and test prototype units at
Creare and provide several prototype units for a
selected ADC equipment application to the Navy for
ship trials. The proposed mount concept is capable
of providing shock and vibration isolation for
critical equipment of all sizes. Although this
proposal focuses on the Navy's ADC program, the
mount concept is directly applicable for all
pipes, machinery, and equipment for which shock
and vibration are of concern. There are also many
potential non-military applications such as
commercial shipping, ground transportation,
manufacturing, mining and others in which the
environment necessitates isolation and protection
to supported equipment and/or people.
|
ADVANCED OPTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
6767 Old Madison Pike, Suite 410
Huntsville, AL 35806 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(256) 971-0036
Dr. Richard L. Hartman
NAVY 02-047 Selected for Award |
| Title: | EXTREME COMPUTING WITH LIGHT, LOW POWER, AND SMALL EQUIPMENT (ECLIPSE) |
| Abstract: | Advanced Optical Systems, Inc. (AOS) has developed
optical correlators with the world?s highest data
throughput, lowest cost, lowest power consumption,
and smallest volume. We are currently developing a
line of optical processors called the Advanced
Optical Correlator (AOC), which are already on the
verge of meeting Navy requirements. In this
proposal we propose an approach, that will not
only meet the near-term goals but also has the
potential for dramatically crashing though volume
and power goals while dramatically increasing
mission performance. The Government will be the
early adopter for high throughput, low power, and
low volume computing. With the current national
thrust on anti-terrorism there is no doubt that
markets in the areas of recognizance and security
will expand, especially for UAVs and space
platforms. During Phase I, at corporate expense we
will start market research on these and other
potential products.
|
IRVINE SENSORS CORPORATION
3001 Redhill Avenue, Building #4
Costa Mesa, CA 92626 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(714) 444-8846
Dr. Suresh Subramanian
NAVY 02-047 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low Volume, Low Power, Real Time Image Processing |
| Abstract: | Irvine Sensors Corporation's (ISC) massively
parallel Three-Dimensional Analog Neural Network
processor (3DANN) brings near human-level data
processing capabilities for applications in
open-ended problems like pattern recognition,
clutter discrimination, and target tracking and
identification. The approach emulates the massive
parallelism inherent in the brain to achieve
extremely high computational performance at very
low power and small volume. The core 3DANN
processor is a general-purpose analog convolution
engine that can perform over 1 TeraOp inner
product calculations per second. It occupies less
than 1.5 cm3 volume and consumes < 10W of power.
Since convolutions form the basis of most image
processing and pattern recognition applications,
3DANN holds orders of magnitude advantage over
conventional digital processors in terms of
computational throughput, size, weight, and power
consumption. 3DANN based systems bear potential to
become PetaOp speed pattern/data-fusion processors
that can rapidly process multi-megabit data
streams from multiple sensors, perform rapid
analysis, and tirelessly provide a course of
action in environments that are hostile to human
operators. The proposed innovation will find
application in unmanned robotic ATR systems and
embedded biometric scanners and face recognition
systems.
|
SEAKR ENGINEERING, INCORPORATED
6221 S. Racine Circle
Centennial, CO 80111 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(303) 790-8499
Mr. Paul L. Murray
NAVY 02-047 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Low Volume, Low Power, Real Time Image Processing |
| Abstract: | A low power, low volume, realtime image processor
using a re-configurable FPGA based processor
design. The flexibility of general purpose
processors are blended with the speed of ASICs to
accomplish very high performance image processing
using FPGA's. Data compression, Automatic target
recognition and tracking, airborne high
performance processing, commercial remote sensing
data processing.
|
CREARE INC.
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(603) 643-3800
Dr. Nabil A. Elkouh
NAVY 02-048 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Improved Thermal Battery Assembly Techniques |
| Abstract: | We propose to develop new thermal battery assembly
techniques that will replace many of the manual
assembly techniques currently in place at thermal
battery manufacturing facilities. While it is
realized that the manual assembly techniques are
the cause of most battery quality issues and are
thereby less than ideal, the mechanical properties
associated with the battery components make
automation difficult. Recent attempts to
introduce automation into the assembly line have
fallen short and introduced similar errors and
inconsistencies to the final product. These prior
attempts illuminate the difficulties involved in
working with thermal battery components and serve
as the starting point for our novel assembly
concepts tailored specifically to the needs of
thermal batteries. Furthermore, these past
attempts demonstrate the perils of applying
standard automation practices to the fragile
thermal battery systems. In Phase I, we will
develop our concepts that have the unique
possibility of operating both in manual and
automated modes to offer battery manufacturers
production flexibility. Our concepts will be
demonstrated at one of the largest thermal battery
manufacturing facilities and form the basis of a
prototype system that will be developed in Phase
II. The application-specific automation
technologies developed under this SBIR program
will lead to improved thermal battery quality and
lower total ownership costs. Our developed
technology will benefit assembly practices
involving the stacking of thin fragile components
in the electronics manufacturing industries.
|
ATLANTEC ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS, INC.
1419 Forest Drive, Suite 205
Annapolis, MD 21403 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(410) 990-1100
Mr. Paul Rakow
NAVY 02-049 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Technology for Shipbuilding Affordability |
| Abstract: | The objective of our proposal is to demonstrate
that a practical and affordable connector
architecture can be developed to provide
interoperability between leading
CAD and CAM systems used in shipbuilding. The
connector architecture will use available open
source and Internet technology to create a
flexible, efficient, and cost-effective solution.
The architecture will include a toolkit that can
be made available to software developers and
manufacturers of production equipment for
integration into their proprietary systems.
This project will demonstrate that product-model
data from different CAD systems can produce an
identical result utilizing a single CAM system.
Alternatively, data from a single CAD system can
produce the same result in different CAM systems.
The architecture will be designed so that each
component is readily replaceable with a competing
product.
Atlantec-es, Inc. will work with Electric Boat
(EB) as the participating U.S. shipyard.
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) shipyard of
Kiel, Germany, one of the most advanced shipyards
in Europe, has joined the team under the foreign
firm cooperative research and development
agreement provision outlined in this Topic.
The new connector architecture will provide U.S.
shipyards with greater flexibility and choice in
selecting CAD and CAM systems. The technology will
also enable collaboration between different
shipyards and/or design agents on the same
project. It will also reduce the cost and
complexity of developing and maintaining
inflexible custom production systems.
Implementation costs for new CAD or CAM systems
will be significantly reduced because improvements
in either area can be brought on line with little
impact to existing systems. This will enhance U.S.
industry competitiveness by enabling shipyards to
more easily maintain state of the art
design/production systems.
These products will also be affordable and easy to
use, utilizing open, state-of-the-art technology.
|
INDUSTRIAL PLANNING TECHNOLOGY, INC.
5095 S. Washington Ave., Suite 105
Titusville, FL 32780 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(321) 427-4892
Dr. Patrick Rourke
NAVY 02-049 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Technology for Shipbuilding Affordability |
| Abstract: | Design for producability is the key to reducing
ship construction costs. The most direct way to
ensure that design for producability goals are met
is to automate portions of the design process,
enforcing producability requirements in software.
Industrial Planning Technology Inc has developed
an automated design and planning technology that
is based on the use of high fidelity fabrication
and assembly simulators. This technology yields
lower construction costs than traditional
rule-based design for producability, and does not
require the development of comprehensive design
rules.
Distribution systems (piping, cabling, HVAC)
represent between 25% and 40% of the construction
cost for Naval ships. This proposal will explore
the feasibility of developing an automatic design
for producability tool which couples an automatic
3D spatial router for ship piping, cabling, and
HVAC with IPT's construction planning and
simulation tools. The benefits of this approach
are lower construction cost through optimized
design for producability, and reduced design
costs. The technology would be packaged as a
plug-in to existing commercial ship design
systems.
Anticipated savings are $15 million per year
in construction costs and $1 million per year in
design costs for U.S. shipyards. This assumes
that 3% of piping fabrication work is moved from
in-dock and in-module on-site fabrication to
mechanized shop fabrication as a result of
deploying the tools developed in this project.
|
KAZAK COMPOSITES INCORPORATED
32 Cummings Park
Woburn, MA 01801 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 932-5668
Mr. James Gorman
NAVY 02-049 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Joining of Very Large, Low Cost Pultruded Advanced Composite Structures in Shipbuilding |
| Abstract: | Composite structures offer the shipbuilding
industry the potential to reduce weight and
eliminate corrosion, however cost of even
"inexpensive" VARTM manufacturing of large
composite sections has proven to be too high for
designers to consider composites for anything
other than special applications. KaZaK Composites
and Bath Iron Works have teamed to begin
development of a combination of very large scale
pultrusion processing and special joints tailored
to simplify the integration of these large
pultruded panels into ship structures. We project
that this new combination of technologies can
reduce the cost of very large composite ship
structures to less than half the cost of VARTM
structure, and begin to approach the cost of steel
construction. We propose a two part Phase I
effort. First, we will employ our 10-foot wide
pultrusion machine to make 1-inch thick solid
laminates and also composite sandwich panels.
Specimens cut from these pultrusion will be tested
to begin establishment of a mechanical property
data base containing information derived from the
large pultrusions typical of ship structures.
Second, we will conceive of, analyze, fabricate
and test a set of composite joints specialized for
integration of large composite panels and steel
ship substructure. KCI believes that the key to
achieving the cost reductions necessary to
initiate a widespread acceptance of composite
materials in place of more conventional steel in
applications such as shipbuilding, bridges, piers
and other very large civilian and military
structures is to make the individual composite
parts as inexpensively as possible by pultruding
them in very large sections, then using simple and
easily inspected assembly methods. KCI's 10-foot
wide pultrusion machine is capable of material
throughput of more than 25,000 pounds per hour
when making large solid laminates that might be
employed for ship superstructure. It can also make
parts with a length limited only by shipping and
handling considerations. These large parts reduce
production labor cost to the noise level on a
per-pound basis, and reduce fabrication cost by
reducing the number of joints to be assembled.
Work proposed in the document is intended to begin
the demonstrations and developments necessary to
validate these predictions. Once confirmed, ship
designers will be far more comfortable employing
composites in new structural developments.
|
ST. ONGE COMPANY
1400 Williams Road
York, PA 17402 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(717) 840-8181
Mr. Mark Avakian, P.E.
NAVY 02-049 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of Lean Manufacturing Spatial Planning and Analysis Tool for U.S. Shipyards |
| Abstract: | The last several decades have witnessed a dramatic
decline in the international competitiveness of
the remaining handful of large U.S. shipyards. As
a result, these domestic shipyards are almost
entirely reliant upon construction contracts from
the U.S. Navy for their continued survival. This
is highly undesirable for reasons relating both to
national defense and the loss of significant
economic opportunities to foreign competitors.
Recent years have seen the widespread integration
of Lean Manufacturing principles in U.S. industry
as a whole but only to a relatively limited extent
in the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Under
principles of lean manufacturing, manufacturing
operations are viewed as an integrated whole and
are scrutinized for opportunities to further
activities which contribute to the ultimate value
of the manufactured product and eliminate sources
of waste. Waste can take a variety of forms,
including the production and storage of inordinate
amounts of inventory, multiple handlings of
product and bottlenecks due to the layout of
production processes, and excessive transportation
of product components. One means of identifying
wasteful practices is spatial analysis, which
tracks the production areas dedicated to various
functions. A computerized Spatial Planning and
Analysis Tool holds great promise for promoting
shipyard efficiency and competitiveness. Delivery
of a spatial analysis tool will allow U.S.
commercial and government shipyards to better
monitor how space utilized for a specific process
contributes to value added work, improving
shipyard efficiency and competitiveness.
|
STEP TOOLS, INC.
216 River Street
Troy, NY 12180 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(518) 687-2848
Mr. Blair Downie
NAVY 02-049 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Technology for Shipbuilding Affordability |
| Abstract: | STEP-NC is a feature driven language for machine
control with profound consequences for the
efficiency of design and manufacturing. For design
it means more concise, descriptive information can
be sent to manufacturing making the process of
design more efficient. For manufacturing it means
faster, safer and more flexible machining because
a control can dynamically check the safety and
optimize the performance of a part program at run
time. This proposal will apply STEP-NC to pipe
bending for ship building. For general purpose
manufacturing operations the benefits of STEP-NC
have been estimated as a 35% reduction in set-up
time, a 75% reduction in the number of drawings
required on the shop floor, and a 50% decrease in
machining time for small to mid-sized job lots due
to increased usage of 5-axis and high speed
machines. This proposal will extend these
advantages to pipe bending by allowing the MMAP
system currently used by GDEB and NNS to control
pipe bending to be deployed across the US
shipbuilding industry.
|
VISOTEK, INC
46025 Port Street
Plymouth, MI 48170 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(734) 354-6300
Dr. Stefan Heinemann
NAVY 02-049 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Technology for Shipbuilding Affordability |
| Abstract: | Effective implementation of laser welding in
shipbuilding is hampered by a number of issues:
large capital equipment investments, multi-faceted
robotic control issues, lack of effective weld
cell concepts and the lack of intelligent optics
for laser process control. This project proposes
to develop a process and an intelligent optics
for laser welding that allows thick section
welding in multiple paths. Multiple path welding
drastically decreases the required laser power and
allows the use of more cost effective standard
laser systems. The developed intelligent optic
incorporates seam tracking, closed looped with
beam steering to adjust the laser beam to the
joint requirements of the respective path. It is
also easy to integrate into the robot cell.
Necessary steps will be identified to adapt the
intelligent optic to the requirements for
appropriate joint design, fixturing, weld cell
design for shipbuilding structures, and off-line
programming features needed for effective
integration into a large volume, non-standard
welding application. Visotek's laser welding
optics is a highly integrated product that fits on
almost every robot. If offers seam tracking
closed looped with beam steering, simplified
clamping, the possibility for on-line quality
monitoring and sophisticated interfaces that allow
the user to comply with high quality standards.
The intelligent integrated optic created in the
I-Low program will be an enabler to the use of
laser welding for shipbuilding and will lead other
equipment manufacturers that use thick section
materials to increasingly seek ways to expand the
use of lasers in the design of future products.
The construction, mining, power generation and
pipeline industries will be targeted for new
applications of lasers utilizing the developed
optic. In addition, expanded uses within the
automotive and the military and commercial
aerospace industries are also anticipated. This
open ended capability to serve a variety of fields
will create an opportunity to compile, document,
package and make available integrated laser
welding optics to countless non-competitive
industries. The total market volume is close to
$30 million annually.
|
WEBCORE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
591 Congress Park Drive
Dayton, OH 45459 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(937) 435-5034
Dr. Frederick Stoll
NAVY 02-049 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of Composite Watertight Doors and Hatches for Navy Ship |
| Abstract: | This Phase I SBIR project is intended to develop
lightweight, damage-tolerant and fire-resistant
watertight composite doors and hatches for Navy
ships. The salient features of the proposed door
design include novel TYCOR(TM) composite panel
with superior damage tolerance and fire-resistance
and integration of proven operating mechanisms.
Lightweight TYCOR composite panel utilizes a
patented fiber reinforced foam (FRF) core,
integrally stitched skin and special
fire-resistant phenolic foam and resin to provide
a superior combination of structural performance
and fire tolerance. The watertight composite door
will incorporate operating mechanisms, which have
been proven on existing doors, thus ensuring
reliable, trouble-free operation with reduced
maintenance.
The proposed door and hatch design is also
applicable to doors and other watertight
enclosures in military and commercial ships as
well as in boats and yachts. There are numerous
commercial applications of this technology in
marine, transportation, industrial and
construction.
|
RJ LEE GROUP, INC
350 Hochberg Road
Monroeville, PA 15146 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(724) 325-1776
Mr. Niels Thaulow
NAVY 02-050 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Predictive Durability Model for Life Extension of Naval Waterfront Concrete |
| Abstract: | Concrete durability and its impact on life-cycle
infrastructure costs and military readiness is a
major societal issue. This SBIR Phase I project
focuses on the development and demonstration of
the feasibility of key aspects of a plan for the
implementation of new concrete durability
software. Existing service-life prediction models
do not capture the complexity and severity of
marine exposure environments. The ultimate model
will account for the major mechanisms of
deterioration: corrosion, carbonation,
alkali-silica reaction, and external sulfate
attack, as well as porosity, transport properties,
and mix design. By its unique structure (designed
to take into account the occurrence of numerous,
potentially coupled, deterioration phenomena), and
its integration with state-of-the-art concrete
forensics technology, this new model will be
particularly well adapted to the prediction of the
performance of Naval waterfront concrete
structures. The model will also have an economic
impact analysis module to evaluate various repair
options and assess cost in life-cycle terms.
The key deliverable under the work in Phase I will
be the elaboration of the structure of this new
model. Additional deliverables include review of
existing Naval condition assessments and focused
forensic investigations. As a result, the Navy
will have specific modeling parameters to input
into existing durability software.
Annually, the toll paid for treatment or lost
service due to destructive corrosion or other
forms of concrete deterioration amounts to
billions of dollars. It is common for structures
to require costly repairs after only twenty years
in service. This is particularly problematic
considering that actual design service life
expectations for U.S. Navy structures are
extending to 100 years. The premature degradation
of concrete structures jeopardizes Naval
activities and therefore the readiness of the U.
S. Navy. This comprehensive modeling and
forensics approach will help the Navy and other
government agencies design structures for longer
service life and evaluate remediation strategies
with confidence and assured readiness. The new
durability software will also be useful to
designers of highways, bridges, water/waste
treatment facilities, parking structures,
commercial and residential buildings. It is
anticipated that successful commercialization of
this model and approach to condition assessment
will result in a new industry generating at least
a hundred millions dollars per year in condition
assessment and design revenues, and that it will
revolutionize the military and construction
industries' approach to procurement and
remediation.
|
TECHNOVA CORPORATION
1232 Mizzen Drive
Okemos, MI 48864 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(517) 485-9583
Dr. Habibur Chowdhury
NAVY 02-050 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Predictive Durability Model for Life Extension of Naval Waterfront Concrete |
| Abstract: | The ultimate goal of the proposed project is to
develop predictive durability models applicable to
design, maintenance/repair and life-cycle cost
analysis of concrete structures exposed to marine
environments. Watefront concrete facilities are
subject to a multitude of interacting damaging
phenomena, including corrosion of steel
reinforcement and deterioration of concrete under
a host of chemical and physical effects (sulfate
attack, aklai-silica reaction, salt
crystallization, delayed ettringite formation,
freeze-thaw, erosion, cation-exchange, etc.). The
proposed Phase I research will: (1) develop
theoretical principles and mechanistic models, in
the context of a time-step approach, for
deterioration of reinforced concrete in marine
environments, and identify pertinent system and
environmental parameters and quantifiable
manifestations of damage; (2) collect field data
to substatiate the limit states, and to assess the
means and statistical distributions of the random
variables built into the mechanistic models
defining damage in terms of system and
environmental parameters and time; (3) Employ the
models to conduct reliability analysis of
waterfront concrete structures in order to
validate and refine the approach using historic
data, and develop environmental models reflecting
on the severity of marine exposures; and (4)
transfer the predictive models and field data to
industry modeling committees. Technova
Corporation has formed a coalition with
Construction Technology Laboratories, W.R. Grace,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, UC
Berkeley (Dr. Monteiro), Virginia Tech (Dr.
Weyers) and Michigan State University (Dr.
Soroushian) to implement the proposed project and
transfer the outcomes to commercial markets.
Concrete structures (including waterfront concrete
facilities) form te backbone of our civilian and
military infrastructure; aging and deterioration
of these facilities represent a major burden on
our economy. Development of predictive models and
software systems for systematic consideration of
durability issues in design and maintenance/repair
of concrete structures would provide a rational
basis to control the life-cycle cost of concrete
facilities. The urgent need in this area has
prompted joint industry/government/university
activities, based on which new models and software
systems (e.g., LIFE 365 and ConcLife) are emerging
for durability analysis of concrete structures.
Our project will generate predictive durability
models and comprehensive field data to be
incorporated into these emerging software systems
in order to enhance their application to
waterfront concrete structures.
|
KNOWLEDGE BASED SYSTEMS, INC.
1408 University Drive East
College Station, TX 77840 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(979) 260-5274
Dr. Paul Koola
NAVY 02-051 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Wave Carpet |
| Abstract: | We propose to conceptualize and design a deep
offshore wave-power floating system "Wave Carpet"
that will
ú Have overall low life cycle cost due to
Integrated design,
ú Be rapidly deployable,
ú Be easier to maintain and have inherent
reliability by design,
ú And also ensure better steady power output
from the randomly fluctuating input wave power
source using built in energy storage and an
internal electric grid.
ú Independent of wave direction and ensures
better short crested sea performances.
ú Low power dynamically positioned device,
ú Non-corrosive maintenance free hull design,
ú Self-propulsion by advanced controls with
minimal tug power.
ú Use of device as a wave damper thereby sharing
the cost of power generated.
Once successful this concept will act as wave
dampers to protect crucial offshore structures,
aircraft carriers, MOB's etc. in addition to
providing power. This dual power and damping
nature of this device will make the cost of power
attractive even in today's lop-sided costing for
power from polluting sources. We also envision the
wave carpet to be used for recreational purposes
in the ocean like an ocean trampoline. The
multi-functional use of this device should trigger
private offshore firms and defense contractors to
take a look at this design. We intend to sell of
the design to those who want to mass-produce
them.
|
SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS & RESEARCH ASSOC., INC.
15261 Connector Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(714) 903-1000
Mr. Edward M. Patton
NAVY 02-051 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Dynamic Non-linear Interactions for Deep Water Wave Power Generation |
| Abstract: | We propose a better way to extract usable
electrical energy from deep water ocean waves,
using a taut synthetic single-point mooring and
keeping the generator below the surface,
relatively motionless, while a surface float
transmits the slow-moving high-magnitude wave
force to it. This stands in stark contrast to
shore-based or shallow water methods which are the
most successful to date, but are inherently
incompatible with rapid deployment or use in deep
water. By placing the generator below the ocean
surface and keeping it relatively motionless using
a single-point mooring with a taut synthetic line,
we can leverage inherent non-linearities in both
the structure of the mooring and the synthetic
mooring line material, tuning the dynamic response
and extracting maximum energy from the waves.
This concept lends itself especially well to
SARA's MHD OWEC approach as demonstrated under a
Phase I Navy SBIR last year, but can also be
adapted to any system where a surface float is
separated from a subsurface generator, with the
latter intended to remain motionless. The result
is both compact and highly deployable, and can be
moved easily from one place to another by pulling
up the single anchor. The proposed technology has
numerous commercial and military applications,
with the nearest term being provision of
electrical power to remote ocean and coastal
locations. In contrast to shore based or
permanently mounted systems, this new approach
offers the promise of rapid deployability in a
compact and moveable system, and could eventually
replace traditional fossil fueled portable
generators for remote ocean locations, or along
deep water shorelines.
|
PHYSICAL OPTICS CORPORATION
Electro-Optic & Holography Div, 20600 Gramercy Pl
Torrance, CA 90501 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 320-3088
Dr. Michael Piliavin
NAVY 02-052 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Material Properties Synthesis and Neural Network Based Property Prediction |
| Abstract: | Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to
develop a novel Neural Network Assisted Material
Property Prediction (NNAMPP) software. This
Windows-based software engine consists of modules
to calculate electrical conductivity, mechanical
properties, etc. Modularity will make it simple
and easy to upgrade this tool for predicting the
properties of materials before they are
synthesized. The proposed NNAMPP software engine
will consist of a kernel that will oversee the
tasks performed for each type of property, a
number of property analysis modules, each
performing a distinct function, and a neural
network select materials to synthesize that would
have desired properties. The neural network will
take the material properties as input, and work
backward to material composition and synthesis.
The NNAMPP engine will benefit the national
welfare by synthesizing and predicting material
properties of national importance such as flame
resistance, toughness, and even superconduction.
In Phase I we will develop and demonstrate a
preliminary feasibility prototype NNAMPP software
engine. Using the proposed NNAMPP, new materials
can be synthesized for submarine hulls and
spacecraft skins, superconductive cables, and
spacecraft or submarine windows. Stronger
materials will bring us lighter and stronger
automobiles, and apparel and pharmacological
synthesis can lead to new classes of medicines.
|
FASTVDO LLC
7150 Riverwood Dr.
Columbia, MD 21046 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 442-6063
Dr. Pankaj Topiwala
NAVY 02-053 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Characterize and Optimize ATR Performance for EO/IR Sensors |
| Abstract: | This project will research and develop novel
approaches to capture the edge information on
targets in EO/IR imagery, using new
decompositions. We will also develop innovative
function-theoretic measures of activity. Faster,
more robust target-processing of EO/IR imagery.
|
GENEX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
10605 Concord Street, #500
Kensington, MD 20895 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 962-6565
Dr. Jason Geng
NAVY 02-054 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A High Depth of Field Omnidirectional Video Camera With Selective High Resolution Imaging Capability |
| Abstract: | Although the current omnidirectional camera
technology possesses the advantage of having a
ultra-wide (hemispherical) field of view(FOV), the
image resolution for a given object in the
surrounding scene is lower than that acquired by a
standard video camera. Number of pixels on a
given video sensor is fixed. If the FOV is
larger, the number of pixels allocated to a given
size object will be inverse-proportionally
smaller, resulting in a lower pixel counts for the
object in the omnidirectional images.
Furthermore, the depth of field (or rather lack of
it) in the optical system design for the
omnidirectional camera is also an issue of
concern. Design methods that attempt to achieve
higher depth of field have always been a
compromise of the image sharpness in both the
close-up and the far-field distances.
The primary objective of this SBIR program is to
overcome the drawbacks of existing omnidirectional
video camera techniques, and to design and
demonstrate a novel omnidirectional video camera
concept, dubbed as the Super-OmniEye„, that is
able to provide both ultra-wide FOV of the dynamic
scene and selective high-resolution video images
for the object of interest (OOI). Furthermore,
the Super-OmniEye employs a special optical design
thus the high depth of field performance can be
achieved.
The commercial and military markets for the
technology to be developed under this SBIR are
obviously sizable. In military arena, the
proposed Super-OmniEye systems can be used in
battlefield visualization, remote manipulation in
hazardous environments, situational awareness,
surveillance and monitoring. Commercial
applications include surveillance and security
monitoring public and private facilities in US,
from airports, schools, universities, Government
facilities, corporations, and sport events.
|
VISION TECHNOLOGY,INC.
1808 Foxborough Ct.
Champaign, IL 61822 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(217) 398-0161
Mr. John Hart
NAVY 02-054 Selected for Award |
| Title: | High Depth-of-Field Panoramic Video Acquisition and Analysis of Dynamic Scenes |
| Abstract: | This project is aimed at investigating the
feasibility of the design of a family of versatile
new image sensors. A typical such sensor can (i)
have an infinite depth of field, (ii) provide a
panoramic images of up to 360-degree wide visual
fields, (iii) provide an estimate of the depth of
each visible point in the scene, (iv) preserve the
image resolution across the panoramic image, and
(v) image a dynamic scene, and (vi) offers a trade
off between cost and performance measured in terms
of the quality of focus (resolution of the depth
of field), reliability of depth estimates and the
width of the visual field. A progressive design
that will offer 5 such tradeoffs will be
investigated. Two designs add new capabilities to
a prototype developed under a previous SBIR award
and being commercialized by a major company. Two
additional designs examine the feasibility of a
new approach to further extend the capabilities.
The feasibility of the final design, which
provides all aforementioned capabilities in a
single system, is proposed as an option along with
the analysis of the acquired images for object
motion detection and estimation, and 3D modeling.
All proposed designs appear integrable and
commercially viable
Imaging pervades all walks of everyday life -
business, industry, education and homes alike.
Since the proposed new imaging technology will
introduce hitherto unavailable capabilities as
well as lead to significant strides in existing
capabilities, it is expected to have a major
commercial impact. Potential Commercial
Applications include: Surveillance of buildings,
compounds, homes and stores; Wide-scene studio
photography; Outdoor nature photography;
Endoscopic and neurosurgery; Television
broadcasting; 3D scene modeling; 3D object
modeling for computer aided manufacturing; Virtual
reality using omnifocused 3D display; Advertising;
Visual art; Monitoring of hazardous environments;
Visualization; Interactive video games.
|
NANONEX CORPORATION
7 FOULET DRIVE
PRINCETON, NJ 08540 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(609) 683-3973
Dr. Linshu Kong
NAVY 02-055 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Nanoimprint Lithography of Parallel Patterning of Nanoscale Magenetoelectronic Devices |
| Abstract: | The goal of the project is to develop nanoimprint
lithography based fabrication processes for
low-cost, parallel patterning of magnetic device
structures of a size below 50 nm feature size. In
particular, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and
reactive ion etching (RIE) of nanoscale rectangles
and hollow cylinders in insulators will be
studied. A variety of NIL masks will be fabricated
using electron-beam lithography and RIE. NIL
processes, resists and machines will be
investigated to make them suitable to meet the
particular needs of fabrication of
nanomagnetoelectronic devices. A variety of
reactive ion etching (RIE) recipes will be
explored to ensure the high-fidelity etching of
these nanoscale structures.
Several key technical personnel of Nanonex
Corporation are former post-docs and graduate
students of Prof. Chou of Princeton University's
group, and are experts in nanofabrication,
particularly NIL, RIE, and nanomagnetic
structures. Professor Chou will serve as a
consultant to the proposed project. The success of
the proposed project will present a significant
step forward in fabricating nanoscale
magneto-electronic devices. Such devices are
essential to many Navy and other military
hardwires. The fabrication technology can also
benefit other nanostructures needed in military
and civilian applications.
|
NVE CORP. (FORMERLY NONVOLATILE ELECTRONICS, INC.)
11409 Valley View Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(952) 829-9217
Mr. John M. Anderson
NAVY 02-055 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Ultra-scaleable Vertical Transport GMR Devices |
| Abstract: | This SBIR Phase I proposal, "Ultra-scaleable
Vertical Transport GMR Devices," addresses the
need for ultra-submicron Giantmagnetoresistive
(GMR) cells in high-density nonvolatile MRAM. The
Navy particularly displays need for this
technology in their vertical memory effort.
Issues that complicate submicron memory cells are
twofold. First, is the need to pattern magnetic
devices at, or below, the limits of projected
semiconductor processes. Second, and most
critical, is that at the dimensions required for
high-density MRAM, below 0.1 micron, thermal
instability and thermal dissipation cause
crippling failure rates. NVE proposes to resolve
these issues by building ultra-submicron cells
that take advantage of thermal dissipation. In
addition, the program will investigate parallel
processes to replace ebeam, which will become
critical in Phase II development and Phase III
production. Phase I technical objectives are (A)
design thermally assisted test cells; (B)
fabricate test cells using ebeam; (C) characterize
the cells for functionality and to profile the
process; and (D) outline a parallel fabrication
process that will be employed in the Phase II
development effort. The results of the Phase I
effort will demonstrate ultra-submicron memory
test cells and provide a path for prototype
production in Phase II. Vertical MRAM is
applicable in general ultra-dense, nonvolatile
random-access memory, "inaccessible"or
non-retrievable information storage applications,
and as a potential hard disk replacement. NVE
will benefit in the way of technology licensing
and applying the technology to niche memory
applications.
|
MEZZO SYSTEMS
LBTC, Rm d-102, South Stadium Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70803 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(225) 334-6394
Mr. Andrew B. McCandless
NAVY 02-056 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Packaging and Thermal Management for kW/cm2 Microwave Amplifiers |
| Abstract: | It is proposed to develop micro-jet cooling arrays
(MJCA) to obtain high heat flux density cooling
for microwave amplifiers. MJCA has advantages
over existing technologies both in terms of the
thermal load that it can remove and in terms of
maintaining the junction temperature at acceptable
levels. MJCA will be fabricated by the LIGA
technique. The Phase I effort will demonstrate
100x100 array of micro-jets with diameters in the
range of 100-400 microns. The Phase II effort
will involve fabrication of a complete cooling
cycle based on MJCA and testing of the developed
system in a high power density system.
Effective removal of waste heat from high power
devices has applications in a large variety of
military and commercial systems. The proposed
thermal management system promises to result in a
compact, low weight, and low cost heat removal
system that would meet the heat removal needs of
current and future generations of high power
systems.
|
MICROENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
2007 E. Fourth Plain Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(360) 694-3704
Dr. Reza Shekarriz
NAVY 02-056 Selected for Award |
| Title: | High Heat Flux Cooling Module Rosette for Power Amplifier Thermal Solution |
| Abstract: | MicroEnergy Technologies, Inc. (MicroET) proposes
to demonstrate the feasibility and the major
advantages of an innovative electronic cooling
system with substrate-integrated ceramic (e.g.,
SiC) microchannels in which a ceramic
nanoparticles suspension (i.e., SiC nanofluid
coolant) is driven using a unique pumping approach
to yield high intensity heat removal from the
substrate. The particular thermal management
system addresses the DoD requirements for cooling
of power electronics where it is to be compatible
with SiC and GaN based wide bandgap semiconductor
microwave amplifiers. The heat transfer within
the self-contained cooling module is high because
of two key reasons, namely, high surface area of
the microchannel surface geometry for efficient
heat rejection to the coolant and very high heat
transfer coefficients induced by the SiC nanofluid
coolant. Combining these two effects is expected
to produce heat rejection rates significantly
higher than 1000 W/cm2 from the surface of the
substrate to be cooled with pumping pressure drops
of less than 1000 Pa (or less than 10 mW/cm2 of
substrate surface area pumping power requirements)
. In the proposed phase I work we intend to
demonstrate a specific application of nanofluids
where the morphology of the particles and the
rheology of the mixture have major impact on the
system performance. Based on our collective
experience in thermal systems miniaturization, we
believe SiC nanoparticles suspensions can be
tailored to provide a unique opportunity for
thermal management and enhanced heat transfer
rates in high heat flux heat sinks and heat
exchangers. The rosette microchannel arrangement
and the particular method by which the fluid is
pumped through the microchannels give rise to very
low pumping power requirements while increasing
the substrate surface temperature uniformity. The
final product, high heat flux cooling module
rosette, in addition to application in defense
technologies, will have a significant commercial
value to a broader industry, including the
aerospace and space electronics manufacturers.
Efficient distributed cooling will reduce the risk
of system failure, increase system throughput, and
reduce the complexity, size, and weight of the
system.
|
ULTRAMET
12173 Montague Street
Pacoima, CA 91331 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(818) 899-0236
Dr. Arthur J. Fortini
NAVY 02-056 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Lightweight, Low-Cost, High-Performance Heat Sink for High-Power Electronics |
| Abstract: | A key design limitation of many current electronic
systems is heat rejection. As microchips become
ever more densely packed with greater quantities
of components, the amount of heat generated per
unit area likewise increases rapidly. As the
junction temperatures within an electronic
component increase, the reliability and useful
lifetime of the device decrease rapidly, even
silicon carbide (SiC) components. In this
project, Ultramet proposes to model and fabricate
a lightweight, low-cost, high-performance heat
sink for actively cooled high-power SiC-based
electronics. This new heat sink will utilize
open-cell silicon carbide foam as its key
component, which will act as a high thermal
conductivity, high surface area cooling fin.
Because silicon carbide has a higher thermal
conductivity per unit weight than copper, and
because the foam will have a useful surface area
an order of magnitude greater than typical
aluminum fin devices, the proposed device will
greatly outperform the current devices and
simultaneously provide a substantial weight
savings. The perfect thermal expansion match
between the advanced SiC-based electronic
components and the heat sink will greatly simplify
design issues. Ultramet will not only fabricate
and test a SiC foam cold plate, but also model its
performance at a fundamental engineering level.
Commercial applications for advanced heat sinks
for electronic components include military radar,
military, civil, and commercial satellites, manned
and unmanned spacecraft, military and commercial
aircraft, and mainframe and even personal
computers, to name just a few. With the rapid
growth of the electronics industry and the
ever-increasing power density of integrated
circuits, the need for advanced electronic heat
sinks will only increase.
|
NAVSYS CORPORATION
14960 Woodcarver Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80921 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(719) 481-4877
Mr. Daniel Sullivan
NAVY 02-057 Selected for Award |
| Title: | All-Weather Landmark Identification, Correlation, Geolocation, and Inertial Measurement Unit |
| Abstract: | Under this proposed SBIR effort, NAVSYS will
develop an integrated video and inertial sensor
system design, capable of being used to provide a
back-up navigation capability for a UAV in the
event of GPS jamming. The system will be able to
automatically perform landmark identification and
tracking from the video imagery. The location of
these landmarks extracted from the video imagery
will be applied as video updates (VUPTs) to the
on-board inertial navigation solution to reset the
navigation error drift from the inertial sensors.
Under the Phase I project, the video/navigation
system operation will be prototyped and tested
using a flight test data collected through a CRADA
with the Air Force Academy. The design will
heavily leverage our previous activities
developing a video/inertial precision targeting
system and also low cost GPS/inertial UAV
avionics. In Phase I a design will be developed
for a low cost, miniature video/inertial sensor
and gimbal payload, to be built under the Phase II
project, that will be suitable for installation on
a small UAV.
Market opportunities for this product exist for
manned and unmanned aircraft guidance, unmanned
ground vehicle guidance, in-building or
underground navigation, and also to provide a
video tracking capability for instrumenting flight
tests. The video/navigation technology provides a
robust navigation capability during periods where
GPS is unavailable and can also provide precision
target coordinates extracted from the sensor data.
|
OPTO-KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS, INC. (OKSI)
4030 Spencer St, Suite 108
Torrance, CA 90503 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 371-4445
Dr. Nahum Gat
NAVY 02-057 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Video-based autonomous navigation |
| Abstract: | As a part of a precision agriculture project OKSI
operates a suite of remote sensing sensors
including multi-, hyperspectral, thermal IR, and a
color video, from a Cessna aircraft. In order to
properly register and georeference the imagery
OKSI has developed algorithmic tools for image
registration to a landmark reference (e.g.,
satellite) image, and for platform attitude (roll
pitch and yaw extraction). These tools can also
address differences in brightness or illumination
and seasonal changes in the scene.
In Phase-I we will use our sensors to acquire
flight data under various environment conditions
including day/night and different terrain types.
We will use satellite imagery from OKSI's archives
to test the robustness of the algorithms in image
georegistration, and platform attitude
determination. A miniaturized low cost flight
sensor package will then be designed for use on
board a UAV down to the size of SWARM.
The experience gained in recent years through
OKSI's precision agriculture project will be used
to develop "autonomous video based navigation
system" for use under denial of GPS conditions.
Similarly, enhancements in the technology will be
used by OKSI to further its remote sensing in
precision farming business opportunities.
|
ACULIGHT CORPORATION
11805 North Creek Parkway S., Suite 113
Bothell, WA 98011 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(425) 482-1100
Dr. Mark S. Bowers
NAVY 02-058 Selected for Award |
| Title: | High Energy, Modular, Long Pulse Laser |
| Abstract: | The Advanced Integrated Warfare System (AIEWS)
will require a high-energy, long-pulse laser that
emits wavelengths in the visible to near infrared
for optical countermeasures of anti-ship missiles.
To meet this future Navy need, Aculight
Corporation proposes an affordable and modular
diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser that is
frequency converted to the visible and near
infrared. This modular approach provides the
required pulse energy and temporal pulse width by
beam combination of multiple,
moderate-pulse-energy laser modules. This concept
allows for nearly complete coverage in the 425-800
nm wavelength range. The output spectrum can be
tailored over this entire wavelength range, making
counter-countermeasures on the threat impractical.
In the Phase I, analysis and breadboard
experiments will be performed to demonstrate the
feasibility of the modular laser concept. Results
from the Phase I will be used in the option task
to design the laser modules that will be built in
the Phase II. The proposed affordable,
diode-pumped, solid-state laser module has
commercial applications in a variety of material
processing applications.
|
LIGHT AGE INCORPORATED
2 Riverview Drive
Somerset, NJ 08873 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(732) 563-0600
Dr. Bruce Boczar
NAVY 02-058 Selected for Award |
| Title: | High Energy, Long Pulse Laser (Multispectral line long pulse solid state laser) |
| Abstract: | The objective of the proposed effort is to
demonstrate feasibility for a high power
multi-wavelength long pulse (0.5-10 microsecond)
visible to near IR laser system. The system will
provide high power output simultaneously at
multiple wavelengths suitable for countermeasure
applications. The output will be nearly
impossible to filter because it will be more than
three wavelengths simultaneously and at high
power. The underlying technology could also be
tailored in the future to provide on-the-fly
dynamic wavelength changes.
The proposed a solid state system has an
alexandrite laser to deliver a few Joules output
at 750 nm. A proprietary Raman converter
generates 1 micron light (Stokes) and other
visible (anti-Stokes) wavelengths. The Stokes
output is frequency doubled to provide high power
green/yellow outputs at about 560 nm.
This program integrates three proprietary
technologies that Light Age has utilized in its
custom commercial laser sources: high energy
alexandrite laser output; pulse stretching to
produce hard to reach 0.5 to 5 ms pulse durations;
and high power Raman converters. Elements of the
system and the basic technology developed herein
will address diverse commercial needs having
specific application to certain state of the art
medical procedures.
The technology that will be developed under this
program will be very important to a number of
commercial fields today and in the future. It is
particularly important to certain medical
applications. Given our approach to addressing
the stated need, we will develop a long pulse
duration multi wavelength solid state laser (SSL)
technology. Today there are a variety of very
good tunable SSL sources but they unfortunately
are limited to pulse durations in the sub-20 ns
temporal regime. There are several medical
applications that require significant peak and
average powers delivered endoscopically in order
to be efficacious. However, nanosecond class
lasers with high pulse energies can not be easily
coupled to small optical fibers and endoscopes.
Applications in cardiology, thrombolysis,
ophthalmology, lithotripsy and cancer diagnostics
would benefit from this technology. In addition,
a high pulse energy, long pulse, three color laser
would find use the field of three color
holography. Recently Light Age has also played a
role in making a laser for the fabrication of
carbon nanotubes. Single walled nanotubes, which
are an integral part of new hydrogen fuel cells
under development, fabrication can be better
controlled using a adjustable pulse width using
Light Age pulse stretched alexandrite laser with
pulses 0.5 ms to 5 ms. This field although in its
infancy and impossible to predict a market may
lead to many technological breakthroughs.
|
WEBB RESEARCH CORPORATION
82 Technology Park Drive
East Falmouth, MA 02536 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(508) 548-2077
Mr. Douglas C. Webb
NAVY 02-059 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A New, Autonomous, Current, Temperature and Salinity Profiler for Storm Conditions |
| Abstract: | A new instrument, capable of measuring repeated
profiles of ocean currents during hurricanes and
severe storms, is proposed. Our understanding of
ocean and atmosphere dynamics during severe storms
is handicapped in part by a lack of instruments
and deployment techniques suitable for this severe
environment. The joining of two proven
technologies is described. Horizontal velocity of
seawater can be determined by measurement of
electric currents induced in the water as it moves
through the earth's magnetic field. We propose to
integrate this proven sensor technology with a
mature autonomous ocean profiling instrument, the
APEX (Autonomous Profiling Explorer), of which
over 400 units have been built. The APEX vehicle
can be deployed before or during a storm, from
ships or C130 aircraft. APEX is certified by US
DOD for deployment from C130 aircraft, and has
been deployed by this method in the Atlantic Ocean
and Red, Japan, Mediterranean, and South China
seas. The technology is also applicable to
numerous other ocean measurement programs and the
platform design is suitable for additional sensor
systems.
Improved understanding of storm dynamics will
benefit storm forecasters, Naval and commercial
ship operations, coastal communities and the
insurance and offshore petroleum industry. Navy
operational environmental assessment, using input
from a covert platform, could be enhanced.
The instrument would perform several hundred
vertical cycles, measuring subsurface horizontal
velocity, and temperature-salinity profiles.
Bi-directional data telemetry via satellite, and
GPS locations, occur during brief surface
intervals. The vehicle spends most of its life
below the surface, safe from wave damage.
Improved understanding of storm dynamics will
benefit storm forecasters, naval and commercial
ship operations, coastal communities and the
insurance and offshore petroleum industry. Navy
operational environmental assessment, using input
from covert platforms, could be enhanced.
The instrument can be programmed for a very wide
range of applications other than storm conditions
and could become a useful addition to the
inventory of tools of many oceanographers. More
sensors are likely to be added and the utility of
autonomous profilers, already in widespread use,
could be further enhanced.
Measurement of currents and other environmental
variables in inaccessible sites is made possible.
The inaccessibility may be due to ice cover or
uncooperative territorial situations.
|
FOSTER-MILLER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
431 New Karner Road
Albany, NY 12205 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(518) 456-9919
Dr. Hsiang Ming Chen
NAVY 02-060 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Compact, High Density Energy Storage Devices |
| Abstract: | A reliable bearing system is key to the success of
any flywheel energy storage system. The
bearings must consume little power and provide
proper stiffness and damping properties so that
the rotor can achieve stable high-speed operation
without critical speed or resonance problems.
Development of an innovative all-active magnetic
suspension system is proposed for retrofit and
proof-of-concept testing in an existing flywheel
energy storage system. The improvements
offered by this suspension system include more
damping to avoid structural resonance as well as
lower power loss and wear. Longer service life
and the potential for higher speeds and more
power are additional benefits. Phase II will
refine and further test flywheels with the new
suspension system, and address additional
system-level requirements, including packaging to
reduce overall system size and weight. The end
result will be a flywheel energy storage system
that meets or exceeds the goals of 50 kW over 10
sec in a compact, energy dense package. This
system will provide the Navy with a proven means
of adapting commercially available energy
storage technology for its unique and often
low-volume needs.
From powering orbiting satellites during their
traverse of the earth's shadow to accelerating
cars
and buses, there is a ubiquitous need for
efficient storage of electrical energy for rapid
on-demand
delivery. A high-speed flywheel energy storage
system is one of the most promising technologies
to meet this need. The Navy has many similar
applications that range from launching aircraft to
powering swimmer delivery vehicles. In addition
to marine applications, the aerospace and
land-based power quality markets hold significant
commercial potential for a reliable, compact,
high-density energy storage device.
|
GINER, INC.
89 Rumford Avenue
Newton, MA 02466 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 529-0520
Dr. Badawi Dweik
NAVY 02-060 Selected for Award |
| Title: | High Performance, Lower Cost Electrochemical Capacitors for the Navy's Deployable, Long-Endurance Acoustic Source Device Application |
| Abstract: | Electrochemical Capacitors (EC) with low cost,
high performance and low equivalent series
resistance (ESR) are needed to develop a wide
range of military, space, and industrial
applications.
The primary objective of this project is to
develop a high energy density, high power density,
all-solid polymer electrolyte EC stack whose ESR
and cost are substantially reduced. Innovative
low-cost highly conductive solid electrolyte
membrane and electrode materials will be utilized
in order to reduce the cost and the ESR of the EC.
The specific innovative concept is the development
of a repeating capacitor element, based on the use
of a highly conductive metal oxide particulate,
unitized with a low-cost, low-resistance, highly
conductive thin proton-exchange membrane
electrolyte, to provide a high-energy-density,
high-power-density EC device. This innovation is
based on Giner, Inc.'s extensive knowledge in
electrode materials and solid polymer electrolyte
processing. This proposed EC stack, which targets
the Navy's application for a deployable,
long-endurance acoustic source represent more than
a 60% volume and weight reduction compared to the
current state of the art ultracapacitor
technology. The advantages of the proposed EC
design includes long life, small size, high power
density, and the extension to be used in many
other applications.
The EC to be developed during the proposed
program may be used in a number of different
applications, particularly those that require
short-duration, high-energy-density,
high-power-density devices. Potential adopters
include the Navy (active sonar pulses and burst
speed power for surface and submerged vehicles),
the Army (electric guns and kineticenergy
weapons), industry (electric vehicle and load
leveling), and space applications (power
conditioning systems and components for space
missions).
|
SCHAFER CORPORATION
321 Billerica Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(925) 447-0555
Mr. John Mead
NAVY 02-060 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Super-capacitor Energy Storage System for Compact High Power Applications |
| Abstract: | Ocellus Technologies has developed an integrated
approach for the application of double-layer
capacitors. Starting with the application's power
and energy specifications and using its novel
conformal electrode design, Ocellus will develop a
complete integrated energy storage systems
optimized for the given sonar application's weight
and volume constraints. Integration issues such
as power conversion and system protection are
addressed during the packaging and capacitor
design process.
Ocellus Technologies uses nano-scale carbon foams
that have a continuous porosity and a very high
surface area per volume making them ideal for
double-layer capacitor designs. These nano-scale
foams can be extruded, formed and shaped to
produce conformal electrode designs to meet a
variety of volume and environmental constraints.
They are manufactured using processes that achieve
greater efficiency, lower cost and additional
utility.
Under this Phase I proposal a conformal electrode
design optimized for an organic electrolyte will
be constructed and tested. The electrode will be
designed to scale into a prototype energy storage
system for a 50kW, 10 second pulse Low Frequency
Acoustic Source application. The project will
address integration issues related to double-layer
capacitor applications specifically looking at
mechanical packaging designs, power conversion
options, and voltage balancing of cell stacks.
There are several needs for short-duration,
high-power energy storage devices in such
applications as hybrid electrical vehicles, active
sonar, power-quality ride through, and
load-leveling in fuel cells and micro-turbines.
By combining low power energy sources with these
high power energy storage systems, reductions can
be made in cost, overall weight, and volume within
the complete system and performance improvements
can be made in duty cycle and cycle life. The
integrated design approach developed under Phase I
of this proposal is scaleable to meet energy needs
ranging from small energy applications such as
smart munitions to large power applications such
as sonar pulsing.
|
ARTIUM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
150 West Iowa Avenue, Suite 101
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(408) 737-2364
Dr. William D. Bachalo
NAVY 02-061 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of an airborne integrated phase Doppler interferometer/imaging probe for accurate cloud droplet size distribution measurement |
| Abstract: | This Phase I SBIR proposal seeks to investigate
the feasibility of developing an
optical probe based on phase Doppler
interferometry (PDI) for reliable and accurate
measruement of the cloud droplet size distribution
from airbonre platforms. The key
features of this device are high accuracy and
precision droplet sizing, large dynamic
range, accurate concentration measurement
throughout the entire instrument dynamic range,
very low coincidence errors, and large counting
volume. The other key featues of the
proposed instrument are: low cost, low power
consumption, compactness, and real-time data
monitoring and transmission to ground-based
facilities. Additionally, we propose to
also investigate the feasibility of simultaneous
(in the same view volume) discrimination
of ice crystals from water drops, and subsequent
imaging of these particles. The
integration of the imaging probe with a
phase-Doppler system will permit measurement
of both spherical and non-spherical particles.
This instrument package represents
a significant improvement over past cloud droplet
measurement devices, and thereby
directly addresses the need for atmospheric
instruments/sensors that the Navy has
identified in topic N02-61 of the FY2002 SBIR
solicitation. Clouds are a very important
component of the climate system because of their
effects on longwave and shortwave radiation,
atmospheric heat, moisture, and
mass transport, precipitation, and atmospheric
chemistry. Clouds and feedback
mechanisms associated with them are widely
acknowledged as one of the key
uncertainties in understanding climate and future
climate prediction. A thorough
understanding of clouds is also critical for
weather prediction. Quantitative
precipitation forecasting is one of the primary
focus areas for the US Weather
Research Program. The development of a suitable
cloud probe will therefore have
immense scientific value.
Besides clouds, there are wide ranges of
applications for an instrument that can
characterize sprays and droplet fields over a wide
size range. The immediate goal
of producing a probe for measuring icing clouds
and other cloud drop size
distributions has a limited but adequate market
potential. The obsolescence of the
PMS probes has left a market opportunity for new
probes based on advanced technology.
There are also significant applications requiring
an imaging probe for process
evaluation and control. For example, in spray
drying, the usual light scattering
methods fail because the drops are not transparent
or homogeneous. In such cases,
an imaging system is the best method to use since
it is not affected by the
peculiarities of the droplet material. Another
area deals with research in fire
suppression systems used in commercial buildings.
A system is needed to characterize
sprays from sprinklers and to help develop these
systems. No system exists for these
applications whereas the number of spray drying
processes including food processing,
drug manufacturing, and other industrial processes
is enormous. One of the complaints
about the PDI method is that it cannot cover the
entire drop size range in many sprays
and that the larger nonspherical drops can produce
significant measurement error.
|
MSP CORPORATION
1313 Fifth St., SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(612) 379-3963
Dr. William Dick
NAVY 02-061 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Single-Particle, Angular Light-Scattering Apparatus for Aircraft Sampling |
| Abstract: | The objective of MSP's three-phase SBIR program is
to design and build a state-of-the-art Multi-Angle
Light-Scattering Spectrometer integrated with a
high performance inlet and sampling system for
accurate in-flight particle monitoring. The
system would be kept small in physical size by the
use of solid-state lasers and photo-detectors. By
combining the compact Aerosol Size Spectrometer
with a state-of-the-art inlet and sampling inlet,
a small aircraft sampling system with superior
performance can be obtained. In the Phase I
project, several design alternatives will be
investigated, and several novel features will be
demonstrated experimentally. In Phase II, we will
build a working instrument, based on the best
design options elucidated in Phase I. In further
Phase III work, commercial instruments will be
made available for aircraft sampling and other
applications. The aircraft sampling system would
substantially increase the ability of the aerosol
research community to contribute to questions of
national defense and global climate change. In
addition, the resulting aerosol spectrometer would
assist civil authorities with their anti-terrorism
response planning and could also be used for
industrial hygiene monitoring.
|
SEQUOIA SCIENTIFIC, INC.
Westpark Technical Center, 15317, NE 90th St.
Redmond, WA 98052 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(425) 867-2464
Dr. Yogesh Agrawal
NAVY 02-061 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Four Dimensional (4-D) Atmospheric Instrumentation |
| Abstract: | We are proposing an airborne version of our
LISST-series laser diffraction particle sensors
for measuring cloud droplet properties. The
instrument will be configured as an aircraft borne
device, though an ultra-low weight version for
balloon-sonde applications is also possible. The
device measures concentration in 32 log-spaced
size classes. It will be self-contained, with
laser and electronics enclosed in a single
package, to be mounted below an aircraft wing. The
size-range of interest is 1.2-250 microns. The
concentration range of interest is from 0.1-1000
micro-liter of water/meter^3 of air. The principal
task of this proposal is to advance the achievable
sensitivity of the laser diffraction device. A
laboratory set up is to be constructed. The device
is needed as a lower-cost alternative to present
day sensors that are used for research on cloud
dynamics .
|
PRAXIS, INCORPORATED
2200 Mill Road, 5th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 837-8400
Mr. R. Jack Chapman
NAVY 02-062 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Ocean Data Telemetry Microsat Link |
| Abstract: | Current communications relay satellite systems do
not meet validated needs for global ocean
observing system data collections. A complete
system architecture, including the network for
providing access between the data providers and
users, and the system for managing the data
generated in both real-time and delayed-mode, has
yet to be developed. Global ocean observing system
data collections require a low-cost, robust
solution using bi-directional delay-tolerant
messaging capable of providing internet-like
services. The proposed work would enable a robust,
cost-effective two-way (space-to-ground and
ground-to-space) communication relay system with
significant increases in collected data from
autonomous platforms. Primary is a two-way
delay-tolerant messaging capability providing
internet-like services on a global basis. Enablers
include increased signal-to-noise at the satellite
via coding, a bi-directional software radio, and a
store-and-forward overlay network used in a manner
similar to e-mail. The proposed microsatellite
architecture will allow evolution and expansion
for future sensors, and it decouples autonomous
platforms from future space segment system
upgrades. The system could be deployed as a mix of
stand-alone microsatellites and secondary payloads
aboard host space vehicles. The work proposed in
this SBIR is the first step toward the development
of a cost-effective space-qualified Communications
Relay Payload to meet the DoD and Civil Sector
needs for a real-time Integrated Ocean Observing
System. Key government agencies that can further
benefit from the commercialization of the
communications relay and microsatellite technology
concepts include: DoD laboratories, research
organizations, and program offices that are
developing next-generation sensor and
network-centric systems; DoD organizations that
are deploying sensors in rugged environments and
remote locations, including portable or mobile
applications; and DoD and government agencies that
are deploying sensor networks for applications
such as environmental monitoring, surveillance,
security, machine monitoring, and battlefield
awareness.
|
WAVIX, INCORPORATED
8100 Professional Place, Suite 205
Landover, MD 20785 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 459-6682
Dr. Jeffrey N. Shaumeyer
NAVY 02-062 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Ocean Data Telemetry Microsat Link |
| Abstract: | Despite careful planning, one extremely critical
aspect of oceanographic data collection has been
neglected. Although it is now possible to deploy
thousands of oceanographic data collection
platforms that can collect prodigious amounts of
data for relatively little money, there is no
practical, timely way to get all that data from
those remote platforms to researchers. The
oceanography community has tacitly assumed that by
the time they needed satellite communications for
their data collection programs, a number of
commercial systems would be in place to choose
from. The fallacy of that assumption is suddenly
very clear with the bankruptcy of nearly every
satellite communication company that made it so
far as having satellites in orbit.
This proposal lays out the first phase of a plan
for the concept, design, and development of a
satellite communication system that is
specifically targeted to the needs of the
oceanographic community. In this phase we propose
to update our awareness of the needs of the
oceanographic community, develop a current set of
system requirements, and with that input, develop
an end-to-end satellite communication system
concept. This concept will comprise the proposed
constellation, satellite hardware subsystems,
communications protocols, ground systems
infrastructure, and ocean platform hardware. The
size of the market for oceanographic data
retrieval is relatively small, with potential
users counted in thousands. This is the main
reason there are no satellite systems that fully
address the needs of this market. Wavix has
developed a business plan that allows us to
profitably serve this niche market at very
affordable prices. There are other niche markets
that such a system can serve that, when
aggregated, become a significant opportunity.
There is a high demand world-wide for inexpensive
data transmission services. By dropping the price
for such services many new markets will begin to
open such as providing inexpensive e-mail and data
services on ships for crew and passengers and
Arctic, Antarctic, and other remote locations of
scientific research. A satellite system designed
to serve oceanographic research can easily
accommodate these additional niche markets.
|
FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
350 Second Ave.
Waltham, MA 02451 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 684-4188
Dr. Patrick Henning
NAVY 02-063 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Innovative Lubricant Quality Monitoring Using Optical Computing |
| Abstract: | As a leader in sensor development for online oil
condition based maintenance, Foster-Miller is
pleased to respond to the Office of Naval
Research's call for a low cost online lubricant
condition sensor system. We presently have one of
the few demonstrated capabilities for online oil
monitoring with our commercially available Oil
Condition Monitor (OCM). We developed this
unique, "wedge" spectrometer since filter-based IR
systems have limited ability to do comprehensive
analysis in a simple package. For this proposed
effort, Foster-Miller proposes to use emerging
innovations in the field of optical computing to
develop a lower cost sensor which can provide
comprehensive oil analysis online. The proposed
sensor will have the ability to convolute a
multitude of lubricant properties simultaneously
and provide an instant measure of overall
lubricant quality. The successful demonstration of
this innovative approach to oil condition
monitoring will result in a small, robust,
low-cost system which will significantly expand
the application platforms for continuous online
monitoring. (P-020172)
A sensor which can monitor the status of several
condition properties simultaneously but which is
at the same time small, robust, and low-cost is a
continuing challenge. Optical computing provides
the potential to break the trade-off cycle between
more information and larger size and cost of
instrumentation. Such a sensor would have broad
application in military and industrial lubricant
monitoring arenas, and significantly accelerate
condition-based maintenance program proliferation
in both sectors.
|
IMPACT TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
125 Tech Park Drive
Rochester, NY 14623 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(814) 861-6273
Mr. Carl Byington
NAVY 02-063 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Broadband Impedance Spectroscopy Sensor for Real-time In-situ Analysis of Fluid System Health |
| Abstract: | Impact Technologies LLC, in collaboration with the
Penn State Applied Research Laboratory, proposes
to develop and demonstrate a fluid quality
monitoring system based upon broadband impedance
spectroscopy. The approach described herein
includes prototype sensor design, signal
processing, electrochemical property evaluation,
and oil quality feature analysis combined with
automated reasoning and prediction algorithms.
Oil quality measurements are based on additive
depletion, oxidation, thermal breakdown, or other
physical/chemical properties changes. Research
indicates that these changes are detectable
through the analysis of the oil's bulk response to
a broadband alternating current input. Preserving
the phase and amplitude of the response and
identifying specific features allows the
classification of oil properties and relative
changes. The automated reasoning will be designed
to identify viscosity, water content, acid number,
and additive package changes as well as predict
the future values based upon a rate of
degradation. This proposed sensing system will
significantly improve the state of on-line oil
analysis by providing inexpensive, robust
measurements of oil quality parameters. With the
integration of this sensor-diagnostic package to
monitor the condition of fuels, lubricants,
coolants, and hydraulic fluids into to condition
monitoring systems there exists great potential to
increase readiness, reliability, and mission
assurance for platform machinery systems.
The oil quality monitoring system will be
developed using laboratory test stand evaluations
described in the facilities section of the
proposal. A commercially available, laboratory
grade instrument will be used to validate and
verify the oil quality parameters predicted by the
system. A demonstration of the prototype hardware
will be presented at the end of Phase I. Plans
for the evaluation of subsequent Phase II
prototypes on a variety of potential test
platforms are also provided within the proposal.
The proposed oil sensor system could be
implemented in a wide range of military as well as
commercial applications in the propulsion, prime
mover and power transmission arena. Within the
DoD, land vehicles, shipboard systems and aircraft
could benefit from improved in-situ sensing of
fluid properties and degradations. The developed
technologies could also be applied to commercial
land and water vehicle drive systems, industrial
actuation systems, fluid power transmissions, and
robotic applications.
By providing an on-line assessment of fluid
condition, health management systems will be able
to provide better inferences on a platform's
ability to complete a mission. More accurate
predictions of current and future state can also
reduce costly inspection routines and premature
replacements by using a risk-based, maintenance
optimization technique (Condition-based
Maintenance, CBM). The end benefits of the CBM
and integrated health management approach is a
reduction of total ownership costs, increased
readiness, and improved safety.
|
PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC.
20 New England Business Center
Andover, MA 01810 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 689-0003
Dr. Michael A. White
NAVY 02-063 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Novel Methods for Real-time in situ Analysis of Lubricants, Coolants, Hydraulic Fluids, and Fuels for Condition Based Maintenance |
| Abstract: | A novel three-stage optical multi-sensor for
condition monitoring of working fluids is
proposed. This device combines several detection
modalities developed by Physical Sciences Inc.
into a compact, powerful tool for acquiring
quantitative information on the status of a fluid.
The proposed device will measure particulate
contamination concentration and morphology,
including information on the particulate size,
shape and iron content. Simultaneously, spectral
features of the fluids, contaminants, and
additives will be measured using proven laser
absorption spectroscopy techniques. The resulting
multi-sensor will provide a robust and reliable
monitoring system to be installed in-line with
fluid flow systems to provide a detailed look into
the "blood chemistry" of machines. This system
will allow real-time monitoring and alarm based on
each species of contaminant as well as a combined
diagnosis of the probability of failure and
performance degradation. If the proposed project
succeeds through Phases I, II, and III, then a
robust new technology will be available to the
military for facilitating the detection of
particulate and dissolved chemicals in working
fluids. While the current proposal is aimed at
the expressed Navy need in reference to
condition-based maintenance, it is likely that
this technology will find widespread application
to non-military mechanical systems as well.
Industrial producers may utilize the techniques
described to automate refinery operations, and the
techniques may find applications that cannot yet
be envisioned. These applications could include
virtually any liquid process where low-probability
mechanical failure constitutes a serious problem.
|
FERRO SOLUTIONS
204 Norfolk Street
Cambridge, MA 02139 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 838-8298
Mr. Jiankang Huang
NAVY 02-064 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A Novel Vibration Energy Scavenging (VES) System |
| Abstract: | Ferro Solutions proposes to develop a novel
Vibration Energy Scavenging System (VES) for naval
applications. The technology behind the proposed
VES takes advantages of our novel
high-sensitivity, passive magnetic electroactive
sensors (PME).
. This vibration energy scavenging system will
have the advantages of high-output voltage;
efficiently work to varying vibration condition
and easy implementation for a variety of output
requirement.
The development and engineering of relaxor
piezoelectric single crystals and magnetostrictive
materials make it possible to provide low-cost,
and high-sensitivity, passive magnetic
electroactive sensors (PME). The sensor is the
core of the vibration energy scavenging system.
There has been much demand in recent years for
energy scavenging systems for wireless sensor
networks. These wireless sensor networks include
detection of cracks, corrosion, and impact damage
to buildings, bridges, underground structures,
ships, submarines, aircrafts and engines. It is
imperative that the energy source last the
lifetime of the sensors they power.
|
FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
350 Second Ave.
Waltham, MA 02451 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 684-4188
Dr. Patrick Henning
NAVY 02-064 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Energy Scavenging Resonator for Wireless Sensor Networks |
| Abstract: | Foster-Miller proposes to develop a novel
self-optimizing energy scavenging device for
condition-based maintenance applications
specifically targeted to engine condition
monitoring sensors. The device will be able to
generate up to 10 mW of DC power for online
sensors and wireless CBM network nodes in the
vicinity of a diesel engine. The device will
scavenge energy from the intrinsic vibrations in
the engine and have the ability to tune itself for
optimal power output at any engine speed. A novel
electrical generator based on a mechanical
resonator will be developed that produces power
via electromagnetic induction. Initial
calculations show that a 10 mW generator can be
built within a 2.5 2.5 0.5 cm3
enclosure. Additional space of comparable size is
required for up to 10 J of energy storage and
power conditioning electronics. The phase I
program will investigate the vibration spectrum of
diesel engines and design the resonator system to
exploit existing vibration energy sources with a
goal of producing 5 mW of DC power and store 5 J.
Phase II will expand the development of the energy
scavenger, upgrade the design to produce 10 mW and
develop the processes necessary for limited
manufacture and field testing. (P-020234)
The proposed energy scavenging system will enable
autonomous operation of engine condition-based
monitoring and data transmission systems and
reduce the complexity of under-hood power
distribution. The energy scavenging system will
also enable higher reliability and redundancy by
distributing power generation sources to provide
engine monitoring capability in the event of
electrical system failure.
|
RLW, INC.
1346 South Atherton Street
State College, PA 16801 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(434) 975-2210
Ms. Susan E. George
NAVY 02-064 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Advanced Energy Scavenging System for Condition-Based Maintenance |
| Abstract: | RLW and Rockwell Automation propose to develop and
demonstrate an adaptable, power scavenging device
able to generate a minimum of 5mW of power and
store 5J of energy. All viable energy sources and
transduction methodologies for the CBM environment
will be evaluated. Three will be built to scavenge
mechanical energy using piezo-electric technology,
mechanical energy using magnet and coil
generation, and visible light using photovoltaic
cells. The device will adapt to diverse energy
sources and operating conditions and be scaleable
to larger power and energy levels. Demonstration
will occur in the Phase I Option period to explore
the limits of power generation potential as a
function of operating environment. A substantial
portion of the effort will go toward establishing
viable application scenarios for the application
of CBM2 using self-powered wireless smart sensors
and the results of analyzing those scenarios will
inform the design and scaling concepts. CBM2
enabled by truly wireless smart sensors has
extensive applicability to all branches of the
services and all industries. RLW envisions broad
commercial appeal when the technology proposed
matures into product matched with our ongoing
smart wireless sensor development.
|
AZTEX, INC.
360 Second Avenue
Waltham, MA 02451 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 622-5506
Ms. Constance Magee
NAVY 02-065 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Metal Truss X-Cor Structures for Marine Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles |
| Abstract: | Aztex has developed an open cell periodic metal
truss structure, Metal Truss X-Cor, as a
multi-functional alternative to metallic honeycomb
and stochastic cellular metal structures currently
under consideration for the Marine Expeditionary
Family of Fighting Vehicles (MEFFV). This
all-metal structure can offer to maximize the
efficiency of a metal truss design by employing
defect free, wrought metal wires or tubing into a
straight pin truss array. This array of pins can
be bonded to metal facesheets using a Transient
Liquid Phase process (TLP). The key to this
approach is to provide an open cell
multi-functional structure with excellent
corrosion resistance, damage tolerance, structural
stiffness, and weight savings in excess of 75%.
In this program, Aztex and Princeton University
propose to adapt an existing Aztex core
technology, X-CorT, used for polymer composite
structures in military aircraft. The structural
performance of X-CorT material is comparable to
aluminum honeycomb with the added benefit of
corrosion resistance and damage tolerance. By
adapting this baseline technology to all-metal
structures, it will be possible to extend proven
aerospace technology to the harsh environment of
expeditionary vehicles using inexpensive materials
and processes. Currently available metal core
structures include honeycomb, metal foams,
periodic metal structures from textiles and formed
perforated metals. Honeycomb is the most common
and inexpensive material but lacks damage
tolerance and corrosion resistance. Metal foams
are becoming more available in aluminum but
potential weight reduction has not yet been
realized. The periodic metal structures offer
significant performance benefits and weight
reduction when compared to metal foams due to the
optimized design of the truss network. Aztex
Metal Truss X-CorT technology provides a means to
achieve an metal truss structure with existing
technology which can expedite the development and
reduce overall cost of the product. Metal Truss
X-CorT technology is applicable not only to MEFFV
structures but also to ship board components such
as doors, hatches, and elevators.
|
CELLULAR MATERIALS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
3355 Free Union Road
Charlottesville, VA 22901 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(925) 548-2137
Dr. Shaw M. Lee
NAVY 02-065 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Ultralight Woven Truss and Truss-core Cellular Metal Panels |
| Abstract: | Ultra-lightweight high strength/high stiffness
structural materials are needed for advanced
military vehicles, such as the Marine
Expeditionary Family of Fighting Vehicles (MEFFV).
Cellular Materials International (CMI) proposes to
develop and manufacture structural panel materials
satisfying these criteria, suitable for corrosive
marine environments, based on proprietary periodic
cellular metals concepts. In particular, CMI will
develop structural panels, based on woven metal
textile and formed expanded metal truss cores,
bonded to metallic face sheets. These materials
will be 75 to 95% less dense than conventional
(solid) structural panels of comparable mechanical
performance. During Phase I of the proposed SBIR,
CMI will demonstrate the feasibility of
manufacturing of truss core and metal
textile-based periodic cellular metal materials
suitable for marine military vehicle applications.
In addition to military applications, these
ultralight, high performance structural materials
will be attractive for a wide spectrum of
commercial application; due to their low cost,
coupled with light weight and excellent mechanical
properties, they will be attractive for commercial
shipbuilding, transportation and civil
infrastructure. Further, the proposed
manufacturing method is amenable to a wide variety
of metallic materials, including ferrous, cuprous,
nickel, aluminum and titanium-base alloys. The
panels are also amenable to joining by
conventional methods, including mechanical
fasteners, brazing and welding.
cost effective structural panels for Marine
Expeditionary Family of Fighting Vehicles (MEFFV).
|
JONATHAN AEROSPACE MATERIALS CORP
JAMCORP, 17 Jonspin Rd.
Wilmington, MA 01887 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 988-0050
Mr. Jonathan Priluck
NAVY 02-065 Selected for Award |
| Title: | MicroPerf Lattice Block Materials in Marine Expeditionary Vehicles |
| Abstract: | JAMCORP proposes to develop MicroPerf Lattice
Block Material using progressive coining
dies to increase production rates above the
current method of photolithography.
MicroPerf is an octet truss based material with
high strength to weight.
MicroPerf is manufactured by attaching alternate
layers of flat and corrugated sheet
metal with much of the material removed. The
layers are resistance welded forming a
very stiff, very light sheet steel replacement.
MicroPerf Lattice Block Material is a direct,
high strength replacement for many
sheet steel applications. By increasing the
strength and stiffnees of sheet steel,
MicroPerf will reduce the expense, complexity, and
development time of the internal
structures currently required in vehicles.
Coining die production will yield a
higher quality material at a lower cost per sheet
of LBM.
|
ACOUSTECH CORPORATION
P. O. Box 139
State College, PA 16804 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(814) 867-2629
Mr. James A. McConnell
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Naval Device Applications of Relaxor Piezoelectric Single Crystals |
| Abstract: | Acoustech proposes a Phase I study to develop an
acoustic dyadic sensor using piezoelectric single
crystals. The study combines theoretical and
numerical modeling along with experimental data
obtained from a pre-prototype unit to assess the
feasibility of developing a full scale unit during
Phase II for a surveillance application. Greater
sensor directivity in a comparable or smaller
sized package translates into greatly improved
sensor performance.
|
ADVANCED CERAMETRICS, INC.
P.O. Box 128, 245 North Main Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(609) 397-2900
Dr. Ajmal Khan
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | TRANSDUCERS FROM 1-3 COMPOSITES, MADE WITH ORIENTED PSEUDO SINGLE-CRYSTAL RELAXOR FERROELECTRIC FIBERS, FOR NAVY SONOBUOY APPLICATIONS |
| Abstract: | Advanced Cerametrics, Inc. (ACI) has developed a
technology to produce functional quantities of
lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT)
fibers with oriented pseudo single-crystal
microstructures. These have been assembled into
rudimentary composite transducers. They have also
been used as seeds for larger diameter fibers to
help promote templated growth for active fiber
composites. This work arose, in part, from a Phase
II SBIR (N00014-00-C-0188) nearing completion. The
aim of that effort has been to develop a process
to make the relaxor-based materials into fiber
form and to assemble them into very basic
functioning devices. The proposed work will build
on the past work to provide devices specific to
navy applications that utilize the high
electromechanical coupling, d33 coefficient and
strain properties of these new materials to
advantage. In the Phase I effort ACI plans to
fabricate and test the feasibility of constructing
1-3 composites made with oriented pseudo
single-crystal fibers for use as transducers in
sonobuoys. These novel transducers will have
greater bandwidth, sensitivity and source levels
versus current transducers while being low weight
and since they are produced in an economically
scalable process, cost effective. ACI intends to
apply for the Phase II SBIR Fast Track. Commercial
uses track Navy applications. Acoustic signal
generation and reception with higher bandwidth and
improved sensitivity has numerous applications
ranging from musical reproduction and
amplification to much improved medical ultrasound
(imaging and wound healing). Active structural
control is just beginning to use active fiber
composites, but vibration reduction is as
important to industry as it is to the military.
These devices are viewed as much improved
replacements for current state of the art
piezoelectric composites.
|
BTECH ACOUSTICS
East Bay Office Complex, 1445, Suite 115
East Providence, RI 02915 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(401) 245-2282
Dr. David A. Brown
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Naval Device Applications of Relaxor Piezoelectric Single Crystals |
| Abstract: | We propose a directional, broadband, highly
efficient underwater acoustic transducer using a
baffled cylinder made out from piezoelectric
single crystals. The prospective application areas
will be for an underwater acoustic modem
communication and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
(AUV), in which high efficiency of the transducer
system is required due to the limited energy
availability (battery) and the size of the
transducer needs to be sufficiently small to fit
the relatively small housing space and delivery
system. In a multi-user communication network, a
directional transducer may be desired in order to
focus the acoustic beam in a particular direction
in order to reduce the interference of
communication signals and to increase the
signal-to-noise ratio.
The significance of this project will be the
reduction of transducer dimension and broadening
of operational frequency range by exploiting the
low sound speed and high coupling coefficient of
piezoelectric single crystals. The transducer must
be small and broadband but highly efficient as it
will be delivered with a A-size sonobuoy and will
have limited battery energy. Utilization of
piezoelectric single crystals will realize this
smaller dimension, broaden the bandwidth and
prolong the lifetime of the device in comparison
with conventional piezoelectric materials e.g.
PZT-4, PZT-5A or PZT-8.
The Navy will gain a very broadband, leight
weight directional source that is highly efficient
|
BTECH ACOUSTICS
East Bay Office Complex, 1445, Suite 115
East Providence, RI 02915 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(401) 433-1100
Dr. David A. Brown
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Naval Device Applications of Relaxor Piezoelectric Single Crystals |
| Abstract: | This proposal is for the development of a high
sensitivity pressure gradient acoustic motion
sensor (accelerometer) of the flexural plate type
using piezoelectric single crystals. The pressure
gradient acoustic motion sensor is based on
flexural plate elements operating below resonance
in the accelerometer mode. The high piezoelectric
coefficients for single crystals is ideal for
increasing the sensitivity and low frequency range
of the proposed sensor. A three axis device with
combined pressure sensor (hydrophone) is proposed
to realize a "Vector Sensor" suitable to meet all
performance goals of the Low Frequency Bow Array
(LFBA) program. Variants of the proposed sensor
are also applicable to conformal arrays, hull
arrays, and seismic monitoring. Improved pressure
gradient sensors of the fixed diffraction type are
also demonstrated.
The inherent problem for pressure gradient
sensors with conventional materials is the lack of
sensitivity at low frequencies. This application
of single crystals (SCr) seems to be ideal in the
sense that the material's beneficial properties
are clearly exploited and its disadvantages are
avoided. Thus, high coupling coefficient keff is
exploited and the small sound velocity makes it
possible to effectively use the trilaminar plate
design with passive materials having a small
Young's modulus for strain enhancement.
The improved sensor may be used in a Low
Frequency Bow Array (LFBA). Other applications
include conformal arrays, hull arrays and
vibrations sensing.
|
KCF TECHNOLOGIES, INC
119 S. Burrowes St., Suite #605
State College, PA 16801 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(814) 867-4097
Dr. Jeremy E. Frank
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | High Torque Single-Crystal PMN-PT Driven Motor to Morph Naval Flow Control Surfaces |
| Abstract: | High performance motors are in extreme demand for
use in navy underwater flow applications.
Specifically, compact motors are needed that are
conformable to unusual shapes and sizes, and can
deliver higher torque and power than a similarly
sized EM motor.
A direct-drive smart material motor will be
developed with significant performance
improvements over existing designs. The drastic
improvements result directly from taking advantage
of the special properties of single-crystal
ferroelectrics.
The main challenge to use piezoelectric materials
as the driving engine for high force, high
displacement actuators centers on motion
amplification. This is because the micro-level
displacements generated with today's conventional
piezomaterial must be converted to macro-level
displacements for the device to have practical
applications. However, it is well accepted that
any motion amplifier design is problematic. With
the advent of the high strains observed in single
crystals, these new materials can be used as the
direct-driving element in mechanical diode motors,
thus greatly simplifying the design and operation.
In Phase I of this proposed effort, we will
demonstrate the benefit of using single crystal
stacks as driving engines for a new generation of
smart material motors - more compact, more
reliable (fewer moving parts) and with much higher
torque and power density than existing designs.
Initial commercialization efforts by KCF
Technologies for the smart material motor will be
in naval applications. After a Phase II
demonstration, the technology will be transitioned
into an actuator product sold to Naval
contractors. Plans are in place to design and
sell a contained fin actuator (incorporating the
smart material motor) for the Anti-Torpedo Torpedo
(ATT) propulsor. The actuator and controller will
be packaged as a unit, allowing for maximal ease
of integration. The enabling characteristic of
the motor concept is its conformability, which
allows us to match the motor shape to that of the
fin application in a way not possible with
conventional actuators.
Looking forward, the technology promises high
frequency response with high torque and power
density while satisfying unique packaging
challenges at low-to-reasonable costs. These
features lend themselves to the following
applications, among others: missile and torpedo
fins, valve controls (e.g., STS O2 valve),
aircraft braking, active surface controls (e.g.,
blended wing, surface flexure de-icing) and active
armor protection. KCF Technologies is convinced
that smart materials-based actuation will be
important to their industry, and is prepared to
invest in a future product line. Thus, the
commercialization plan is to into the actuator
supplier market in the ATT, and multiple airline
applications.
|
MATERIALS SYSTEMS INC.
543 Great Road
Littleton, MA 01460 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 486-0404
Mr. James M. Glynn
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Solid State Converted Single Crystal Transducer Development for the MK 54 Torpedo Array |
| Abstract: | A program to develop transducers incorporating
solid-state converted transduction
materials for the MK 54 Torpedo is proposed. The
program addresses the need for a
broadband, high power transducer that can be
integrated with the MK 54. The program
leverages several millions of dollars of DARPA
investment in a pilot manufacturing
process for solid state converted transduction
materials with properties that
approach those of single crystal transduction
materials, but which can be fabricated
at much lower cost. The Phase I program is
directed towards developing a proof of
concept transducer design for the MK 54 Torpedo
and culminates with an in-water test.
The test data shall be scaled to estimate the
performance achievable in a full-scale
device. The proposed program spans 6 months, with
a three month program option. The proposed program
shall demonstrate that transducers incorporating
solid-state
converted transduction materials can provide the
performance needed to satisfy the
demanding requirements of the US Navy MK54 Torpedo
program. Successful completion
of this program will result in a manufacturable
transducer design that provides an
upgrade path to the MK54 Torpedo in the 2005
timeframe.
|
MATERIALS SYSTEMS INC.
543 Great Road
Littleton, MA 01460 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 486-0404
Mr. James M. Glynn
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Solid State Converted Transducers for the Next Generation Countermeasure |
| Abstract: | A program to develop transducers incorporating
solid-state converted transduction
materials for the Next Generation Countermeasure
(NGCM) is proposed. The program
addresses the need for a low cost, compact,
broadband, high power transducer that
can be integrated with the NGCM. The program
leverages several millions of dollars
of DARPA investment in a pilot manufacturing
process for solid state converted
transduction materials with properties that
approach those of single crystal
transduction materials, but which can be
fabricated at much lower cost. The Phase I
program is directed towards developing a proof of
concept transducer design for the
NGCM and culminates with an in-water test. The
test data shall be scaled to estimate
the performance achievable in a full-scale device.
The proposed program spans 6
months, with a three month program option. The
proposed program shall demonstrate that
transducers incorporating solid-state
converted transduction materials can provide the
performance needed to satisfy the
demanding requirements of the US Navy NGCM
program. Successful completion of this
program will result in a manufacturable transducer
design that enhances the
capabilities of the NGCM.
|
TRS CERAMICS, INC.
2820 East College Avenue
State College, PA 16801 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(814) 238-7485
Dr. Paul Rehrig
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Naval Device Applications of Relaxor Piezoelectric Single Crystals |
| Abstract: | The properties of single crystal piezoelectrics
will be exploited for broad bandwidth, high
frequency sonar. Crystal sonar investigations
based on Tonpilz transducers utilizing the "33"
resonance mode have shown limitations on bandwidth
due to less than ideal resonator aspect ratio.
This is a result of the crystals' low elastic
stiffness, which leads to short resonators with
large lateral dimensions. To address this issue
an alternative design is proposed utilizing the
"31" resonance mode with the resonating length
oriented along the <110> crystallographic
direction. Crystals with this orientation are
known to have high properties; and since prestress
for such a design would be applied perpendicular
to the poling direction, "31" mode Tonpilz
elements may exhibit lower loss and higher
reliability than "33" mode designs. The
feasibility of "31" mode Tonpilz resonators will
be determined through property measurements and
finite element analysis. For the Phase I Option a
prototype single element Tonpilz will be
constructed and tested. The targeted application
for this work is broadband (>100%), high frequency
(45 kHz) synthetic aperture arrays for unmanned
underwater vehicles. A feasibility study of
crystals for high frequency (>100 kHz) side look
sonar is also proposed. High frequency sonar is
becoming ever more important to the Navy through
expanded use of unmanned underwater vehicles
(UUV). Proposed missions for many UUV's involve
shallow water operation where broad bandwidth is
required making these applications ideal
candidates to use single crystal piezoelectrics.
In addition, many UUV sonar systems have
commercial uses including oceanographic research,
oil and mineral prospecting, salvage, and undersea
equipment inspection and maintenance.
|
WILCOXON RESEARCH, INC.
21 Firstfield Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20878 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 947-7964
Dr. Paul Wlodkowski
NAVY 02-066 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of Miniature Towed Array Hydrophone Elements with Single PiezoCrystals |
| Abstract: | While towed arrays have been commonly employed to
detect sonic vibrations in the past, existing
towed arrays are subject to extraneous noise due
to movement through the water and are sensitive
to acceleration forces which may not be due to
sonic vibration. Fundamentally, there is much to
gain by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio for
a given geometrical form factor. Wilcoxon
Research, Inc. proposes to advance the
state-of-the- art in towed array sensing through
the design and development of hydrophones with
single piezocrystals. The Company has garnered
significant experience in the design, development
and manufacture of directional, acoustic particle
velocity transducers with single piezoelectric
crystals. These Vector sensors have demonstrated
unprecedented levels of performance at the Naval
Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Acoustic Test
Facility in Newport, Rhode Island, and at the
Seneca Lake site in New York State. In a similar
manner, the Company proposes to develop a new
hydrophone transducer, incorporating single
piezocrystals, that will enable the TB-16 and
TB-29 towed array elements to realize a 5 dB and
13 dB improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio,
respectively. The Navy has made a substantial
investment in hydrophone development for towed
and fixed arrays, ranges, etc., over the past
eighty years. With this single piezocrystal
hydrophone design, the potential for very low
electrical noise referred to the water is in
hand. Applications with electrical noise levels
15 dB below Arctic ambient has been extremely
difficult to achieve with existing technology but
is now possible with this very sensitive crystal
technology. All future towed arrays will benefit
from this concept. The output of this SBIR
leverages the advances in this single crystal
technology to towed arrays and allows the Navy to
switch to this technology for newer equipment
|
IKTARA AND ASSOCIATES
8824 Burning Tree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 405-5294
Dr. Dave K Anand
NAVY 02-067 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Archival Knowledge for the Design, Manufacture and Visualization of a Set of Energetic Devices |
| Abstract: | Computer aided design systems have gained
significant popularity in recent years. These
systems are routinely used to create 3D models of
parts and assemblies. Such models are
saved in files that are named using part numbers.
Currently design models only store geometric
data and do not have any information about
functionality of the designs. Recently, designers
have saved such information using text files. Such
documents are not suitable for
supporting database-type searches.
This work develops a search engine for designers
using geometric characteristics and
functionality information derived from existing
designs. This includes development
of indexing schemes for archiving geometry-based
information in cad/pad device database,
development of taxonomy for creating
functionality-based design information models,
development of search algorithm for supporting
functionality based queries and
finally development algorithms for spatially
arranging existing cad/pad devices in
virtual warehouse for efficient "walk-throughs."
The methodology is generalized to
allow the design of other electomechanical
systems. There is no search engine available that
integrates functionality and geometry for
design purposes. Nor is there is there a
capability to design parts by specifying
geometric characteristics. The successful outcome
of this research shall be an engine
which allows designers to use functionality and
geometric characteristics in the design
process. Such a search engine has a significant
commercial market.
|
TAO OF SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, INC.
471 McLaws Circle, Suite 1
Williamsburg, VA 23185 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(757) 220-5040
Dr. Garimella R. Sarma
NAVY 02-068 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Miniature, Shear Stress Measurement System for Marine Applications |
| Abstract: | A miniature shear stress measurement system will
be developed for marine hydrodynamic applications.
Tao Systems will design and fabricate a miniature
waterproofed sensor array with at least 32 sensor
elements. The sensor will be mounted on a
representative water-tunnel model which has
well-known shear stress distribution and location
of flow separation. The instrumented model will be
tested in Tao Systems' in-house water tunnel with
a maximum rated speed of 15 knots.
Well-established analytical expressions for shear
stress distribution as a function of the location
of the sensor will be used to calibrate sensors.
This calibration will be verified at other flow
conditions. We will also artificially change the
ambient temperature of the flow field to verify
the calibration. Real-time detection of flow
separation will be simultaneously demonstrated in
this experiment. The design of marine vehicles
relies on a knowledge of the normal and tengential
forces and moments exerted by the fluid on the
vehicle during operation. The ability to measure
shear stress simultaneously at many points, and
thus drag, and to detect separation regions on a
maneuvering vehicle provides needed data
comparison with computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
analyses and for the development and assessment of
current and future designs. There is a large
market for both military and commercial
applications of the solicited system.
|
VIOSENSE CORPORATION
36 South Chester Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91106 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(626) 432-9950
Dr. Darius Modarress
NAVY 02-068 Selected for Award |
| Title: | An Array of Miniature, Conformal and Waterproof Optical Shear Stress Sensors for Naval and Marine Vehicle Applications |
| Abstract: | The time-averaged wall-shear stress is related to
a number of important aerodynamic parameters such
as viscous drag and flow separation, which in turn
determines the performance of moving bodies such
as naval and marine vehicles. Measurement of the
wall shear at many points of a maneuvering vehicle
provides needed data for the development of
current and future designs. Existing thermal and
optical shear stress sensors are not suitable for
the operational environments of marine vehicles.
We propose to develop an array of miniature,
conformal and waterproof shear stress sensors
based on a promising new Optical MEMS technology.
The unique design of the proposed array of compact
optical shear stress sensors allows for its
application to submerged vehicles for operation in
both fresh and saltwater. During the Phase I
effort, a prototype array of four sensors will be
manufactured for test and validation. During the
phase II of the proposed effort, an integrated
array of sensors will be developed and
demonstrated on a captive submarine model at
NSWCCD. Plans for the transition to larger scale
surface ships and submarine vehicle and
large-scale autonomous submarine models will be
provided. These compact, robust and non-intrusive
shear stress sensors will have numerous
applications in both military and commercial
markets. Potential applications include:
1. Wind tunnel, water tank, and flight testing in
commercial and governments laboratories,
2. Monitoring skin friction as a feedback for drag
reduction devices
3. Detection of reversed flow and incipient stall
4. Micro-channel devices being developed for
chemical and biological applications.
|
ALPHA STAR
5199 E. PACIFIC COAST HWY, SUITE # 410
LONG BEACH, CA 90804 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(562) 985-1100
Dr. Frank Abdi
NAVY 02-069 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Simplified Analytical Procedure for Prediction of Fracture Damage in Composite Structures |
| Abstract: | It is proposed to develop simplified composite
analytical procedure (SAP) for naval joint design
that will perform: 1) material constituent
analysis (MCA), 2) material uncertainty analysis
(MUA), and fracture damage, and the percentage
contribution of each material constituent to
failure mechanisms. The SAP will then be utilized
by an integrated computational design tool, that
automatically iterates all analytical procedures
such as: 1) MCA, 2) MUA, 3) progressive failure
analysis (PFA), and 4) probabilistic failure
analysis under hygral conditions. SAP will be
used to predict, under all operational conditions
(temperature/thermal gradient, humidity,
oxidative/corrosive agents): 1) constituent/ply
mechanical properties, 2) property degradation by
implementing the multifactor interaction model,
and 3) effects of bond line
strength/thickness/voids on failure. PFA can
automatically integrate SAP to predict the
durability/reliability of a typical marine
composite joint/structure, including determination
of the failure mechanisms contribution to the
critical damage events (crack
initiation/propagation), residual strength,
sensitivity of joint design parameters (e.g.
configuration, bond-thickness, ply-schedule) to
the probability of failure. As a synergistic
demonstration SAP and PFA will perform an
integrated joint design analysis to identify: 1)
failure mechanisms (e.g. delamination or disbond),
2) strain energy release rate, 3) durability, and
4) reliability trade studies of an adhesively
bonded T-joint. Different types of joint
applications can be optimized for life
performance, on Navy applications, using the SAP
and PFA approaches.
Providing a commercial viable, user friendly
software for simplified, rapid and accurate
computational simulation of the considerable
complexities of adhesive bonded joints in PMC
marine structures will provide the naval ship, and
marine engineering designers with a much needed
tool to evaluate durability and reliability during
the design, testing and life cycle assessment of
adhesive bonded PMC structure with minimal impact
on costs and time to market. The proposed
enhancement of the existing commercially available
GENOA software will provide Naval, and Aerospace
industries with such a tool verified for: 1)
accurate analytical evaluation of service
lifetimes of adhesive bonded PMC structure and 2)
prediction and optimization of inspection, repair,
and maintenance intervals for adhesive bonded PMC
structure in new marine structure designs and
aging marine structure. Evaluation cost and time
savings in the range of 30% are anticipated to be
realized by use of the proposed software. The
beneficiaries of the proposed software technology
are: 1) Navy ship design, 2) Marine engineering,
3) Aerospace industry, airframe/engines, 4)
automobile industry, 5) civil/infrastructure, and
6) air transportation safety industry, periodic
inspection intervals
|
FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
350 Second Ave.
Waltham, MA 02451 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 684-4099
Dr. Jonathan Arata
NAVY 02-069 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Innovative Method for Rapid Turnaround Damage Analysis of Composite Structures |
| Abstract: | Composite structures are inherently difficult and
time-consuming to analyze due to their material
and geometric complexities and the vast number of
interfaces present in the material. Conventional
analysis techniques, such as the finite element
method, can provide acceptably accurate
predictions of fracture damage in composites, but
at a tremendous expense in time and computational
resources. We propose an innovative application
of the finite element method that incorporates
state-of-the-art numerical damage modeling
techniques in a unified analysis package that
provides for rapid turnaround damage analysis of
composite structures. Our goal is the creation of
methodology that substantially decreases the time
necessary for early parametric analyses on large
structures by 1) minimizing the user input
necessary to perform such analyses, 2) utilizing
an element constitutive model that predicts the
likelihood of failure due to debond and/or
decohesion, 3) does all this without sacrificing
the accuracy of the prediction, and 4) folds this
methodology into a user-friendly, PC Windows based
interface that is either stand-alone or interfaces
with a commercial software package such as ANSYS
or LS-DYNA. In Phase I, we will develop and
verify the innovative theoretical damage model
using a simple, though practical, example to prove
our concept. (P-020150)
Composite structural analysis methods that are
computationally efficient, user-friendly, and
allow for substantial reductions in design cycle
time would have broad application across a wide
range of industries, military and commercial. Any
industry that utilizes such materials, and
particularly those that design and manufacture
such materials, would be interested in utilizing
this tool as a design device. This modeling
program could not only be used on the front end of
design to maximize the useful life of components
and subsystems, but on the back-end, to diagnose
any prospective material failure. Thus, this
program could find wide audience in the commercial
aviation, automotive, and power industries, to
name just a few, as well has having broad
application potentially across the entire military
spectrum.
|
MATERIALS SCIENCES CORPORATION
500 Office Center Drive, Suite 250
Fort Washington, PA 19034 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(215) 542-8400
Mr. Gerald V. Flanagan
NAVY 02-069 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Simplified Analytical Procedure for Prediction of Fracture Damage in Composite Structures (MSC P1B16-203) |
| Abstract: | A software package is needed that can efficiently
model typical composite bonded and co-cured joints
used in Naval ship construction. This package
must be able to accurately compute the
strain-energy-release-rate for user defined
cracks. Materials Sciences Corporation (MSC) has
an existing code called SUBLAM that performs this
operation using closed-form solutions of
high-order plate assemblages. When plates are
stacked, the interfacial tractions and
displacements are computed exactly (within the
assumptions of the plate theory). This approach
leads to accurate interlaminar stresses and,
therefore, accurate fracture calculations. The
plates can be assembled in a manner similar to the
finite element method, allowing one to model
complex joint configurations. Many validation
problems have shown the code to be highly
accurate. For the Phase I SBIR, MSC will modify
this code to more directly applicable to the
structures of concern, and will demonstrate a
graphical user interface. The user interface will
include predefined parametric models of typical
joints. Similar aids will be created to interpret
the output so that failure predictions, and
failure interaction diagrams are automatically
generated. Failure loads of joints for composite
structures are notoriously difficult to predict.
This project will result in a user-friendly,
efficient, and accurate software product that will
enable engineers to rapidly assess typical joints.
The availability of this code will reduce risk for
future ship programs, and lower the associated
costs of element testing.
|
SURBEC-ART ENVIRONMENTAL, LLC
3200 Marshall Ave., Suite 200
Norman, OK 73072 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(405) 364-9726
Dr. Matthew E. Caldwell
NAVY 02-070 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Methods for Monitoring Biodegradation of Pollutants in Estuarine Sediments |
| Abstract: | The use of microorganisms to bioremediate
hydrocarbon-contaminated marine sediments is being
investigated as an attractive alternative to the
conventional means of environmental restoration
efforts in which dredging and disposal of harbor
sediments can become cost prohibitive. Where the
aerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons is well
established, many of the hydrocarbon-contaminated
marine sediments become anoxic within millimeters
of the sediment-water interface. Recently, the
ability of anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria to
biodegrade a variety of hydrocarbons including
straight and branched alkanes, mono- and
alkylaromatic hydrocarbons, as well as
polyaromatic hydrocarbons has been well
documented. The ability to assess whether in situ
remediation of hydrocarbons are occurring in
marine sediments is an important aspect in the
remedial strategy of natural attenuation. This
proposal will deal with the ability to extract
pore water from marine sediments and analyze them
by GC/MS for the presence of known intermediates
of aerobic and anaerobic hydrocarbon decay. The
ability to detect signature metabolites of
hydrocarbon biodegradation will provide strong
evidence for the natural attenuation of these
pollutants in marine sediments. Further, the
potential commercialization of a screening method
and protocol could provide the basis for testing
an extensive array of marine and harbor
environments around the United States. The ability
to rapidly screen and determine whether intrinsic
bioremediation is occurring within marine or
estuarine sediments goes beyond the interests of
just of U.S. Navy. With increased pressure from
local and federal authorities on the protection of
public waterways and the clean up of polluted
environments, the work proposed herein would be
applicable to a number of companies involved from
shipping to offshore oil drilling operations, in
their ability to assess potential bioremediation
efforts or the effects of natural attenuation in
contaminated marine environments. Surbec-ART
Environmental could potentially use the strategies
garnered from this proposal to provide a service
which would enhance remediation assessments by
companies or regulatory agencies in a more timely
manner then the traditional laboratory based
degradation studies currently used to monitor the
bioremediation potential of microorganisms within
sediments.
|
CONTINUUM DYNAMICS, INC.
34 Lexington Avenue
Ewing, NJ 08618 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(609) 538-0444
Dr. William J. Usab, Jr.
NAVY 02-071 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A Passive Delayed Stall Propulsor for Enhanced Thrust and Reduced Noise |
| Abstract: | The Navy has reached the limit of propulsor system
development based on conventional steady state
aerodynamic theories. Further advances only
appear possible through the innovative application
of unsteady lift concepts like those found in
biological forms of flight. Continuum Dynamics,
Inc. (C.D.I.) proposes the innovative application
of unsteady lift enhancement through delayed
stall, to increase the lift on rotor blades
without adding mechanical complexity. Our concept
increases propeller performance by harnessing
unsteady vortical structures, resulting in either
increased thrust or a reduction in propeller
rotational speed. Advantages of the proposed
concept include: (1) it is a completely passive
and robust, with no on-blade actuators or
additional moving parts; (2) it is easily
retrofitted into existing propulsor systems; (3)
it works equally well with ducted and unducted,
single and counter-rotating propulsors; and (4) It
is low cost and will be simple to implement.
C.D.I. is uniquely positioned to develop this
concept, having extensive experience in the
development of the fast aerodynamic computational
tools needed to reduce this concept to practice.
The proposed Phase I effort will carry out the
conceptual design and hydrodynamic analysis
studies demonstrating "proof of concept," which
can then be carried to Phase II/III product
development. Development of this thrust
enhancement concept for marine propellers offers
improved propulsive performance and
maneuverability to Navy, commercial, and
recreational vessels. This technology also offers
the potential for reducing sound radiation through
a decrease in the propeller rotational speed,
which is of special importance to the Navy for
improved torpedo homing effectiveness. This
technology also has direct application to improved
performance of turbomachinery and pump systems.
|
NEKTON RESEARCH LLC
4625 Industry Lane
Durham, NC 27713 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(919) 405-3993
Dr. Mathieu Kemp
NAVY 02-071 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Biology-Inspired Propulsion |
| Abstract: | Mature, efficient propellers still produce noise
that can reduce the stealth of the Navy's unmanned
underwater vehicles (UUV) and compromise sensitive
missions. In the interests of national security,
it is essential that UUVs operate as quietly as
possible. We propose to increase UUV stealth with
a practical biomimetic device, the Oscillation
OverThruster, that substantially reduces a
propeller's radiated noise by decreasing propeller
RPM (w) while maintaining the same thrust output
(t). This is made possible because a portion of
the radiated noise of a spinning propeller is
proportional to w6. Our device is mechanically
simple and is based on analyses of an unsteady
phenomenon that has been shown to increase lift on
animal wings to 150% of the values expected for
the steady state used by propellers. We propose a
three-step, cost-efficient effort aimed at quickly
transforming this natural phenomenon into
Navy-usable technology-specifically, a retrofit
Oscillation OverThruster silencing unit (O2) for
Naval UUVs. OverThruster-enhanced propeller
systems promise more stealth, greater speed, and
extended range, all of which are critical success
factors in UUV missions. In addition to tactical
applications, the Oscillation OverThruster should
find widespread use in civilian applications.
|
PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC.
20 New England Business Center
Andover, MA 01810 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(978) 689-0003
Dr. Bruce D. Anderson
NAVY 02-071 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Biology-Inspired Propulsion |
| Abstract: | Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop
marine propulsion concepts that employ
biologically inspired aerodynamic mechanisms to
enhance propulsor thrust and decrease the
propeller rotation rate necessary to maintain a
specified forward speed. Flying animals take
advantage of three unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms
to generate lift and propulsive power greater than
that predicted from quasi-steady conventional
airfoil theory. The three mechanisms are delayed
stall, rotational circulation (including the clap
and fling mechanism), and wake capture. In Phase
I we will formulate three propulsion concepts,
each incorporating one or more biomimetic unsteady
aerodynamic mechanisms. Using phenomenological
models and experimental data from literature, the
concepts will be evaluated for lift production,
efficiency, simplicity, and ease of practical
implementation. Key physical and non-dimensional
flow parameters will be identified for each
concept. The most promising propulsion concept
will be experimentally investigated in the PSI low
speed wind tunnel to understand unsteady flow
mechanisms. Phase I will conclude with a
recommendation of which of the proposed designs,
or modified designs, should be further studied in
Phase II. In Phase II various models of promising
concepts will be fabricated and the propulsive
forces produced by these models will be measured
in a wind or water tunnel. The proposed propulsion
concept will allow military marine vehicles and
devices including UUVs, ROVs, torpedoes, and
Anti-Torpedo Torpedoes to travel at a specific
speed with a lower propeller rotation rate, hence
radiating less detectable noise. This will
increase the stealth of these devices. The
proposed mechanisms may also increase the fuel
economy of these vehicles as well as surface
ships. Potential applications of this device
include commercial UUVs and ROVs as well as
recreational boating.
|
CHARLES RIVER ANALYTICS INC.
625 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 491-3474
Mr. Magnus Snorrason
NAVY 02-073 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Intelligent Surveillance and Intrusion detection for Ships (ISIS) |
| Abstract: | The ability of the Navy to protect its forces
during overseas and domestic port calls is
critical for the successful completion of its
missions. The USS Cole incident and more recent
events call for an effective in-port surveillance
system for the Navy and the development of
effective surveillance systems to protect other
high-value national assets. However, this is a
challenging task given the amount of port traffic
and the lack of appropriate vision sensors on
board Navy vessels. Commercial surveillance
systems cannot be used because of sensor placement
requirements and assumptions about lighting
conditions and background types that do not hold
in port scenarios. We propose to develop an
intelligent shipboard surveillance system. The
system utilizes catadioptric vision to achieve
panoramic coverage. A combination of visible-light
and IR sensors enables day and night operation.
The software portion of the system consists of a
specialized background analysis and clutter
mitigation module, a multi-object tracking module
and an intelligent agent that uses high-level
knowledge and contextual information (if available
from other shipboard sensors) to control system
parameters. The output of the system is a set of
tracks as well as an annotated video stream for
easy visualization by the watchstanders. An
intelligent surveillance system that provides
omni-directional scene awareness and does not
require a large network of sensors would find
immediate use in a number of critical government
and commercial asset-protection scenarios.
|
DIAMONDBACK SYSTEMS, INC.
11600 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite # 290
Reston, VA 20191 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(303) 791-4620
Mr. Bill Severson
NAVY 02-073 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Mast-mounted In-Port Video Surveillance System |
| Abstract: | ObjectVideo will assess the feasibility of
developing an omni-directional situational
awareness system for mast-mounted in-port video
surveillance. An initial system design will be
developed and an estimate of system performance
will be assessed as a function of sensor
resolution, threat size, range, speed, and other
relevant parameters. ObjectVideo will build on and
adapt its patent pending object segmentation,
background scene modeling, object detection, and
tracking algorithms to design and assess the
surveillance system. An omni-directional sensor,
potentially using super-resolution techniques will
be used to provide a surround view and provide
full 360§ situational awareness. The final system
when built in Phase II will be able to detect,
track, classify, and alert Watchstanders through a
situational awareness map-view display of
potential threats to the ship. As an optional
Phase II bridge task, ObjectVideo will provide the
next level of system design and functional
specifications. The proposed effort will provide a
feasibility assessment and initial design of a
panoramic video surveillance system that can give
real-time warning of potential terrorist attacks
against ships in port. A mast-mounted 360§ in-port
video surveillance system, capable of monitoring
watercraft around an in-port ship and people and
vehicles pier side could provide a critical edge
for responding and potentially interdicting
attackers before they are in range to do
significant damage as was done in the Cole
incident. This benefit is potentially of great
value not only to ships of the U.S. Navy but also
to commercial shipping under any nation's flag
subject to terrorist threat.
|
GENEX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
10605 Concord Street, #500
Kensington, MD 20895 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 962-6565
Dr. Jason Geng
NAVY 02-073 Selected for Award |
| Title: | An Intelligent Visible/Infrared Omnidirectional Camera for Mast-mounted In-Port Video Surveillance System |
| Abstract: | The primary objective of this SBIR program is to
develop a novel mast-mounted, omnidirectional,
all-weather high-resolution video sensor that
overcomes the drawbacks of conventional video
surveillance systems and existing omnidirectional
cameras. The proposed sensor, dubbed as the
"Omni-Watchdog„", combines a 360-degree "OmniEye"
camera with a high-resolution pan/tilt/zoom camera
that has complementary functionalities to obtain
simultaneous hemispherical field of view and
high-resolution image for selective targets. Its
unique design also offers three dimensional
measurement capability for gauging the distance
and location of the identified object. To
facilitate the operations in day/night and all
weather (fog, cloud, dust, smoke, and haze)
conditions, we also integrate an infrared sensor
into the Omni-Watchdog design. The co-registered
visible and IR video images provide a rich source
of information for object detection, tracking,
classification, alarm setting and digital
recording and video analysis. The Omni-Watchdog
is well suited for serving as one of critical
components of an in-port ship perimeter monitoring
security system for dockside and adjacent water
coverage for detecting/tracking unauthorized
personnel or small vessels within a ship's
security perimeter. The commercial market for the
technology to be developed under this SBIR is
obviously sizable. The proposed Omni-Watchdog
systems can be used in security enhancement for
any types of military and civilian vessels. In
additional, such technology can also be used in
other security applications, ranging from
warehouse, train-stations, airports, Government
facilities, corporations, sport events, to public
and private schools in US, from elementary to
university. The tragic event of 9/11 triggers
tremendous interests in the security enhancement
for all private sectors. We see great potentials
for the commercial applications of the
technologies developed under this SBIR project.
|
REMOTEREALITY CORPORATION
4 Technology Dr
Westborough, MA 01581 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(508) 898-8612
Mr. David Mendelsohn
NAVY 02-073 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Mast-mounted In-Port Video Surveillance System |
| Abstract: | The materials below describe a proposal for Phase
I efforts for research and design of
omnidirectional imaging and tracking equipment for
force protection of Navy vessels when stationed in
or near ports. Omnidirectional optics are
proposed, covering a full 360ø view of the horizon
and the areas near the base of the ship. The
high-resolution, omnidirectional camera images
will be passed through contact
detection and tracking software that is designed
for outdoor applications with
moving reference frames such as a ship. Tracking
data may then be used to direct a pan/tilt
platform with a zoom camera and/or ordnance
focused on a contact of interest. Phase I will
result in a system design that will include
characterization of all systemic issues relating
to shipboard deployment and a design of an image
capture and processing system that handles issues
of resolution, range, ship motion, communications
and potential integration with other sensors.
RemoteReality is a pioneer in this field and can
apply patented methods to this end, while
consultants at McQ Associates have especially
relevant experience in sensor integration and
system deployment. The major benefits of the
technology include the combination of wide field
of view
and narrow field of view video capture systems for
search and targeting applications
respectively. In addition, intelligent software
which can detect and track motion
will direct a standard pan/tilt/zoom narrow field
of view camera to track multiple
subjects and zoom in for closer inspection. There
are at least four important market
areas for which this omnidirectional tracking
product
could be commercialized. These include
transportation systems, remote sensors for
military operations, commercial security, and law
enforcement. In these areas,
the technology would be commercialized as a
software product for continuous 360 degree
monitoring and subject tracking. A system would
generally consist of a configurable
combination of a 360 degree omni-camera and auto
tracking software with
pan/tilt/zoom camera control for close inspection
of tracked subjects. Optional
facial recognition software may also be available
in a final product configuration.
|
AEROSPACE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
P.O. Box 672
Niwot, CO 80544 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(970) 535-0384
Dr. H. L. Gier
NAVY 02-074 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Conversion of Supercritical Air Self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Diving Applications |
| Abstract: | The proposed breathing apparatus makes uses of
moderate pressure gases (?750 psi) and a low
temperature (<-170øC) to store a greater quantity
of breathing gas in the same volume. Two hours of
supercritical cryogenic breathing air will have
the same volume as one hour of 4500 psi compressed
breathing air. The supercritical breathing gas is
single phase so that it will feed identically in
any attitude, unlike liquid air. This is
particularly important for underwater work as the
attitudes are extremely variable. Because of the
moderate or higher pressure the system will supply
gas at any useable depth of dive. When
out of the water the apparatus may be used for
full respiratory protection against airborne
chemical or biological agents. In addition, due
to the cryogenic storage of the air there is
considerable cooling capacity to reduce heat
stress in the user during hot climate deployments
or when wearing impermeable garments. For normal
underwater operations the heat to warm the
breathing gas will come from the surrounding
water, whereas for hot environment and land
operations the heat will be supplied by the users
body. The metabolic energy and heat transfer from
the surrounding water is transferred to the
breathing gas before it is consumed.
An added feature which could be investigated in
the Phase I option would be the use a small heater
to allow warming of the user in both cold water
and in cold land operations. The supercritical
cryogenic(SCC) SCUBA will have many commercial
applications in professional diving and
recreational industries. The greatly increased
bottom time will be economically useful in
photographic, salvage, and archeological work.
The cooling capability will allow diving in hot
springs where time is now extremely restricted.
With the addition of the option to provide a
heating system in addition to the cooling the
complete envelope of diving capability would be
expanded into both thermal extremes.
|
CONTINENTAL CONTROLS AND DESIGN, INC.
1921 N. Gaffey Suite J
San Pedro, CA 90731 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 831-8669
Mr. James P. Hynes
NAVY 02-075 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Advanced Ship Motion and Air Wake Sensing and Prediction |
| Abstract: | Landing on a carrier that is moving about in rough
seas is a difficult piloting skill, whether flying
fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, LCAC or other
assault craft. Many attempts have been made over
the past 30 years to predict the ship motions at
least 10 to 20 seconds into the future so the
pilot could know where the `target' would be when
he got there. A less ambitious goal is to tell
the pilot when the ship will be in a relatively
quiescent state. Most of the work has been purely
statistical, where `optimum' predictors of various
forms were used to estimate the current ship
dynamic state, and propagate that state based on
the recent time history and stochastic input.
Neural nets, Kalman filters, fuzzy logic and (last
year) even chaos theory has been tried, but none
with demonstrable success.
Our approach is to instead combine deterministic
and statistical prediction methods. New low cost
instrumentation, including DGPS and MEMS inertial
sensors are used by small expendable ROVs to
`preview' the incoming wave field. The surface
elevation profile is deterministically projected
forward in space/time using Fourier transforms and
the dispersion relation of deep-water ocean waves.
A linear strip theory ship model continually
restarts with the current state estimate and
propagates forward using the anticipated waves as
forcing function, providing improved estimates of
future ship motion.
In addition to its military uses, motion
prediction models and their input to control
systems will generate commercial interest in the
commercial shipping, general aviation and ground
transportation industries. A mission critical
Navy application is the ability of this technology
to enable amphibious combat operations to commence
or continue under conditions that currently halt
these types of operations.
|
INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION, INC.
7519 Standish Place, Suite 200
Rockville, MD 20855 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 222-0444
Dr. Chiman Kwan
NAVY 02-075 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Ship Motion and Air Wake Prediction Using PCA and Fuzzy CMAC |
| Abstract: | Maintaining a satisfactory and safe ship operation
is very important in Navy operations. An automatic
forecast tool that can provide useful information
to the ship operator will help to achieve this.
The proposed short term forecast tool can learn
the nonlinear and time varying relationship
between the weather variables such as wind, wave
and ship motion. The tool has the necessary
learning capability as well as a fast learning
speed which is about 10 times faster than
conventional neural nets. Hence it is suitable
for real-time implementation. The tool can
relieve the operator from monitoring the large
number of weather variables simultaneously so that
he or she can concentrate on making decisions by
optimally adjusting the available resources such
as speed and direction of the ship to maintain a
satisfactory landing operation. One important
advantage of the proposed method is that a custom
hardware can be easily designed to implement the
forecasting and control tool with reasonably low
cost. We will also use ultrawideband radar to
measure wave front parameters such as angle of
arrival, range, velocity, and acceleration. The
proposed prediction algorithm may be useful for
aircraft landing in aircraft carriers. During
rough sea conditions, even the big aircraft
carrier may exhibit large motions, which prevent a
safe landing. The algorithm will also be useful
for container loading. If a forecast tool is
available for predicting short-term ship motion,
the loading frequency can be increased, which will
result in an annual saving of millions of dollars.
|
DIMENSION TECHNOLOGY CHEMICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
PO Box 2557
Fair Oaks, CA 95628 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(916) 631-9830
Mr. Renato Rindone
NAVY 02-076 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Synthesis of Polyacetylene Curing Agents |
| Abstract: | This proposal will reveal facile synthetic
procedures to safely make Compound 1,
1,4-bis(cyanoethynyl)benzene; Compound 2,
dipropargylterephthalate; Compound 3,
tripropargylmesitylate; and Compound 4,
dodecane-2,11-dione-1,12-dipropiolate and to
propose that Dimension Technology Chemical
Systems, Inc., prepare Compounds 1 through 4 in
450 gram quantities for the Naval Air Warfare
Center, Weapons Division. In addition to having
the required quantities of materials to advance
the propellant gumstock studies by the Navy, the
results of this effort will define chemical
processing methods that will have the following
chemical processing attributes: (1) High Yield;
(2) High Quality; (3) Acceptable Safety Risks in
Processing; (4) Scalable to Product Plant
Equipment; (5) High Chemical Integrity (No quality
surprises on scale-up to plant equipment) and (6)
Cost effective. Implementation of the technology
revealed in this proposal will shorten the time
necessary to scale-up chemical manufacturing
procedures to pilot or production plant equipment.
Because of the simplicity of the recommended
processes to make Compounds 1 through 4, the Phase
II developmental research cost will be
significantly lower and there will be a greater
opportunity for a larger number of chemical
companies to compete for the production of these
materials.
|
FLUOROCHEM, INC.
680 S. Ayon Ave.
Azusa, CA 91702 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(626) 334-6714
Dr. Kurt Baum
NAVY 02-076 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Synthesis of Polyacetylene Curing Agents |
| Abstract: | Composite propellants and explosives typically
consist of solid oxidizers, metallic fuels, and
rubbery binders that provide the needed mechanical
properties. Most binder systems are cured by the
formation of urethane linkages by the reaction of
oligomeric diols with diisocyanates or
triisocyanates. A variety of available diols and
isocyanates enables the formulation of binders
with optimum physical properties for specific
systems.
New energetic ingredients are being investigated
that have chemical properties incompatible with
the polyurethane system. Limited investigations
have been conducted of an alternative cure system
based in the reaction azido-terminated oligomers
with di- or polyacetylenes to form polytriazoles.
It is anticipated that azides and acetylenes will
be not be affected by the reactivity of the new
ingredients. The acetylenic components, however,
were obtained only on a gram scale, and larger
quantities are needed. The objective of the Phase
I program is to synthesize 100 to 450 g batches of
each of the following acetylenic compounds: (1)
1,4 -di(cyanoethynyl)-benzene, (2) dipropargyl
terephthalate, (3) tripropargyl mesitylate, and
(4) dodecane-2,11-dione-1,12-dipropiolate.
The major DOD use is as components for rocket
propellant binders to enable the use of energetic
ingredients incompatible with polyurethanes. The
result is improved performance, i.e., range and
payload. Commercial markets include use as an
alternate to polyurethanes.
|
MAXDEM INCORPORATED
140 East Arrow Highway
San Dimas, CA 91773 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(909) 394-0644
Dr. Virgil Lee
NAVY 02-076 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Novel Approaches for the Synthesis of Polyacetylene Curing Agents |
| Abstract: | Recent advances in explosives technology has
created a need for new polymer binder
technologies. One promising class of such new
binders is based on blends of azido-terminated
oligomers and multi-acetylene functionalized
crosslinking agents. The Navy would like to
determine whether these new compositions offer
promise in binder applications by studying the
structure-activity relationships of these
materials. Unfortunately, such studies have been
hampered by the lack of availability of the
acetylene-containing components. Thus, Navy has
requested proposals for preparing 100-500 g
quantities of four promising acetylene-containing
compounds.
This Phase I program addresses the Navy's requests
by proposing the preparation of 500 g of each of
the four requested acetylene derivatives. Routes
that are well precedented in the chemical
literature will be used to synthesize these
materials. While two of the proposed synthetic
routes follow those used in Navy labs, the other
two are highly novel and bypass the need for
potentially explosive intermediates.
The proposed acetylene compounds may find
immediate application in explosives, initially for
military uses and possible later for commercial
explosive applications. Additionally, the di- nd
triacetylene derivatives of this proposal might
also find application as reactive additives to
alter the properties of thermosetting polymers.
|
ARETE ASSOCIATES
P.O. Box 6024
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 413-0290
Dr. John Dugan
NAVY 02-077 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Use of High Quality UAV Based Data to Correct Satellite Derived DEMs |
| Abstract: | The goal of this SBIR proposal is to develop and
demonstrate a technique for improving the accuracy
of DEMs generated from satellite imagery by using
appropriate airborne imagery. It is anticipated
that the positioning and pointing capabilities of
future UAVs will provide much more accurate
geo-location of features on the ground than
satellite systems and they, therefore, can provide
the surrogate "ground truth" for correcting
satellite data that has much larger area coverage.
The algorithm will be developed and exercised
using IKONOS satellite-derived DEMs in combination
with imagery data from the Arete Associates
developed Airborne Remote Optical Spotlight System
(AROSS), which a field-tested and robust EO system
designed for research on tactical UAV applications
such as this one. In Phase 1, we will develop the
algorithm for extracting highly accurate 3-D
geodetic coordinates for multiple images collected
from this UAV surrogate and develop the algorithm
that uses these results to correct the satellite
data. In addition, we will evaluate the approach
by applying the correction algorithm to an IKONOS
imagery-derived DEM, using AROSS data and in situ
ground truth collected during a recent experiment.
Assuming success, phase 2 will develop robust
software to automatically make these corrections
of satellite data using UAV data, and perform a
more complete evaluation of the accuracy on a much
larger data set. Phase I will develop enhanced
DEM-generation and DEM correction algorithms.
Based upon a successful Phase I, Phase II will
develop a prototype software system that produces
DEMs with accuracies of 2-4 m for corrected DEMs
derived from spaceborne imagery. There is a
critical need for highly accurate DEM products to
support a variety of military missions including,
targeting, mission planning, and ISR collectiion
planning and management. Additionally, commercial
potential includes surveying, earth-resource
management, planning and monitoring and as an
affordable alternative to traditional
photogrammetric applications.
|
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF VIRTUAL ORG., INC.
DBA, IAVO Research and Scienti, 1010 Gloria Ave.
Durham, NC 27701 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(919) 688-8212
Dr. Matthew Heric
NAVY 02-077 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Elevation Data Generation using UAV Imagery |
| Abstract: | The US Navy is seeking improved capabilities to
generate automatically digital elevation models
(DEMs) from digital stereoscopic imagery in
support of targeting and navigation. Currently,
DEMs are derived primarily from orbiting systems,
yet these sources have historically not provided
the spatial resolutions needed for extremely high
resolution and accurate DEMs. The goal is to
develop a feasibility concept to utilize imagery
from unmanned airborne vehicles (UAVs) to
supplement orbital imagery, and that the combined
synergistic results will lead to DEMs having
higher accuracy.
Specifically, methods for generating and
propagating DEMs are required with the objectives
of:
- Combining the strengths of multiple imagery
sources to improve output accuracy;
- Providing elevation information requiring little
or no interactive editing;
- Generating elevation data to support Navy
weapons delivery programs; and
- Meeting future targeting accuracies through
results consistent with Navy requirements.
A number of opportunities for an improved DEM
solution exist in the marketplace. The most
promising involves providing solutions to
commercial satellite systems vendors and their
value-added resellers and product generation
partners for sale and resale. Also, remote
sensing/GIS vendors should be receptive to
reselling a solution as an add-on or replacement
of their existing capabilities. Lastly, DoD,
intelligence, and defense mapping agencies
worldwide are potential customers of bulk sales of
the solution. During both Phase I (Option) and
Phase II, research into all logical marketplaces
will be performed to finalize anticipated revenue
levels and per unit pricing. We believe at this
point that the market value for the solution will
be in the $7,500-$10,000/copy range, with embedded
versions resold by partners for roughly 30-50% off
standalone pricing.
|
AGILTRON CORPORATION
20 Arbor Lane
Winchester, MA 01890 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 933-0513
Dr. Jing Zhao
NAVY 02-078 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Microchip Laser Beam Switch |
| Abstract: | This program addresses the development of a
solid-state optical switching technology. Current
optical switches do not simultaneously meet the
requirements of high speed, low loss, high
extinction ratio, low power consumption, high
damage threshold, and high reliability.
Sub-microsecond and multiple-port optical switches
of low loss and low cost are long sought after
performance attributes. This type of high
performance optical switches is in great demand
for use in modern defense systems and optical
communication networks. AGILTRON Inc. proposes to
develop a micro-optic solid-state laser beam
switching technology, using new crystal materials
having large electro-optic effect and excellent
thermal stability. This platform technology
potentially offers state-of-the-art performance
attributes of electro-optic high-speed operation
and low optical insertion loss, low cost via
matured production method, as well as crystal
ruggedness for high optical power handling and
long-term stability. The design is free of
piezoelectric resonance and potentially offers
high fidelity steering and control of laser pulse
propagation. Moreover, the design is simple,
compact, and cost effective. It is anticipated
that state-of-the-art performance in several key
specifications can be achieved through this
program. Prototype electro-optical switches will
be fabricated to demonstrate functionality. It is
anticipated that the proposed high performance
switch will have wide application in DoD systems
such as photonic radar and fiberoptic microwave
distribution network. The anticipated commercial
communication switching market is very large with
forecasted reaching billion dollars by year 2006.
|
PHOTERA TECHNOLOGIES
12777 High Bluff Drive
San Diego, CA 92130 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(858) 755-8855
Dr. Maurice Pessot
NAVY 02-078 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Compact High Efficiency Opto-electronically Programmable Switch (CHEOPS) |
| Abstract: | To meet the demands placed on military and
commercial photonic systems, Photera Technologies,
Inc. proposes the development of a 1 x 4
laser-beam switch which promises technical
specifications not achievable by existing devices.
Aptly named Compact High Efficiency
Opto-electronically Programmable Switch (CHEOPS),
this laser beam switch has the ability to direct a
beam to four separate positions in a
non-sequential, true-random-access manner with
switching speeds of less than a microsecond. Our
proprietary design is based upon a ceramic
electro-optic (EO) polarization rotation switch.
When combined with birefringent materials in a
cascade configuration, this electro-optic approach
enables the development of a
1x(2**N)switch which is compact (<2 cubic inches)
and high speed (<1 microsecond switching time).
Meanwhile, our material choice yields a switch
that is free of piezoelectric resonances while
providing excellent optical transmission and
damage threshold characteristics in the visible
and near IR. As a ceramic material, the switch is
expected to be inexpensive compared to alternative
technologies, and is compatible with mass
manufacturing and low-cost production. The
technology proposed herein provides the core for
the development of numerous active components for
optical networks, including programmable
polarization rotators, gain equalizers, variable
optical attenuators, and optical switches.
Advances in optical networks, and therefore
components required to support those networks,
continue to be a major area of commercial
development and focus. When measured against the
standards of today, tomorrow's optical networks
will require a substantial amount of additional
functionality. Optical switches are major
components integrated into networks, providing for
the reconfiguration of wavelength assignments
within networks, provisioning, add/drop
multiplexing/demultiplexing and, ultimately,
wavelength based routing of packets of
information.
|
FILTRATION SOLUTIONS, INC.
432 Sand Shore Road, Unit 8
Hackettstown, NJ 07840 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(908) 684-4000
Mr. Chang-Wei Jen
NAVY 02-079 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Flight/Hangar Deck Cleaner |
| Abstract: | The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate
the feasibility of an innovative surface cleaning
technique that combines an advanced water blasting
and reclamation system for deck cleaning, a
compact, low maintenance filtration system for
oily wastewater recycling, and a Zamboni type
vehicle into a mobile, self-contained, and
self-propelled deck cleaner. A bench-scale
prototype cleaning head and oily wastewater
recycling system will be created in Phase I for
testing. The proposed system will increase the
overall efficiency of the surface cleaning and
maintenance process by decreasing both the
timeframe needed to complete the overall procedure
and the total manpower necessary to do the job
aboard Navy air capable ships. There are many
potential applications for the developed surface
cleaning equipment in commercial areas such as
construction sites, airports, highway tollbooths,
gas stations, major oil companies, etc.
|
TRIVERUS LLC
7623 Duben Ave. Unit C
Anchorage, AK 99504 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(907) 830-9098
Mr. Hans E. Vogel
NAVY 02-079 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Flight/Hangar Deck Cleaner |
| Abstract: | The demanding cleaning requirements for deck
surfaces aboard aircraft carriers present unique
challenges in cleaning effectiveness and
expense/resource management. The current method
contributes to premature wear of the non-skid deck
coating and hazardous waste problems. The
resulting premature non-skid wear from the current
deck cleaning method has caused mission
interruption due to the need to re-apply skid
coating mid-deployment. Equally, the large amount
of oil/soap contaminated water becomes a
significant issue in the area of hazardous waste
disposal. Triverus LLC proposes a progressive,
rapid development approach to solving the problem
using advanced computer solid modeling combined
with accurate assumptions of the deck cleaning
requirements. During Phase I, a Low Pressure
Water Jet (LPWJ) vehicle prototype will be
designed in principle that will capitalize on
existing technology in order to solve the
premature wear problems as well as greatly reduce
hazardous waste disposal requirements. A
pressurized hot water cleaning jet will be
substituted for the existing mechanical brush
removal. An effluent recovery and water recycle
system will reduce net water usage during cleaning
while minimizing the amount of hazardous waste to
process. The net effect of such a machine will be
effective cleaning while meeting waste recovery
and disposal requirements. Work performed will lay
a modular design foundation that will lead to
development of like products scaled for
environmental cleanup, shipboard tank cleaning, or
large vehicle washing systems.
|
CARMEL APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
807 Donnell Blvd. Suite F
Daleville, AL 36322 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(407) 380-2013
Mr. Brian Holmes
NAVY 02-080 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Vertical Flight Deck Operations Trainer |
| Abstract: | This Phase I proposal describes the process used
by CATI to identify the technologies available for
developing a Vertical Flight Deck Operations
Trainer (VFDOT). The proposal also describes how
the CATI will determine what Commercial,
Off-the-Shelf (COTS) hardware and software is best
suited to develop a method to represent a generic
VSTOL aircraft during shipboard operations. As
part of the Phase I effort, CATI is proposing to
do a Task and Skills Analysis for the LSE and HCO,
and perform Systems Engineering Analysis to define
the required LSE and HCO functionality. CATI will
develop a prototype of the LSE Station for the
VFDOT, which will be demonstrated to the Navy at
the end of Phase I. CATI is also proposing a
Phase I Option, which will be used to prototype
and demonstrate an HCO Station for the VFDOT.
CATI's X-IG image generator will be used as the
cornerstone of the VFDOT to provide
around-the-clock simulation of all weather
conditions. The results of the Phase I effort will
be a demonstration of a prototype of the Vertical
Flight Deck Operations Trainer for LSE training
that will be based on the Task and Skills Analysis
and Systems Engineering Analysis performed as part
of the Phase I effort. The prototype LSE Station
of the VFDOT will provide the low risk basis of
the Phase II implementation, as CATI?s proposed
Phase I work leverages our Commercially-available
X-IG image generator that is already in use for
several military visual simulation applications.
The baseline capabilities of the X-IG greatly
increase the probability for success in a Phase I
effort, as the real-time visualization of the
helicopters is one of the most critical components
for a VFDOT.
Helicopters are used for a wide variety of
applications, including air ambulances, fire
fighting, news and traffic reporting, as well as a
means of private and commercial transportation.
Many of these applications require ground
signalman that have little or no training to use
hand signals to communicate with pilots during
landing operations. Potential commercial
applications of the Phase I effort would be a
low-cost version of the VFDOT that would provide
similar training as the VFDOT, but would be
targeted for non-military applications.
|
VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
5400 Shawnee Road, Suite 203
Alexandria, VA 22312 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 658-7050
Mr. Victor Polkowski
NAVY 02-080 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Vertical Flight Deck Operations Trainer |
| Abstract: | The control, direction, and coordination of
activities of shipboard Vertical/Short Take Off
Landing (VSTOL) operations demands a firm
understanding of the roles and responsibilities of
all personnel under all potential conditions, and
proficiency in performing each station's duties
with precision and efficiency. The live
operational environment leaves no margin for
error, and the safety and effectiveness of all
parties can be significantly improved using
state-of-the-art technologies to provide a virtual
training environment to support Landing Signal
Enlisted (LSE) and Helicopter Control Officer
(HCO) personnel. Distributed simulation
technologies have become widely used for
multilevel training and mission rehearsal.
Virtual Technology Corporation (VTC), along with
our teaming partners L3 Communications, Link
Simulation & Training (Link) and Soar Technology,
Inc., proposes to develop an innovative training
environment (RealLanding), based upon a modular,
open architecture to train personnel the vital
Naval Aviation Training and Operating Procedures
Standardization (NATOPS) hand signals,
coordination, and communication used between the
LSE, HCO, and pilots. By placing the LSE and HCO
trainees in a virtual environment, the student can
be more effectively exposed to the wide range of
scenarios and dynamic conditions that otherwise
can not be trained in a safe environment. A
virtual environment can also provide a repetitive
experience where the student can rehearse
scenarios until they understand and perform the
proper procedures while being provided with visual
feedback to demonstrate correct signaling when not
performed properly. After gaining this experience
and the confidence to properly signal the aircrew,
the student can more effectively assimilate and
appreciate the live training exercise.
|
CODAR OCEAN SENSORS, LTD.
1000 Fremont Avenue, Suite 145
Los Altos, CA 94024 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(408) 773-8240
Dr. Donald E. Barrick
NAVY 02-081 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Multi-Static SeaSonde Ocean Current Mapping by Ships Underway |
| Abstract: | The proposed SBIR efforts build on CODAR Ocean
Sensors' extensive base of commercial HF radar
products and technology, including demonstrated
bistatic and multi-static deployment capabilities.
We will extend these concepts heretofore intended
for coastal siting to ships underway, with the
goal of mapping ocean surface currents for rapid
environmental assessment in littoral zones without
the need for instrumentation on unfriendly shores.
A moving transmitter and/or receiver on a vessel
represents the principal challenge, followed by
the expected distortion to antenna patterns due to
ship superstructure. Phase 1 will augment our
existing HF radar simulator to include
transmitter/receiver movement, as well as
distorted antenna patterns. Simulated radar data
will then be used to assess and optimize
performance, as quantified in terms of accuracy,
resolution, and coverage area. We will determine
constraints on vessel operations during such
current-mapping surveys. Finally, we will design
modifications to our existing GPS timing
synchronization system that allows multiple
transmitters and receivers to share the same
frequency channel simultaneously, to accommodate
moving transmitters and receivers without losing
coherence or degrading echo signal quality.
During Phase 2 we will test the designs,
algorithms, and operating scenarios developed
under Phase 1, employing oceanographic research
vessels that can gather simultaneous ground-truth
data. Based on the results of Phase 1, we will
able to begin immediate testing and operations
during Phase 2 from oceanographic research vessels
underway, demonstrating the capability of mapping
surface currents from moving ships. At the end of
Phase 2, CODAR Ocean Sensors will offer algorithms
and hardware technology that will augment its
commercial inventory of SeaSonde HF radar current
mapping systems, allowing civilian research
cruises to map surface currents underway. We will
also provide this technology for naval vessels for
data-gathering surveys in non-U.S. littoral zones.
|
BENTHOS, INC.
49 Edgerton Drive
North Falmouth, MA 02556 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(508) 563-1000
Mr. Dale Green
NAVY 02-082 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Directional Acoustic Transponder |
| Abstract: | The U.S. Navy requires the development of an
AUV-based, AUV localization system which will
inform multiple vehicles of their range and
bearing from a central controller. There are
existing systems which do this now, but they are
limited in range, use very unsophisticated
signaling techniques which generally preclude
clandestine operations, or use by multiple units.
Furthermore, they may require synchronized clocks
between the controller and the vehicle, are very
expensive, and are not necessarily suitable for
use on an AUV platform. Benthos, with a long
history of military and commercial development of
underwater acoustic communications (acomms),
proposes to enhance our existing technology to
provide the required capability. Virtually all
AUVs either currently use or will require acomms.
Our proposal will use a COTS modem, installed on
the vehicle without modification, to communicate
with a central controller aboard a separate AUV,
itself built around a standard modem. The
controller will receive a ranging inquiry from the
vehicle (a standard technique), will evaluate
bearing from that signal using either a modified
ultra-short baseline technique, or a novel,
physically small beamformer, and will return the
ranging signal along with the computed bearing.
Because the system is modem-based, it may also
provide conventional telemetry functions. The
system will use a modified version of the
multi-access signaling scheme developed jointly
with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the
Office of Naval Research. The controller will be
able to accommodate up to four vehicles
simultaneously, or more with a simple modification
to the signaling scheme. Modems for the vehicles
typically cost approximately $7,000, and we
estimate that a controller can be produced in
small quantities for approximately $15,000. The
bearing/ranging technology described in this
proposal provides
a means of accurate navigation relative to a
single reference point,
without the need for surface expression. When
that is combined with the
spread spectrum signaling technology used in our
modems, the probability of
clandestine navigation is greatly enhanced.
Furthermore, the system can
support several AUVs at one time, unlike a
conventional LBL system. This
technology will be immediately useful to the
Autonomous Operations FNC at
ONR, by providing a non-invasive means of
acquiring range and bearing. The
vehicle merely uses its existing modem for this
task. In addition, the
system can evolve to support distributed undersea
networks (such as the
SPAWAR DADS) by providing an inexpensive method of
vectoring an arbitrary
vehicle around the network. We use an
interoperable signaling technique,
so this system will be available to systems
employing any modem which
likewise "speaks" the same modulation scheme.
However, the availability of
this system will enhance the sale of our modems to
the Navy and to
commercial users of AUVs.
We believe there is much to be gained
from additional
miniaturization of the electronics which will be
used in the prototype
system. This will have two important commercial
impacts: the reduction in
weight and size will make the overall system more
attractive for diver use;
and the reduced system will make our commercial
modems more attractive for
small platforms, and less expensive to
manufacture.
|
GORCA TECHNOLOGIES
PO Box 1685
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(856) 273-8200
Dr. Marc Olivieri
NAVY 02-082 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Directional Acoustic Transponder for Underwater Positioning of a Clandestine UUV Network |
| Abstract: | The problem of Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV)
positioning in remote locations poses a
significant technological challenge. In future
NAVY missions, networks of multiple UUVs are
expected to perform in remote locations for
forward-deployed forces (sometimes clandestinely)
and therefore the platforms positioning system
must also be forward-deployed. Today,
acoustic-based positioning systems (LBL, SBL and
USBL) have offered good solutions. However, in the
case of remote clandestine missions the
pre-deployment of multiple beacons and/or buoys
for positioning is impractical. Also, the cost of
high accuracy USBL systems hosted on surface
platforms is prohibitive for UUV applications. As
a result, accurate positioning in remote locations
is becoming a key to the success of future UUV
missions. In Phase I of this work, GTI will
develop several design concepts for a directional
transponder mountable onto a UUV type SAHRV, to
provide positioning of a clandestine UUV network.
The approach offers a low cost/lightweight/small
size solution that meets requirements for
positioning accuracy, covert operation and
operation in shallow water. The concept is based
on proprietary broadband adaptive technology
successfully demonstrated on other DoD programs,
and based on GTI?s past experience in tracking UUV
platforms from acoustic sensors mounted onto a
UUV. Offering a solution to accurate positioning
of UUV platforms in SW applies to many NAVY
problems in the littoral environment. UUV use for
Ocean Sampling Networks, MCM missions as well as
ASW missions have been clearly identified in the
NAVY?s current FNCs and most recently laid out in
the NAVY UUV Master Plan (April 2000). The
approach proposed here combines advanced
proprietary broadband acoustic algorithms for
detection, direction finding, acoustic network
communication, covert operation along with
innovative acoustic array designs for UUV
platforms. The impact of GTI's broadband
technology goes beyond the specific application of
undersea platform positioning. This technology can
significantly contribute to several DoD programs
such as the SAHRV program, the Autonomous
Operation FNC, the Organic MCM FNC, NAVSEA Manta
program, as well as various DARPA's ASW programs
using UUV or small undersea vehicles as
forward-deployed platforms. Other DoD applications
include positioning and tracking for divers
operations, for Explosive Ordnance Disposal,
Special Operations (SEAL), and Search and Rescue.
DoD applications are a significant part of GTI's
commercialization plan. However, commercial
undersea applications in the private sector are
being identified for the next generation survey
platforms (ROVs and UUVs) for cable laying, pipe
laying, environmental and gas industry
|
MICHIGAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION
1777 Highland Drive, Suite B
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(734) 975-8777
Mr. Carl A. Nardell
NAVY 02-083 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Composite Ruggedized Tunable Fabry-Perot Etalon |
| Abstract: | It is the objective of this proposal to explore
three innovations that would improve this
technology in a way that would result in a
commercially available etalon for use as a filter
spectrometer, or imaging Fabry-Perot system for
spaceflight use in unusually harsh environments.
The first innovation involves the development of
an implementation of an existing proven design
using materials that would improve the weight and
thermal performance of the system, such as
composites. The finesse of an etalon is strongly
dependent upon the design of the mount in which it
is housed. The second objective is to develop an
alternative thermal compensation scheme to achieve
a zero temperature coefficient in the motor
metering system. The third objective would be to
design an implementation of this etalon as a
filter in an imaging remote sensing system. This
third objective is being proposed as an option.
The result of this work would be a design for
rugged tunable Fabry-Perot etalons that would be
capable of surviving launch into space. These
etalons would be available at costs that have
historically not been possible, since a great deal
of heritage will be collected and leveraged in
this proposed effort.
|
RL ASSOCIATES
4 Tanglewood DR.
Langhorne, PA 19047 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(215) 269-1694
Dr. Richard Billmers
NAVY 02-083 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Development of a High-Efficiency Ultra-Narrowband Volume Holographic Optical Filter |
| Abstract: | RL Associates plans to study the feasability in
phase I and build in phase II an optical filter
based upon volume holographic diffraction gratings
permanently written in thick photopolymeric
materials. We hope to demonstrate in this study
that this type of filter is feasible to build and
will be able to withstand the harsh operating
environment of a spaced-based or airborne military
platform. the filter will have the following
characteristics: Operating Wavelength: Visible
(currently 514.7 nm), Filter Linewidth: < 0.1nm,
Tuning sensitivity: ~0.5 /nm,
Tuning Range at least 3 nm Efficiency: >
75%, Aperture:~ 1.5".
WE believe that the ultra-narrowbandpass optical
filter based on volume holographic diffraction
gratings in thick polymeric materials has numerous
commercial applications and benefits. It will
clearly increase the S/N of military systems
employing light detection and ranging during
daytime operations. It will also benefit the
netwrok communications industry as it can be used
as a wavelength division muliptlexer as well as
sattelite and spaced-based communications.
|
INTERNATIONAL RADIATION DETECTORS INC.
2527 W. 237th Street, Unit A
Torrance, CA 90505 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 534-3661
Dr. Raj Korde
NAVY 02-084 Selected for Award |
| Title: | EUV Active Pixel Sensor Array |
| Abstract: | Design of EUV Active Pixel Sensor (APS) array
with 100% internal quantum efficiency photodiodes
has been proposed. Design of the photosensing
element of the APS array is based on our AXUV
photodiode products which are being used by NIST
and other national laboratories as transfer
standards in 1 nm to 250 nm spectral region. APS
arrays having 100 micron X 100 micron pixels with
directly deposited EUV filter will be designed
and fabricated during the phase I research. This
will investigate feasibility of final APS array
fabrication in Phase II. In contrast to tens of
k-rads hardness of CCDs, the proposed arrays are
expected to have a hardness of 1 G-rad when
exposed to EUV photons. Owing to their superior
radiation hardness, the developed arrays will be
extremely useful for EUV imaging of the sun,
planets, asteroids and other stars. Other
applications of the fabricated arrays will be in
plasma diagnostics, UV/EUV lithography and soft
x-ray microscopy of biological specimens.
|
SPECTRASCAN
9362 Malahine Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92646 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(714) 403-4675
Dr. Rodolfo Iturriaga
NAVY 02-085 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A Compact Fluorescence-Scattering System |
| Abstract: | An innovative flow through system with independent
sensing units to determine the scattering and
fluorescence properties of particulate and
dissolved matter is proposed. Near-forward and
near-backward scattering will be measured using
a highly collimated 660nm diode laser beam, and
a set of CCD-Shutter-systems positioned such that
the light beam axis intersects their center. Two
CCD arrays will be used to determine the Volume
Scattering Function (VSF) from 0 to 5 deg
(near-forward) and from 175 to 180 deg
(near-backward) with 0.005 deg resolution. Using
a CCD will allow continuous monitoring of the
quality of the beam and consequently provide the
ability to correct for misalignments while the
instrument is operating. In addition it will
simplify calibration. This will allow measurement
of the beam attenuation of the water flowing
through the system. Fluorescence measurements will
be performed using a short-arc high energy, UV
flash. The spectral emission of the natural
dissolved and particulate fluorochromes, will be
measured using a miniature spectrometer diode
array module. The Compact Fluorescence-Scattering
System (FSS) will be field deployable and capable
of functioning as an autonomous unit on different
environmental platforms or as a bench-top
instrument. The versatility, compactness and low
cost of the proposed system will facilitate its
application in any environmental context to
monitor water quality, such as fresh water
reservoirs, industrial outflows, sewage treatment,
aquaculture installations and many others. The
system is directly applicable for naval needs to
assess water clarity, lidar propagation
calculations and target recognition efficiency,
and to provide a ground-truth calibration of
remote sensing systems. In oceanic waters, the
resolving power for laser line scanning imaging
system is limited by (M. Strand 1995)
very-narrow-angle forward/backward light
scattering .
|
INDIGO SYSTEMS CORPORATION
5385 Hollister Ave #103
Santa Barbara, CA 93111 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(805) 690-6620
Dr. Eric Beuville
NAVY 02-086 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Compact Electronics and Segmented Nuclear Detectors for Radiation Imaging |
| Abstract: | Detection, identification and localization of
radioactive materials in a terrorist or
battlefield environment can be achieved with a
position sensitive gamma ray detector. The
detector provides identification of nuclear
materials of strategic interest, and can determine
the location and distribution of these materials.
Broader applications for the same technology
include nuclear medicine and high-energy
astrophysics.
This proposal focuses on the readout integrated
circuit (ROIC) for highly segmented
semi-conducting detectors such as germanium, or
silicon.
PHASE I: During the Phase I of this project Indigo
Systems proposes to complete a trade study of a
state-of-the-art multi-channel integrated circuit
readout for a position sensitive gamma ray
detector. Specifications and requirements to
achieve high efficiency gamma ray detection will
be proposed and analyzed for different type of
available detectors. Two readout architectures
will be proposed and analyzed, the first classic
type of architecture includes a fast timing
discriminator, providing the time of arrival of
the detector signal, and a shaping amplifier with
peak detection providing pulse amplitude for
spectroscopy. The second architecture proposed
will include an analog pipeline memory. The
detector signal after amplification and filtering
is sampled and stored at high rate onto successive
memory elements, preserving, with the pulse
amplitude, the shape of the signal. The number of
storage elements and the sampling rate define the
depth of the pipeline memory. All channel signals
are stored simultaneously allowing additional
off-chip signal processing to improve g ray source
localization. Simultaneous sensing and readout
(write and read) eliminates the dead time
necessary to avoid pileup and will allow higher
event rate capability. Amplifier gain and
filtering time constant programmability combined
with the pipeline memory architecture will be
suitable to readout various types of detectors for
extended imaging applications. Trade-offs of the
two readout approaches will be analyzed.
Preliminary simulations and estimated performance
in terms of timing and energy resolution, as well
as power consumption will be completed. It is
anticipated that the Phase I will last 3 months.
PHASE I Option: The Phase I continuation (Phase I
Option) will last 2 months during which time
Indigo will begin the preliminary detailed design
process of the ROIC. The outcome will be an
Interim Design Report.
PHASE II: During the Phase II, Indigo will design,
fabricate and test the ROIC. The ROIC will be
assembled to available germanium or silicon
double-sided strip detectors provided by either
the Navy Research Laboratory or the Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory to demonstrate the
performance of radioactive material detection and
localization.
PHASE III: During the Phase III, Indigo will
transition the technology to a production scale in
support the manufacture of fieldable nuclear
detector systems.
The commercial applications of these electronics
include gamma ray detection for nuclear
non-proliferation applications and prevention of
radioactive material smuggling, for astrophysics
applications, PET scanners and other nuclear
medicine imaging applications.
|
QUINSTAR TECHNOLOGY, INC.
24085 Garnier Street
Torrance, CA 90505 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 320-1111
Dr. H. J. Kuno
NAVY 02-087 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Antenna for Shipboard Missile Detection System |
| Abstract: | Millimeter-wave can penetrate fog, smoke, clouds,
and dust. Because of the short wavelength,
millimeter-waves, when used in sensor systems such
as radars, can provide sensing accuracy. In
addition, relatively small antennas can provide
high gain and narrow beamwidth at millimeter-wave
frequencies. For these reasons, a great deal of
interest and effort has been directed toward the
development of millimeter-wave missile seekers
over the years. It is widely projected that
anti-ship missile systems will be operated in the
Ka-band and W-band where low atmospheric
attenuation windows exist around 35 GHz and 94
GHz, respectively. In order to defend ships
against such threats, detection systems with a
high probability of intercept (detection) will be
needed. One of the key elements that will enable
the development of such a system is a high gain
omni-directional antenna. The proposed program is
aimed at the development of omnidirectional
millimeter-wave antennas with high gain in the
elevation plane, with the peak gain pointed toward
the horizon for early detection of incoming
missile attacks. The antennas will be able to
detect vertical and horizontal polarizations.
They will be small and will be able to be inserted
into existing systems. The omni-directional
millimeter-wave antenna design to be developed
will have potential opportunities for wider
applications. Examples of wider applications
include the extension of the technology to W-band
missile detection systems, Ka-band LMDS systems,
and millimeter-wave wireless local area network
systems.
|
TOYON RESEARCH CORP.
Suite A, 75 Aero Camino
Goleta, CA 93117 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(805) 968-6787
Mr. Kevin C. Higgins
NAVY 02-087 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Antenna for Shipboard Missile Detection System |
| Abstract: | Current shipboard electronic warfare (EW) systems
do not adequately cover the full frequency range
of likely future radar missile seeker threats.
Toyon Research Corporation proposes a
"building-block" antenna approach that would
provide low cost omni-directional azimuth antenna
coverage for detecting threat signals in an
ultrawide frequency (through Ka) band, with a
straightforward growth path to localizing the
threat accurately in azimuth and elevation by
adding additional building-block antenna sets
along with beam-forming hardware, but without an
antenna set redesign. The proposed antenna
comprises three parts: power divider,
multi-element notch antenna array covering signals
in an ultra-wide frequency band, and a
radome/polarizer. Two to four antenna sets,
located either together or on different parts of a
ship, can cover 360 degrees in azimuth. Future
improvements using arrays of such antenna sets can
be combined and phased to provide scanned beams or
multiple fixed beams for threat localization.
Toyon's experience with such antenna systems is
extensive with more than 20 years' experience
designing and building the SLQ-32 Semi-Omni
Antenna (including a radome/polarizer) as well as
two predecessor antenna upgrades. In 2001, members
of the Toyon team completed a similar Ka-band
missile seeker antenna with integral power divider
and phase shifters. The AN/SLQ-32 missile
detection system is currently used on nearly 500
Navy ships. The proposed antenna system could be
used on all ships that presently have the
AN/SLQ-32 system. In addition to shipboard
locations the Navy LAMPS Helicopter has a missile
detection system. The proposed antenna system
could also be used on all ships that presently
have LAMPS Helicopters.
|
TOXSOR, INC.
PO Box 1174
St. Charles, MO 63302 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(636) 949-2664
Mr. Stanley Wilson
NAVY 02-088 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Buoyancy Control Package for Miniature Undersea Sensors |
| Abstract: | The proposed is an buoyancy control module based
on the "Cuttlefish". It substitutes man-made
Smart Material and MEMS technology to duplicate
capabilities occuring in nature.
The proposed strategy would emulate the
functionality of the Cuttlefish and its natural
capability to maintain neutrally buoyancy. The
solution is envisioned as a smart Micro Fluidic
Control System that would be etched into a single
micro-chip with a combination of channels, pumps,
valves and associated control circuitry.
The challenge in the proposed work will be the
merging of smart materials and MEMS components
with the associated control systems for buoyancy
and propulsion while working within the low-energy
and size restraints of the system. The key to the
success of this proposal will be leveraging the
diverse technologies and techniques to meet
U.S.Navy requirements. The research is expected to
establish the micro-machining of smart materials
and micro-concepts for buoyancy control as
energy-efficient and scalable solution.
|
WEBB RESEARCH CORPORATION
82 Technology Park Drive
East Falmouth, MA 02536 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(508) 548-2077
Mr. Douglas C. Webb
NAVY 02-088 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Buoyancy Control Package for Miniature Undersea Sensors |
| Abstract: | Littoral antisubmarine warfare and surveillance
plans incorporate a vision of a distributed
network of miniature, neutrally buoyant, undersea
sensors capable of maintaining a desired depth at
10 to 1,000 meters or a position on a 5 to 20
degree Celcius temperature contour. A miniature
vehicle is proposed which will carry the sensor
system and will equilibrate on a predetermined
isothermal surface. The operation exploits a
change-of-state in a control substance, which acts
to both measure the temperature and deliver work
to change the vehicle buoyancy.
No battery or other stored energy is used. The
work done results from heat flow from the ocean
thermocline. This approach can also be used to
create a vehicle which cycles vertically
indefinitely, a perpetual oscillator, which draws
all propulsion energy from the thermocline. Very
small devices are practical. Initial designs are
for the sensor package total volume of
approximately 32 ml. A provision for one time
ascent to the surface for radio communication is
included. The use of a large number of smart,
expendable, miniature probes for detection of
submarines in the littoral environment may prove
to be an important Navy tool. If a success for
the Navy, it would be procured in larger quantity,
i.e., 10,000 per batch, an attractive commercial
opportunity.
Quantity manufacture may result in an attractive
low-cost platform with application in dynamic
littoral ocean observation, turbulence, fronts,
internal waves, or in monitoring dispersion of
toxic plumes.
|
METATECH CORPORATION
358 S. Fairview, Suite E
Goleta, CA 93117 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(505) 243-0681
Dr. Tom Larkin
NAVY 02-089 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Estimation of the Electromagnetic Energy Protection Provided for Electronic Equipment by Various Dielectric Materials and Shielding Configurations |
| Abstract: | A statistical methodology for susceptibility
analysis of electronic devices under illumination
of electromagnetic fields is proposed. The
methods cast susceptibility data sets into a
generalized form so that different data sets can
be pooled to increase the empirical basis for
drawing inferences. Given underpinning data for a
specific type of electronic device, the methods
permit the device's susceptibility probabilities
to be estimated in new scenarios for a wide range
of EM stresses. Any problem concerning the
susceptibility of devices to radiated EM fields
can be addressed using the methodology, pointing
to commercial application in the EMI or IEMI
areas. The methodology can provide more efficient
means for commercial EMC/EMI testing of commercial
and consumer elecronic equipment to standards
requirements.
|
SCIENCE & ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, INC.
6100 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 700
Albuquerque, NM 87110 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(505) 861-0503
Mr. Ted Lehman
NAVY 02-089 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Shielding Effectiveness Estimation using Statistical Modeling Techniques |
| Abstract: | An investigation to determine the applicability of
statistical modeling techniques to shielding
effectiveness estimation of complex, irregular
structures is proposed. In particular, the ability
to extrapolate existing shielding effectiveness
data to similar structures (similitude) is of
interest. Accuracy, efficiency, validation and
usefulness are the evaluation criteria used to
establish applicability.
Using statistical techniques, it has already been
demonstrated that the shielding effectiveness of
electrically large, metallic walled irregular
structures can be uniquely defined. Techniques for
accurately measuring and estimating the shielding
effectiveness exist. Validation, measurement and
computational costs are minimal and applications
of similitude are straightforward. The definition
is also compatible with vulnerability assessment
requirements so it is also useful. The proposed
effort will investigate the applicability of these
techniques and/or modification of these techniques
to structures with different wall materials and/or
smaller electrical sizes. Wall materials of
interest include dielectric and combinations of
dielectric/metal (re-enforced concrete).
Accurate, cost effective techniques for
estimating the shielding effectiveness of a wide
class of structures would provide lower cost
solutions for protecting critical electronic
systems. This approach would provide the tools
necessary for identifying the most vulnerable
components in electronic systems.
Potential applications of this technology are:
military and civilian aircraft, ships,
communication facilities, data processing centers,
control rooms.
|
EMAG TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
1340 Eisenhower Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(734) 973-6600
Dr. Werner Thiel
NAVY 02-090 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Numerical Modeling of Complex Electronic Systems |
| Abstract: | A hybrid technique combining frequency and time
domain methods is proposed to accurately and
efficiently model the energy coupling in complex
electronic systems. With a hybrid technique, each
sub-circuit of a complex system can be analyzed by
the most proper numerical method so that the
computational effort can be significantly
decreased. Whereas large-scale regions will be
characterized by a Haar-based Multiresolution
Time-Domain (MRTD) scheme, sub-circuits containing
a lot of details are modeled with the Method of
Moments (MoM), Finite Element (FEM) or Finite
Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) technique. Huygens
surface currents are applied on the boundary
surfaces of the sub-geometries to interface the
frequency and time-domain methods. In addition to
the MoM method, an analytical approach is proposed
to model penetrable conductive shields in FDTD or
MRTD efficiently. Furthermore, for highly
nonlinear sub-circuits, an extended FDTD method
will be available and will be combined with the
MRTD method. Finally, the computational efficiency
of the hybrid method will be demonstrated by a
comparison of the accuracy and computation time
with a brute-force full-wave method. The outcome
of this project will benefit electronic system
designers in both the military and industry by
letting them accurately characterize the
electromagnetic coupling effects among the various
sub-circuits.
|
RM ASSOCIATES
1211 Deerfield Drive
State College, PA 16803 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(814) 865-1298
Dr. Raj Mittra
NAVY 02-090 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Numerical Modeling of Complex Electronic Systems |
| Abstract: | The objective of this effort is to develop
strategies for electromagnetic modeling of highly
complex systems by using a suite of Computational
Electromagnetic (CEM) codes based on a variety of
algorithms, and hybridizations thereof. Although a
wide array of CEM tools are currently available
for modeling objects with arbitrary geometries and
inhomogeneities, they are typically limited,
severely, in the size of the problem they can
handle. Furthermore, many of the existing codes do
not have an interface that enables the user to
conveniently enter the object geometry using their
own CAD tools, and to view the fields and induced
currents computed by the code without considerable
amount of manipulation of the output data set
generated by the modeling code. Given this state
of the existing CEM codes, we propose to develop
novel approaches, described below, that would
substantially extend the range of applicability of
existing CEM tools and enable them to be scaled to
much larger problems. We also propose to develop
User interfaces for the codes that would work with
existing databases or CAD files for the objects in
a convenient manner. Anticipated improvements in
the CEM tools would be of immediate use to several
other projects of interest to various DoD
agencies, especially the Navy, in connection with
EMI analysis of proposed or existing designs, for
which no accurate tools are currently available.
|
INFORMATION EXTRACTION & TRANSPORT, INC.
1911 N. Ft. Myer Drive, Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22209 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 841-3500
Ms. Mike Poole
NAVY 02-091 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Data Standardization and Brokering |
| Abstract: | The problem of effecting data standardization and
brokering for purposes of infrastructure
protection is one that unavoidably involves a wide
range of types of domain knowledge, data sources
and client types. Furthermore, information
requirements may be unpredictable but also require
fast and efficient gathering of complete and
reliable data. IET contends that this problem is
inherently bifurcated. Solutions resulting in
robust systems must involve both the
implementation of semantically rich metadata
standards and consideration of procedures to
reason with imperfect query results. IET will
develop a semantically rich metadata standard to
use in marking up data sources within the energy
sectors and demonstrate how this can result in
efficient and accurate data matching between
client needs and source. IET will implement their
experience in Bayesian reasoning to offer unique
solutions to the semantic interoperability
problems by developing methods to reason about
knowledge credibility from network and metadata
information as well as extract useable knowledge
when query results are imperfect. The result of
this research effort will be the design and
prototype of a brokering environment and markup
language that provides a central medium to
leverage software applications and data being
managed by various communities supporting critical
infrastructure assurance initiatives. There are
several organizations within the government in
general and the DoD in particular that are
potential customers for this technology. These
include the Joint Battlespace Infosphere (JBI) and
DARPA's Control Agent Based Systems (CoABS) grid
as well as national organizations such as the
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs).
The commercial market includes the commercial
components of the critical infrastructure grid
that are going to be required to comply with
government regulations and standards regarding
data sharing are good candidates.
|
SOHAR INCORPORATED
8421 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 201
Beverly Hills, CA 90211 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(323) 653-4717
Mr. Myron Hecht
NAVY 02-092 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Infrastructure Vulnerability Analysis System |
| Abstract: | This research will develop a methodology and a
decision support tool to determine vulnerabilities
for identified threats and hazards, determine
appropriate countermeasures, and provide for
infrastructure facilities and services to military
facilities. The key innovation in this research
is the integration of dependency graphs and Fault
Tree Analysis. Methods of dependency analysis
will include Colored Petri Nets and Simulation. A
geographical information system will be used to
select critical infrastructure facilities. The
benefit is a scalable solution that can address
both individual infrastructure vulnerabilities and
the consequences of a facility loss on the
"dependency web" of the military facility. In the
Phase I research, we will document the
methodology, develop a prototype tool we call RAID
(Rapid Assessment of Infrastructure Dependencies),
and demonstrate feasibility. The net result of
this research, if successful, will be a decision
support system that can be used as a planning aid
to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities as well
as to determine the optimal approach to restoring
services after a series of terrorist attacks. The
Decision Support Tool (RAID) emerging from this
research will be of value not only to the U.S.
Navy but also to many Federal, State, and Local
Government authorities responsible for planning
and responding to terrorist attacks and disasters.
The tool may also be useful to the risk management
departments of corporations and insurance
companies as well.
|
ACCURATE AUTOMATION CORPORATION
7001 Shallowford Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(423) 894-4646
Mr. Vinod Sharma
NAVY 02-096 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Very Low Noise, High Efficiency Propeller Designs for Small UAVs |
| Abstract: | The objective of this proposal is to develop low
noise propellers for application in a UAV concept
called SWARM. We propose a combined effort of
theoretical and experimental studies to be fully
responsive to the need of the SWARM program.
Accurate Automation Corporation (AAC) offers a
comprehensive approach to design and manufacture a
propeller that reduces the noise by 12dBA with
respect to the commercially available propeller
for similar thrust requirements. There is an
uncompromising need for quiet operation of the
UAVs to minimize detection by listening devices.
The noise generated by a propeller must be lowered
to make it consistent with the remaining
components, such as exhaust, of a propulsion
system. AAC is uniquely positioned to expand the
propeller design experience gained during the Gun
Launched Observation Vehicle program under Navy
(NSWC) supervision. As an optional task, we offer
to conduct extensive testing and refinement of our
propeller. During the follow-on phases, AAC
proposes to study the acoustic noise suppression
due to unsteady pressures generated by propeller
blade vibrations. Shunted piezoelectric actuators
strategically embedded in the blades will be
considered for blade vibration suppression in the
Phase II and III of this program. AAC has an
outstanding record in the UAV development arena.
We have integrated from propellers to small
turbo-jet engines in our UAVs. The quiet
propeller is a critical component for our future
platforms. We are investing Venture Capital funds
to supplement the tasks required to perform on
this project in a time and cost constrained
manner. There is need for this technology for the
hobby market as well as the large aircraft with
propellers. At the end of the Phase II effort,
AAC expects to have an advanced propeller design
and manufacturing process in place.
|
CONTINENTAL CONTROLS AND DESIGN, INC.
1921 N. Gaffey Suite J
San Pedro, CA 90731 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 831-8669
Mr. James P. Hynes
NAVY 02-096 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Very Low Noise, High Efficiency Propeller Designs for Small UAVs |
| Abstract: | This topic addresses the design and development of
novel propeller shapes, configurations and
construction that significantly reduce the
radiated noise of small propellers while
simultaneously maintaining relatively high
propulsive efficiency. Propellers are fast
becoming the dominant noise source in small UAVs,
as muffler designs improve. The conflicting goals
of low noise, high efficiency and low cost are
complicated by structural and aerodynamic
interaction with the single cylinder diesel engine
and airframe. In this project we draw from
international expertise to analytically and
experimentally pursue optimized quiet, efficient
and inexpensive designs. Besides the obvious
military application, this technology will benefit
model airplane hobbyists and residents of nearby
flying fields as open space becomes increasingly
scarce.
|
CONTINUUM DYNAMICS, INC.
34 Lexington Avenue
Ewing, NJ 08618 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(609) 538-0444
Dr. Todd R. Quackenbush
NAVY 02-096 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Design Technology for Quiet UAV Propellers |
| Abstract: | The coming generation of small, lightweight UAVs
will require new quiet propeller designs to
maximize acoustic stealth while building on
off-the-shelf hardware and leveraging existing
design technology to minimize cost. To meet an
aggressive development schedule, it is necessary
to exploit validated design analysis tools to
minimize the expensive and time-consuming cut and
try aspects of wind tunnel propeller testing.
The proposed effort will build on the experience
of a proven design team to develop a quiet UAV
propeller that maintains high efficiency while
realizing 12+ dB noise reductions. The effort
will use established noise analysis tools to
accelerate the design process as well as to allow
the assessment of noise sources due to unsteady
interactions not easily simulated in a wind tunnel
environment. Phase I will also exploit recent
insights into small scale (low Re) airfoil
behavior as well as enhancements to established
proprotor modeling and optimization software to
support a wind tunnel testing effort that will be
undertaken to validate the predicted performance
and noise levels. Following demonstration of
promising designs, a manufacturing plan will be
developed to ensure that cost and
manufacturability targets can be met for
production versions of
the new propeller hardware.
The recent rapid expansion of micro aircraft
roles in defense applications
is being mirrored by growth in possible civil
roles for such concepts,
including surveillance, imaging, and inspection.
The long term goal of
this effort would be to produce and market a
family of quiet, efficient
propellers for next generation UAVs, as well as
software to support
optimization of such vehicles through advanced
design tools.
|
DELTA GROUP INTERNATIONAL LLC
1049 Tari Drive, Suite B
Colorado Springs, CO 80921 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 405-1143
Dr. Ben Wel-C. Sim
NAVY 02-096 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Very Low Noise, High Efficiency Propeller Designs for Small UAVs |
| Abstract: | The objectives of this Phase I SBIR are to design,
fabricate, test, and evaluate low noise, highly
efficient propellers at two different airspeeds
over a range of propeller rpm. The noise and
performance results will be compared with the best
(chosen a priori) commercially available
two-bladed propeller. The quiet, highly efficient
propeller will be designed to maintain optimum
propulsive efficiency while still meeting the low
noise objectives. This Phase I program uses a
combined theoretical-experimental approach with an
emphasis on producing propeller designs that meet
noise and performance goals with less emphasis on
mass production design and manufacturing. Design
variables such as propeller diameter, blade
number, blade shape, etc., will be systematically
analyzed to achieve program objectives. A novel
hub/blade design will facilitate parametric
testing so that theory can be validated early and
often. Manufacturing techniques are developed to
produce five propellers of the same design for
testing by the Navy at the end of Phase I. In the
later stages of the program (Phases II and III),
new designs will be proposed that further reduce
noise levels while maintaining good performance.
Mass production methods will be employed to
produce propellers that are durable and
consistently perform as designed. The realization
of a very quiet, highly efficient, safe,
cost-effective propeller for small UAVs will be
welcomed by DoD, other government agencies, and
the model airplane hobbyist. There are many
military needs and requirements for this
technology, but there may be even more demand for
this technology for civilian applications. Having
a quiet propeller (together with a quiet engine)
will help make model airplane flying less of an
annoyance to the urban communities that normally
surround practice airfields. If the cost,
performance, and safety of the resulting propeller
is comparable to the two bladed rotor, a very
large market will develop.
Because of the increased interest on security and
surveillance, there is little doubt of the need of
this technology. The Navy has already indicated a
potential need for several thousand quiet
propellers for use in their small UAV program. A
market study of these needs for government and
civilian uses will be conducted in Phase III of
this program.
Commercialization for the government and civilian
markets will be approached in several ways. All
phases of DGI's small UAV propeller program will
be open to the government, the small propeller
manufacturing industry, and the hobbyist. We will
solicit ideas from the users and manufacturers
through our local contacts. When we have
documented significant noise reductions with good
performance, we will report these results in the
open literature. In Phase III of the program,
when the final propeller designs are tested by the
Navy, we will encourage flight demonstrations with
the military and civilian flying clubs to
demonstrate the operational potential of this low
noise propeller. In Phase III, DGI will also use
the chosen manufacturing partner or
subcontractor's marketing network to commercialize
the low noise, highly efficient propeller.
Coincident with these efforts, DGI will make
special presentations to interested members of
government agencies and commercial vendors.
|
GLOBAL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
P.O. Box 850
Starkville, MS 39760 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(662) 324-2800
Dr. Michael R. Smith
NAVY 02-096 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Very Low Noise, High Efficiency Propeller Designs for Small UAVs |
| Abstract: | The proposed SBIR program offers a unique
opportunity to use design and fabrication
technology developed in recent government and
industry funded programs to design a low-cost,
high-performance, light-weight, low-noise
propeller for Small UAV's.
Global Aircraft Corp.(GAC) has the technology
to design and manufacture composite propellers
with scimitar shaped blades that flex to change
pitch. This ability to flex allows the propeller
to provide high performance over a wide range of
operating conditions. This technology was
developed under NASA SBIR and NASA AGATE funding.
The design process has been recently automated
using a rules-based computer program that performs
finite analysis of blade geometry to show the
effect of operating condition on blade deflection
and vibratory modes that must be addressed in a
structurally sound propeller design.
The objective of the proposed SBIR Phase I
project is to design, fabricate, and test
proof-of-concept propellers that produce 12 dB
less noise than commercially available hobby
industry 2-blade propellers. The Phase II work is
to further reduce the noise of the propeller
developed in Phase I by 8 or more dB while
maintaining performance within 5% of the Phase I
design.
The proposed SBIR project will increase the
knowledge base concerning the design of low-noise,
high-efficiency propellers for small UAVs. This
knowledge can be applied to the design of
propellers for numerous military and industrial
UAVs, most of which currently use propellers
designs based on seventy year old propeller
technology. The technology generated in this
project is directly applicable to design and
production of propellers for the model airplane
industry and will result in much quieter and more
efficient operations. The knowledge and
experience gained in this project will also extend
to the design and production of propellers for low
power recreational aircraft and general aviation
airplanes.
|
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY & RESEARCH CORP.
15210 Dino Drive
Burtonsville, MD 20866 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 989-8050
Dr. Anthony Barbera
NAVY 02-097 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Cooperative Behavior and Control in Groups of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) |
| Abstract: | The goal of this proposed effort is build a
modular and expandable control system architecture
that will flexibly accommodate multiple autonomous
unmanned aircraft, which must perform assigned
missions in coordinated cooperation with all
mission aircraft. The control system must feature
the ability to adaptively respond to losses during
the mission, such that degraded communications or
destruction of aircraft generate new allocations
of responsibilities among mission members. A
control system backbone in the form of a
hierarchical organizational structure of agent
control modules simultaneously executing many
layers of control and planning in real-time will
be created. This will be accomplished by applying
an advanced control system concept, called RCS
(Real-time Control System), to the task of
coordinated control of multiple unmanned air
vehicles (UAVs). This organizational structure
can carry out cooperative autonomous behavior in
large groups of UAVs in various tactical
situations. This control system will exhibit
varying autonomous capabilities, such as
regrouping with losses, reallocation of resources,
and reordering of priorities, while carrying out a
variety of mission assignments including
reconnaissance, searching, tracking, relay
communications, target identification and
navigational guidance. Autonomous vehicles
including land vehicles, aircraft, and undersea
vehicles, have demonstrated many advantages over
manned vehicles. Complex tasks have been
performed either by remotely piloted vehicles with
a person executing the control, or with the
vehicle executing some tasks using an automated
control system without full time human insertion.
The complexity of the vehicles is moving in two
developmental axes simultaneously: viz. the
addition of more complexity to the vehicle as
evidenced by larger and more integrated sensor
suites, and the addition of more vehicles to form
ensembles of vehicles operating simultaneously.
This task addresses the needs to move into the
multiple, simultaneous, autonomous vehicle
operational scenario. While the starting point of
design is a relatively simple individual vehicle
operating in an ensemble, this scenario can be
extended into groups of more complex vehicles.
The opportunity presents itself then for scalable
ensembles of vehicles ranging from low unit cost
vehicles to higher unit cost vehicles all
operating on a control system that is easily
reconfigurable as the mission and the vehicle
changes. The concept is not unique to the
military but could be quite interesting to any
organization interested in large area survey, such
as natural mineral survey.
|
ALPHATECH, INC.
50 Mall Road
Burlington, MA 01803 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 273-3388
Mr. Michael L. Curry
NAVY 02-097 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Control Architecures for Autonomous Teams (CAAT) |
| Abstract: | Cooperative, autonomous control is required to
realize the full potential of autonomous UAVs in a
tactical military setting. This proposal
addresses the cooperative platform control problem
where the control task is to coordinate teams of
small, expendable, platforms to perform
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
(ISR) tasks. When viewed as a centralized control
problem under uncertainty, Stochastic Dynamic
Programming (SDP) provides the optimal control
strategy for this stochastic problem; however,
this solution approach is not computationally
feasible for most problems, and requires excessive
centralization of information and computation.
Moreover, the impact of imperfect communication
performance decreases the overall performance
achievable by large, centrally controlled teams.
We propose innovative distributed control
architectures that extend previous ALPHATECH
Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP) successes to
cooperative control of teams of UAVs. ADP is used
as a basis for control of centralized and
decentralized architectures. The Phase I work,
organized around a simulation-based trade study,
begins with the evaluation of a centralized
architecture. Insights into the centralized
implementation are used to identify and address
significant issues organic to all decentralized
architectures. Phase II extends the work of Phase
I by incorporating additional dimensions in the
trade space and increasing the size and realism of
the simulation. The proposed technology would
enable autonomous teams of distributed UAVs to
cooperatively perform reconnaissance, search,
tracking, relay communications, target
identification, and provide navigational guidance
in a highly dynamic, uncertain environment, with
limited human input. This concept of operations
would support a rapid tailoring of ISR resources,
and thus achieve the benefits of the large more
traditional UAVs with greatly reduced cost and
increased effectiveness. In the commercial
sector, this technology is directly transferable
to many applications involving autonomous systems,
such as deep-sea exploration and salvage,
hazardous material handling, flexible
manufacturing systems and space-based assembly and
repair.
|
BIG FUN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
620 Lakeshore Drive
Duluth, GA 30096 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(770) 300-0308
Mr. Dov Jacobson
NAVY 02-097 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Cooperative Behavior and Control in Groups of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) |
| Abstract: | SUAVE (Simulated Unmanned Air Vehicle Experience)
Big Fun, a commercial game development studio,
proposes a novel approach to identifying superior
strategies for UAV communication and cooperation.
SUAVE is an accurate UAV simulation presented as
entertainment - as a game.
A variety of strategies under consideration are
programmed into the game. It is published online,
and played immediately by tens of thousands of
individuals. Each player eagerly, intelligently,
and uniquely challenges all these candidate
strategies, seeking weaknesses.
The game server monitors outcomes. Superior
control structures very quickly emerge from the
flawed ones. The bad are abandoned. The good are
improved.
Large, heterogenous databases of experience are
collected overnight. By day, strategists can
repair their wounded algorithms and send them back
into battle, iterating nightly toward perfection.
Better still, the game permits players to script
their own strategies. The creative energy of a
million minds is applied to both sides of the
equation.
This is the natural process of evolution - at warp
speed. Like natural evolution, it exploits both
dramatic developmental breakthroughs and
microscopic refinements applied over and over.
This project will produce a very capable web
based unmanned air battle simulator. It will be
available to large numbers of simultaneous
participants. It will be accurate, secure and
responsive. Aerial battles are an extremely
popular game genre and a game that encourages
programmability would remain popular for a long
time.
(Big Fun is in the business of producing computer
games, and has good relationships with most game
publishers.)
|
KNOWLEDGE BASED SYSTEMS, INC.
1408 University Drive East
College Station, TX 77840 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(979) 260-5274
Dr. Ajay Verma
NAVY 02-097 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Command and Control for Active Intra-Group Co-Operation of UAVs (C-CAGO) |
| Abstract: | In past, the major thrust of research has been on
developing algorithms for cooperative control of a
group of entities such as uninhabited aerial
vehicles (UAVs), but there has not been any effort
for the integrated design of command and control
of the group and the communication layer. The
practical implementation of the command and
control of a group is limited by the available
bandwidth for the communication. This proposal
will focuses on optimizing the bandwidth
requirement without compromising the functionality
of command and control of UAVs. The major task of
this project is to design a communication network
for supporting the command and control of a
platoon of UAVs for a task of formation flying.
The overall design should provide robust control
of the group when: bandwidth available for
communication is limited, data transmitted may be
corrupted, data received may be corrupted, there
is loss or gain of UAVs during the operation . The
major objectives of cooperative control for UAVs
is to solve the high end problem for: formation
configuration control, i.e. intra-group control of
individual entities maintaining the formation, and
restructuring of the formation as well as
communication layer in the event of accretion or
attrition of UAVs. The proposed effort will be
invaluable for the implementing cooperative
control for a platoon of uninhabited aerial
vehicles. The technology that will be developed in
this project has a wide scope of
commercialization. This technology will also be
applicable to a wide variety of uninhabited space
vehicles, ground vehicles ( UGVs) and underwater
vehicles (UUVs).
|
C-K TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
116 Holloway Road
Ballwin, MO 63011 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(636) 394-3331
Mr. Harold McCormick
NAVY 02-098 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Very Low Noise, High Efficiency Propeller Designs for Small UAVs |
| Abstract: | The objective of this project is to develop an
expansion chamber/exhaust muffler system which
will optimize the fuel economy/power density of
small two-cycle compression engines while
simultaneously providing 16 db or greater noise
reduction. State-of-the-art validated computer
models will be employed with the objective of
minimizing the number of experimental iterations
required to achieve the objective. The current
commercial practice for producing expansion
chmber/muffler systems for two-cycle engines
(chainsaws, weed eaters, etc.) is divided into two
categories:
Low volume engine production (less than
1,000 units per year): The engine producer
contracts with an outside supplier for the design,
manufacture, and supply of the unit. The current
business model of C-K Technologies would be to act
as the designer/supplier of systems for the
low-volume two-cycle engine applications. An
identified market exist specifically for noise
reduction of model airplane engines. This market
will be served by producing product for the engine
producer as well as kits for retrofitting existing
engines. These kits would be provided for
distributors who provide product for this market.
Mid volume/high volume engine production:
Due to the need to be cost competitive in the
marketplace, the engine manufacturer typically
produces the expansion chamber muffler integral to
the engine manufacturing operation. The objective
of new and advanced technologies developed above
through work funded in the Phase I/Phase II
portions of this project is to develop a
proprietary position which would be licensed to
the engine manufacturer.
|
KALSCOTT ENGINEERING, INC.
104 Walker Pl.
Lawrence, KS 66049 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(785) 760-1371
Mr. Tom Sherwood
NAVY 02-098 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Very Low Noise, High Efficiency Muffler Designs for Small UAVs |
| Abstract: | The role of small acoustically stealthy UAVs for
battlefield operations is identified. The
challenges associated with noise reduction for
such vehicles is described. Novel approaches to
reducing the noise emanating from the engine
exhaust using an advanced muffler are presented.
These include custom muffler designs, and matching
of the aeroacoustic characteristics of the engine
and the muffler for optimum efficiency, while
reducing noise. The goal is to develop a
lightweight (<100 grams), low volume (<24 cu. in.
volume, with a max. feature size of 5 in.),
low-cost (<$35 each) muffler that retains high
efficiency, while reducing noise by 16 dB in Phase
I and an extra 10 dB in Phase II. A detailed Phase
I work plan is presented, covering analysis,
design, build, testing and design evolution tasks.
The commercial market for noise-reduction devices
is rapidly expanding due to increasing noise
concerns in many communities. Small mufflers can
be adapted for use with small gas engines in
generators, all classes of motor vehicles,
gas-powered tools, model vehicles, and
ultralights.
|
SAGETECH CORPORATION
2170 W. Eugene Street
Hood River, OR 97031 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(541) 386-6999
Mr. Kelvin Scribner
NAVY 02-098 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Very Low Noise, High Efficiency Propeller Designs for Small UAVs |
| Abstract: | Sagetech Corporation proposes by this document to
perform Navy SBIR task N02-098, Very Low Noise,
High Efficiency Muffler Designs for Small UAV's
(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
There are several discrete sources of noise in
small aircraft: propeller noise, engine crankcase
radiation, engine inlet (carburetor) noise,
exhaust noise, and vibration induced airframe
noise. Other work (N02-096) addresses propeller
noise, the present solicitation addresses exhaust
noise, and the other sources of noise are
addressed elsewhere, insignificant, or unaccounted
for. Sagetech Corporation is prepared to address
engine crankcase noise, vibration induced airframe
noise, and engine inlet noise should the need
arise.
The stock OS Max LA 0.4 engine and muffler was
analyzed and the task found to be feasible. A
design methodology comprising of equal parts
computer assisted noise modeling, test bench
hardware verification, and actual hardware noise
measurement is proposed to rapidly converge on a
cost effective exhaust design which balances noise
performance with engine performance.
An analysis is presented in which the stock
muffler is characterized and a preliminary design
is evaluated, nearly meeting design goals. From
this it is surmised that the task is feasible and
within the technical capability of Sagetech
Corporation
Commercial applications for the proposed work lie
primarily in the RC airplane industry as well as
small garden tools (weed wackers). Improved
mufflers which enhance engine performance are
certain to be popular with model airplane
enthusiasts.
Military benefits are primarily in decreased
dectability of reconnaissance UAV's resulting in
improved probability of mission accomplishment
|
AGUILA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
310 Via Vera Cruz, Suite 107
San Marcos, CA 92069 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(760) 752-4359
Dr. Alan Grieve
NAVY 02-099 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Thermal Management Techniques for Bonded Electronic Components |
| Abstract: | There is a growing need for improvement in the
performance of thermally-conductive polymeric
adhesives used in the bonding of electronic
structures for use in high-temperature
environments, such as the operating environment of
high power wide bandgap electronic devices. Many
polymeric adhesives for electronics use are
epoxide-based. While epoxides offer good
processability and have good mechanical and
chemical resistance properties, their performance
at high temperatures and high humidities is poor.
This leads to more frequent and costly repairs due
to premature failures. While there are numerous
examples of polymers with superior performance to
epoxides, few offer the same level of
processability or low costs of epoxide-based
formulations. We have developed a new resin
formulation that, with some modification, will
address all of these performance issues. Our
patent-pending resin formulation incorporates
cyanate esters, bismaleimides and epoxides. It is
solvent-free and easily processed. The key to this
formulation is a novel reactive diluent containing
both allyl and epoxide functionalities.
Incorporation of a novel filler combination into
this resin formulation will also allow the
preparation of composite materials with improved
thermal and electrical conductivity to better
address the thermal and electrical management
needs of high power devices
There is an immediate need for adhesive materials
with improved high temperature performance in a
myriad of high volume consumer and defense
products, particularly those materials that have
improved thermal and/or electrical properties. It
is a multimillion-dollar business. With the
elimination of lead-based solders a priority in
Europe, and, to a lesser extent, Japan, high
reliability electrically conductive adhesives will
find increasing application as a replacement for
metallurgical-attach materials
|
FOSTER-MILLER, INC.
350 Second Ave.
Waltham, MA 02451 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 684-4118
Mr. Thomas Tiano
NAVY 02-099 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Highly Thermally Conductive Anisotropic Thermoplastic Film Adhesive |
| Abstract: | In this effort, Foster-Miller will develop an
affordable and novel high temperature resistant,
thermally conductive polymeric adhesive for
bonding high-power electronic structures. The
Foster-Miller system will consist of a highly
adhesive thermoplastic film with the conductive
filler aligned through the thickness of the film.
This anisotropic adhesive will maximize thermal
conductivity and heat throughput by directing heat
flow in the desired direction - away from the heat
generating components and into the heat sink. A
novel electrical alignment technique will be
utilized to align the filler, thereby maximizing
its effectiveness by allowing higher
unidirectional conductivity while retaining the
adhesive properties of the polymer. The use of
commercially available, high temperature
elastomeric thermoplastic, cast into a film
creates a system that has a high bond strength and
can be readily reworked upon application of
minimal heat, while being able to meet the
mechanical and environmental properties required
for Navy applications. These meltable films have
the further advantages of a very short application
time because there is no curing, and they do not
require the use of autoclaves. The resulting film
adhesive can be processed using typical equipment
utilized in the microelectronics industry.
(P-020138)
Development of a highly thermally conductive
adhesive will help solve the ever increasing "heat
problem" associated with high power
microelectronics. It will allow simpler thermal
management designs and the use of smaller and more
powerful microchips in both commercial and
military electronics. The use of thermoplastic
films will also increase the mechanical and
physical properties of the adhesive and allow for
easier rework.
|
POLYCOMP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
13963 Recuerdo Drive
Del Mar, CA 92014 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(858) 530-2151
Dr. Chuk L Leung
NAVY 02-099 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Thermal Management Techniques for Bonded Electronic Components |
| Abstract: | In sufficient dissipation of heat generated by
high-power electronic components via the bonded
structure loweres the performance and service life
of the package. Polycomp Technologies, Inc.
proposes to develop novel die-attach adhesives
that are reworkble, highly electrically and
thermally conductive, and environmentally stable.
By the use nanomaterials, such properties can be
achieved without adversely affecting the
processibility of the adhesive. Commercial
electronic industries are seeking new thermally
and electrically conductive die attach adheives
that can be used to bond dissimilar materials.
The novel adhesives will enable the fabrication of
electronic packages that are environmentally
stable with increased ability for repair and
rework.
|
ARCHITECTURE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
9971 Valley View Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(952) 829-5864
Mr. Kevin S. Millikin
NAVY 02-100 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A Framework for Software Reverse Engineering Protection |
| Abstract: | Military software systems are vulnerable to
Information Warfare attacks. If an enemy can gain
knowledge of the software, then the software and
the systems it runs on can be attacked, either
directly or indirectly. One method the enemy may
employ is reverse engineering, attempting to
recover the program's source code from the binary
executable file. Software obfuscation is a
defensive information warfare technique that tries
to make the cost of reverse engineering
prohibitive to the enemy. Obfuscation can also
protect software from theft and subsequent reuse.
In addition, a software obfuscation capability can
enable active offensive information warfare and
protection from attacks such as viruses and worms.
Architecture Technology Corporation proposes the
research and development of technologies and
products necessary for software obfuscation
technology for the Navy. There are three products
of this research and development effort. A
predictive obfuscation model will allow Navy
software engineers to anticipate the cost and
effectiveness of obfuscating transformations, and
to intelligently design obfuscating solutions.
Second, a catalog of transformations known from
scientific literature and engineering folklore as
well as several novel transformations will be
produced. Finally, a prototype implementation
will validate the model and serve as a proof of
the concept of object to object obfuscation, as
well as a prototype to an automatic obfuscation
tool.
|
INKITIKI CORPORATION
P.O. Box 816
Kapaa, HI 96746 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(808) 821-1533
Paulo Machado
NAVY 02-100 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Intelligent Anti-Tamper Protection for Software |
| Abstract: | Automatic code obfuscation is the most viable
method to protect software against
reverse-engineering attacks. However, current
obfuscators apply obfuscation transformations
haphazardly. The actual utility and impact of all
accumulated transformations are not considered.
Instead, protection is hoped to arise as the
number of complex transformations builds up.
Yet, dependable software protection requires a
trustworthy approach with guaranteed protection
levels, and without incurring excessive and
unnecessary computational overhead. Formal models
for software protection are believed to offer such
benefits (akin to guarantees in current
cryptographic models), but no such models have
been identified.
An alternative route is Artificial Intelligence
(AI). High-level planning and reasoned decisions
can selectively guide application of
transformations, while gauging complex trade-offs
between guaranteed protection level and
computational overhead. AI meta-cognitive planners
are known for excelling in this type of situation,
but were not applied to this particular problem.
We propose to undertake this promising route, with
the goal of producing an intelligent anti-tamper
protection system for software that is effective,
reliable, and trustworthy.
The proposed system will benefit the software
industry and the military. Preventing IP theft
increases the ROI on software, and protects the
United States technological military advantage.
The system is to be used to protect against
reverse engineering, code hijacking and hacking.
|
RETHER NETWORKS INC.
99 Mark Tree Road, suite 301
Centereach, NY 11720 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(631) 467-4381
Dr. Tzi-cker Chiueh
NAVY 02-100 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Innovative Reverse Engineering Protection for Software |
| Abstract: | The Tamper Resistant Software (TRS) technology is
a technology
that transforms a given computer program into a
form
that is difficult to understand and thus to
modify.
In theory, it is impossible for a piece of
software
to be completely tamper proof. However, the goal
of
the TRS technology is to deter the potential
crackers
to the extent that either the required cracking
effort is too excessive
or the gain is not worth the effort.
Obviously the degree of tamper resistance depends
on the
physical rsource available to the attackers. The
TRS technology
designed to fend off state-backed attackers is
among the
most challenging and is the focus of this research
project.
We propose to carry out a comprehensive attack
analysis on
existing software-based TRS technologies, deduce a
set of
guiding design principles from such an analysis,
develop
a set of new program transformation techniques
that could
further strengthen software/intellectual property
protection,
and implement a selective subset of these proposed
techniques
to gauge their effectiveness, implementation
complexity
and practical feasibility. There are two
commercial endeavors that could potentially
benefit
greatly from the research and development of the
TRS program transformation
technology described in this project. First,
digital content management (DRM) systems
can greatly benefit from the software protection
provided by the TRS technology,
because it can prevent users from tampering and
thus
bypassing the DRM mechanism. Without proper
software protection, DRM is
essentially useless as a method to secure monetary
revenue for digital content
owners/providers.
Second, the TRS program transformation technology
will also play
an important role in disguising the essential
intellectual property
underlying software programs from users of those
systems of which the programs
are a component. Examples of such systems include
military/defense systems
and any high-priced commercial embedded systems
that are built
on standard PC platforms.
|
CYMFONY, INC.
600 Essjay Road
Buffalo, NY 14221 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(716) 565-9114
Dr. Wei Li
NAVY 02-101 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automated Verb Sense Identification |
| Abstract: | This task seeks to develop an automated,
domain-portable module for verb sense
identification (VSI) in natural language
processing (NLP). Since verbs are pivot carriers
of event concepts, VSI, a primary sub-task of Word
Sense Disambiguation (WSD), has significant impact
on Information Extraction (IE). Currently, only
keyword-based IE, mainly identification of named
entities and simple, general events, is available.
Concept-based extraction of events requires
support from WSD.
A scalable VSI system will extend InfoXtract, an
IE system equipped with machine learning and
grammar development toolkits. Language-specific,
key-verb-based representation of extracted events
will be translated into an `interlingua' based on
action concepts.
Previous systems for sense disambiguation are
limited to research prototypes relying on
human-annotated corpora. The proposed approach is
based on unsupervised machine learning from an
InfoXtract-parsed corpus. Decision list models
will be trained on an InfoXtract-parsed corpus
from which a domain-dependent, WordNet-like
thesaurus is constructed. Bootstrap training,
using initial seeds, is performed on a new corpus
without human intervention by leveraging the core
IE engine.
Deliverables include: (i) a VSI system
demonstrating domain-specific machine learning and
application of the learned model; (ii) integrating
VSI into InfoXtract to demonstrate added value in
event extraction and retrieval in political and
military domains.
The resulting component technology can be used in
a variety of text processing and information
applications, with the capability of automatically
tuning to any domain. This includes supporting
Event Extraction, Concept Indexing, Question
Answering, and Automatic Summarization. The
technology will assist computerized information
systems to make key information extracted from
large volumes of free text accessible to
information analysts and decision makers.
|
LANGUAGE COMPUTER CORPORATION
6440 North Central Expressway, Suite 205
Dallas, TX 75206 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(214) 378-8311
Dr. Mihai Surdeanu
NAVY 02-101 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automated Verb Sense Identification |
| Abstract: | Language Computer Corporation (LCC) is the leader
in open-domain Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) and
other natural language processing (NLP)
technologies such as Question Answering (QA) and
Summarization.
This proposed work builds on our experience with
semantically
disambiguating all verbs, nouns, adjectives, and
adverbs in
open-domain texts.
The WSD approach uses hybrid methods that combine
machine readable
dictionaries, iterative algorithms, and machine
learning.
LCC's WSD algorithm will be extended with advanced
proprietary NLP tools
such as a high-performance probabilistic parser
and named-entity
recognizer, and tailored for the military domain
with dedicated
machine learning algorithms.
The WSD technology developed in this Phase 1
project will be used to
improve the other NLP products currently developed
at LCC: QA,
Information Extraction, Summarization, and
Semantic Indexing. The WSD system developed as a
result of this Phase I project will be
integrated in other commercial natural language
products developed at
LCC, such as Question Answering (QA), Information
Extraction (IE),
Summarization, and Semantic Indexing. In addition,
a WSD software
package will be prepared and market as a NLP
development
tool. However, the market for such a tool is
rather small compared to
the QA and IE market on which the impact of the
WSD technology will be
felt. LCC is currently marketing its QA and IE
products to
government, media, and Internet service providers
as primary
markets. Secondary markets we target include:
telecommunications,
corporate relationship management (CRM), call
centers, financial
services, e-commerce and consumer applications.
WSD can bring a significant contribution to LCC's
main products, as
well as being a stand-alone tool useful to
computational linguists and
system developers.
|
STOTTLER HENKE ASSOCIATES, INC.
1660 So. Amphlett Blvd., Suite 350
San Mateo, CA 94402 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(206) 545-1478
Mr. Ronald Braun
NAVY 02-101 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Verb Sense Disambiguation Using Integrated Feature Experts |
| Abstract: | We propose an innovative combination of machine
learning techniques coupled with an extensible
framework of integrated feature type classifiers
(called "feature experts") capable of performing
high-accuracy verb sense disambiguation. Our
Disambiguating Integrated Verb Sense Experts
(DIVERSE) system combines a committee of feature
experts with a common representational ontology
bootstrapped for a new domain using cooperative
learning techniques and an unannotated domain
corpus. The result will be an adaptive,
user-trainable system that leverages multiple
predictive features (to be selected from a
comprehensive survey) to generate sense tags and
associated confidence levels with respect to a
predetermined catalog of verb senses. Active
learning and bootstrapping techniques minimize
system reliance on a non-linguist user during
ontology tuning. An iterative development cycle
ensures that the system is rapidly trained to
sufficient levels of accuracy within a new task
domain. Our extensible framework provides a solid
foundation for a systematic evaluation of feature
experts operating in isolation and in coordination
with other experts. Phase I research and
development of a proof-of-concept limited
prototype will demonstrate the feasibility and
utility of DIVERSE's verb sense identification
capability and will lay the groundwork for its
Phase II implementation and eventual
commercialization. DIVERSE is applicable across
language processing tasks (information extraction,
machine translation) and multiple commercial
domains (competitive, market, and intelligence
analysis, health care).
|
AETION TECHNOLOGIES LLC
93 East Riverglen Drive
Worthington, OH 43085 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(614) 882-2445
Mr. Mark Carroll
NAVY 02-102 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Component-Based Compositional Simulator for Multi-Criterial Optimization |
| Abstract: | Aetion Technologies LLC will study the feasibility
of applying its SFV decision-support technology to
visualization of modeling and simulation
processes. The technical and scientific merit will
be assessed of applying SFV technology to build up
models and observe them being simulated, in whole
or in part. This use of SFV will be evaluated by
applying Generic Task methodology to analyze the
information-processing requirements of specific
sub-tasks, by rapid prototyping to demonstrate
capability and gain feedback, and by assessing the
technical practicality of extending Aetion's
existing code base to meet the needs in this area.
If SFV can be successfully applied to this
problem, there is a high likelihood that it can be
successfully applied to a broader range of
military and civilian simulation problems, thus
providing a path for successful commercialization
of the SFV technology. Aetion's technology will
enable people to make better decisions, more
confidently, because they will have a greater
understanding of the range of alternatives and the
value tradeoffs. Potential commercial
applications include: military planning,
re-planning and simulation, civilian planning,
re-planning and simulation; military and civilian
engineering design; rational drug design
(high-throughput screening in silico); and
infrastructure vulnerability analysis
(anti-terrorism, FEMA, targeting).
|
ALPHATECH, INC.
50 Mall Road
Burlington, MA 01803 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(781) 273-3388
Mr. Steven Jilcott
NAVY 02-102 Selected for Award |
| Title: | A Knowledge-Based Adaptable Modeling and Simulation Visualization Environment |
| Abstract: | Effective use of models and simulations (M&S)
requires the visualization of model-related
information at three stages-model construction,
model manipulation, and model analysis. M&S
applications do not always have a native
visualization environment, but even when they do,
the environment rarely permits visualization at
all three stages of M&S use. An adaptable
visualization environment that could be tailored
to function for specialized M&S applications would
be a powerful tool to unify an organization's
analysis and reporting efforts. Realizing this
environment requires advanced data abstraction, a
formalism for generating visual transforms based
on context, general-purpose analysis aids, and a
methodology for tailoring M&S input and output.
This proposal explores the innovative use of
knowledge-based technologies from artificial
intelligence to represent M&S data in a
domain-independent way. The knowledge-based
approach permits users to view and navigate M&S
data while treating the M&S application as a
"black box". Our visualization environment
employs a relational algebra formalism to query
the knowledge-base, a mathematical analysis
toolbox for understanding causal connections, and
data wizards to help analysts who are not
knowledge engineers tailor an M&S application to
the environment.
The technology developed under this program will
immediately benefit organizations seeking to unify
their M&S analysis and reporting efforts.
Examples include logistics, intelligence, law
enforcement, and infrastructure protection
organizations.
|
INTERACTIVE DATA VISUALIZATION
1233 Washington St. Suite 610
Columbia, SC 29201 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(803) 799-1699
Mr. Chris King
NAVY 02-102 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Enhanced Visualization of Modeling and Simulation Processes |
| Abstract: | Modeling and simulation (M&S) packages like Matlab
and ACSL allow users to create independent
executable modules that enable them to more
readily engage in what if scenarios. In this
document, we propose a flexible M&S visualization
system that facilitates these types of
investigations, allowing the user to make
simulation adjustments as the visualization is
displayed. We propose a system that allows
engineers from multiple disciplines using numerous
simulation packages to input data from a variety
of sources, both run-time and off-line, in a
manner that allows them to examine that data in
boundless ways.
The architecture should allow for a high degree of
flexibility and extensibility, enabling engineers
to add multiple types and styles of real-time 2D
and 3D visualization methods, different methods
and formats of data input, and diverse methods of
data manipulation and processing. This type of
flexibility provides utility to engineers at all
levels of the design process; each engineer using
a common visualization platform.
The objective of this Phase I research project is
to determine the feasibility and potential
effectiveness of this type of system, and if
successful, to design a suitable architecture for
meeting these goals.
Currently, there are a number of popular packages
used for modeling and simulation, each with
various forms of visualization capabilities. Our
aim is to define a new standard for M&S
interactive visualization. This can be achieved
by providing a visualization environment that
contains numerous standard utilities like
interactive 2D and 3D plotting, but also provides
an extensible visualization subsystem, the ability
to read data in various formats and methods (which
can be modified and extended), and most
importantly can interface directly with the models
created by the engineers.
Such an environment could emerge as the
visualization standard for engineers working at
the micro or macro level and across multiple
disciplines. This system could provide simulation
designers with the ability to more effectively
communicate the effectiveness of their designs to
customers, colleagues, and decision makers.
|
PREDICTION SYSTEMS, INC
309 Morris Avenue, Suite G
Spring Lake, NJ 07762 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(732) 449-6800
Mr. Bob Wassmer
NAVY 02-102 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Enhanced Visualization of Modeling and Simulation Processes |
| Abstract: | Develop and prototype an Open Visual Toolkit (OVT)
architecture with an open library of models, and
enhanced visual environment for model development
and interactive simulations. OVT is a new paradigm
in M&S that builds on the robust, and technically
successful foundations of the General Simulation
System (GSS) and Run-Time Graphics (RTG)
established by PSI. OVT maximizes the cognitive
abilities of modelers and analysts be allowing
them to build, grow, and visually interact and
modify models while running, and focus on and
attain rapid, high performance, and high quality
solutions to M&S tasks rather than get bogged down
with build and debug complexities of low level
languages and environments.
OVT advanced capabilities include:
ú Open Visual Library of models, including
communication system elements, weapons systems,
air, land and sea vehicles, movement paths, sensor
systems, C2 units, terrain, data sources, etc.,
that can be tailored and connected as needed in
the visual M&S realization environment.
ú New paradigms for visually navigating complex
simulation spaces: geographies, multi-tiered
hierarchies, etc.
ú Dramatically increased capacity for iconic
representations - over one million icons.
ú Support for 3D Visualization and industry
standard overlays.
ú Easy ability to visualize external simulations
for collaboration, fusion, and display of
information.
Profound improvement in the speed, quality,
accessibility, and state-of-the-art of M&S. OVT
can leverage and increase the value of
multimillion dollar DoD investments in PSI models
and those of other vendors by providing a more
powerful environment for reuse, and new
developments. OVT has great potential for
commercial applications including manufacturing,
process control, banking and financial industries,
etc.
|
MICROCOSM, INCORPORATED
401 Coral Circle
El Segundo, CA 90245 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 726-4100
Dr. James Wertz
NAVY 02-104 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Miniature Star Sensor Using "Camera-on-a-Chip" CMOS Arrays for Daytime Stellar Imaging |
| Abstract: | Microcosm, with Eastman Kodak as a subcontractor,
proposes to design and develop a
new star sensor capable of viewing stars in
daylight from sea level based on an
optical head designed by Microcosm and the Kodak
DIGITAL SCIENCE CMOS array which
provides enhanced responsiveness in the near IR.
Optical requirements for daylight
stellar imaging will be developed by Kodak using
image chain models that incorporate
atmospheric haze, Sun illumination angles,
seasonal variations, and stellar
characteristics. The sensor head uses all
reflective optics to avoid any IR
absorption. The sensor has a small opening and
narrow field of view to allow
extensive light baffling to minimize sky glow.
The Kodak array has a high
sensitivity to compensate for the small aperture
and extensive on-chip processing
to allow multiple techniques to pick out stars
from the bright background.
Among the approaches to be evaluated are MEMS
micro-mirrors to provide sky
background removal by chopping, high dynamic range
(20 bits) A-to-D conversion
for digital signal accumulation, and an enhanced
microlens to provide a high
effective fill factor and minimum cross-talk.
Phase I will refine the system
requirements and define the baseline approach.
Phase II will develop, fabricate,
and test a complete prototype sensor. The
commercial applications are numerous. The simple
design, high accuracy and
dynamic range, low weight, low power, and low
recurring cost makes the sensor
applicable to commercial, military, and scientific
sea-based or land-based vehicles
for day and night autonomous position
determination. A single unit can be used to
augment or
as an alternative to GPS, with a corresponding
savings in cost and complexity.
|
TREX ENTERPRISES CORPORATION
10455 Pacific Center Court
San Diego, CA 92121 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(858) 646-5479
Dr. Mikhail Belen'kii
NAVY 02-104 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Daytime Electronic Stellar Imaging |
| Abstract: | The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the best
navigation system for worldwide, day-and-night
position determination. However, GPS depends on
man-made components such as satellites and
transmitters. Therefore, it is vulnerable to
hostile attack and jamming. The Automated
Celestial Navigation (ASN) system would provide an
independent alternative to GPS in the case of GPS
denial. We propose to design, build, and
demonstrate a novel, inexpensive, strapdown, fully
automated star tracker for imaging individual
stars both day and night with angular resolution
less than 3 arcsec and a field-of view of 3
degrees aboard a surface ship. During Phase I we
will determine the sensor optical requirements,
develop and test the contrast enhancement and
noise reduction algorithm, evaluate the sensor
performance and production cost, perform the
trade-off studies, and select an optimal design
approach. We expect the performance analysis and
trade-off studies will be completed, the contrast
enhancement algorithm will be developed and
tested, and optimal design approach will be
selected. This effort will validate a feasibility
of the proposed daytime stellar tracker, which
will provide an instantaneous determination of the
ship attitude with respect to the celestial
reference frame both day and night, and thus
further enhance navigation capability for the U.S.
Navy. The proposed development of a daytime
electronic stellar tracker has both military and
commercial law enforcement and surveillance
applications. Electronic imagers sensitive in the
infrared portion of the spectrum as well as the
contrast enhancement algorithm would have numerous
applications in crime fighting, drug surveillance,
and interdiction, and home and business
intruder-detection systems. A wide field-of-view,
infrared imager developed under this program will
be a key element in this system. A contrast
enhancement and noise reduction algorithm will
enhance the performance of optical sensors used in
commercial law enforcement and surveillance
applications.
|
PROMETHEUS INC.
103 Mansfield Street
Sharon, MA 02067 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(401) 849-5389
Dr. William Moran
NAVY 02-105 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Advanced Doppler Processing |
| Abstract: | An integrated probabilistic data association
(IPDA) tracker will be exploited in a towed array
sonar context to provide detection capability in
the near zero Doppler region where heavy
clutter/reverberation predominates. Detection will
occur as a result of the tracker's ability to
effectively measure the consistency of kinematics
of a moving object with large inertia. This
capability will be enhanced in the proposed system
by agility of the sonar configuration: pulse
repetition interval (PRI), waveform, and transmit
and receive beampatterns are selected at each
epoch to best discriminate between the
clutter/reverberation and potential target
according to an estimate of the environment
provided in association with the IPDA tracker. The
system will permit operator intervention including
full manual over-ride. Anticipated Benefits:
Detection and tracking, based on the IPDA
methodology, of slow moving underwater targets in
heavy low velocity clutter/reverberation;
Algorithms to choose the sonar configuration to
optimally exploit the environment; A library of
waveforms and beamshapes optimized to the
underwater environment. Potential Commercial
Applications: The methodology developed here will
have security applications both in the military
and private sectors. It will transfer to a radar
system, to be used to detect movements of humans
and ground vehicles in heavily cluttered
environments. In this context, it will produce
enhanced detection capability for monitoring of
sensitive facilities.
|
CHARLES RIVER ANALYTICS INC.
625 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(617) 491-3474
Mr. Paul G. Gonsalves
NAVY 02-106 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Sensor Task Optimization and Real-time Management (STORM) |
| Abstract: | The emergence of the digital battlespace and the
emphasis on military joint operations provide
access to a plethora of information resources and
collection assets. Sensor management, in general,
and the capability to automate scheduling and
dynamically re-task sensor assets in light of
changing operational requirements and mission
objectives, forms a key element to ensuring
information dominance for our warfighters. Here,
we propose a Sensor Task Optimization and
Real-time Management (STORM) system for the
scheduling, coordination, and path planning of
heterogeneous sensor assets and the dynamic
adaptation and re-allocation of those assets in
response to changing battlespace conditions. The
system uses threat prediction to prioritize the
search area and a geometric partitioning scheme to
divide the area into smaller, more manageable
parts. Our scheduling module uses these results to
create an optimal search schedule for available
sensor assets using an Ant Colony Optimization
(ACO) algorithm, which is an agent-based approach
that incorporates heterogeneous sensors and is
extendable to new sensor technologies. We see
considerable potential for this approach in
enhancing Navy sensor management capabilities and
in the rapidly growing commercial applications of
scheduling and routing solutions. Commercial
applications of the proposed approach to schedule
optimization exist for a wide variety of domains
including transportation, airways and railway
time-tabling, and inventory control. In addition,
the proposed effort will impact the development
and enhancement of our Intelligent Agent Toolkit
(IAT) product, via the incorporation of the
adaptation and scheduling components of the
proposed STORM developed under this SBIR effort.
|
AMBALUX CORPORATION
5264 N. Calle Bujia, Tucson, AZ 85718
Tucson, AZ 85718 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(520) 991-3594
Dr. Philip Lacovara
NAVY 02-107 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Fiber Optic Interconnect Technology |
| Abstract: | The proposed fiber-optic terminus provides
high-bandwidth connectivity to an optical
transceiver on an underwater vehicle or other
platform. Unique technology is used to provide
full azimuthal coverage with no moving parts for
acquisition, tracking, transmission and reception.
The receiver, in particular, combines very high
sensitivity with high bandwidth to support data
rates in excess of 10 Mbps. The terminus is
designed to be low-cost and easy to manufacture.
Commercial opportunities are possible with the
offshore oil/gas drilling industry, which is
increasing its use of ROVs and other undersea
technology, and the fiber-communications industry,
for which this technology could provide diagnostic
connections for undersea fiber-optic amplifier or
regenerator locations. Other applications include
communication and safety equipment for divers
(commercial and pleasure) and improved
short-range, high-bandwidth terrestrial FSO
communications devices.
|
PROGENY SYSTEMS CORPORATION
8809 Sudley Road, Suite 101
Manassas, VA 20110 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 368-6107
Dr. Brian Turner
NAVY 02-107 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Fiber Optic Interconnect Technology |
| Abstract: | Undersea surveillance systems typically use fiber
optic cables on the ocean bottom to bring acoustic
and magnetic senor data back to a shore site where
it is processed and analyzed. The topology of
these fiber optic cable systems can vary and can
potentially be several thousand kilometers
long.Currently, the sensor information contained
in these cable systems cannot be accessed by
undersea platforms in the vicinity of the sensors
or cables. A low power terminus integrated with
fiber optic to allow information transmission to
undersea platforms would be of significant
operational value.The Progeny/NRL/APL-UW team's
extensive experience in COTS applications, its
ability to focus leading-edge technologies to
real-world applications, thorough knowledge of
ARCI acoustic processing, laser design expertise,
and hands-on oceanographic experience will
generate a innovative comprehensive end-to-end
system architecture design that will incorporate
leading edge commercial and defense technology.
Our team will evaluate the technologies that
provide the optimum balance between optical
terminus connectivity, data rate, quality of
service, and power demand. Minimizing unique
components by using commercial based products will
keep system production costs to a minimum while
providing a hedge against obsolescence. Leveraging
existing defense department technology will
provide maximum capability while minimizing
research and development costs. The results of
this project are anticipated to have application
to both commercial and military systems.
Initially, this product would be best applied to
government agencies and DoD where there is a real
need to provide a better solution for undersea
connectivity. Since the research is targeted
toward blue-green laser technology, several
commercial markets are using blue-green lasers in
their applications. These commercial markets
include: Biomedical; Scanning; Laser Display;
Fiber Illumination; Special Effects; Holography;
Metrology; Photoluminescence; and Micro-material
processing. Of particular interest will be the
maturity of fiber pumped laser technology since it
promises higher efficiency and the subsequent
reduction in heating and power demand. During the
development cycle, we will be in constant contact
with industry, military, and university experts in
the related fields. This will provide us with the
opportunity to identify new applications of this
technology.
|
AVTEC SYSTEMS, INC.
10530 Rosehaven Street, Suite 300
Fairfax, VA 22030 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(703) 273-2211
Mr. Phuc Nguyen
NAVY 02-108 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Real-Time Adaptability to the Dynamic Tactical Network |
| Abstract: | This SBIR seeks to investigate, identify and
design adaptive algorithm(s) to enable real-time
adaptability for tactical wireless networks.
Avtec proposes to develop a "smart software"
solution to exploit the real-time adaptability in
tactical wireless network, specifically Link-16,
based on subscriber request for
bandwidth-on-demand connections. Avtec's approach
will explore a signaling protocol and neural
network to enable real-time connections based on
subscriber's requirements. In Phase I, Avtec will
(1) identify, design and evaluate Link-16
signaling protocols and adaptive algorithms for
Bandwidth on Demand support, (2) demonstrate and
validate the viability of the signaling protocol
and adaptive learning algorithm(s) with associated
Link-16 terminals and network configurations, and
(3) a prototype design document will be developed
for software development in Phase II.
We anticipate that work in this SBIR will lead to
future activities to implement other subscribers'
features related to real-time dynamic wireless
tactical network as well as commercial wireless
networks. In addition, we see that the smart
software development can be further utilized in
other fields such as distributed sensor networks,
multicast/broadcast networks, and both real-time
and image processing systems.
|
OMEGA OPTICS, INC.
12100 Technology Blvd.
Austin, TX 78727 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(512) 401-4150
Dr. Daniel Xuegong Deng
NAVY 02-109 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Reconfigurable Compact Phased-Array Antenna for Scalable Wideband Operations |
| Abstract: | In the Phase I program, Omega Optics, Inc. will
demonstrate a reconfigurable compact phased array
antenna for scalable, wideband operations in X
through Q frequency bands. The system architecture
of the antenna is based on three-dimensional (3-D)
integrated thin-film waveguide true-time-delay
(TTD) lines. The proposed RF signal distribution
network is highly favored in the field environment
and can easily be scaled up for high-demanding
performance upgrade. The device is unique in that
it covers the TTD range of , as well as coupling
waveguides in adjacent layers. Packaging is
greatly simplified, and the layered integration of
the waveguides offers greater compactness than any
other known geometry. Multifunction or
configurability will be achieved through
significant hardware reduction architecture. The
proposed architecture would ultimately create a
deployable all-optical TTD platform that can be
tuned across multi-band. The photonic module will
be developed under the highly scalable
architecture. It maximizes the advantages of
photonics with an improved performance at a
reduced cost. The technology developed can also be
directly employed in high bandwidth or cellular
service satellite communication systems, such as
direct TV, ICO, or mobilsat.
|
CREARE INC.
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(603) 643-3800
Dr. Mark V. Zagarola
NAVY 02-110 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Compact, Highly Reliable, Zero-Maintenance Cryocoolers for Submarine-Based High-Temperature Superconducting Systems |
| Abstract: | The U.S. Navy requires a reliable,
low-maintenance, long-life, vibration-free
cryocooler to enable the use of High-Temperature
Superconducting (HST) systems on submarines. The
cryocooler must be integrated within an antenna
mast or periscope imposing tight physical
constraints on the cooler. Currently, no
cryocooler exists that meets the unique
requirements and constraints of this application.
To meet these challenging requirements, we propose
to develop an advanced turbomachine-based
reverse-Brayton cryocooler (turbo-Brayton
cryocooler). The cryocooler will incorporate
high-speed, miniature turbomachines and
high-performance, compact recuperators to attain
excellent efficiency in a compact package. The
critical design feature of the proposed
turbo-Brayton cooler is the use of non-contacting,
gas-film bearings in the miniature turbomachines.
The bearings provide reliable, vibration-free, and
maintenance-free operation. During Phase I, we
will design the cooling system, define the
interfaces, and demonstrate the operation of a key
component, the miniature turbine, at the
brassboard level. During Phase II, we will build
a turbine optimized for this application,
integrate the turbine in a brassboard
turbo-Brayton cryocooler, and demonstrate the
performance of the cooling system at prototypical
environmental and operating conditions. This
program will result in the development of a
turbo-Brayton cryocooler that exhibits zero
vibration; low mass; compact size; long,
maintenance-free life; high reliability; and high
efficiency. Military applications include cooling
for submarine-based high temperature
superconducting systems, space-based surveillance
systems, and cryogenic fuels on orbiting
platforms. Commercial applications include
cooling for communication satellites,
superconducting circuits and motors, and
hypercomputers.
|
KAB LABORATORIES INC.
3116 Mercer Lane
San Diego, CA 92122 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(619) 224-8489
Dr. Clifford V. Comisky
NAVY 02-111 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Automatic Feature Evaluator (AFE) |
| Abstract: | This proposal attacks the Navy clustering problem
by first dividing the reported features into two
classes: primary features (those intended to be
useful) and secondary features (those
unintentionally useful). Subject matter experts
will then explain how they have used the secondary
features to form initial clusters of primary
features. An expert system based upon the human
experts will be developed and iteratively combined
with statistics such as a modified Bayesian
statistic to estimate the number of clusters,
eigenvectors to estimate the number of dimensions,
and a modified F-ratio to estimate the strength of
each feature. The result will be an estimate of
which features to use and how to use them for the
new class, and will provide an initial set of
clusters.
This development would have very broad
applicability to commercial systems that need to
operate in real time based upon inputs that are
varied in type and quality.
|
OCEAN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CORPORATION (OSEC)
3142 West Vista Way, Suite 400
Oceanside, CA 92056 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(619) 524-3014
Mr. Carl Armstrong
NAVY 02-112 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Smart Signal Parser (SSP) and Actionable Intelligence Extraction (AIE) |
| Abstract: | The SSP AIE SBIR effort will examine
non-deterministic, deterministic rules based and
expert methods for automatically parsing and
extracting high-value information and knowledge
from recognized, demodulated signal events as they
occur. This process is essentially independent of
classic signal recognition and could be applied to
any digitized message, although signal recognition
performs a necessary pre-filtering function in
today's cryptologic applications when considering
high-density signal environment that is becoming
increasingly more challenging due to increased
problem complexity and manning and training
issues. This effort will leverage lessons learned
and will investigate a variety of viable
techniques for parsing messages and automatically
extracting meaningful or "actionable" intelligence
from these messages. Phase I will examine
requirements, and will make recommendations for
parsing signals and for extracting actionable
intelligence, including N-grams and other
techniques. Information/knowledge storage
structures requirements will also be examined and
initial standards will be recommended. Phase I
will determine the best technical approach and
recommend the appropriate techniques and
algorithms to be demonstrated in Phase II.
Military Cryptologists and intelligence officers
in Federal, State and local government service
today encounter an increasingly complex, dynamic,
and dense signal environment in which to perform
signals intelligence operations. These
organizations, including all of the U. S. Armed
Services, the U. S. Coast Guard, U. S. Government
intelligence and law enforcement agencies and
local police departments, would benefit greatly
from this technology. This technology would speed
an facilitate the search for desired intelligence,
thereby providing more meaningful information
quickly to the decision maker with much less time
waited on manual analysis and on meaningless
messages. Because of required design and
operational standards compliance, this capability
will be software based and will be easily
integrated into the operational systems used by
the potential future users listed above.
|
GMA INDUSTRIES, INC.
20 Ridgely Avenue, Suite 301
Annapolis, MD 21401 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(410) 267-6600
Mr. R. Glenn Wright
NAVY 02-113 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Fusion and Visualization of Disparate METOC Data Sources |
| Abstract: | The proposed effort involves the creation of
revolutionary data fusion and visualization
techniques that will enable users to
simultaneously view and interpret multiple data
sources, and facilitate the creation of products
required to assist in mission related
decision-making. Our approach focuses on the
identification of logical relationships between
various visual, analog and digital environmental
data and their uses. Methods for organizing and
presenting these data in a reasonable manner that
preserves their usefulness and integrity are
developed, as are tools for automating the
creation of resulting metadata. The Phase I
technical objectives focus on the specification of
software requirements for METOC/GIS interfaces,
image and data processing algorithms, and user
interfaces for the proposed software, plus the
creation of an overall design concept that will
form the basis for Phase II implementation. Key
elements of our approach are developed during
Phase I and demonstrated in a prototype software
application to reduce overall project risk.
Benefits include gains in speed, efficiency and
accuracy in processing and interpreting numerous
data sources, and disseminating analysis results
to users. A side benefit includes a possible
dramatic reduction in the amount of data actually
communicated to the user, resulting in diminished
bandwidth requirements and increased data
throughput.
|
PHYSICAL OPTICS CORPORATION
Information Technologies Div., 20600 Gramercy Pl
Torrance, CA 90501 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(310) 320-3088
Dr. Eugene Levin
NAVY 02-113 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Look-Measure-Analyze Toolset for Image Processing and Geographic Information Systems |
| Abstract: | The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command is
seeking automated technology to revolutionize the
way human operator/analysts observe, interpret,
and fuse visual, analog, and digital environmental
data from civil and military environmental
satellites, battlespace in-situ sensors, and
numerous numerical geospatial models. This
technology must integrate geographic information
system (GIS), photogrammetric, and remote-sensing
tools, and it must support multiple databases and
metadata formats. Physical Optics Corporation
(POC) proposes to develop an innovative universal
"Look-Measure-Analyze" (LMA) GIS/remote sensing
software system for effective human analysis and
processing of visual and semantic geospatial data.
The proposed LMA system will make imaging,
measurement, and interpretation far more
efficient. The system configuration will include
POC's proprietary software and universal
workstation products for operational effectiveness
and simplicity. It will support observation and
analysis of images from all current satellite and
in-situ battlespace sensor sources, even under
severe conditions. This performance increment
will be achieved by enhancing the unique
physiological aspects of the human
operator/analyst's vision system. POC's proposed
system is based on the latest software engineering
technologies, so that the software is maximally
compatible with GIS environments and supports all
standard metadata formats. Successful integration
of the proposed POC technology with current GIS
and imaging tools will substantially enhance the
productivity and accuracy of such tools. LMA can
be customized for GIS, photogrammetric, and
remote-sensing workstations, and can be used by
numerous government agencies for risk assessment
to quickly estimate disaster damage based on
satellite and other sensor imagery.
|
AUSTIN INFO SYSTEMS, INC.
1605 Capital Avenue
Plano, TX 75074 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(972) 424-7740
Mr. Mark Cavalier
NAVY 02-114 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Broadband/Multi-band Reflector Antenna Feeds Supporting X, Ku, K, Ka, and Q Frequency Bands. |
| Abstract: | The subject design effort will attempt to utilize
current technology to produce a feed or feeds
capable of operation in the following satellite
bands, X-band, Ku-Band, K-band, Ka-band and
Q-band. The effort will leverage off past designs
to package the feeds to meet the physical
constraints of the subject antenna. The new feed
designs will be able to utilize the existing
antenna reflector and antenna structure and will
be a direct replacement for the existing antenna
feeds. The benefits of the research will be
multiband feeds that are packaged in a way that
minimizes the physical size. This would open up
the possibility of varied commercial applications
as more satellites are launched containing
multiple frequency bands. This research is
directly applicable to many applications requiring
reduced size.
|
---------- AF ----------
386 Phase I Selections from the 02.1 Solicitation
(In Topic Number Order)
INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION, INC.
7519 Standish Place, Suite 200
Rockville, MD 20855 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(301) 222-0444
Dr. Chujen Lin
AF 02-001 Selected for Award |
| Title: | UWB for Target Identification |
| Abstract: | We propose to develop a target identification
system using Time Modulated Ultra-Wide Band
(TM-UWB) radars. The prototype hardware will be
based on the TM-UWB ASIC chips developed by Time
Domain Corporation of Huntsville AL. The only
signals transmitted by UWB radars are pulses
generated pseudo-randomly in time. The pulses we
are currently using are « nanosecond in duration
and the energy extends approximately from roughly
.8 to 3 gigahertz. The energy content in any
conventional frequency band is below the noise,
making TM-UWB transmission highly covert unless
you know the specific pseudo-random sequence. With
TM-UWB there is no carrier frequency, no
up-conversion and no down-conversion, and the
output stage can be a single transistor which
creates a binary pulse, all resulting in decreased
radio size, cost, and complexity. The duty cycle
of the pulse generated by our current hardware is
approximately 1/200, resulting in low power
consumption because 99.5% of the time, nothing is
being transmitted. Because of the low frequency
content of TM-UWB signals, they are able to
penetrate foliage and nonmetallic obstacles better
than conventional radars. During Phase I, we will
design a UWB conformal array antenna system and
demonstrate the prototype system in a laboratory
environment. The primary potential military
application for this technology is the location
and identification of obscured objects. Civilian
applications include future time domain
communications systems as well as airborne mapping
of buried cables, pipelines, and mine shafts.
IAI and TDC are aggressively working to develop
through-the-wall imaging radar for use by polices,
fire fighters, and for use by the military for
MOUT operations. There is great interest in
through the wall imaging, and congress has
specifically earmarked substantial funds for this
development. The developments from the subject
work should lead to the next generation of
through-the-wall imaging radar. The ability to
electronically steer radio transmissions will also
increase the range and/or data rate of TM-UWB
radios.
|
SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS & RESEARCH ASSOC., INC.
15261 Connector Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(714) 903-1000
Mr. Michael Marino
AF 02-001 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Identification of Small Metallic Objects Using UWB Excitation |
| Abstract: | SARA proposes to design a coherent, hybrid, UWB
detector and analyzer (CHUDA) system that uses
commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. SARA
will use proven technologies and algorithms,
developed during the conduct of 5 previous Phase
II SBIR programs. CHUDA is comprised of multiple
wideband conformal antennas, a hybrid radio
frequency (RF) receiver, and a digital signal
processor (DSP). This architecture has the
combined benefits of spectrum analyzer and
transient digitizer systems, while greatly
reducing the disadvantages of these systems. The
system will detect, identify, and localize ground
objects. This SBIR addresses the receive system.
We expect "small, metallic object detection" to be
the primary product of the proposed technology.
This system holds great promise as a commercial
product and we envision the following commercial
and military applications:
The primary military application will be the a
mobile and/or airborne system capable of detecting
and identifying small (less than 6 ft.) metallic
objects in a clutter environment.
The system can be used to scan public places
(airports, schools, sport stadiums,
demonstrations, ...) to detect and pinpoint
persons carrying metallic weapons.
This system could augment search and rescue
efforts. Sensors would be installed at various
mountain peaks that are commonly used by hikers
and cross country skiers. The system could locate
lost individuals from their cell phone
transmissions or by providing them with a
transponder at the start their trip.
The system could be installed in urban areas for
localizing cellular 911 emergency calls.
The system could be installed in urban areas for
stolen vehicle recovery systems.
The system could be used by local law enforcement
for locating unauthorized transmitters.
|
CYBERNET SYSTEMS CORPORATION
727 Airport Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(734) 668-2567
Mr. Joseph Tesar
AF 02-002 Selected for Award |
| Title: | An Optical Health Monitor for High Power Lasers |
| Abstract: | Research on high energy lasers (HELs) has been
taking place in laboratories for several years. As
the technology matures, HELs are moving out of the
laboratory and into applications such as military
weapons, industrial material processing and fusion
research. HELs make significant demands on the
optical components, often subjecting coatings,
mirrors and lenses to optical energy near the
damage threshold of the element. In
less-than-ideal environments, contamination of
mirrors and lens elements can quickly cause
optical coatings to degrade. For this reason, the
need exists for on-going monitoring of the
critical elements in a HEL system. Cybernet
proposes to develop an automated optical health
monitoring system that can alert the laser
operator to degraded performance and coordinate
predictive maintenance. The system acquires data
from a number of standard metrology instruments,
storing diagnostic data into a dynamic database.
Optical characteristics to monitor include
reflectance, transmittance, scatter, photothermal
and photomechanical response. Once data from the
optical sensors is in the database, software
routines based on expert systems will track
diagnostic data and alert maintenance personnel
when performance decreases, or when optically
induced damage is imminent. Commercial
applications include industrial material
processing (welding, cutting, etc) and fusion
research.
|
CLARK-MXR, INC.
7300 Huron River Drive
Dexter, MI 48130 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(734) 426-2803
Dr. Larry Walker
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Drilling 170 Micron Diameter Holes |
| Abstract: | The goal of this Phase I program is to define the
system concept (including hardware and software)
needed to produce holes whose entrance, bore, and
exit are contoured to user-defined parameters,
reliably and repeatedly time-after-time, with a
minimum of intervention by the user, and in less
than one minute per hole (hopefully substantially
less.) We will demonstrate basic concepts by
drilling 170 micron diameter holes in 1 mm thick
metal plates using a commercial, ultrashort pulse
micromachining workstation, and then compare the
results to the requirements set forth in
"Specifications for Rapid Hole Drilling" by
William Latham. This Phase I program will lay the
groundwork for construction and commissioning of a
system whose performance provides the best fit to
these requirements. This work will find
applications in the military in the ABL program,
in the automotive industry in the manufacture of
fuel injectors that result in better fuel
atomization (and consequently more efficient and
cleaner burn), in the heavy-duty truck industry by
helping them meet the EPA's goal for reducing
emissions by CY-2007 (see
www.epa.gov/otag/diesel.htm), in micromachining
inkjet printers by eliminating the need to use the
hazardous and corrosive gases required to run
excimer lasers, in biomedical applications in the
design and fabrication of "lab-on-a-chip"
devices, and in the fabrication of stents serving
specialized medical needs.
|
DYNAMIC STRUCTURE & MATERIALS, LLC
205 Williamson Square
Franklin, TN 37064 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(615) 595-6665
Dr. Jeffrey S. N. Paine
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Rapid Hole Array Drilling Using Laser and Mechanical Processes |
| Abstract: | An innovative solution is proposed for production
of precise hole arrays in metals and other
materials. To create arrays of holes on the order
of 0.1 to 0.5 mm diameter and 0.5 to 5 mm deep,
DSM proposes a combination of high peak-power
lasers and very precise and accurate part
manipulation. "Pico and femto-second" lasers with
very short pulse duration and very high rep-rates
produce streams of high intensity energy pulses
that excel at micro-drilling of metals. A critical
requirement for precise drilling and cutting is
the avoidance of heat dissipation and the loss of
concentrated energy at the ablation site. With
the ability to deposit the energy at very short
intervals and high rep-rates, heat dissipation can
be minimized. By attempting the precise drilling
of sample materials with a number of laser
sources, an effective combination of laser
wavelength, pulse duration and rep-rate will be
determined. A novel part handling and precision
manipulation platform will be used to achieve
precise drilling control and correct for any laser
beam quality errors (taper and/or non-circularity
errors). Finally, Phase I will demonstrate the
ability to rapidly position and process the part
to achieve desired hole production throughput.
Precision micro-machining and micro-processing of
materials is an increasingly important tool for
the production of MEMS, biomedical devices,
photonics components, and precision apertures.
The ability to accurately drill precise holes and
handle the parts to facilitate rapid production of
micron level features makes the production of
these devices much less expensive. Devices such
as the Singlet Oxygen Generator for the ABL and
other injection devices can also be realized in a
reasonable amount of time with rapid and accurate
hole production.
|
E. M. OPTOMECHANICAL, INC.
#310, 13170B Central Ave, SE
Albuquerque, NM 87123 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(505) 281-1746
Mr. Thomas A. Swann
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Rapid Laser Drilling and Inspection of Contoured Holes |
| Abstract: | The Air Force's Airborne Laser System needs
technology to rapidly produce high-quality
170-micron diameter contoured holes in quantities
of millions. At a target rate of one hole per
minute, a single production workstation running
24/7 would take 46 years to produce the number of
holes required for a fully operational system
consisting of seven aircraft. E. M.
Optomechanical, Inc. is proposing a unique
combination of laser micromachining, machine
vision, and robotics technologies into a cost
effective workstation capable, with multiple
workstations, of meeting the Air Force's quality
and throughput requirements. The most critical
feasibility issues are how fast can holes be
produced, with the techniques necessary to produce
high quality contoured holes, and how can the
quality of the holes be assessed. The objective of
this Phase I technical proposal is to
experimentally produce high-quality contoured
holes in one minute or less per hole and to
determine a means to ensure the quality of the
holes that are produced. E. M. Optomechanical has
assembled a highly qualified team experienced in
producing systems that incorporate laser
micromachining, machine vision, and robotics
technologies as well as the successful
commercialization of work funded through the SBIR
program. The Air Force's application is to produce
holes in the injector heads of singlet oxygen
generators that are used in chemical oxygen iodine
lasers. In addition to drilling holes, the system
proposed would be versatile enough to be used for
many other laser micromachining applications.
Commercial micromachining applications include
microelectronics packaging, semiconductor
manufacturing, medical devices and diagnostics,
data storage devices, telecommunications devices,
and computer peripherals.
|
EXTRUDE HONE CORPORATION
1 Industry Blvd, P.O. Box 1000
Irwin, PA 15642 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(724) 863-5900
Mr. Ralph Resnick
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Drilling 170 Micron Diameter Holes |
| Abstract: | This project proposes to develop and quantify the
performance characteristics for processing the
holes in the injector heads of the ABL weapon
system. The objective is to provide the Air Force
and supporting contractors with the technology and
equipment to manufacture holes of virtually
arbitrary size, contour and accuracy. Techniques
and concepts that will form the basis of machining
holes with a new short-pulse laser system will be
investigated. Specifically, it will be determined
if it is feasible to produce holes of sufficient
quality and at production rates capable of meeting
specifications for the injector heads of the laser
modules for the Air Force ABL weapon system.
Development of short-pulse laser machining
technology and processing parameters will lead to
the design, manufacture and demonstration of a
prototype Short-Pulse Laser Machining system
capable of meeting the objectives of the injector
heads for the laser modules on the Air Force ABL
in Phase II. The new short-pulse laser technology
proposed represents a significant advance in
precision manufacturing and its potential is of
the same order as other revolutionary new
machining technologies of the past few decades.
Short-pulse lasers can be used to precisely
machine virtually any material, including metals,
dielectrics, semiconductors and those that are
optically transparent, and the process yields no
heat affected zone, no mechanical damage,
burr-free cuts, and no modification of material
properties. It is clear that the technology will
have broad impact over a range of market sectors
and user communities. Both the commercial sector
and the DOD would be attracted by the potential of
the SP laser as an industrial tool.
|
LASER FARE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY GROUP
70 Dean Knauss Drive
Narragansett, RI 02882 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(401) 738-5777
Dr. Paul Jacobs
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Drilling 170 Micron Diameter Holes |
| Abstract: | The U.S. Air Force must develop the ability to
rapidly drill many millions of 170 micron diameter
holes through metal plates, to form injector heads
as part of its ABL program. The holes must be
high quality, non-invasive to the surrounding
metal, and the process must be less labor and time
intensive than present methods. As discussed in
this proposal the physics of material removal with
pulsed lasers is uniquely different for short
pulse laser drilling (pulse duration < 20 ps)
than for the more common long pulse laser
drilling ( > 20 ps.). During the proposed Phase I
program we will perform analytical modeling of
both long pulse and short pulse laser systems.
Also, we will down-select the best candidate
laser(s), based upon anticipated drilling speed
and hole quality. Next, we will assemble/locate
prototype candidate laser systems. This prototype
system(s) will drill 300 holes in each of three
316 stainless steel plates, 0.2 mm, 1.0 mm, and 5
mm thick. Statistically significant mean value and
standard deviation values of : (1) hole drilling
time, (2) inlet diameter, (3) inlet eccentricity,
(4) outlet diameter, (5) outlet eccentricity, and
(6) surface roughness will be demonstrated in
Phase I. The ability to drill precise, high aspect
ratio holes at a highly productive, cost efficient
rate is not only critical to the ABL lasing
process, but it is also an enabling capability for
other applications such as in the filtration
industry and in the airframe industry. Small
diameter precision holes have long been considered
for the leading edges of airfoils (wings and
stabilizers)for drag reduction, but lack of cost
effective capability has stifled development of
this concept
Although these types of holes can be drilled on a
limited, ideal condition basis, the time
(schedule) and cost make it prohibitive to
incorporate large numbers of these holes in
concept designs. The benefit of consistent
quality, high speed hole drilling on a virtually
lights out 24/7 basis would enable these concepts
to be a reality.
|
PARADIGM LASERS, INC.
402 Commercial Street
East Rochester, NY 14445 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(585) 248-0290
Mr. Tim Irwin
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Drilling 170 Micron Diameter Holes |
| Abstract: | To achieve the required accuracy, precision and
production rate we propose to apply our
specialized experience in lasers and Electrical
Discharge Machining(EDM)for drilling precise 170æm
diameter holes. The proposed technique combines
the advantages of each of these technologies.
Using a DPSS Laser to pre-drill the holes, rapidly
removing 90% of the material, and EDM to finish
the drilling process, ensures the desired hole
geometry and internal surface quality, while
having the goal of achieving an operational rate
of one BHP injector head every two hours. We will
demostrate the drilling process to confirm the
soundness of our approach and provide a number of
holes in the specified metal stock. A combined
process drilling machine will be conceptualized
and described for BHP injector production.
There is a strong need in the industry for rapid
drilling of small
diameter precision holes in a variety of
materials, a problem that as yet has not been
adequately solved. Examples of applications are
automotive fuel injection systems, ink jet
printers, near-field optical scanning microscopes,
Laval nozzles for gas dynamic lasers and many
others. We believe that our approach will provide
a good solution.
|
PHOTON PRIME INC.
119 South Vine Street
Plainfield, IN 46168 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(317) 627-4829
Mr. David E. Stucker
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Drilling 170 Micron Diameter Holes |
| Abstract: | The process of producing tightly toleranced holes
on the order of 170 microns enters into a realm of
great difficulty. Though thousands of holes are
produced in the automotive industry daily
approximating this size, standard EDM techniques
do not approach the tolerances requested of <0.01
X hole feature for a reasonable process time.
Further compounding the problem is the increased
difficulty of producing a said hole in a thicker
substrate material as could be required for this
particular program. In this Phase I Program, a
500W TRW DP-11 high brightness DPSSL laser, as
developed under the DARPA sponsored Precision
Laser Machining Program, will be used to laser
process small diameter holes and evaluated as to
define whether the required tolerances may or may
not be met in a reasonable cycle time. If
successful, it is projected that this process
could replace a major portion of the EDM processed
holes as done today. Given the success of this
Phase I Program, an immediate benefit would be to
provide the ABL and GBL Laser Programs a
confirmed process and site for limited production
of components. If carried through Phase II, it is
proposed that a beta turnkey system would result
allowing gasoline and diesel fuel injector
drilling. Medical component processing would
likely follow as applications arise.
|
PHYSICS, MATERIALS & APPLIED MATH RESEARCH, L.L.C.
1333 N. Tyndall Ave. suite 212
Tucson, AZ 85719 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(520) 882-7349
Dr. Kevin Kremeyer
AF 02-003 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Small Holes, Drilled in Hard Materials, Using Ultrasort Laser Pulses. |
| Abstract: | Ultrashort laser pulses are able to deposit nearly
all of their energy before the
target material responds significanly. As a
result, they avoid the losses/scattering
which typically accompany other forms of laser
processing. Another benefit is
the absence of the melt-phase with its associated
slag and thermal trauma/cracking.
The amount of material ablated by each pulse can
be controlled by adjusting
the pulse energy and spot size. For very small
pulse energies, incremeental
amounts of material can be removed. If the spot
size is gradually reduced from
pulse to pulse, the hole can be very smoothly
tapered/contoured.
Small pulse energies enable fine control, but also
necessitate high
pulse repetition rates in order to be useful. One
of the main concerns involved
in rapid pulse
succession is the interaction of a given pulse
with the ablation plume of its
preceding pulse. This problem can be mitigated by
machining in a vacuum, however
when multiple holes are drilled, the pulses can be
alternated among many holes,
allowing sufficient time between pulses at any
given hole.
We propose the application of ultrashort laser
pulses to drill arrays of small holes
in hard and/or coated materials. lower cost, finer
control, drill through coatings, etc The
anticipated benefits of
this technology are much lower cost and time
requirements over conventional drilling
methods in the ABL program. The method will also
allow higher precision than
conventional methods, leading to much finer
control,
and better mixing in the ABL combustion chamber.
If coatings are used on the
injector heads to make them more inert, the
ultrafast laser drilling method will
allow easy penetration of any coating that may be
implemented. Another government
application is the DOE's request for small holes
of very large aspect ratios in
diesel fuel injectors to increase their
efficiency. This application is clearly
for the commercial market, and will lead to
advances that are useful to most all
liquid combustion applications. Beside these
government applications, there are
many applications in commercial micro machining
and micro-fluidics, as well as
medical applications, such as dentistry.
|
BRASHEAR LP
615 Epsilon Dr
Pittsburgh, PA 15238 |
Phone:
PI:
Topic#: |
(412) 967-7831
Robert Sobek
AF 02-004 Selected for Award |
| Title: | Beam Train Flexible Structure Control for Airborne/Space-Based Systems |
| Abstract: | Brashear LP proposes to characterize the problem
and possible solutions for acoustic
induced disturbances. This problem will likely
drive the LOS jitter stability of ABL
and similar airborne pointing applications. The
research will characterize the
acoustic disturbance on ABL hardware then use this
detailed description to employ
more sophisticated methods
of jitter control. Such methods include mechanical
|
|