nasa tech briefs june 2011

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

Welcome to your Digital Edition ofNASA Tech Briefs, Imaging Technology,

and Motion Control Technology

Included in This June Edition:NASA Tech Briefs Imaging Technology Motion Control Technology

How to Navigate the Magazines:

At the bottom of each page, you will see a navigation bar with the following buttons:

Arrows: Click on the right or left facing arrow to turn the page forward or backward.

Introduction: Click on this icon to quickly turn to this page.

Cover: Click on this icon to quickly turn to the front cover.

Table of Contents: Click on this icon to quickly turn to the table of contents.

Zoom In: Click on this magnifying glass icon to zoom in on the page.

Zoom Out: Click on this magnifying glass icon to zoom out on the page.

Find: Click on this icon to search the document.

You can also use the standard Acrobat Reader tools to navigate through each magazine.

June 2011 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 35 No. 6

Innovation Fuels the Future of Air Travel

NASA Inventions of the Year

Inside NASA’s Langley Research Center

Motion Control Technology™

Imaging Technology

Machine Vision Fundamentals: How to Make Robots "See" ..............................................60

The Role of Software in Acoustic Micro Imaging ..................................................................63

Imaging System Buckles Up Camera and Parking Sensor ....................................................66

New Products ..........................................................................................................................67

On the Cover: A Smart Park Automotive Technologies camera from Zorg Industries provides cognitive object detection from the rear of a vehicle.

June 2011

www.techbriefs.com/motion

June 2011

Steer-by-Wire Systems with Integrated Torque Feedback Improve SteeringPerformance and Reduce Cost ........................IIa

Electro-Hydraulic Motion Controller for Earthquake Simulation..............................6a

New Products ..................................................9a

On the cover: Two new robots and three grippers havebeen introduced by ABB Robotics (Auburn Hills, MI) for full-layer and bag palletizing applications. See page 10a.

➭

Intro

Cov

ToC

+

–

A

Click Here Click Here Click Here

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBPNAV

Solid

Wor

ks is

a re

gist

ered

trad

emar

k of

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es. ©

2011

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es. A

ll rig

hts

rese

rved

.

Help host Jeremy Luchini design the fi rst hardcore baby buggy using SolidWorks®. You’ll share ideas, comment on designs and vote on keydecisions throughout the project. If you think you’re ready, let’s go design.Watch. Share. Vote. LetsGoDesign.tv

PROJECT 3: HOT ROD BABY BUGGY

LOOKING FOR DESIGNERS TOPUSH THIS BABY

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-759

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBPCVR4


June 2011 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 35 No. 6



Inside NASA’s Langley Research Center

Motion Control Technology™

Imaging Technology

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBHOME


©2010 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, ni.com, and NI TestStand are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 1849

Move Your Automated Test Beyond the Box

Engineers around the world are making the software-defined PXI platform the cornerstone of their test system architectures. With more than 1,500 modular instruments available from more than 70 vendors, PXI delivers the functionality and flexibility you need to build a better test system while reducing cost and size.

PRODUCT PLATFORM

PXI modular instrumentation

NI LabVIEW graphical software

NI TestStand software

>> Learn how PXI can help you at ni.com/beyond 800 891 8841


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



Your single source for process measurement and control products!

omega.com, of Course!

© Rui Matos / Dreamstime.com

Where Do I Go for Pressure, Strain and Force Products?

HardboundHandbook andEncyclopedia

FREE!

Rugged, 316 Stainless Steel Enclosure Designed for Washdown, Sanitary and Marine Applications

DPG409 SeriesStarts at

$695

Magnetic stylus(included).

Very High Accuracy Digital Pressure Gauge 316 SS Body, AnalogOutput and Optional Wireless Transmitter

Antenna connection for wireless

option.

NEMA 4case.

� Large Backlit Display with 25 mm (1") Digits Readable From Over 10.7 m (35')

� High 0.08% Accuracy and Repeatability

� High and Low Alarms Standardintegralpressuresensor.

Visit omega.com/hhp240

Visit omega.com/dpg409

© COPYRIGHT 2011 OMEGA ENGINEERING, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDCover Art: Based on an Original Norman Rockwell illustration ©The Curtis Publishing Company

For Sales and Service, Call TOLL FREE Shop Online at No.

Visit omega.com/px409s-mv

Advanced DigitalForce Gauges

DFG55 SeriesStarts at

$995

USA

MADE IN

Visit omega.com/dfg55

USA

MADE IN

Sanitary ProcessTransducers

PX409S-MV$585

USA

MADE IN

®

74-03

Digital Pressure GaugesDPG2001B

SeriesStarts at

$349

USA

MADE IN

Visit omega.com/dpg2001bVisit omega.com/dmd4059

USA

MADE IN

DMD4059Series

All Models$359

Bridge/Strain GageSignal Conditioner

1⁄8 DIN Ultra HighPerformance Meter

DP41-B$595 USA

MADE IN

Visit omega.com/dp41b

Find thousands of pressure, strain and force products in one place!Visit omega.com to order your FREE copyof The OMEGA Pressure, Strain and ForceMeasurement Handbook and Encyclopedia

HHP240 SeriesStarts at

$380

Handheld DigitalManometer


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1A




http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1B

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1C

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1D

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1E

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1F

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1G

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP1H


Stanford Research Systems1290-D Reamwood Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089 • e-mail: [email protected] (408) 744-9040 Fax (408) 744-9049 www.thinkSRS.com

The SR785 Dynamic Signal Analyzer offers state-of-artperformance at a fraction of the cost of competitiveanalyzers. Standard features include swept-sine mode,order tracking, octave analysis, curve fit/synthesis, andarbitrary waveform source.

When compared to the Agilent 35670A, the SR785 comesout on top. It offers twice the frequency range (2 ch.)and 10 times the real-time bandwidth at less than halfthe price of the 35670A.

The SR785 is ideal for filter design, control systemsanalysis, noise measurement, audio or acoustical test,and mechanical systems analysis.

Take a close look at the SR785.

Powerful, Versatile and Affordable...100 kHz Dynamic Signal Analyzer

• DC to 100 kHz frequency range

• 100 kHz real-time bandwidth

• Dynamic range

90 dB (FFT)

145 dB (swept-sine)

• Low-distortion (−80 dBc) source

• Up to 32 Mbyte memory

• GPIB and RS-232 interfaces

FFT analyzers starting at $4950

SR785 .... $11,950 (U.S. list)


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP2



Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



26 Technology Focus: Data Acquisition26 Stereo Imaging Miniature Endoscope28 Wind and Temperature Spectrometry of the Upper

Atmosphere in Low-Earth Orbit30 Health Monitor for Multitasking, Safety-Critical,

Real-Time Software31 Parallel Wavefront Analysis for a 4D Interferometer32 Early Oscillation Detection Technique for Hybrid

DC/DC Converters

33 Electronics/Computers33 Schottky Heterodyne Receivers With Full Waveguide Bandwidth34 Coaxial Cables for Martian Extreme Temperature Environments34 Carbon Nanofiber-Based, High-Frequency, High-Q,

Miniaturized Mechanical Resonators36 Using Spare Logic Resources to Create Dynamic Test Points37 Ultracapacitor-Based Uninterrupted Power Supply System

38 Software38 Autonomous Coordination of Science Observations

Using Multiple Spacecraft38 EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing Software, Version 339 Cassini Tour Atlas Automated Generation39 Software Development Standard Processes (SDSP)40 Autonomous Phase Retrieval Calibration

42 Manufacturing & Prototyping42 Graphite Composite Panel Polishing Fixture42 Modifying Matrix Materials to Increase Wetting and Adhesion44 Ridge Waveguide Structures in Magnesium-Doped

Lithium Niobate45 Material Gradients in Oxygen System Components

Improve Safety

46 Green Design46 Lightweight Magnetic Cooler With a Reversible Circulator47 The Invasive Species Forecasting System

48 Mechanics/Machinery48 Method for Cleanly and Precisely Breaking Off a Rock Core

Using a Radial Compression Force48 Scoring Dawg Core Breakoff and Retention Mechanism49 Praying Mantis Bending Core Breakoff and

Retention Mechanism50 Rolling-Tooth Core Breakoff and Retention Mechanism

4 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011

1a – 10aMotion Control Technology™Follows page 40 in selected editions only.

June 2011 • Vol. 35 No. 6

10 UpFront

12 Who’s Who at NASA

41 Technologies of the Month

76 NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Office

77 Advertisers Index

14

54

78

F E A T U R E S

S O L U T I O N S

D E P A R T M E N T S

72 Product Focus: CAD/CAE Software

73 New Products

N E W F O R D E S I G N E N G I N E E R S

S P E C I A L S U P P L E M E N T


June 2011


Electro-Hydraulic Motion Controller for Earthquake Simulation..............................6a

New Products ..................................................9a


14 NASA Awards 2010 Government andCommercial Inventions of the Year

18 Innovation Fuels the Future of Air Travel

24 Application Briefs

78 Inside NASA: Langley Research Center

80 NASA Need: Protecting Transport ofBiological Material

(Solutions continued on page 6)

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



Find it at mathworks.com/acceleratedatasheet

video example

trial request

©2010 The MathWorks, Inc.

MODELPHYSICALSYSTEMS

Simulinkin

with Simscape

Electrical

and more

™

Use with

of an embedded

system. Assemble your model with a

graphical interface, or import physical

models from CAD systems. Use built-in

components or create your own with

the Simscape language.

®

®

®


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




11715 Main Street, Roscoe, IL 61073 815-623-2168

Forest City Gear helps customers in an extremely diverse group of industrial, medical, aerospace, sporting goods, research lab and high-performance racing markets, plus many others. Some might foolishly suggest this makes us “a jack of all trades, master of none,” as that old adage goes.

Boy, are they wrong.

Exactly the opposite is true. Forest City Gear is the longtime market leader in special gear solutions, precisely because we’ve seen and solved problems in virtually any application you can name that requires the highest geometrical integrity, superior repeatable performance, accuracy that’s often off-the-charts for other gear companies and a secure, reliable line of supply. O yes, and all at an affordable price that helps keep customers competitive and viable in their markets.

Who says you can’t be all things to all people? Well, we suppose the size of our machining centers is a limit, if you can call what you see here limited?

Call Forest City Gear and hear about all we can be…on your next gear challenge! Go to www.forestcitygear.com today.

Who Says You Can’t Be All Things To All People?

"For high-precision gears, we certainly can!"

Fred Young, CEO

Star gear for racecar fuel pumpArticulating gear for the Utah Arm Internal spline gear for a levelwind fishing reel

Gears for the drive wheels on the Mars Rover

Brass gear for analytical diffractometer positioning

6 NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-706

51 Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System for SpacecraftExercise Treadmill Devices

52 Bio-Medical52 Microgravity-Enhanced Stem Cell Selection53 Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurological Disorders by

Millimeter-Wave Stimulation

54 Physical Sciences54 Measuring Multiple-Axis Position of Multiple Points at

Data-Sampling Rates of 10-20 kHz55 Passive Vaporizing Heat Sink55 Remote Sensing and Quantization of Analog Sensors56 Helium-Cooled Black Shroud for Subscale Cryogenic Testing57 Phase Retrieval for Radio Telescope and Antenna Control

58 Information Sciences58 Receive Mode Analysis and Design of Microstrip Reflectarrays75 Chance-Constrained Guidance With Non-Convex Constraints

59 Imaging Technology60 Machine Vision Fundamentals:

How to Make Robots “See”63 The Role of Software in Acoustic Micro Imaging66 Imaging System Buckles Up Camera

and Parking Sensor67 New Products

Contents continued

NASA’s Fundamental Aeronautics Program projectwas launched in April 2010 to visualize the passengerairplanes of the future. The Subsonic Ultra GreenAircraft Research (SUGAR) team from The Boeing Co.(Chicago, IL) submitted the SUGAR Volt, a twin-engineaircraft with hybrid propulsion technology, a tube-shaped body, and a truss-braced wing mounted tothe top. It also may include hinges to fold the wingswhile parked close together at airport gates. Find outmore about SUGAR Volt and other new aviation technologies in the feature beginning on page 18.

(Image courtesy of NASA/The Boeing Co.)

P R O D U C T O F T H E M O N T H

O N T H E C O V E R

10

National Instruments’ (Austin, TX)NI PXIe-5186 digitizer was

co-developed with Tektronix.

This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration. Neither Associated Business Publications Co., Ltd. nor the United StatesGovernment nor any person acting on behalf of the United States Government assumes anyliability resulting from the use of the information contained in this document, or warrants thatsuch use will be free from privately owned rights. The U.S. Government does not endorse anycommercial product, process, or activity identified in this publication.

Permissions: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal orpersonal use of specific clients, is granted by Associated Business Publications, provided thatthe flat fee of $3.00 per copy be paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (222 RoseWood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923). For those organizations that have been granted a photocopylicense by CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged. The fee code for users of theTransactional Reporting Service is: ISSN 0145-319X194 $3.00+ .00


The Role of Software in Acoustic Micro Imaging ..................................................................63


New Products ..........................................................................................................................67


June 2011

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




With COMSOL Multiphysics® you are empowered to build the simulations that accurately replicate the important characteristics of your designs. The key is the ability to include all physical effects that exist in the real world. This multiphysics approach delivers results—tangible results that save precious development time and spark innovation.

Capture the Concept.

© 2011 COMSOL, INC. COMSOL, COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF COMSOL

AB. CAPTURE THE CONCEPT IS A TRADEMARK OF COMSOL AB. OTHER PRODUCT OR BRAND NAMES

ARE TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE HOLDERS.

A stator blade in the turbine stage of a jet engine is heated by the combustion gases. To prevent the stator from melting, air is passed through a cooling duct in the blade.

www.comsol.com/

Watch Now

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/344

This is COMSOL intro-video

55-707

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



S P O N S O R E D B Y P R I Z E S P O N S O R S

E L E C T R O N I C S

C A T E G O R Y

S P O N S O R

You CANCreate

theFuture

Calling all design engineers. It’s up to you.

Share your new product ideas with the world, the possibilities are endless!

• Generate new jobs• Improve health• Increase sustainability • Make transportation safer• Boost security• Advance electronics• Accelerate productivity

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER!Entry deadline: June 30, 2011

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro


GRAND PRIZE: $20,000 — plus global recognition and publicity to business and industry leaders who can help bring your idea to market.

ACCEPTING INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM ENTRIES.

Get details at www.createthefuture2011.com

www.createthefuture2011.com

C A T E G O R I E S

• Consumer Products • Safety & Security

• Electronics NEW • Sustainable Technologies

• Machinery & Equipment • Transportation

• Medical

THE


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





A stronaut Fred Haise was a long way from home when hebecame sick with an infection caused by an opportunistic

pathogen known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa while aboard theApollo 13 mission to the Moon in 1970. Now, more than fourdecades later, this same bacterium is central to an importantdiscovery by scientists using human spaceflight research tounlock the mysteries of how disease-causing agents work andcan be controlled.

Recent space research is giving scientists a better under-standing of how infectious disease occurs in space, and couldsomeday improve astronaut health and provide novel treat-ments for people on Earth.

Scientists studying Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which flewaboard the shuttle en route to the International Space Station(ISS), hope to unlock the mysteries of how disease-causingagents work. They believe the research can lead to advancedvaccines and therapies to better fight infections. The findingsare based on flight experiments with microbial pathogens onNASA shuttle missions to the ISS.

Healthy people can have Pseudomonas aeruginosa live intheir bodies without getting sick, but it poses a serious threat topeople with compromised immune systems. This bacterium isthe leading cause of death for those suffering from cystic fibro-sis and is a serious risk to burn victims. However, a high enoughdosage of Salmonella typhimurium always makes even healthyindividuals sick.

The initial MICROBE study in 2006, and the follow-onImmune Space Tissue Loss experiment on Space ShuttleDiscovery’s STS-131 mission, show that spaceflight creates a lowfluid shear environment, where liquids exert little force as theyflow over the surface of cells. The low fluid shear environmentof spaceflight affects the molecular genetic regulators that canmake microbes more infectious. These same regulators mightfunction in a similar way to regulate microbial virulence duringthe course of infection in the human body.

For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/pseudomonas.html.


Next Month in NTB

The July issue of NASA Tech Briefs will include a featurehighlighting data communication, including advan-

tages of specific data platforms such as Ethernet for cer-tain applications. We’ll also highlight new imaging prod-ucts and cameras in our Product Focus.

National Instruments, Austin, TX, has released the NI PXIe-5186 digitizer, co-developed withTektronix, Beaverton, OR. The unit achieves up to 5 GHz bandwidth and 12.5 GS/s sam-ple rates. The NI PXIe-5185 delivers 3 GHz bandwidth and 12.5 GS/s sample rate. Both dig-

itizers incorporate Tektronix oscilloscope ASICs for high-speed signal acquisition with low noiseand high linearity, and are based on the IBM 7HP SiGe process. The 500 fs RMS integrated jitterof the digitizers results in a 5.5 effective number of bits (ENOB) at 5 GHz. NI technology deliv-ers high-data throughput for faster test execution and multimodule timing and synchronizationfor building high-channel-count, integrated test systems. Designed for the 3U PXI Express plat-form, the digitizers can stream at rates as fast as 700 MB/s, and synchronize channels on multiple modules to within 160 ps reso-lution. The digitizers work with NI LabVIEW graphical design software for instrument control and automation, the NILabWindows™/CVI ANSI C software development environment, and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET development tools for a rangeof programming options.

For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-120

Spacebound Bacteria Inspire Earthbound Remedies

Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, STS-115 mission specialist,works with the Group Activation Packs (GAP) on the mid-deck of SpaceShuttle Atlantis. (NASA)

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





NOW I THINK IN 3D.

AND MY DESIGNS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER.

With our Dimension® 3D Printer, I know my model will represent my idea exactly.

And that makes it easier to improve my design with each iteration. Our Dimension

is right here in the office, and that helps us get our products to

market faster. The Dimension models we create are made in ABS,

so they’re tough and durable. Leases start at only $275 a month, or you can

buy a printer for under $15,000, so they’re also really affordable. Overall,

Dimension gives me an amazing sense of freedom—and creativity.

Find out more at dimensionprinting.com/ntb4

to

S,

n

l,

Prices applicable in the United States. Additional options, shipping, applicable taxes and/or duties not included. ©2011 Stratasys, Inc.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-710

Who’s Who at NASA

A s NASA’s Chief Sci en tist,Dr. Waleed Abdalati

serves as the prin ci pal adviserto the NASA Adminis tratoron agency science programs,strategic planning, and theevaluation of related investments.

NASA Tech Briefs: What are your re-sponsibilities as Chief Scientist?

Dr. Waleed Abdalati: I provide adviceto the Administrator and NASA leader-ship on science activities across theagency. We have a very capable and pro-ductive Science Mission Directorate, butit also helps to have independent advicefrom someone who can take a broadagency perspective, look at science thatalso falls outside that Directorate, andoffer advice without having the responsi-bility of implementing the programsand the pressures associated with that.

NTB: What are the challenges in deter-mining a good scientific investment?

Dr. Abdalati: We rely on what’s calleddecadal surveys. This is an 18-monthprocess where the scientists, through theNational Research Council at theNational Academy of Sciences, surveytheir own community and develop scien-tific recommendations for priorities forNASA in terms of science objectives andmissions, whether that’s in Earth sci-ence, planetary science, astrophysics,life and microgravity science, or helio-physics. Each community has its survey,and that provides the broad guidanceon the kinds of missions we should beinvesting in. And then at the researchand analysis level, we put out solicita-tions, and people from all over the coun-try are free to respond. We convene peerreview panels and select the most meri-torious science; those that are bestreviewed and are most in line with theobjectives that we’re trying to fulfill.

NTB: What are you seeing as themajor priorities in NASA’s science pro-grams in 2011?

Dr. Abdalati: Certainly, any naturalhazard like the earthquake in Japan re-

minds us that understanding the Earthenvironment, bringing to bear the toolsthat are unique to NASA, is a major pri-ority. At the same time, the journey ofdiscovering what’s happening at theedges of the universe also is importantand remains a priority.

We also have incredibly exciting Earthscience missions that look at ocean salin-ity. We’re working towards mapping soilmoisture, ice changes, broader climateobservations, and astrophysics missions.The NuSTAR X-Ray observatory willlook deep into the universe, in what’scalled hard-energy X-ray wavelengths.Bring to that the fact that the US hascompleted our component of the spacestation. It will become a national sciencelaboratory with discoveries we probablycan’t anticipate.

NTB: What teams will you be workingclosely with to determine your strategicagenda?

Dr. Abdalati: All of the Directorateshere at NASA. The most obvious is theScience Mission Directorate, and that isvery strong and is moving forward effec-tively and productively. But we can’t dothe science of this agency without thetechnology, and so I do intend to workvery closely with Bobby Braun, NASA’sChief Technologist. Certainly, there isscience in the Exploration MissionDirectorate and the Op erations MissionDirectorate, and I have been workingwith them as well. This is more in thearea of life and microgravity sciences,human research, and education — car-rying the great things that NASA does toa domain where it does not just servesociety through practical benefits, butalso in an inspirational way. So I havebegun to work with Leland Melvin, theAA (Associate Ad minis trator) of theEducation Office, to help turn NASAscience into a vehicle for inspiringyoung people to go into these kinds of fields.

A full transcript and downloadable pod-cast of this interview are available online atwww.techbriefs.com/podcast. For more infor-mation, contact [email protected].

Dr. Waleed Abdalati, NASA Chief Scientist,NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Learn more about our combined vision at www.newark.com/together

TWO POWERFUL BRANDS TOGETHER

ONE POWER-PACKEDNEW OFFERING.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



NASA’s Ames Research Center inMoffett Field, CA, has won NASA’s

2010 Government Invention of the YearAward and the Commercial Inventionof the Year Award. The GovernmentInvention of the Year was the FutureATM (Air Traffic Management)Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET), asoftware tool that creates simulationsfor managing air traffic scenarios. Thecenter won the Commercial award fordeveloping a powder vibration systemused in portable X-ray diffraction(XRD) instruments.

Nominations are evaluated by NASA’sInventions and Contributions Board.The board determines which qualify foreach category, ranks the nominees, andmakes recommendations to the NASAOffice of the General Counsel for reviewand approval.

Powder Vibration TechnologyAmes research scientist David Blake

and former NASA post-doctoral fellowPhilippe Sarrazin developed the powdervibration technology, which waslicensed to inXitu of Campbell, CA.“This invention changes the way peoplework in the field because it allows thescientist to take the instrument to thelocation of the analytical problem,rather than the opposite,” Blake said.“Because the technology is portable, ithas diverse applications in the field,including for geology, detection ofcounterfeit pharmaceuticals, or analyz-ing art objects and antiquities.”

Virtually all solid materials are crys-talline. Powder X-ray Diffraction(pXRD, or simply XRD) is the techniqueof choice for unequivocal identificationof these materials. However, in order tocharacterize crystalline materials bypXRD, one needs to provide a myriad oftiny crystallites in random orientationsto the X-ray beam. This is commonlyachieved by grinding the material to a

grain size <5 μm, and making a thinpreparation of the powder that is thenexposed to the X-ray beam.

Using the powder vibration technolo-gy, coarsely ground or even as-receivedpowders <150 μm grain size can be usedwithout further preparation. pXRDdevices utilizing this invention can beextremely small, and do not require X-ray source, sample, and X-ray detectormovements; specialized divergence orconvergence of the diffracted beams; orfinely ground powders.

The powder vibration system enabledthe development of a miniaturized soiland rock analysis instrument that Ameshas provided and has been accepted forflight on the Mars Science Laboratory

(MSL), NASA’s next mission to Mars.MSL is scheduled to launch in November.

With this invention, spaceflight ins tru -ments such as CheMin (the mineralogi-cal instrument that is a principal payloadinstrument on MSL) become possible.On Earth, pXRDs such as Terra (theinXitu instrument for which the vibratedsample cell invention is critical) can bechecked as personal luggage on passen-ger flights, and used as a tool anywherein the world by trained laypersons.

Many new commercial applications inpetroleum, mining, and the cementindustry are being tested or are alreadyin place using Terra. The US FDA andother agencies are using Terra for thedetection of counterfeit pharmaceuti-cals at field stations. Outside of NASA,commercial versions of the instrumentare being used in government-spon-sored applications in homeland securityand forensic materials analysis for themilitary in war zones.

For more information, visit www.inxitu.com/new/html/terra.html.

FACET SoftwareFACET is a flexible software-based sim-

ulation environment for exploration,development, and evaluation of ad -vanced Air Traffic Management (ATM)concepts. Examples of concepts studiedusing FACET are aircraft self-separationfor Free Flight, modeling and predictionof air traffic controller workload, a deci-sion support tool for direct routing, inte-gration of space launch vehicle opera-tions into the US National AirspaceSystem (NAS), and advanced traffic flowmanagement techniques using rerouting,metering, and ground delay.

FACET models system-wide airspaceoperations over the contiguous UnitedStates. Airspace models are availablefrom databases; weather models are alsoavailable. FACET models aircraft trajec-tories using spherical-earth equations;

NASA Awards 2010Government and Commercial

Inventions of the Year


Shown is a sample holder for one of inXitu'sportable powder X-ray Diffraction (pXRD) sys-tems. A coarse crystalline powder to be ana-lyzed is placed in one of the sample cells (roundwindows at the base of the sample holder). Thesample holder is essentially a tuning fork drivenat resonant frequency by a piezodriver. As thecell is shaken, the crystals in the powder exhibitrandom movements in the X-ray beam of theinstrument, mimicking a myriad of tiny crystal-lites in random orientation.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




High-Speed Testing. High-Speed Solutions.

Introducing the TMX High-Speed Data Acquisition System

Redefining High Speed

That’s High Speed Data Acquisition.

High Speed Setup

High Speed Data Capture

High Speed Review and Transfer

High Speed Analysis

High Speed Solutions

Read the specifications at

www.astro-med.com/tmx


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



aircraft can be flown along either flightplan routes or direct (great circle)routes as they climb, cruise, and descendaccording to their individual aircraft-type performance models.

“As the world’s population grows andair travel demand increases, our airspacewill become more crowded,” saidBanavar Sridhar, NASA senior scientistfor Air Transportation Systems. “FACEThelps air traffic management research -ers find ways to increase airspace capaci-ty and establish more efficient routeswith the least impact on the environ-ment, thereby saving fuel and minimiz-ing emissions.”

A significant enhancement to FACET isthe development of aircraft fuel-flowmodels, emission models, contrail mod-els, and the optimization of single-aircrafttrajectories to mitigate environmentalimpact. This provides the capability toconduct system-level trade-off studies tosupport the “green aviation” effort.Greenhouse gases, nitrous oxides, andcontrails resulting from aircraft opera-tions affect the environment in differentand uncertain ways. Techno logicaladvances in air traffic managementenabled by FACET can be applied toother large-scale networks such as the

Internet (data communications), groundtransportation systems, and power distri-bution grids.

FACET continues to support theNASA Aeronautics Research MissionDirectorate’s (ARMD) Airspace SystemProgram. It was recently integrated withNASA’s implementation of the TrafficManagement Advisor (TMA), which

schedules aircraft for airport arrival.Assuming an airline operating cost ofapproximately $100 per minute, reduc-ing the total delay even by a small per-centage will result in significant savingsto the airlines and air travelers.

For more information, visit www.aviationsystemsdivision.arc.nasa.gov/research/modeling/facet.shtml.


We offer a broad selection of motion solutions foryour micropositioning and nanopositioning needs. Wehave a full range of standard products, can easilymodify offerings to meet additional requirements, orwork with our motion experts on a custom motionsystem. From OTS to custom-designs for research orfor volume OEMs, we have the expertise.

For Motion, Think Newport.

Visit us at www.newport.com/motion or call1-800-222-6440

©2011 Newport Corporation

If You Need a Motion Solution, You Need Newport

Linear Stages Rotary Stages

Actuators Controllers

HexapodNanopositioning Products

Models of contrails, fuel flow, and emission have been integrated with FACET. The enhanced FACETsoftware provides a flexible simulation and optimization architecture to study the trade-offs involvedin reducing emissions.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




New ways to get from here to there. Silicone-coated

aircraft wings that, one day, will enable planes to take off

in extreme, icy conditions. Ultra-low-outgassing products

that decrease volatility and increase longevity in outer

space. Whatever your needs, the scientists at NuSil are

dedicated to helping innovators innovate.

As the leader in silicone solutions with nearly 30 years

of aerospace experience, we can provide you with precise,

custom formulations that make your ideas take off.

What? When? Where? If it’s NuSil, it’s no problem.

18 below in Chicago.

Super De-icer.

Dreams take flight.

NuSil Technology.

What’s your challenge?www.nusil.com/ntbUSA +1-805-684-8780Europe +33 (0) 4 92 96 93 31©2010 NuSil Technology LLC. All rights reserved. NTB0410-A

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/3445 -5 714

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




A ircraft of the future may not looksignificantly different from today’s

aircraft, but a peek “under the hood”will reveal technologies that are vastlydifferent. Commercial aviation giantssuch as Boeing and Airbus — in additionto NASA and academia — are develop-ing breakthrough airframe, propulsion,materials, and cabin designs that willhelp aircraft of the future fly quieter,cleaner, and more fuel-efficiently, withenhanced passenger comfort.

NASA Visualizes the Next Passenger Aircraft

An 18-month NASA research effortcalled the NASA Fundamental Aero -nautics Program was launched in April2010 (www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/future_airplanes.html) to visualizethe passenger airplanes of the future.Four industry teams submitted designsfor airplanes that may enter service 20 to25 years from now. Just beneath the skinof these concepts lie breakthrough tech-nologies, including ultramodern shapememory alloys, ceramic or fiber com-posites, carbon nanotube or fiber-opticcabling, self-healing skin, hybrid elec-tric engines, folding wings, double fuse-lages, and virtual reality windows. Theteams were led by General Electric,Mass achusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), Northrop Grumman, and TheBoeing Company.

“Standing next to the airplane, youmay not be able to tell the difference,but the improvements will be revolution-ary,” said Richard Wahls, project scien-tist for the Fundamental AeronauticsProgram’s Subsonic Fixed Wing Projectat NASA’s Langley Research Center inHampton, VA.

The GE Aviation team conceptual-ized a 20-passenger aircraft (Figure 1)that could reduce congestion at majormetropolitan hubs by using communityairports for point-to-point travel.Features include an aircraft shape thatsmoothes the flow of air over all sur-faces, and electricity-generating fuelcells to power advanced electrical sys-tems. The aircraft’s advanced turbo-prop engines sport low-noise propellersand further mitigate noise by providingthrust sufficient for short takeoffs andquick climbs.

With its 180-passenger D8 “doublebubble” configuration, the MIT teamstrays farthest from the familiar, fusing

two aircraft bodies together lengthwiseand mounting three turbofan jetengines on the tail. Important compo-nents of the MIT concept are the use ofcomposite materials for lower weightand turbofan engines with an ultra-high-bypass ratio for more efficient thrust.

The Northrop Grumman team fore-sees the greatest need for a smaller120-passenger aircraft that is tailoredfor shorter runways in order to helpexpand capacity and reduce delays.The team’s Silent Efficient LowEmissions Com mercial Transport(SELECT) concept features ceramiccomposites, nanotechnology, andshape memory alloys in the airframe,and ultra-high-bypass-ratio propulsionsystem construction. The aircraftwould use smaller airports, with run-ways as short as 5,000 feet, for a widergeographic distribution of air traffic.

The Boeing Company’s SubsonicUltra Green Aircraft Research(SUGAR) team examined five concepts.The team’s preferred concept, theSUGAR Volt (Figure 2), is a twin-engineaircraft with hybrid propulsion technol-ogy, a tube-shaped body, and a truss-braced wing mounted to the top.Compared to the typical wing usedtoday, the SUGAR Volt wing is longerfrom tip to tip, shorter from leadingedge to trailing edge, and has lesssweep. It also may include hinges to fold

the wings while parked close together atairport gates.

MIT Flies the Eco-Friendly SkiesMIT’s green airplane designs —

which were submitted to NASA’s above-mentioned study of future aircraftdesigns — are estimated to use 70 per-cent less fuel than current planes whilealso reducing noise and emission ofnitrogen oxides (NOx).

The engineers conceived of the 180-passenger D “double bubble” series(Figure 3) by reconfiguring the tube-and-wing structure. Instead of using asingle fuselage cylinder, they used twopartial cylinders placed side-by-side tocreate a wider structure whose cross-section resembles two soap bubblesjoined together. They also moved theengines from the usual wing-mountedlocations to the rear of the fuselage.Unlike the engines on most transportaircraft that take in the high-speed,undisturbed airflow, the D-seriesengines take in slower-moving air that ispresent in the wake of the fuselage.Known as Boundary Layer In gestion(BLI), this technique allows theengines to use less fuel for the sameamount of thrust, although the designhas several practical drawbacks, such ascreating more engine stress.

The D Series travels about 10 percentslower than a 737. To further reduce the

Figure 1. GE Aviation's 20-passenger concept aircraft. (NASA/GE Aviation)


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




Data acquisition just got a lot easier.

More ways to control. More ways to connect.The new Agilent 34972A Data Acquisition Switch Unit takes our best-selling

Agilent 34970A to the next level. For starters, you get convenient built-in LAN

and USB connectivity. Plus, you can control your data acquisition remotely via

Web interface. And transfer logged data to your PC with a simple fl ash drive.

No more expensive adapters and connectors. That’s easy. That’s Agilent.

NEW 34972A 34970AUSB and LAN GPIB and RS232

Graphical web interface

Benchlink data logger software

SCPI programming

Benchlink data logger software

SCPI programming

3-slot LXI unit with built-in 6 ½ digit DMM

$1,845 $1,597*

© 2010 Agilent Technologies, Inc.*Prices are in USD and are subject to change.

Agilent and our Distributor NetworkRight Instrument. Right Expertise. Delivered Right Now.

800-463-9275 www.newark.com/agilent

Learn how to connect wirelessly andget more FREE measurement tips at www.newark.com/Agilent_DAQ


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




When precision machining and polishing matterssapphire, ceramics and glass

Large machining and inspection capability

Complex shapes

Earning your trust for over 65 years.

www.insaco.com Phone 215.536.3500Unbiased

drag and amount of fuel that the plane burns, the D series featureslonger, skinnier wings and a smaller tail. (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/nplus3-0517.html)

Boeing Drives New Horizons of Form and FunctionSince the beginning of the jet age nearly 40 years ago, Boeing has

succeeded in reducing the noise impact of airplanes. As Boeing con-tinues development of the 787 Dreamliner, the plane’s noise improve-ment comes from a new generation of engines that have a very highbypass ratio, which allows more air to go through the engine. Boeingengineers also wrap the engines with special linings and other acousticimprovements. (www.newairplane.com/environment/)

Early data show the 787’s noise footprint will be as much as 60%smaller than today’s comparable airplanes, thanks to a host ofdesign improvements, including advanced acoustic linings, newengine inlets and nozzles, lightweight composite materials, and anew, more aerodynamic wing.

Boeing has chosen to increase the use of composites in the designof the 787. It is, in fact, 50 percent composite by weight. CarbonSandwich is a class of composites made by attaching two thin skinsto a lightweight, thick core, similar to a honeycomb. The core mate-rial is usually a low-strength material, but its thickness provides thesandwich composite with high bending stiffness. Carbon Laminateis composed of layers of carbon fiber impregnated with a polymer.These structures on the 787 are composed of strands of carbonformed into a tape infused with resin. The layers are laminated tocreate a desired thickness and shape, and are cured through heatand pressure.

Engine enhancements include a more electric architecture.Today’s planes use pneumatic systems powered by high-pressure airdiverted from the engines. The system requires manifolds, valves,

Figure 2. Boeing's SUGAR Volt is a twin-engine aircraft with hybridpropulsion technology, a tube-shaped body, and a truss-braced wingmounted to the top. (NASA/The Boeing Co.)

Future of Air Travel

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





What’s included?• High-performance, certified OPC-compliant connectivity

via Ethernet, with unparalleled compatibility andperformance.

• DL05, DL105, DL06, DL205, and DL405 PLC support through RS-232, RS-422 serial or DirectLOGIC andProductivity3000 Ethernet interfaces.

• DL205, DL405 and Terminator controller remote I/O orAC drive Ethernet interfaces.

• OPC Quick Client application included for testing andeasy troubleshooting.

• Automatically generate tag names by importingDirectSOFT project Nicknames and Descriptions orProductivity3000 Tag database.

www.automationdirect.com

1-800-633-0405

Go online or call to get complete information,request your free catalog, or place an order.

Design a low-cost data acquisition or monitoringsystem using KEPDirect OPC Server software andaffordable AutomationDirect control devices.

For complete details or to order, visit:http://www.automationdirect.com/kepdirect

The new streamlined KEPDirect OPC Serverconnects your preferred Windows client software toAutomationDirect communication-enabled devicessuch as programmable controllers, remote I/O andvariable frequency drives (VFDs). This means thatany industrial HMI, SCADA, data historian, MES orERP software package that includes an OPC clientinterface (most do) can connect directly to thosedevices.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



and ducts to power other systems in theaircraft. The design of the 787 elimi-nates the pneumatic system. The electricsystem extracts only the power neededduring each phase of flight.

Airbus Develops a Concept for the Future

Airbus is looking more than 40 yearsin the future to anticipate what thefuture of aviation will look like. One keypart of the company’s research and tech-nology efforts is to investigate, test, vali-date, and optimize the most advanced

technologies, design features, configura-tions, and architectures.

The A380 is the first commercial air-craft to incorporate as much as 25%composites. The carbon-fiber-reinforcedplastic composite center wing box hassaved up to 1.5 tons. Airbus is also focus-ing on low-noise nacelle designs,acoustic treatments, and low enginenoise technologies, including the “zero-splice” inlet technology for enginenacelles to reduce fan noise. It also con-tributes to the quiet flight of the A380,which satisfies the noise requirements ofinternational airports.

Airbus has developed an aircraftdesign that illustrates what air trans-port could look like in 2050. TheAirbus Concept Plane (www.airbus.com/innovation/future-by-airbus/concept-planes)features ultra-long and slim wings, semi-embedded engines, a U-shaped tail, anda lightweight, intelligent body. Theresult is lower fuel burn, lower emis-sions, less noise, and greater comfort.

Biofuels Could Power Future Aviation

NASA recently performed emissionstesting on alternative, renewable fuelsfor a greener and less petroleum-dependent future. Renewable meansthat the fuel source isn’t some form offossil fuel. The source could be algae, aplant such as jatropha, or even ren-dered animal fat. In late March andearly April, a team at NASA’s DrydenFlight Research Center in Californiatested renewable biofuel made fromchicken and beef fat in one of the fourengines of a DC-8 airplane. (www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/aafex_biofuels.html)

The experiment’s chief scientist,Bruce Anderson of NASA’s LangleyResearch Center in Virginia, said that inthe engine that burned the biofuel,black carbon emissions were 90 percentless at idle and almost 60 percent less attakeoff thrust. Anderson added that thebiofuel also produced much lower sul-fate, organic aerosol, and hazardousemissions than the standard jet fuel.

Boeing is leading a process to gainapproval for synthetic paraffinickerosene (Bio-SPK) jet fuel, a drop-inbiofuel that has an energy density equalto or greater than conventional jet fuel.The biofuel has to be able to function invery high and very low temperatures.Airbus is also investigating the use ofalternative energy sources such as biofu-els, hydrogen, and solar power.

22 NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011

ProtoLaser S. It’s the real deal.Design your circuit, load virtually any type of substrate, send your file, and you’ll havereal working circuit boards in minutes. So real in fact, you’ll achieve consistent, highresolution geometries that chemical etching can’t even touch. From prototypes tomedium-run production, the ProtoLaser S will liberate you from the board house.

www.lpkfusa.com/pls • 1-800-345-LPKF

real boardsreal easyreal fast


Figure 3. MIT's D "double bubble" series designconcept is based on a modified "tube-and-wing"structure that has a very wide fuselage to pro-vide extra lift. (MIT/Aurora Flight Sciences)

Future of Air Travel

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





DISCOVER YOUR PERFECT FITOriginal DualVee®, guide wheels provide smooth, accurate motion with speeds up to 5.5 m/s and acceleration up to 5 g’s. Available in carbon, stainless steel or polymer, DualVee is ideal for debris-laden applications, corrosive conditions, high and low temperatures, washdown, cleanroom and critical environments -- these linear guide wheels fit virtually any environment to a vee.

SINGLE AND DOUBLE EDGE VEE TRACK

− Mounting shoulder for quick assembly reference− Offered with or without hardened vee surface− Available in carbon and stainless steel up to 22

feet in length with or without drilled holes

WHEEL PLATE ASSEMBLIES

− Wiper wheel and basic wheel plates − Corrosion resistant version is available − Plates provide lowest height solution − Lubricators and covers are available

STAINLESS STEEL JOURNALS AND BUSHINGS

− Provide time proven methods to affix guide wheels− Eccentric and concentric versions offered− Provides optimal adjustment for individual applications− Bushings available in standard height or low profile

TRACK PLATE ASSEMBLIES − Track mounts to aluminum base with anodized coating − Can be butt-joined to create infinite lengths − Uses single edge vee track − Available in four sizes

Visit www.bwc.com today to learn more about our wide range of products, watch HD videos, download white papers and CAD files, view and print catalogs, read customer application stories, utilize our equations toolbox and much more.and CAD files, view and print catalogs, read customer application stories, utilize our equations toolbox and much more.

Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation is a woman-owned manufacturer of the original DualVee® guide wheel and industry leader in guided motion technology.

Learn more about our linear and rotary motion solutions.

[email protected] | 2104 Martin Way Pittsburg, CA 94565 | 888.580.8272

Scan this QR barcode with your mobile phone to watch videos. It’s easy, just download a barcode app!


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




N ASA Analyzes Toyota CamrySoftware With Static-Analysis Tool

CodeSonar, Coverity Prevent, and Uno softwareGrammaTechIthaca, NY607-273-7340www.grammatech.com

The results of a ten-month study by 30 NASA engineers ofpossible electronic causes of unintended acceleration inToyota vehicles was released recently by the U.S. Departmentof Transportation (DOT). At the request of Congress, theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)began the study last March and asked NASA engineers withexpertise in electronic and software systems to look into con-sumer claims that electronic systems may have played a rolein reports of unintended acceleration.

As part of the investigation, NASA experts examined morethan 280,000 lines of software. NASA’s analysis included per-forming static analysis on the software using three tools:GrammaTech CodeSonar, Coverity Prevent, and Uno (aresearch tool that originated at Bell Labs).

CodeSonar is a static source code analysis tool that uses a dif-ferent technology for detailed inter-procedural source codeanalysis. CodeSonar analysis typically takes longer to completethan comparable tools, but can reveal more subtle types ofdefects and suspect coding patterns, requiring deeper pathanalysis (which can be more time-consuming).

“NASA found no evidence that a malfunction in electronicscaused large unintended accelerations,” said Michael Kirsch,principal engineer and team lead of the study from the NASAEngineering and Safety Center (NESC), based at NASA’sLangley Research Center in Hampton, VA.

The NESC team included NASA software experts inCalifornia and NASA hardware and systems engineers inMaryland who examined computer-controlled electronic sys-tems, electromagnetic interference, and software to deter-mine if these systems played a role in incidents of unintendedacceleration.


M EMS Mirror Will AidSpace-Based Imaging

Microelectromechanical system(MEMS)-based deformable mirrorBoston Micromachines Corp.(BMC)Cambridge, MA 617-868-4178www.bostonmicromachines.com

Boston Micromachines was awardeda Phase 1 NASA Small BusinessInnovation Research (SBIR) contractto support space-based imagingresearch. The company is developing areliable, fault-tolerant, microelectromechanical system(MEMS)-based deformable mirror.

BMC has been working in MEMS drives for mirrors forNASA for some time. In January 2010, the company was award-ed two Phase 1 SBIR grants to make the drives as small as pos-sible and run on as little power as possible, as well as developa process for making the high-actuator-count deformable mir-rors that would use such tiny drives.

Space-based telescopes have becomeindispensible in advancing the fron-tiers of astrophysics. Over the pastdecade, NASA has pioneered corona-graphic instrument concepts and test-beds to provide a foundation forexploring feasibility of coronagraphicapproaches to high-contrast imagingand spectroscopy. From this work,NASA has identified a current technol-ogy need for compact, ultra-precise,multi-thousand-actuator deformablemirror (DM) devices.

The MEMS-DM technology will fill acritical gap in NASA’s roadmap forfuture coronagraphic observatories. Toachieve this, BMC will implement two

complementary modifications to the manufacturing process.The team will develop a drive electronics approach that inher-ently limits actuator electrical current density generated toprevent permanent failure when a short-time-frame-single-fault failure occurs, as well as modify the actuator design tomitigate failure due to adhesion between contacting surfacesof the actuator flexure and fixed base.


A p p l i c a t i o n B r i e f sA p p l i c a t i o n B r i e f s


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro







www.dewamerica.com [email protected] +1 (401) 284-3750

RECORD EVERYTHINGPortable data acquisition systems from DEWETRON provide all of these amazing capabilities:

FAST ANALOG INPUTS - up to 1 MS/s/ch continuous to disk16, 22, or 24-bit resolution - amazing dynamic rangeSIGNAL CONDITIONERS for strain, pressure, voltage, current, load cells, thermocouples, RTDs, accelerometers, microphones...BATTERY POWER - run 2-3 hours without any external powerADD-ON INTERFACES - CAN BUS, ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, NTSC

GREAT GUI - Design your own screens, easy setup and triggeringADVANCED FEATURES - power analysis, noise & vibe, order

Why settle for anything less? Call or email us today!

0001001101100101010100010

10101110101001000100110111010111010100

10101110101001000100110111010111010100100 10101110101001000100110111010111010100100 1010111

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 25Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-720

S ensors Capture NewImages of Mercury

CCD TH7888A imaging sensorse2vChelmsford, Essex, UK+44 (0) 1245 493 493www.e2v.com

Earlier this year, NASA’s MESSENGERbecame the first spacecraft to orbit theplanet Mercury. The e2v ChargeCoupled Device (CCD) imaging sensorsequip the cameras onboard and cap-tured unique new images of the planet.

Launched in August 2004, NASA’sMESSENGER — designed, built, andoperated by the Johns HopkinsUniversity Applied Physics Laboratory inLaurel, MD — is conducting the firstorbital study of the planet Mercury.MESSENGER is only the second space-craft to visit Mercury (after the Mariner10 mission made several passes of theplanet in 1974-75).

The CCD imaging sensors were used

in MESSENGER’s Mercury Dual ImagingSystem (MDIS), which comprises a multi-spectral wide-angle camera and a mono-chrome narrow-angle camera. The cam-eras map the rugged landforms and spec-tral variations on Mercury’s surface inmonochrome, color, and stereo. Theinstrument is equipped with a1024x1024-pixel frame transfer sensor,allowing up to 30 images per second,with antiblooming functionality and apossibility of 2x2 binning operation. Thesensors had previously collected morethan 1,200 images during each ofMESSENGER’s three flybys of the planet.

For Free Info Visit

http://info.hotims.com/34455-118

This image of Mercury is the first ever obtainedfrom a spacecraft in orbit about the planet.(NASA/Johns Hopkins University AppliedPhysics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution ofWashington)

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro






Technology Focus: Data Acquisition

Stereo imaging requires two differentperspectives of the same object and, tra-ditionally, a pair of side-by-side cameraswould be used but are not feasible forsomething as tiny as a less than 4-mm-diameter endoscope that could be usedfor minimally invasive surgeries or geo-

exploration through tiny fissures orbores. The proposed solution here is toemploy a single lens, and a pair of conju-gated, multiple-bandpass filters(CMBFs) to separate stereo images.When a CMBF is placed in front of eachof the stereo channels, only one wave-

length of the visible spectrum that fallswithin the passbands of the CMBF istransmitted through at a time when illu-minated. Because the passbands are con-jugated, only one of the two channelswill see a particular wavelength. Thesetime-multiplexed images are then mixed

and reconstructed to display as stereoimages.

The basic principle of stereo imag-ing involves an object that is illumi-nated at specific wavelengths, and arange of illumination wavelengths istime multiplexed. The light reflectedfrom the object selectively passesthrough one of the two CMBFs inte-grated with two pupils separated by abaseline distance, and is focused ontothe imaging plane through an objec-tive lens. The passband range ofCMBFs and the illumination wave-lengths are synchronized such thateach of the CMBFs allows transmis-sion of only the alternate illumina-tion wavelength bands. And the trans-mission bandwidths of CMBFs arecomplementary to each other, so thatwhen one transmits, the other oneblocks.

This can be clearly understood ifthe wavelength bands are dividedbroadly into red, green, and blue,then the illumination wavelengthscontain two bands in red (R1, R2),two bands in green (G1, G2), and twobands in blue (B1, B2). Therefore,when the objective is illuminated byR1, the reflected light enters throughonly the left-CMBF as the R1 bandcorresponds to the transmission win-dow of the left CMBF at the left pupil.This is blocked by the right CMBF.The transmitted band is focused onthe focal plane array (FPA). Here,the FPA does not include color filterarray (black and white); hence, theimage sensors only measure lightintensities. Similarly, when the objectis illuminated by R2, it is transmittedonly through the right-CMBF and is

Stereo Imaging Miniature Endoscope This endoscope can be used in minimally invasive surgery, in geological resource exploration,and in miniature analytical tools. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Schematic showing the principle of the Stereo Imaging Endoscope using CMBFs. (a) The first illuminationband passes through the left CMBF to cast an image at the focal plane, but is blocked by the right CMBF.(b) The second illumination band passes through the right CMBF to cast an image at the focal plane, butis blocked by the left CMBF.

Filtered Illumination

CMBFs(a)

Object

Split PupilsLens System

Focal Plane Array

(b)

Object

Split PupilsLens System

Focal Plane Array

CMBFs

Filtered Illumination

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



CRASH & FLIGHT TESTING!

SP3

Two in One.

IN STOCK!

IN STOCK!

IN STOCK!

SR1-Series Industrial Stringpot!OCK!IN ST

SR1-Series Industrial Stringpot! Industrial Linear PotentiometerCLPOCK!IN ST

CK!OIN ST

Industrial Linear PotentiometerOCK!

Miniature String PotMT2AACRASH & FLIGHT TESTING!

CRASH & FLIGHT TESTING!

designed for extreme shock


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Wind and Temperature Spectrometry(WATS) is a new approach to measurethe full wind vector, temperature, andrelative densities of major neutral speciesin the Earth’s thermosphere. The

method uses an energy-angle spectrome-ter moving through the tenuous upperatmosphere to measure directly theangular and energy distributions of theair stream that enters the spectrometer.

The angular distribution gives the direc-tion of the total velocity of the air enter-ing the spectrometer, and the energy dis-tribution gives the magnitude of the totalvelocity. The wind velocity vector isuniquely determined since the measuredtotal velocity depends on the wind vectorand the orbiting velocity vector.

The orbiting spectrometer movessupersonically, Mach 8 or greater,through the air and must point within afew degrees of its orbital velocity vector(the ram direction). Pointing knowledgeis critical; for example, pointing errors0.1° lead to errors of about 10 m/s in thewind. The WATS method may also beapplied without modification to measurethe ion-drift vector, ion temperature, andrelative ion densities of major ionicspecies in the ionosphere. In such anapplication it may be called IDTS: Ion-Drift Temperature Spectrometry.

A spectrometer-based coordinate sys-tem with one axis instantaneously pointingalong the ram direction makes it possibleto transform the Maxwellian velocity distri-bution of the air molecules to aMaxwellian energy-angle distribution forthe molecular flux entering the spectrom-eter. This implementation of WATS iscalled the gas kinetic method (GKM)because it is applied to the case of theMaxwellian distribution.

The WATS method can be easilyapplied to measure the ion-drift, iontemperature, and ion densities simulta-neously in the same satellite, thus pro-viding an effective tool to study ion-neu-


blocked by the left-CMBF. This contin-ues over other wavelength bands as well.

So, it can be seen that the image sen-sors at the focal plane are measuringlight intensities of alternately transmit-ted light from the two CMBFs. At theend of one complete illumination cycle,six images will have been collected.Then the images from R1, G1, and B1become the primary colors for the leftside of the stereo image, and R2, G2,and B2 become that of the right side ofthe stereo image. Two stereo imageshave been time-multiplexed on the same

imaging chip. This intensity data isstored as an array from which the 3Dstereoscopic color image is constructedby applying processing and reconstruc-tion algorithms.

This work was done by Youngsam Bae,Harish Manohara, Victor E. White, andKirill V. Shcheglov of Caltech and HrayrShahinian of Skull Base Institute forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Formore information, download the TechnicalSupport Package (free white paper) atwww.techbriefs.com/tsp under the PhysicalSciences category.

In accordance with Public Law 96-517,the contractor has elected to retain title to thisinvention. Inquiries concerning rights for itscommercial use should be addressed to:

Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 202-2334800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-47420, volume and number

of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, and thepage number.

Wind and Temperature Spectrometry of the Upper Atmospherein Low-Earth OrbitMulti-point measurements can enhance the capabilities of the GPS network, as well as othercommunication applications.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Data Acquisition

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBPTSP



A Smart Sensors Technology Event Is at Your Fingertips…

OCTOBER 1O-12, 2O1 1SHERATON BOSTON HOTEL • BOSTON

We understand what you do for a living, and we’ve dedicated

three full days to helping you continue to push the sensor

application frontier!

Developed by Sensor Technology Professionals for Sensor Technology Professionals…

SENSORS Tech Forum features a high-level, application-driven

educational conference specifi cally designed to enlighten product

and system design engineers and others allied to the industry on

the latest advancements in sensor technology and applications.

Application-Focused Tracks Offering 34 Individual Sessions and Tutorials Over Three Days

• Aerospace, Defense & Harsh Environment Sensing

• Optics & Imaging

• Smart Sensors

• Wireless Technology/Sensor Networking & Integration

Meet the industry’s leading sensor and related technology compa-

nies in our creative exhibitor setting. These hand-selected exhibitors

will help you drive tomorrow’s sensor system designs today.

Attending SENSORS Tech Forum… one smart decision!

CONFERENCE PRODUCED BY

Register today and Save up to $300

on Conference or get FREE

Exhibit Hall Admission ($50 value)

Registration includes access to all of our exclusive networking opportunities!

Register at SENSORStechForum.com

or call 866.378.4991

Ask about our Exclusive Conference Travel Rebate Program!Get $150 toward your airfare to attend. For more informationvisit www.SENSORStechForum.com/rebate.html

EXHIBITING PARTNERS:

SPECIAL TUTORIAL

MEMS-Enabled High Volume

Commercialization Opportunities

produced by ROGER GRACE ASSOCIATES

SENSING SOLUTIONS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTUREBOSTON ELECTRONICS

GODDARD

AS OF 5.12.1 1


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





NEW Multifunction DAQwithout the computer

16 analog inputs up to ±30 V

Four quadrature encoder inputs

16 industrial digital inputs up to 30 V

Digital output configurable for alarming/triggering

©2011 Measurement Computing Corporation, 10 Commerce Way, Norton, MA 02766 • [email protected]

Contact us(800) 234-4232

mccdaq.com/LGR

The Value Leader in Data Acquisition

HIGH-SPEED, STAND-ALONE DATA LOGGERSLGR-5320 Series

• Up to 200 kS/s correlated analog, digital, and counter readings

• 4 GB SD™ memory card included

• Easy-to-use DAQLog™ software included

• From $1499


Data Acquisition

tral coupling in the upper atmosphere.The WATS method lends itself to minia-turization, and it is possible to designWATS instruments that consume very lit-tle power in a small volume, compatiblewith the new CubeSats. Therefore, itmay soon prove realistic to operatemany WATS instruments to carry outsimultaneous multi-point measurementsover a broad range of altitudes (120 to600 km) and all altitudes and longi-tudes.

The WATS method follows from therecognition that in a supersonic plat-form moving at 8,000 m/s, the measure-ment of small wind velocities in the airon the order of a few 100 m/s and lessrequires precise knowledge of the angleof incidence of the neutral atoms andmolecules. The same is true for the caseof ion-drift measurements. WATS alsoprovides a general approach that canobtain non-equilibrium distributions asmay exist in the upper regions of the

thermosphere, above 500 km and intothe exosphere. Finally, WATS serves as amass spectrometer, with very low massresolution of roughly 1 part in 3, but eas-ily separating atomic oxygen frommolecular nitrogen.

This work was done by Federico Herrero ofGoddard Space Flight Center. For more informa-tion, download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Physical Sciences category. GSC-15753-1

Health Monitor forMultitasking,Safety-Critical,Real-Time SoftwareA single software moduleaddresses many healthmanagement problems.John F. Kennedy Space Center,Florida

Health Manager can detect “BadHealth” prior to a failure occurring byperiodically monitoring the applicationsoftware by looking for code corruptionerrors, and sanity-checking each criticaldata value prior to use. A processor’smemory can fail and corrupt the soft-ware, or the software can accidentallywrite to the wrong address and overwritethe executing software. This innovationwill continuously calculate a checksumof the software load to detect corruptedcode. This will allow a system to detect afailure before it happens.

This innovation monitors each soft-ware task (thread) so that if any taskreports “bad health,” or does not reportto the Health Manager, the system isdeclared bad. The Health Managerreports overall system health to the out-side world by outputting a square wavesignal. If the square wave stops, this indi-cates that system health is bad or hungand cannot report. Either way, “badhealth” can be detected, whether causedby an error, corrupted data, or a hungprocessor.

A separate Health Monitor Task isstarted and run periodically in a loopthat starts and stops pending on a sema-phore. Each monitored task registerswith the Health Manager, which main-tains a count for the task. The register-ing task must indicate if it will run more

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com

Extremely robust Sensors for position / angle /

inclination measurement

WS31 / WS42

POSIROT ®

Magnetic Angular SensorsPOSITILT ®

Inclinometers

POSICHRON ® Magnetostrictive Position Sensors

PRAS5V PTAM2 PTAM27

PCST25 / PCFP25

WB85

POSITAPE ® Tape Position Sensors

ASM Sensors, Inc.

www.asmsensors.com

[email protected]

Tel. 1-888-ASM-USA-1

inclination measurementfor position / angle /

Extremely robust Sensors

inclination measurementfor position / angle /

Extremely robust Sensors

Inclinometers

®TPOSITILLTAngular SensorsMagnetic

®POSIROT

Angular Sensors

Position Sensors Magnetostrictive ®POSICHRON

Analog, digital, CAN-Bus

1 axis or 2 axes (PT)

ith .39 shaft or non-contact (PR)W

Measurement range 0 ... 360°

Protection class IP67 / IP69K

Magnetostrictive

ith .39 shaft or non-contact (PR)

Measurement range 0 ... 360°


Analog, incremental

Measurement range 0 ... 226 in.


®APEPOSITTA





ape Position SensorsTTaAPEPOSITTA



Analog, digital, CAN-Bus


el. 1-888-ASM-UTTe

[email protected]

.asmsensors.comwww

ASM Sensors, Inc.


el. 1-888-ASM-USA-1

[email protected]

.asmsensors.com

ASM Sensors, Inc.


This software provides a program-ming interface for automating data col-lection with a PhaseCam interferome-ter from 4D Technology, and distribut-ing the image-processing algorithmacross a cluster of general-purposecomputers.

Multiple instances of 4Sight (4DTechnology’s proprietary software) runon a networked cluster of computers.Each connects to a single server (thecontroller) and waits for instructions.The controller directs the interferome-ter to several images, then assigns eachimage to a different computer for pro-cessing. When the image processing isfinished, the server directs one of thecomputers to collate and combine theprocessed images, saving the resultingmeasurement in a file on a disk.

The available software capturesapproximately 100 images and analyzesthem immediately. This software sepa-rates the capture and analysis processes,so that analysis can be done at a differ-ent time and faster by running the algo-rithm in parallel across several proces-sors.

The PhaseCam family of interferome-ters can measure an optical system inmilliseconds, but it takes many secondsto process the data so that it is usable. Incharacterizing an adaptive optics system,

like the next generation of astronomicalobservatories, thousands of measure-ments are required, and the processingtime quickly becomes excessive.

A programming interface distributesdata processing for a PhaseCam interfer-ometer across a Windows computingcluster. A scriptable controller programcoordinates data acquisition from theinterferometer, storage on networkedhard disks, and parallel processing. Idletime of the interferometer is minimized.This architecture is implemented inPython and JavaScript, and may bealtered to fit a customer’s needs.

This work was done by Shanti R. Rao ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Formore information, contact [email protected].

This software is available for commerciallicensing. Please contact Daniel Broderick ofthe California Institute of Technology [email protected]. Refer to NPO -47384.

Parallel Wavefront Analysis for a 4DInterferometerNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

or less often than the Health Manager. Ifthe task runs more often than theHealth Manager, the monitored taskcalls a health function that incrementsthe count and verifies it did not go overmax-count. When the periodic HealthManager runs, it verifies that the countdid not go over the max-count andzeroes it. If the task runs less often thanthe Health Manager, the periodicHealth Manager will increment thecount. The monitored task zeroes thecount, and both the Health Managerand monitored task verify that the countdid not go over the max-count.

The Health Manager reports its sys-tem health status to the outside world bytoggling an output pin creating a squarewave signal. If the system hangs com-pletely prior to reporting its health sta-tus, the square wave is no longer gener-ated. This absence of the square wave,

whether intentional or because theHealth Manager is hung, indicates badhealth, analogous to a deadman switch.This is done by creating a HealthManager Reporting Task, which loopsand pends on a semaphore. A timerInterrupt Service Routine gives the sem-aphore that allows the Health Managerto run. When the Health ManagerReporting Task receives the semaphore,it reads the system health status. If thestatus is good, an output pin is toggled.If the status is bad health, it latches thesystem’s bad health variable so it cannever switch back to good health andstops the square wave.

This work was done by Roger Zoerner ofKennedy Space Center. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Information Sciences category.KSC-12809

New Tech Talk

How to Properly Select a Laser Power

or Energy SensorDick Rieley, Ophir-Spiricon

View this free 10-minutepresentation at:

www.techbriefs.com/webcasts

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro






Oscillation or instability is a situationthat must be avoided for reliable hybridDC/DC converters. A real-time electronicsmeasurement technique was developed todetect catastrophic oscillations at early

stages for hybrid DC/DC converters. It iscapable of identifying low-level oscillationand determining the degree of the oscilla-tion at a unique frequency for every indi-vidual model of the converters without dis-

turbing their normal operations. Thistechnique is specially developed for space-used hybrid DC/DC converters, but it isalso suitable for most of commercial andmilitary switching-mode power supplies.

This is a weak-electronic-signal detec-tion technique to detect hybrid DC/DCconverter oscillation presented as a specif-ic noise signal at power input pins. It isbased on principles of feedback controlloop oscillation and RF signal modula-tions, and is realized by using signal powerspectral analysis. On the power spectrum,a channel power amplitude at characteris-tic frequency (CPcf) and a channel poweramplitude at switching frequency (CPsw)are chosen as oscillation level indicators. Ifthe converter is stable, the CPcf is a verysmall pulse and the CPsw is a larger, clear,single pulse. At early stage of oscillation,the CPcf increases to a certain level and theCPsw shows a small pair of sideband pulsesaround it. If the converter oscillates, theCPcf reaches to a higher level and the CPswshows more high-level sideband pulses. Acomprehensive stability index (CSI) isadopted as a quantitative measure to accu-rately assign a degree of stability to a spe-cific DC/DC converter. The CSI is a ratioof normal and abnormal power spectraldensity, and can be calculated using speci-fied and measured CPcf and CPsw data.

The novel and unique feature of thistechnique is the use of power channelamplitudes at characteristic frequency andswitching frequency to evaluate stability andidentify oscillations at an early stage withoutinterfering with a DC/DC converter’s nor-mal operation. This technique eliminatesthe probing problem of a gain/phase mar-gin method by connecting the power inputto a spectral analyzer. Therefore, it is able toevaluate stability for all kinds of hybridDC/DC converters with or without remotesense pins, and is suitable for real-time andin-circuit testing. This frequency-domaintechnique is more sensitive to detect oscilla-tion at early stage than the time-domainmethod using an oscilloscope.

This work was done by Bright L. Wang ofGoddard Space Flight Center. For more informa-tion, download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Electronics/Computers category.GSC-15777-1


©2011 Measurement Computing Corporation, 10 Commerce Way, Norton, MA 02766 • [email protected]

mccdaq.com/OEM

Request a Free 30-Day Evaluation: (800) 234-4232

The Value Leader in Data Acquisition

Embedded DAQ Solutions◗ OEM & Embedded Experience – Measurement Computing has been

a leading provider of OEM DAQ products since 1989

◗ Lowest Cost – USB DAQ from $99

◗ Customization – Different form factors, added or reduced functionality,

private labeling, and more

◗ Software – Comprehensive support for Windows®, Linux®, MAC®

◗ Engineering Assistance & Free Tech Support – Provided for all phases of

your product’s life cycle

◗ Unmatched Warranties – Limited lifetime warranties and our unique

Harsh Environment Program

PROTOTYPE with Measurement Computing


Data Acquisition

Early Oscillation Detection Technique for Hybrid DC/DCConvertersPotential users include commercial and military power supply manufacturers, and high-reliability electronic product companies.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-727NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 33

Electronics/Computers

Schottky HeterodyneReceivers With Full WaveguideBandwidthNew receivers are designed for high-resolutionspectroscopic studies.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Compact THz receivers with broad bandwidth and low noisehave been developed for the frequency range from 100 GHz to1 THz. These receivers meet the requirements for high-resolu-tion spectroscopic studies of planetary atmospheres (includingthe Earth’s) from spacecraft, as well as airborne and balloonplatforms. The ongoing research is significant not only for thedevelopment of Schottky mixers, but also for the creation of areceiver system, including the LO chain.

Figure 1. Measured Performance of a WR-1.9 (400–600 GHz) subharmonicmixer (shown in inset).

Figure 2. Measured Dynamic Range of a VDI WR-1.5 (500–750 GHz) VNAfrequency extender module.

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

400 450 500 550 600

Mix

er N

ois

e Te

mp

. (K

,DSB

)

Frequency (GHz)

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

500 550 600 650 700 750

Dyn

amic

Ran

ge,

dB

Frequency, GHz

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011

SpaceQualifi ed POL

Regulators

Part Number

Output Voltage

(V)

Output Current

(A)

Output Power

(W)

TypEff.(%)

SBB501S 1.0 14.0 14 72

SBB501R2S 1.2 14.0 16.8 73

SBB501R5S 1.5 14.0 21 76

SBB501R8S 1.8 14.0 25 79

SBB502R5S 2.5 12.0 30 86

SBB503R3S 3.3 9.1 30 89

For more information call 1.800.981.8699or visit www.irf.com

FEATURES:• Total dose >100K Rads (Si)

• SEE hardness rated, SEL/SEB/SET with LET >82 MeV-cm2/mg

• Operates from 4.5V to 5.5V DC supply

• Fixed output voltage: 1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.8, 2.5 and 3.3V – adjustable to ±10%

• Output power up to 30W or 14A maximum

• -55 to +85°C operating case temperature without power de-rating

• Extremely low input ripple current, no external fi lter capacitors required

For Digital Payloads

THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER



The new receivers meet the goals ofhigh sensitivity, compact size, low totalpower requirement, and operationacross complete waveguide bands. Theexceptional performance makes thesereceivers ideal for the broader range ofscientific and commercial applications.These include the extension of sophisti-cated test and measurement equipmentto 1 THz and the development of low-cost imaging systems for security appli-cations and industrial process monitor-ing. As a particular example, a WR-1.9SHM (400–600 GHz) has beendeveloped (see Figure 1), with state-of-

the-art noise temperature ranging from1,000–1,800 K (DSB) over the full wave-guide band. Also, a Vector NetworkAnalyzer extender has been developed(see Figure 2) for the WR1.5 waveguideband (500–750 GHz) with 100-dBdynamic range.

This work was done by Jeffrey Hesler andThomas Crowe of Virginia Diodes, Inc. forGoddard Space Flight Center. For more informa-tion, download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Electronics/Computers category.GSC-15798-1

Work was conducted to validate the useof the rover external flexible coaxialcabling for space under the extreme envi-ronments to be encountered during theMars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission.The antennas must survive all groundoperations plus the nominal 670-Martian-day mission that includes summer andwinter seasons of the Mars environment.

Successful development of processesestablished coaxial cable hardware fatiguelimits, which were well beyond the expect-ed in-flight exposures. In keeping with tra-ditional qualification philosophy, this wasaccomplished by subjecting flight-repre-sentative coaxial cables to temperaturecycling of the same depth as expected in-flight, but for three times the expectednumber of in-flight thermal cycles.

Insertion loss and return loss testswere performed on the coaxial cables

during the thermal chamber breaks. Avector network analyzer was calibratedand operated over the operational fre-quency range 7.145 to 8.450 GHz. Eventhough some of the exposed cables func-tion only at UHF frequencies (approxi-mately 400 MHz), the testing was moresensitive, and extending the test rangedown to 400 MHz would have cost fre-quency resolution.

The Gore flexible coaxial cables,which were the subject of these tests,proved to be robust and displayed nosign of degradation due to the 3X expo-sure to the punishing Mars surface oper-ations cycles.

This work was done by RajeshuniRamesham, Wayne L. Harvey, Sam Valas,and Michael C. Tsai of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more information,contact [email protected]. NPO-47452

Coaxial Cables for Martian ExtremeTemperature Environments NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

High Q resonators are a critical com-ponent of stable, low-noise communica-tion systems, radar, and precise timingapplications such as atomic clocks. In

electronic resonators based on Si inte-grated circuits, resistive losses increase asa result of the continued reduction indevice dimensions, which decreases their

Carbon Nanofiber-Based, High-Frequency,High-Q, Miniaturized MechanicalResonatorsThese miniature resonators can be used in portableelectronics, communications systems, and other wirelesssystems. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Q values. On the other hand, due to themechanical construct of bulk acousticwave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave(SAW) resonators, such loss mechanismsare absent, enabling higher Q-values forboth BAW and SAW resonators com-pared to their electronic counterparts.The other advantages of mechanical res-onators are their inherently higher radi-ation tolerance, a factor that makes themattractive for NASA’s extreme environ-ment planetary missions, for example tothe Jovian environments where the radi-ation doses are at hostile levels. Despitethese advantages, both BAW and SAWresonators suffer from low resonant fre-quencies and they are also physicallylarge, which precludes their integrationinto miniaturized electronic systems.

Because there is a need to move theresonant frequency of oscillators to theorder of gigahertz, new technologiesand materials are being investigated thatwill make performance at those frequen-cies attainable. By moving to nanoscalestructures, in this case vertically orient-ed, cantilevered carbon nanotubes(CNTs), that have larger aspect ratios(length/thickness) and extremely highelastic moduli, it is possible to overcomethe two disadvantages of both bulkacoustic wave (BAW) and surfaceacoustic wave (SAW) resonators.

Nano-electro-mechanical systems(NEMS) that utilize high aspect rationanomaterials exhibiting high elasticmoduli (e.g., carbon-based nanomateri-als) benefit from high Qs, operate athigh frequency, and have small forceconstants that translate to high respon-sivity that results in improved sensitivity,lower power consumption, and im -proved tunablity. NEMS resonators haverecently been demonstrated using top-down, lithographically fabricated ap -proaches to form cantilever or bridge-type structures. Top-down approaches,however, rely on complicated andexpensive e-beam lithography, and oftenrequire a release mechanism. Reso -nance effects in structures synthesizedusing bottom-up approaches have alsorecently been reported based on carbonnanotubes, but such approaches haverelied on a planar two-dimensional (2D)geometry. In this innovation, verticallyaligned tubes synthesized using a bot-tom-up approach have been considered,where the vertical orientation of thetubes has the potential to increase inte-gration density even further.

The simulation of a vertically orient-ed, cantilevered carbon nanotube wasperformed using COMSOL Multi -

physics, a finite element simulationpackage. All simulations were per-formed in a 2D geometry that providedconsistent results and minimized com-putational complexity. The simulationsassumed a vertically oriented, can-tilevered nanotube of uniform density(1.5 g/cm3). An elastic modulus wasassumed to be 600 GPa, relative permit-tivity of the nanotube was assumed to be5.0, and Poisson’s ratio was assumed tobe 0.2. It should be noted that the rela-tive permittivity and Poisson’s ratio forthe nanotubes of interest are not known

accurately. However, as in previous simu-lations, the relative permittivity andPoisson’s ratios were treated as weakvariables in the simulation, and no sig-nificant changes were recognized whenthese variables were varied.

Of interest in the simulations of aCNT resonator were the structural strainand deflection of the nanotube, and theelectrostatic interactions between thenanotube and nanomanipulator probe.Structural boundary conditions werearranged such that the exposed lengthsand tip of the nanotube were allowed to

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 35

Looking For High-Resolution Infrared? We’ve got you covered.

Visit www.flir.com or call 800.464.6372 to schedule your free demo and find out why FLIR has been the most trusted name in thermal imaging for 45 years.

New SC8300 HD Infrared Camera • High-definition 1344 × 784,

14-micron cooled InSb detector

• Over one million points of accurate temperature measurement per frame gives you true Megapixel infrared imagery

• Variable frame rates from full-frame 1344 × 784 14-bit data at 120 fps, to 64 × 64 at 2,530 fps

New SC645 High-Resolution Infrared Camera• High-resolution 640 × 480,

17-micron pixel, uncooled VOx detector

• The world’s first high-res uncooled infrared camera with 16-bit data at up to 200 Hz windowed frame rate


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



move freely while all other surfaces wereheld fixed (including the nanotubebase). These conditions simulated afixed, cantilevered beam in a domainadjacent to a nanomanipulator probe ofinfinite elastic modulus. Electrostaticboundary conditions were chosen suchthat the nanotube was grounded, an ACvoltage with DC bias was applied to thesurface of the nanoprobe adjacent tothe nanotube, and all other boundariesin the system were selected such that noelectrical charge exists on, or outside of,those surfaces. The solution domain was

simulated as a vacuum. Preliminaryexperiments have suggested that electro-mechanical coupling can occur betweena scanning electron microscope (SEM)beam and a vertically oriented, can-tilever carbon nanofiber (CNF) causingthe CNF to mechanically resonate withdisplacements two or three times largerthan the tube diameters.

This work was done by Anupama B. Kauland Larry W. Epp of Caltech and Leif Baggeof the University of Texas for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more information,contact [email protected].


Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 202-2334800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-47238 , volume and number




A technique has been devised toenable creation of a dynamic set of testpoints in an embedded digital electron-ic system. As a result, electronics con-tained in an application specific circuit[e.g., gate array, field programmablegate array (FPGA)] can be internally“probed,” even when contained in aclosed housing during all phases of test.

In the present technique, the testpoints are not fixed and limited to asmall number; the number of test pointscan vastly exceed the number of buffersor pins, resulting in a compact footprint.Test points are selected by means ofspare logic resources within the ASIC(s)and/or FPGA(s). A register is pro-grammed with a command, which is usedto select the signals that are sent off-chipand out of the housing for monitoring bytest engineers and external test equip-ment.

The register can be commanded byany suitable means: for example, itcould be commanded through a com-mand port that would normally be usedin the operation of the system. In theoriginal application of the technique,commanding of the register is per-formed via a MIL-STD-1553B communi-cation subsystem.

This work was done by Richard Katz andIgor Kleyner of Goddard Space Flight Center.For more information, download the TechnicalSupport Package (free white paper) atwww.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Elec -tronics/Computers category. GSC-15490-1

Using Spare LogicResources ToCreate DynamicTest PointsGoddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, Maryland

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




®

PRECISION

www.mill-max.com/NASA585

MAXIMUM

Mill-Max receptacles. Plug into the simple,reliable connectivity solution.

To view our Design Guide, new product offerings and order free samples, visit

Large Variety of Styles

Knock-out Bottom OFP ®

Available on Tape and Reel

From a full spectrum of pin receptaclesRegardless of whether your components fly with the Blue Angels or control industrial robots, good design should never be limited by a lack of options. Mill-Max Mfg. Corp. offers hundreds of high-precision receptacle styles with an unprecedented range of options and features:

9mm) pin acceptance.

component leads.

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-731

The ultracapacitor-based uninterrupted power supply (UPS)system enhances system reliability; reduces life-of-system, main-tenance, and downtime costs; and greatly reduces environmen-tal impact when compared to conventional UPS energy storagesystems. This design provides power when required andabsorbs power when required to smooth the system load andalso has excellent low-temperature performance. The UPSused during hardware tests at Glenn is an efficient, compact,maintenance-free, rack-mount, pure sine-wave inverter unit.

The UPS provides a continuous output power up to 1,700 Wwith a surge rating of 1,870 W for up to one minute at a nom-inal output voltage of 115 VAC. The ultracapacitor energy stor-age system tested in conjunction with the UPS is rated at 5.8 F.This is a bank of ten symmetric ultracapacitor modules.

Each module is actively balanced using a linear voltage bal-ancing technique in which the cell-to-cell leakage is dependentupon the imbalance of the individual cells. The ultracapacitorsare charged by a DC power supply, which can provide up to 300VDC at 4 A. A constant-voltage, constant-current power supplywas selected for this application. The long life of ultracapaci-tors greatly enhances system reliability, which is significant incritical applications such as medical power systems and spacepower systems. The energy storage system can usually lastlonger than the application, given its 20-year life span. Thismeans that the ultracapacitors will probably never need to bereplaced and disposed of, whereas batteries require frequentreplacement and disposal. The charge-discharge efficiency ofrechargeable batteries is approximately 50 percent, and aftersome hundreds of charges and discharges, they must bereplaced. The charge-discharge efficiency of ultracapacitorsexceeds 90 percent, and can accept more than a millioncharges and discharges. Thus, there is a significant energy sav-ings through the efficiency improvement, and there is far lessdowntime for applications and labor involved in replacing anultracapacitor versus batteries. Also, the lengthy lifespan of thisdesign would greatly reduce the disposal problems posed bylead acid, nickel cadmium, lithium, and nickel metal hydridebatteries.

This innovation is recyclable by nature, which furtherreduces system costs. The disposal of ultracapacitors is simple,as they are constructed of non-hazardous components. Theyare also safer than batteries in that they can be easily dis-charged, and left indefinitely in a safe, discharged state wherebatteries cannot.

This work was done by Dennis J. Eichenberg for Glenn ResearchCenter. For more information, download the Technical SupportPackage (free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under theElectronics/Computers category.

Inquiries concerning rights for the commercial use of this inventionshould be addressed to NASA Glenn Research Center, InnovativePartnerships Office, Attn: Steven Fedor, Mail Stop 4–8, 21000Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44135. Refer to LEW-18649-1.

Ultracapacitor-BasedUninterrupted Power Supply SystemThis technology provides essential backup power,increases safety, and reduces environmentalimpact.John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




Software


Analyze and Model:• Planar

microwave

and antenna

structures

• Wire antennas

• UWB antennas

• Microwave circuits, waveguides,

and coaxial structures

• Near field and far field applications

Fast. Accurate. Easy-to-use.• Very short learning curve;

no scripting required• Highest level of support in the industry

INTRODUCING: CHRONOSFINITE DIFFERENCE

TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

PUT OUR SOFTWARE TO THE TESTCALL FOR AN EVALUATION AND START IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY TODAY. A live demo is also available.

Call +1 204.632.5636 email [email protected] or visit www.integratedsoft.com/products/chronos

LIMITED-TIME OFFERCONTACT US FOR AN EVALUATION

25optimizingdesigns


Autonomous Coordination of ScienceObservations Using Multiple Spacecraft

This software provides capabilities for autonomous cross-cueing and coordinated observations between multiple orbitaland landed assets. Previous work has been done in re-tasking asingle Earth orbiter or a Mars rover in response to that craftdetecting a science event. This work enables multiple space-craft to communicate (over a network designed for deep-spacecommunications) and autonomously coordinate the character-ization of such a science event.

This work investigates a new paradigm of space science cam-paigns where opportunistic science observations areautonomously coordinated among multiple spacecraft. In thisparadigm, opportunistic science detections can be cued by mul-tiple assets where a second asset is requested to take additionalobservations characterizing the identified surface feature orevent. To support this new paradigm, an autonomous science sys-tem for multiple spacecraft assets was integrated with theInterplanetary Network DTN (Delay Tolerant Network) to pro-vide communication between spacecraft assets.

This technology enables new mission concepts that are not fea-sible with current technology. The ability to rapidly coordinateactivities across spacecraft without requiring ground in the loopenables rapid reaction to dynamic events across platforms, suchas a survey instrument followed by a targeted high-resolutioninstrument, as well as regular simultaneous observations.

This work was done by Tara A. Estlin, Steve A. Chien, RebeccaCastano, Daniel M. Gaines, Joshua R. Doubleday, Joshua B. Schoolcraft,Amalaye Oyake, Ashton G. Vaughs, and Jordan L. Torgerson of Caltechand Charles de Granville for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].

This software is available for commercial licensing. Please contactDaniel Broderick of the California Institute of Technology [email protected]. Refer to NPO-47398.

EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing Software,Version 3

This software is an improvement on Version 2, which wasdescribed in “EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing, Version 2.2,”NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 33, No. 5 (May 2009), p. 34. It accepts theEOS MLS Level 0 science/engineering data, and the EOS Auraspacecraft ephemeris/attitude data, and produces calibratedinstrument radiances and associated engineering and diagnos-tic data. This version makes the code more robust, improvescalibration, provides more diagnostics outputs, defines theGalactic core more finely, and fixes the equator crossing.

The Level 1 processing software manages several different tasks.It qualifies each data quantity using instrument configuration andchecksum data, as well as data transmission quality flags. Statisticaltests are applied for data quality and reasonableness. The instru-ment engineering data (e.g., voltages, currents, temperatures, andencoder angles) is calibrated by the software, and the filter chan-nel space reference measurements are interpolated onto the timesof each limb measurement with the interpolates being differencedfrom the measurements. Filter channel calibration target measure-

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



www.micro-epsilon.com

BLUE LASER TRIANGULATION SENSOR

Nanometre resolution

Tiny, constant measuring spot 7μm

Any target even glass and mirrored surfaces

One-sided thickness measurement of transparent materials (e.g. glass)

Miniature sensors, 90° beam option

CONFOCAL CHROMATICSENSORS

WORLD LEADING IN NON-CONTACT MEASUREMENT

Revolutionary blue-light triangulation laser for measurement on glowing hot surfaces (3200F)

Minimizes laser spot penetration on organic materials such as human skin

Compact sensor, with integrated electronics

Ranges from 20 to1000mm

MICRO-EPSILONRaleigh, NC 27617 / USAPhone +1/919 787 [email protected]

www.micro-epsilon.com

BLUE LASER TRIANGULATION SENSOR

Nanometre resolution

Tiny, constant measuring spot 7μm

Any target even glass and mirrored surfaces

One-sided thickness measurement of transparent materials (e.g. glass)

Miniature sensors, 90° beam option

CONFOCAL CHROMATICSENSORS

WORLD LEADING IN NON-CONTACT MEASUREMENT

Revolutionary blue-light triangulation laser for measurement on glowing hot surfaces (3200F)

Minimizes laser spot penetration on organic materials such as human skin

Compact sensor, with integrated electronics

Ranges from 20 to1000mm

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-732

ments are interpolated onto the times ofeach limb measurement, and are used tocompute radiometric gain. The total signalpower is determined and analyzed by eachdigital autocorrelator spectrometer(DACS) during each data integration. Thesoftware converts each DACS data integra-tion from an autocorrelation measure-ment in the time domain into a spectralmeasurement in the frequency domain,and estimates separately the spectrally,smoothly varying and spectrally averagedcomponents of the limb port signal arisingfrom antenna emission and scatteringeffects. Limb radiances are also calibrated.

The radiance at the limb port of theradiometer module is computed, includ-ing non-atmospheric radiance contribu-tions from antenna emission and scatter-ing. It is the task of the retrieval/forwardmodel software (Level 2) to compute theatmospheric component of the limb radi-ation reaching this interface. It is necessi-tated by the greatly increased bandwidthof EOS MLS radiometers, and the double-sideband nature of most measurements.Estimates of the random component ofuncertainty (noise) on each limb radianceare also determined. Spacecraft inertialpointing and star tracker data are com-bined with spacecraft and GHz antennastructural/thermal data and scan mecha-nism encoder data to estimate the bore-sight angles for each radiometer. The soft-ware collects and generates ancillary data(e.g., tangent point location, local solartime, local solar zenith angle, flags forbright objects in the field of view) that areneeded in Level 2 processing. A log file isproduced that summarizes instrumentperformance and outputs.

This work was done by Vincent S. Perun,Robert F. Jarnot, Paul A. Wagner, Richard E.Cofield IV, and Honghanh T. Nguyen ofCaltech and Christina Vuu of Raytheon forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].

This software is available for commerciallicensing. Please contact Daniel Broderick ofthe California Institute of Technology [email protected]. Refer to NPO-47219.

Cassini Tour AtlasAutomated Generation

During the Cassini spacecraft’s cruisephase and nominal mission, the CassiniScience Planning Team developed andmaintained an online database of geomet-ric and timing information called theCassini Tour Atlas. The Tour Atlas consist-ed of several hundreds of megabytes ofEVENTS mission planning software out-puts, tables, plots, and images used by mis-

sion scientists for observation planning.Each time the nominal mission trajectorywas altered or tweaked, a new Tour Atlashad to be regenerated manually.

In the early phases of Cassini’sEquinox Mission planning, an a prioriestimate suggested that mission tourdesigners would develop approximately30 candidate tours within a short periodof time. So that Cassini scientists couldproperly analyze the science opportuni-ties in each candidate tour quickly andthoroughly so that the optimal series oforbits for science return could be select-ed, a separate Tour Atlas was requiredfor each trajectory.

The task of manually generating thenumber of trajectory analyses in theallotted time would have been impossi-ble, so the entire task was automatedusing code written in five different pro-gramming languages. This softwareautomates the generation of the CassiniTour Atlas database. It performs withone UNIX command what previouslytook a day or two of human labor.

This work was done by Kevin R. Grazier, ChrisRoumeliotis, and Robert D. Lange of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab oratory. For more infor-mation, contact [email protected].


Software DevelopmentStandard Processes (SDSP)

A JPL-created set of standard processesis to be used throughout the lifecycle ofsoftware development. These SDSPs covera range of activities, from managementand engineering activities, to assuranceand support activities. These processesmust be applied to software tasks per a pre-scribed set of procedures. JPL’s SoftwareQuality Improvement Project is currentlyworking at the behest of the JPL SoftwareProcess Owner to ensure that all applica-ble software tasks follow these procedures.

The SDSPs are captured as a set of 22standards in JPL’s software processdomain. They were developed in-houseat JPL by a number of Subject MatterExperts (SMEs) residing primarily with-in the Engineering and ScienceDirectorate, but also from the BusinessOperations Directorate and Safety andMission Success Directorate. These prac-tices include not only currently per-formed best practices, but also JPL-desired future practices in key thrustareas like software architecting and soft-ware reuse analysis. Additionally, these

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




SDSPs conform to many standards andrequirements to which JPL projects arebeholden.

This work was done by Milton L. Lavin,James J. Wang, Ronald Morillo, John T. Mayer,Barzia Jamshidian Tehrani, Kenneth J.Shimizu, Belinda M. Wilkinson, Jairus M.Hihn, Rosana B. Borgen, Kenneth N. Meyer,Kathleen A. Crean, George C. Rinker, Thomas P.Smith, Karen T. Lum, Robert A. Hanna, DanielE. Erickson, Edward B. Gamble Jr., Scott C.Morgan, Michael G. Kelsay, Brian J. Newport,Scott A. Lewicki, Jeane G. Stipanuk, Tonja M.Cooper, and Leila Meshkat of Caltech for NASA’s

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more informa-tion, download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Software category.


Autonomous PhaseRetrieval Calibration

The Palomar Adaptive Optics Systemactively corrects for changing aberra-

tions in light due to atmospheric turbu-lence. However, the underlying inter-nal static error is unknown and uncor-rected by this process. The dedicatedwavefront sensor device necessarily liesalong a different path than the sciencecamera, and, therefore, doesn’t meas-ure the true errors along the path lead-ing to the final detected imagery. Thisis a standard problem in adaptiveoptics (AO) called “non-common patherror.”

The previous method of calibratingthis error consisted of manually apply-ing different polynomial shapes (viaactuator voltages) at different magni-tudes onto the deformable mirror andnoting if the final image quality hadimproved or deteriorated, before mov-ing onto the next polynomial mode.This is a limited, time-consuming, andsubjective process, and structural andenvironmental changes over time neces-sitate a new calibration over a period ofmonths.

The Autonomous Phase RetrievalCalibration (APRC) software suite per-forms automated sensing and correc-tion iterations to calibrate the PalomarAO system to levels that were previouslyunreachable. APRC controls severalmovable components inside the AO sys-tem to collect the required data, auto-matically processes data using an adap-tive phase retrieval algorithm, and auto-matically calculates new sets of actuatorvoltage commands for the deformablemirror. APRC manages and preservesall essential data during this process.

The APRC software calculates thetrue wavefront error of the full opticalsystem, then uses the existing AO systemdeformable mirror (DM) to correct thedetected error. This provides a signifi-cant leap in performance by preciselycorrecting what were once “un-calibrat-able” errors. Furthermore, the correc-tive pattern found by this process servesas the underlying nominal shape of theDM, upon which the adaptive correc-tions for atmospheric turbulence arebased.

This work was done by Siddarayappa A.Bikkannavar, Catherine M. O’Hara, andMitchell Troy of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Software category.



Software

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com 41

Technologies of the Month

For more information on these and other new, licensable inventions, visit www.techbriefs.com/techsearch

Sponsored by

Sensitive, Robust Sensors for Ethane andMethane Detection

A company seeks a sensor that is sensitive and quantitativefor ethane from 5 ppm to 5,000 ppm, and for methane from5 ppm to 7,000 ppm. The sensor(s) should work in or nearoil. While the location of the sensor heads should primarilybe positioned in the headspace above the oil, ability to oper-ate in oil could be an added, but not required feature.Sensing must take place at room temperatures. Optical orother types of non-arcing sensors may be desirable becausethis eliminates most danger from heat, flame, and arcing inwhat can be an explosive monitoring environment.

Respond to this TechNeed at:www.techbriefs.com/tn/201106c.html

Email: [email protected]: 781-972-0600

Solution to Filter Light to High Specification

A firm seeks to identify spectral filter technologies to oper-ate within a demanding optical environment. The technologysolution will enable the suppression of out-of-band wave-lengths above 100 nm, while exhibiting minimal loss to wave-lengths of the order of 10 nm. The solution can be manufac-tured pinhole-free with an optical aperture of 180-200 mm indiameter. Structure and dimensions must be resilient torapid thermal cycling over a prolonged period, and the solu-tion would preferably be freestanding, i.e. not supported by asecondary layer. A supporting grid may be considered.

Respond to this TechNeed at:www.techbriefs.com/tn/201106d.html


TechNeeds — Requests for TechnologiesTechNeeds are anonymous requests for technologies that you and your organization may be able to fulfill.

Responding to a TechNeed is the first step to gaining an introduction with a prospective “buyer” for your technology solution.

Facing for Acoustic Batts that ContainMelt-Film Fibrillation

Anonymous

Melt-Film Fibrillation (MFF) technology produces a facingfor acoustic batts for vehicle sound insulation that offersequivalent or superior sound-deadening performance atreduced weight and cost. Equivalent weights of MFF fibersproduce substantially enhanced sound insulation over con-ventional batts incorporating melt-blown, polypropylenefibers. The submicron fibers of MFF increase sound imped-ance, with significant performance improvements realized inthe frequencies between 3000 Hz and 5000 Hz.

The extreme thinness and high aspect ratio of submicronfibers translates to higher surface area per given weight offiber than can be achieved with larger fibers like those pro-duced through traditional melt-blowing. In general, it is antic-ipated that fine fiber-containing materials may achieve equiv-alent product performance with less fiber mass, significantlyreducing material cost, weight, size, shipping costs, and soforth; or using equivalent fiber mass, performance in manyapplications could be significantly enhanced.

Get the complete report on this technology at:www.techbriefs.com/tow/201106a.html


Adaptive Membranes for ComfortableProtective Wear

DuPont

This dual-membrane technology provides apparel with ahigh degree of comfort, passing air and water vapor easily.The garment (or survival enclosure) can instantly be madeimpervious with the flip of a switch on the belt-mountedpower pack. The garment can be toggled between high com-fort and high protection modes quickly and repeatedly,depending on the environmental conditions. A voltage isrequired to maintain one of the states. These garments areideal for situations where the environment is usually normalbut can rapidly change to hazardous, such as first responders,HAZMAT teams, hospital personnel, militia, or chemicalplant workers.

The fabric consists of two membranes sometimes separat-ed by a free space. Each membrane has an array of holes, andthe holes from one membrane are not aligned with the holesof the other membrane. In the protective state, the mem-branes are tightly squeezed together so that gases cannot trav-el from the holes in one membrane to the other.

Get the complete report on this technology at:www.techbriefs.com/tow/201106b.html


ADVERTISEMENT

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro









More Manufacturing & Prototyping Tech Briefs Online at www.techbriefs.com/prototypingRead these reports:• Method of Strengthening Composite/Metal Joints

• Optimizing Bump Bonding Improves Flip Chip Devices

• Pre-Finishing SiC for Optical Applications

+ hundreds more, fully searchable!Sponsored by

Manufacturing & Prototyping

The use of high-strength, lightweightcomposites for the fixture is the novel fea-ture of this innovation. The main advan-tage is the light weight and high stiffness-to-mass ratio relative to aluminum.

Meter-class optics require support dur-ing the grinding/polishing process withlarge tools. The use of aluminum as apolishing fixture is standard, with pitchproviding a compliant layer to allow sup-port without deformation. Unfortu -nately, with meter-scale optics, a meter-scale fixture weighs over 120 lb (≈55 kg)and may distort the optics being fabricat-ed by loading the mirror and/or toolused in fabrication. The use of compos-ite structures that are lightweight yet stiffallows standard techniques to be usedwhile providing for a decrease in fixtureweight by almost 70 percent.

Mounts classically used to supportlarge mirrors during fabrication are espe-

cially heavy and difficult to handle. Themount must be especially stiff to avoiddeformation during the optical fabrica-tion process, where a very large and heavylap often can distort the mount and opticbeing fabricated. If the optic is placed ontop of the lapping tool, the weight of theoptic and the fixture can distort the lap.Fixtures to support the mirror during fab-rication are often very large plates of alu-minum, often 2 in. (≈5 cm) or more inthickness and weight upwards of 150 lb(≈68 kg). With the addition of a backingmaterial such as pitch and the mirroritself, the assembly can often weigh over250 lb (≈113 kg) for a meter-class optic.

This innovation is the use of a light-weight graphite panel with an aluminumhoneycomb core for use as the polishingfixture. These materials have been usedin the aerospace industry as structuralmembers due to their light weight and

high stiffness. The grinding polishing fix-ture consists of the graphite compositepanel, fittings, and fixtures to allow inter-face to the polishing machine, and intro-duction of pitch buttons to support theoptic under fabrication. In its operation,the grinding polishing fixture acts as areaction structure to the polishing tool.It must be stiff enough to avoid impart-ing a distorted shape to the optic underfabrication and light enough to avoidself-deflection. The fixture must alsowithstand significant tangential loadsfrom the polishing machine during oper-ations.

This work was done by John Hagopian,Carl Strojny, and Jason Budinoff of GoddardSpace Flight Center. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Manufacturing & Prototyping cat-egory. GSC-15911-1

Graphite Composite Panel Polishing FixtureComposite fixture eliminates problems that may be caused by those made from aluminum.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

In an alternative approach to increas-ing the degrees of wetting and adhesionbetween the fiber and matrix compo-nents of organic-fiber/polymer matrix

composite materials, the matrix resinsare modified. Heretofore, it has beencommon practice to modify the fibersrather than the matrices: The fibers are

modified by chemical and/or physicalsurface treatments prior to combiningthe fibers with matrix resins — anapproach that entails considerable

Modifying Matrix Materials to Increase Wetting and AdhesionImprovements are achieved at lower cost and without degradation of fibers.Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Choose from 30 different materials including ABS, Nylon, PC, Delrin, PEEK, ULTEM, aluminum and brass.

Choose from hundreds of engineering-grade resins, including HDPE, Polypropylene, ABS/PC, Acetal, PBT, Polycarbonate, Nylon 66, Polyamide and LPDE.

©2011 Proto Labs, Inc. ISO 9001:2008 Certified

Real parts. Really fast.Simply upload your 3D CAD model, and choose the best option for your needs.

Injection Molding in 1–15 days.Best for 10–10,000+ parts.Priced from $1495.

CNC Machining in 1–3 days.Best for 1–10 parts. Priced from $95.

It’s easy to work with Proto Labs. Choose CNC machining or injection molding, whichever is best for your project. Upload your CAD model and receive an automated, interactive quote in hours. Once approved, our cluster computing technology and automated manufacturing systems will deliver real parts using real materials in as little as one day. And that’s the real story.

onit optsebsood chna

moDA CD3 upyplmiS

aleRRe

or fonehe ts

de modaol

tr paal

aleRRe.st

staffaylal

.

dee nruyoonit optseb

.sor fon

mroe fsoohC

$9mor fdecriP0 p1–r 1ot fesB

inihcaC MNC

.

.

5 $9.stra0 p

3 syad–n 1ng i

41m $ord feciPr0,01–0r 1ot fseBnldion MoitcejnI

snise redrag-gnierneigen

f odsedrnuhmroe fsoohC

.594.stra+ p000

.sya5 d1–n 1g in

.ssar bandumniumal

,TEML U,EEKP,nirle, DC, PnolyN

,SB Agindulcinlsiaretam

tenerffi d03mroe fsoohC

.EPD LandedmiayolP,6n 6olyN

,etanboarcyloP,TB, PlatecA

, CPS/BA,enelyporpyloP,EPD Hgindulcin

,snise redrag

ttis ln as ilairetamal paer revilel dliw

anu mdetamotaugnitupmo cretsulc

. Osruon he itouqamotun ae aviecerou yadolp U.tcejorpvehcih, wgnidlomcaC mNe CsoohC

.sba LotorPo wy tsas e’tI

yae dns oe altlaeg rniss utra

smetsy sgnirutcafandygolohnce tg

ruo,devorppaecnevitcaretn, ideta andldeo mAD Crou

ruor yot fses br ievnoitcejnr ig oninihc

htik wroo w

e ssad a caolnwoDohptarme a svaH

.ydute s? en

ot11 Pr©20

aee rhs t’tahd tnAttis ln as ilairetam

a 00 dertifiedC1:2008 CISO 900o Labs, Inc. ot

.yrotl sa.yae dns oe alt

747.78l laC

uot yseuqerp.wwwt isiV

s twoht sahtt dsewer nuO

r Puot YeG

otorp.wwww.t siivr o0863.97

e Tdor cetn! Eimagotore Perr fun ayaod tstrapom/c.bsolatorpsinn fis olairetaf mt oceffe ehs tycodielal koos a cd iin agiset d

imagotorr P

mco.sbaloto

.C11Be Tdn

. sehse lcy


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro











expense and usually results in degrada-tion (typically, weakening) of fibers.

The alternative approach of modify-ing the matrix resins does not entaildegradation of fibers, and affordsopportunities for improving themechanical properties of the fiber com-posites. The alternative approach ismore cost-effective, not only because iteliminates expensive fiber-surface treat-ments but also because it does not entailchanges in procedures for manufactur-ing conventional composite-materialstructures.

The alternative approach is bestdescribed by citing an example of itsapplication to a composite of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) fibers in an epoxy matrix. Theepoxy matrix was modified to a chemi-cally reactive, polarized epoxy nano-matrix to increase the degrees of wettingand adhesion between the fibers and thematrix. The modification was effected byincorporating a small proportion (0.3weight percent) of reactive graphiticnanofibers produced from functional-ized nanofibers into the epoxy matrix

resin prior to combining the resin withthe UHMWPE fibers. The resultingincrease in fiber/matrix adhesion mani-fested itself in several test results,notably including an increase of 25 per-cent in the maximum fiber pullout forceand an increase of 60–65 percent infiber pullout energy. In addition, it wasconjectured that the functionalizednanofibers became involved in the crosslinking reaction of the epoxy resin, withresultant enhancement of the mechani-cal properties and lower viscosity of thematrix.

This work was done by Katie Zhong ofNorth Dakota State University for MarshallSpace Flight Center. For further information,contact Sammy Nabors, MSFCCommercialization Assistance Lead, [email protected]. Refer to MFS-32665-1

Manufacturing & Prototyping

This work proposes to establish thefeasibility of fabricating isolated ridgewaveguides in 5% MgO:LN. Ridge wave-guides in MgO:LN will significantlyimprove power handling and conversionefficiency, increase photonic compo-nent integration, and be well suited tospace-based applications. The key inno-vation in this effort is to combine recent-ly available large, high-photorefractive-damage-threshold, z-cut 5% MgO:LNwith novel ridge fabrication techniquesto achieve high-optical power, low-cost,high-volume manufacturing of frequen-cy conversion structures. The proposedridge waveguide structure should main-tain the characteristics of the periodical-ly poled bulk substrate, allowing for theefficient frequency conversion typical ofwaveguides and the high optical damagethreshold and long lifetimes typical ofthe 5% doped bulk substrate. The lowcost and large area of 5% MgO:LNwafers, and the improved performanceof the proposed ridge waveguide struc-ture, will enhance existing measurementcapabilities as well as reduce theresources required to achieve high-per-formance specifications.

Ridge WaveguideStructures inMagnesium-DopedLithium NiobateGoddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, Maryland

A World Apart In a World of Parts!

Precision Chemical EtchingOur process of photochemical etching

offers speed, fl exibility andprecision unmatched by traditional

manufacturing methods.

• Part to print in 1 day... yes, we’re that fast!

• Our technical staff will drive your project, even without a print.

• Unlimited fl exibility and complexity!

• We can form, plate, assemble andpackage your parts...

Just tell us what you need!

You’ll see the difference as soon as you talk to us. Contact our sales staff or request

your free sample kit and design guide at www.fotofab.com/guide

773.463.6211 3758 W. Belmont Avenue FAX.463.3387 Chicago, IL [email protected] USA

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-735

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




If all else fails stop using all else

and start using

EAGLE STAINLESS Tube & Fabrication Inc.

10 Discovery Way, Franklin Massachusetts

[email protected]

Tel. 800-528-8650 • Fax. 508-520-1954

ISO 9001:2000 AS 9100 Rev. B

www.eagletube.com

• Tubing • Bar Stock • Custom Sizes & Shapes• Custom Fabrication • Precision Cut-to-length• Laser Welding & Cutting • Swiss Screw Machining• CNC and Much More!


The purpose of the ridge waveguides in MgO:LN is to pro-vide platform technology that will improve optical power han-dling and conversion efficiency compared to existing wave-guide technology. The proposed ridge waveguide is producedusing standard microfabrication techniques. The approach isenabled by recent advances in inductively coupled plasmaetchers and chemical mechanical planarization techniques. Inconjunction with wafer bonding, this fabrication methodologycan be used to create arbitrarily shaped waveguides allowingcomplex optical circuits to be engineered in nonlinear opticalmaterials such as magnesium doped lithium niobate.Researchers here have identified NLO (nonlinear optical)ridge waveguide structures as having suitable value to be theleading frequency conversion structures. Its value is based onhaving the low-cost fabrication necessary to satisfy the challeng-ing pricing requirements as well as achieve the power handlingand other specifications in a suitably compact package.

This work was done by Phillip Himmer of Montana StateUniversity and Philip Battle, William Suckow, and Greg Switzer ofAdvR Inc. for Goddard Space Flight Center. For more information,download the Technical Support Package (free white paper) atwww.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Manufacturing & Prototypingcategory. GSC-16031-1

Oxygen system components fabricated by Laser EngineeredNet Shaping™ (LENS™) could result in improved safety andperformance. LENS™ is a near-net shape manufacturingprocess fusing powdered materials injected into a laser beam.Parts can be fabricated with a variety of elemental metals,alloys, and nonmetallic materials without the use of a mold.The LENS™ process allows the injected materials to be variedthroughout a single workpiece. Hence, surfaces exposed tooxygen could be constructed of an oxygen-compatible materi-al while the remainder of the part could be one chosen forstrength or reduced weight. Unlike conventional coatingapplications, a compositional gradient would exist between thetwo materials, so no abrupt material boundary exists. Withoutan interface between dissimilar materials, there is less tenden-cy for chipping or cracking associated with thermal-expansionmismatches.

This work was done by Bradley S. Forsyth of Honeywell TechnologySolutions, Inc., for Johnson Space Center. For further information, con-tact the JSC Innovation Partnerships Office at (281) 483-3809. MSC-23166-1

Material Gradients in OxygenSystem Components ImproveSafetyLyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

FREE SUBSCRIPTIONMedical Design Briefs is now a stand-alone magazine. Keep pace with the latest technology innovations and applications in medical product design by subscribing today:

www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/mdb-subscribe

www.medicaldesignbriefs.com

April 2011

www.medicaldesignbriefs.com

May 2011

From the Publishers of

Challenges in Design Development: Why Design Controls Make SenseWhat’s So Hard About Medical Device

Software Compliance?Envisioning the Future of Robots in Surgery,Drug Delivery, and BeyondMD&M East 2011 Product Preview

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Green Design


Sponsored by

Your Source for Green Innovations Onlinewww.greendesignbriefs.comNews, tech briefs, white papers, videos — updated dailyRead these articles:• Power Factor Correction ICs• Testing Smart Energy-Management Systems• Researchers Counteract Biofuel Toxicity• Cool and Green: Vehicle Thermal Management• Photoelectrocatalytic Self-Cleaning Anticontamination Coatings

A design of a highly efficient and light-weight space magnetic cooler has beendeveloped that can continuously provideremote/distributed cooling at tempera-tures in the range of 2 K with a heat sink atabout 15 K. The innovative design uses acryogenic circulator that enables the cool-er to operate at a high cycle frequency toachieve a large cooling capacity. The abili-ty to provide remote/distributed coolingnot only allows flexible integration with apayload and spacecraft, but also reducesthe mass of the magnetic shields needed.

The active magnetic regenerativerefrigerator (AMRR) system is shown inthe figure. This design mainly consists oftwo identical magnetic regenerators sur-rounded by their superconducting mag-nets and a reversible circulator. Eachregenerator also has a heat exchanger atits warm end to reject the magnetizationheat to the heat sink, and the two regen-erators share a cold-end heat exchangerto absorb heat from a cooling target.

The circulator controls the flow direc-tion, which cycles in concert with themagnetic fields, to facilitate heat trans-fer. Helium enters the hot end of thedemagnetized column, is cooled by therefrigerant, and passes into the cold-endheat exchanger to absorb heat. The heli-um then enters the cold end of the mag-netized column, absorbing heat fromthe refrigerant, and enters the hot-endheat exchanger to reject the magnetiza-

Lightweight Magnetic Cooler With a Reversible CirculatorThis lightweight design features relatively high efficiency.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

System Schematic of a Magnetic Cooler with a reversible circulator. (Note: HX is heat exchanger)

30K

ReversibleCirculator

HotHX

HotHX

15KMagnet

Mic

rom

ach

ined

Act

ive

Mag

net

ic R

egen

erat

or

Detector

Cold HX

~2K

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





From One Engineer To Another®

Find out:indium.us/C500

scan code with mobile device

answers

blogs

tech papers

one-on-one

support

live chat

ASIA CHINA EUROPE USA

©2011 Indium Corporation

“ Where does the name ‘indium’ come from and what makes it so versatile?”

Paul SochaPrincipal Engineer/

Americas Technical Manager

[email protected]

indium.com


tion heat. The efficient heat transfer inthe AMRR allows the system to operateat a relatively short cycle period toachieve a large cooling power.

The key mechanical components inthe magnetic cooler are the reversible cir-culator and the magnetic regenerators.The circulator uses non-contacting, self-acting gas bearings and clearance seals toachieve long life and vibration-free oper-ation. There are no valves or mechanicalwear in this circulator, so the reliability ispredicted to be very high. The magneticregenerator employs a structured bedconfiguration. The core consists of astack of thin GGG disks alternating withthin polymer insulating films. The struc-tured bed reduces flow resistance in theregenerator and therefore the pumpingwork by the cryogenic circulator.

This magnetic cooler will enable cryo-genic detectors for sensing infrared, x-

ray, gamma-ray, and submillimeter radia-tion in future science satellites, as well asthe detector systems in the Constellation-X (Con-X) and the Single Aperture Far-Infrared observatory (SAFIR). Scientificapplications for this innovation includecooling for x-ray microcalorimeter spec-trometers used for microanalysis, cryo-genic particle detectors, and supercon-ducting tunnel junction detectors forbiomolecule mass spectrometry. Thecooler can be scaled to provide very largecooling capacities at very low tempera-tures, ideal for liquid helium and liquidhydrogen productions.

This work was done by Weibo Chen andJohn McCormick of Creare, Inc. for GoddardSpace Flight Center. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Green Design category. GSC-15410-1

The Invasive Species ForecastingSystem (ISFS) provides computationalsupport for the generic work processesfound in many regional-scale ecosystemmodeling applications. Decision supporttools built using ISFS allow a user to loadpoint occurrence field sample data for aplant species of interest and quickly gen-erate habitat suitability maps for geo-graphic regions of management concern,such as a national park, monument, for-est, or refuge. This type of decision prod-uct helps resource managers plan inva-sive species protection, monitoring, andcontrol strategies for the lands they man-age. Until now, scientists and resourcemanagers have lacked the data-assemblyand computing capabilities to producethese maps quickly and cost efficiently.

ISFS focuses on regional-scale habitatsuitability modeling for invasive terrestrialplants. ISFS’s component architectureemphasizes simplicity and adaptability. Itscore services can be easily adapted to pro-duce model-based decision support toolstailored to particular parks, monuments,forests, refuges, and related managementunits. ISFS can be used to build standalonerun-time tools that require no connectionto the Internet, as well as fully Internet-based decision support applications.

ISFS provides the core data structures,operating system interfaces, networkinterfaces, and inter-component con-straints comprising the canonical work-flow for habitat suitability modeling.The predictors, analysis methods, andgeographic extents involved in any par-ticular model run are elements of theuser space and arbitrarily configurableby the user. ISFS provides small, light-weight, readily hardened core compo-nents of general utility. These compo-nents can be adapted to unanticipateduses, are tailorable, and require at mosta loosely coupled, non-proprietary con-nection to the Web. Users can invokecapabilities from a command line; pro-grammers can integrate ISFS’s core com-ponents into more complex systems andservices. Taken together, these featuresenable a degree of decentralization anddistributed ownership that have helpedother types of scientific informationservices succeed in recent years.

This work was done by John Schnase ofGoddard Space Flight Center, Neal Most andRoger Gill of INNOVIM, and Peter Ma ofSigma Space Corporation. For further infor-mation, contact the Goddard InnovativePartnerships Office at (301) 286-5810. GSC-15714-1/61–7-1.

The Invasive Species Forecasting System Applications built using the Invasive Species ForecastingSystem help natural resource managers model habitatsuitability for non-native, invasive plants. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-73348 NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011

Mechanics/Machinery

This novel core break-off and retentionmechanism consists of a scoring dawgcontrolled by a set of two tubes (a drilltube and an inner tube). The drill tubeand the inner tube have longitudinalconcentric holes. The solution can beimplemented in an eccentric tube con-figuration as well where the tubes haveeccentric longitudinal holes. The innertube presents at the bottom two controlsurfaces for controlling the orientationof the scoring dawg. The drill tube pre -sents a sunk-in profile on the inside ofthe wall for housing the scoring dawg.The inner tube rotation relative to thedrill tube actively controls the orienta-tion of the scoring dawg and hence its

Scoring Dawg CoreBreakoff andRetentionMechanism NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Pasadena, California

The Mars Sample Return mission hasthe goal to drill, break off, and retainrock core samples. After some resultsgained from rock core mechanics test-ing, the realization that scoring teethwould cleanly break off the core afteronly a few millimeters of penetration,and noting that rocks are weak in ten-sion, the idea was developed to use sym-metric wedging teeth in compression toweaken and then break the core at thecontact plane. This concept was devel-oped as a response to the break-off andretention requirements.

The wedges wrap around the esti-mated average diameter of the core to

get as many contact locations as possi-ble, and are then pushed inward, radi-ally, through the core towards oneanother. This starts a crack and beginsto apply opposing forces inside thecore to propagate the crack across theplane of contact.

The advantage is in the simplicity.Only two teeth are needed to break fivevarieties of Mars-like rock cores with lim-ited penetration and reasonable forces.Its major advantage is that it does notrequire any length of rock to beattached to the parent in order to breakthe core at the desired location. Testdata shows that some rocks break off on

their own into segments or break offinto discs. This idea would grab andretain a disc, push some discs upwardand others out, or grab a segment, breakit at the contact plane, and retain theportion inside of the device. It also doesthis with few moving parts in a simple,space-efficient design.

This discovery could be implementedinto a coring drill bit to precisely breakoff and retain any size rock core.

This work was done by Megan Richardsonand Justin Lin of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Mechanics/Machinery category.NPO-47444

Method for Cleanly and Precisely Breaking Off a Rock CoreUsing a Radial Compressive Force This technique can be used by civil engineers in rock, ground, and concrete coring and sampling. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





1-800-282-8823

[email protected]

Call for free catalog or trial.

NEW

Small size, big pump performance

The leader in peristaltic pumps

introduces the 114D pump. This

new sprung track pump design

delivers the performance, reliability

and style not previously available

in a pump of this size.

The 114D joins thousands of

off-the-shelf and custom peristaltic

pump solutions for:

MD&M East

booth #928


penetration and retrieval from the core.The scoring dawg presents a shaft, twoaxially spaced arms, and a tooth. The twoarms slide on the control surfaces of theinner tube. The tooth, when rotated, canpenetrate or be extracted from the core.

During drilling, the two tubes movetogether maintaining the scoring dawgcompletely outside the core. After thedesired drilling depth has been reachedthe inner tube is rotated relative to thedrill tube such that the tooth of the scor-ing dawg moves toward the central axis.By rotating the drill tube, the scoringdawg can score the core and so reduce itscross sectional area. The scoring dawgcan also act as a stress concentrator forbreaking the core in torsion or tension.After breaking the core, the scoring dawgcan act as a core retention mechanism.

For scoring, it requires the core to beattached to the rock. If the core is bro-

ken, the dawg can be used as a retentionmechanism. The scoring dawg requiresa hard-tip insert like tungsten carbidefor scoring hard rocks. The relative rota-tion of the two tubes can be controlledmanually or by an additional actuator. Inthe implemented design solution the bitrotation for scoring was in the samedirection as the drilling. The device wastested for limestone cores and basaltcores. The torque required for breakingthe 10-mm diameter limestone cores was5 to 5.8 lb-in. (0.56 to 0.66 N-m).

This work was done by Mircea Badescu,Stewart Sherrit, Yoseph Bar-Cohen, Xiaoqi Bao,and Paul G. Backes of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Mechanics/Machinery category.NPO-47355

Sampling cores requires the con-trolled breakoff of the core at a knownlocation with respect to the drill end. Anadditional problem is designing a mech-anism that can be implemented at asmall scale, yet is robust and versatileenough to be used for a variety of coresamples.

The new design consists of a set of tubes(a drill tube, an outer tube, and an innertube) and means of sliding the inner andouter tubes axially relative to each other.

Additionally, a sample tube can be housedinside the inner tube for storing the sam-ple. The inner tube fits inside the outertube, which fits inside the drill tube. Theinner and outer tubes can move axially rel-ative to each other. The inner tube pre -sents two lamellae with two opposing grab-bing teeth and one pushing tooth. Thepushing tooth is offset axially from thegrabbing teeth. The teeth can move radial-ly and their motion is controlled by theouter tube. The outer tube presents two

Praying Mantis Bending Core Breakoff andRetention Mechanism This mechanism has application in sampling cores foranalytical tests of geological materials. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

The Praying Mantis Core Breakoff Mechanism design assembly (left), and (right) the outer (green) andinner tubes (blue).

Nut

Pin

Rock Core Drill TubeOuter Tube

Inner Tube

SupportPush Grab

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





��

�� !��"��#��$�"$�� !��$

� ��#��"��#�� !��"��$��$

��%��&��'��(�)��(�)�� !��

�� !"��#�� $��

��%�� & �� #�� $��

��$��$ �� '��(�!��#� �! �!��)��#�� (� ��(��$�� *+� ��

�� !��"�#��

$ !�#%�� &��'��(��

��'��)��*��+��

� &��'�� ,'��#��-��$,�#-%�./0��!�1�2/3��

� &��4��*��5��6��&��&��7��8��'��'��

,�-��%��$$��!��!�(��$ ��$� ��. �� *��$$��!� ��& �� &��/012��

3��4��& �� $$�� 2��5�� ''��!��4��67(� ��


lamellae with radial extrusions to controlthe inner tube lamellae motion. In break-ing the core, the mechanism creates twosupport points (the grabbing teeth and thebit tip) and one push point. The core isbroken in bending. The grabbing teethcan also act as a core retention mechanism.

The praying mantis that is disclosedherein is an active core breaking/reten-tion mechanism that requires only oneadditional actuator other than thedrilling actuator. It can break cores that

are attached to the borehole bottom aswell as broken cores, and it also acts asa core retention device. The cores arebroken at the bottom of the sampletube with a clean cut. The inventionuses a core bending principle and doesnot induce additional axial load on thedrill/robotic arm.

This invention is potentially applica-ble to sample return and in situ missionsto planets such as Mars and Venus,moons such as Titan and Europa, and

comets. It is also applicable to terrestrialapplications like forensic sampling andgeological sampling in the field.

This work was done by Mircea Badescu,Stewart Sherrit, Yoseph Bar-Cohen, XiaoqiBao, and Randel A. Lindemann of Caltechfor NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Formore information, download the TechnicalSupport Package (free white paper) atwww.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Mechanics/Machinery category. NPO-47356

Sampling cores requires the con-trolled breakoff of the core at a knownlocation with respect to the drill end. Anadditional problem is designing a mech-anism that can be implemented at asmall scale that is robust and versatileenough to be used for a variety of coresamples. This design consists of a set oftubes (a drill tube and an inner tube)and a rolling element (rolling tooth). An

additional tube can be used as a sampletube. The drill tube and the inner tubehave longitudinal holes with the axes off-set from the axis of each tube. The twoeccentricities are equal. The inner tubefits inside the drill tube, and the sampletube fits inside the inner tube.

While drilling, the two tubes are posi-tioned relative to each other such thatthe sample tube is aligned with the drill

tube axis and core. The drill tubeincludes teeth and flutes for cuttingsremoval. The inner tube includes, at thebase, the rolling element implementedas a wheel on a shaft in an eccentric slot.An additional slot in the inner tube anda pin in the drill tube limit the relativemotion of the two tubes. While drilling,the drill assembly rotates relative to thecore and forces the rolling tooth to stay

Rolling-Tooth Core Breakoff and Retention Mechanism The mechanism has applications in analytical tests of geological materials. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Mechanics/Machinery

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




hidden in the slot along the inner tubewall. When the drilling depth has beenreached, the drill bit assembly is rotatedin the opposite direction, and the rollingtooth is engaged and penetrates into thecore. Depending on the strength of thecreated core, the rolling tooth can score,lock the inner tube relative to the core,start the eccentric motion of the innertube, and break the core. The tooth andthe relative position of the two tubes canact as a core catcher or core-retentionmechanism as well. The design was madeto fit the core and hole parameters pro-duced by an existing bit; the parts werefabricated and a series of demonstrationtests were performed.

This invention is potentially applica-ble to sample return and in situ missionsto planets such as Mars and Venus, tomoons such as Titan and Europa, and tocomets. It is also applicable to terrestrialapplications like forensic sampling andgeological sampling in the field.

This work was done by Mircea Badescu,Donald B. Bickler, Stewart Sherrit, YosephBar-Cohen, Xiaoqi Bao, and Nicolas H.Hudson of Caltech for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory. For more information, down-load the Technical Support Package (freewhite paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Mechanics/Machinery category.NPO-47354

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-739

The Rolling-Tooth Design of the core breakoff and retention mechanism (left), and the assembledparts (right).

A novel, passive system has been devel-oped for isolating an exercise treadmilldevice from a spacecraft in a zero-G envi-ronment. The Treadmill 2 VibrationIsolation and Stabilization System (T2-VIS)mechanically isolates the exercise treadmillfrom the spacecraft/space station, therebyeliminating the detrimental effect thathigh impact loads generated during walk-ing/running would have on the spacecraftstructure and sensitive microgravity scienceexperiments. This design uses a second-stage spring, in series with the first stage, toachieve an order of magnitude higherexercise-frequency isolation than conven-

tional systems have done, while maintain-ing desirable low-frequency stability per-formance. This novel isolator design, inconjunction with appropriately configuredtreadmill platform inertia properties, hasbeen shown (by on-orbit zero-G testingonboard the International Space Station)to deliver exceedingly high levels of isola-tion/stability performance.

This work was done by Ian Fialho, CraigTyer, Bryan Murphy, Paul Cotter, andSreekumar Thampi of The Boeing Company forJohnson Space Center. For further informationcontact the JSC Innovation PartnershipsOffice at (281) 483-3809. MSC-24847-1

Vibration Isolation and Stabilization Systemfor Spacecraft Exercise Treadmill DevicesLyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro






Bio-Medical

Microgravity-Enhanced Stem Cell SelectionThis method provides rapid selection and proliferation of stem cells using a hydrofocusingbioreactor.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Stem cells, both embryonic andadult, promise to revolutionize thepractice of medicine in the future. Inorder to realize this potential, a num-ber of hurdles must be overcome. Mostimportantly, the signaling mechanismsnecessary to control the differentia-tion of stem cells into tissues of inter-est remain to be elucidated, and muchof the present research on stem cells isfocused on this goal. Nevertheless, itwill also be essential to achieve large-scale expansion and, in many cases,assemble cells in 3D as transplantabletissues. To this end, microgravity ana-log bioreactors can play a significantrole.

Microgravity bioreactors were origi-nally conceived as a tool to study the cel-lular responses to microgravity.However, the technology can addresssome of the shortcomings of conven-tional cell culture systems; namely, thedeficiency of mass transport in static cul-ture and high mechanical shear forcesin stirred systems. Unexpectedly, theconditions created in the vessel wereideal for 3D cell culture. Recently, inves-tigators have demonstrated the capabili-ty of the microgravity bioreactors toexpand hematopoietic stem cells com-pared to static culture, and facilitate thedifferentiation of umbilical cord stemcells into 3D liver aggregates.

Stem cells are capable of differentiat-ing into functional cells. However, thereare no reliable methods to induce thestem cells to form specific cells or to gainenough cells for transplantation, whichlimits their application in clinical thera-py. The aim of this study is to select thebest experimental setup to reach highproliferation levels by culturing thesecells in a microgravity-based bioreactor.In typical cell culture, the cells sedimentto the bottom surface of their containerand propagate as a one-cell-layer sheet.Prevention of such sedimentationaffords the freedom for self-assemblyand the propagation of 3D tissue arrays.

Suspension of cells is easily achievableusing stirred technologies. Unfortun ately,in conventional bioreactors, stirringinvokes deleterious forces that disrupt cellaggregation and results in cell death. First-generation rotating bioreactors providedrotation on the horizontal axis, whichresulted in the suspension of cells withoutstirring, thus providing a suitable environ-ment to propagate cells without sedimen-tation to a surface. The rotating-wall biore-actors did not provide a way to remove airbubbles that were causing shear and dis-rupting 3D cultures. Johnson SpaceCenter successfully engineered the hydro-focusing bioreactor (HFB) that resolvedthe problem of removing the air bubblesfrom the fluid medium of NASA’s rotating-wall space bioreactors.

The HFB uses the principle of hydro-dynamic focusing that simultaneouslyproduces a low-shear fluid culture envi-ronment and a variable hydrofocusingforce that can control the movement,location, and removal of suspendedcells, tissues, and air bubbles from thebioreactor. The HFB is a rotating, dome-shaped cell culture vessel with a central-ly located sampling port and an internalviscous spinner. The vessel and spinnercan rotate at different speeds either inthe same or opposite directions.Rotation of the vessel and viscous inter-action at the spinner generate a hydrofo-

Visionaries of Polymer ScienceAS9100 | ISO 9001:2008 | ISO 13485

PLEASE CALL 800.526.3842 FOR A LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE

3737 Industrial Boulevard | Orangeburg, SC 29118 | www.zeusinc.com

Zeus has developed an arsenal of PEEK products designed specifi-cally for use in the petroleum, automotive, aerospace, and electrical industries.

Our vast experience with PEEK has resulted in the development of advanced processes that give design engineers more options in sizes, tolerances, and shrink ratios. Trust our PEEK Insulated Wire, PEEKshrink®, and PEEK Drawn Fiber as the materials of choice for your next critical project.

PEEK Insulated Wire

(260ºC) 500ºFPEEKshrink®

3570 Volts/MilPEEK Drawn Fiber

up to 4 GPD Tenacity

Advancements in PEEK Extrusions with Unlimited Possibilities

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




www.vuemetrix.com408-734-9974

Never again spend frustrating hours tuning a P-I-D temperature controller.

The VueMetrix tuning "wizard" will solve your temperature control problems with a few clicks.

Integrated with the VueMetrix TEC controller, the wizard will analyze your system and effortlessly produce the correct solution.

Advancing Temperature Control

The Vue-TEC Developer's Kit contains everything you need to get started.

Windows software, DC power supply and mating connectors

Volume pricing and packaging option available

HelpProcedure

Time (s)

Tem

pera

ture

(C)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

25

30

35

40

/ Expected servo response

Analysis completeOffset gain 36.79 s

Slope gain 4.47 s

Servo performance

Calculating optimum servo constants


Increasingly, millimeter waves are beingemployed for telecomm, radar, and imag-ing applications. To date in the U.S, howev-er, very few investigations on the impact ofthis radiation on biological systems at thecellular level have been undertaken. In thebeginning, to examine the impact of mil-limeter waves on cellular processes,researchers discovered that cell membranedepolarization may be triggered by low lev-els of integrated power at these high fre-quencies. Such a situation could be used toadvantage in the direct stimulation of neu-ronal cells for applications in neuropros-thetics and diagnosing or treating neuro-logical disorders.

An experimental system was set up todirectly monitor cell response on exposureto continuous-wave, fixed-frequency, mil-limeter-wave radiation at low and modestpower levels (0.1 to 100 safe exposure stan-dards) between 50 and 100 GHz. Twoimmortalized cell lines derived from lungand neuronal tissue were transfected withgreen fluorescent protein (GFP) that locateson the inside of the cell membrane lipid bi-layer. Oxonol dye was added to the cell medi-um. When membrane depolarizationoccurs, the oxonal bound to the outer wall ofthe lipid bi-layer can penetrate close to theinner wall where the GFP resides. Under flu-orescent excitation (488 nm), the normallygreen GFP (520 nm) optical signal quench-es and gives rise to a red output when theoxonol comes close enough to the GFP toexcite a fluorescence resonance energytransfer (FRET) with an output at 620 nm.

The presence of a strong FRET signa-ture upon exposures of 30 seconds to 2minutes at 5–10 mW/cm2 RF power at 50GHz, followed by a return to the normal520-nm GFP signal after a few minutesindicating repolarization of the mem-brane, indicates that low levels of RF ener-gy may be able to trigger non-destructivemembrane depolarization without direct

cell contact. Such a mechanism could beused to stimulate neuronal cells in the cor-tex without the need for invasive elec-trodes as millimeter waves penetrate skinand bone on the order of 1–5 mm indepth. Although 50 GHz could not readilypenetrate from the outer skull to the cen-ter of the cortex, implants on the outerskull or even on the scalp could reach theouter layer of the cerebral cortex wheresubstantial benefit could be realized fromsuch non-contact type excitation.

The stimulation system described herefor cerebral cortex, brainstem, spinal cord,or peripheral nerves includes animplantable housing, a control unit car-ried by the implantable housing, a mil-limeter-wave delivery device (including atleast one emission site), and at least onemillimeter-wave source operatively cou-pled to the control unit, and coupled to atleast one millimeter-wave emission site.Optional components for monitoring ofneuronal function can be included, suchas an electroencephalographic system, anelectromyographic system, a system foroptical or infrared imaging of intrinsicneuronal signals, and/or magnetic reso-nance imaging/spectroscopy systems.

This work was done by Peter H. Siegel ofCaltech and Victor Pikov of HMRI forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].


Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 202-2334800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-47198, volume and number


Diagnosis and Treatment of NeurologicalDisorders by Millimeter-WaveStimulationThese techniques enable new treatments for neurologicaldisorders and dysfunction.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

cusing force. Adjusting the differentialrotation rate between vessel and spinnercontrols the magnitude of the force.

This work was done by Pier Paolo Claudioand Jagan Valluri of Goddard Space Flight

Center. For more information, download theTechnical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under theBio-Medical category. GSC-15807-1

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro






Physical Sciences

Multi-point, multi-axis measure-ment of position can be valuable in avariety of applications that requirehigh-speed data acquisition and ahigh degree of measurement accura-cy. Examples include ballistics testing(weapons, ammunition, and protec-tive gear) and automotive crash test-ing, for which this new technologywas originally developed. The elec-tro-optical measurement system useshigh-power LEDs and high-speedsensors to generate unprecedentedvolumes of highly accurate data on2D and 3D position.

Current crash test dummies useeither a single potentiometer tomeasure chest deflection at the cen-ter of the sternum, or one potentiome-ter per rib to measure deflection at thecenter of each rib. To improve occupantsafety, automotive restraint engineers

and researchers require more informa-tion on the motion of dummy ribs undervarious crash scenarios.

The measurement system uses LEDsat each measurement point on theribs and optical angle sensorsattached to the dummy spine.Using fundamental triangulationtechniques, the 3D position of eachLED can be measured to betterthan 1-mm accuracy.

The system leverages advances inLED and optical sensor technology,along with a fast DSP processor, toachieve an overall sample rate of 10-20 kHz per LED. Each LED is turnedon for only 3 to 4 microseconds, oneLED at a time, and the sensor out-puts are recorded using fast analog-to-digital converters. In order tomake accurate measurements, theLED brightness is optimized foreach sample to ensure a near full-scale reading on each sensor.

While one LED is on, the proces-sor calculates the drive current forthe next LED in the sequence. Dueto the inverse square law (where thesensor output is inversely propor-tional to the square of the LED-to-

sensor distance), the LED brightness-control algorithm uses non-linear tech-niques.

The system’s LEDs, sensors, and con-troller/data acquisition system (DAS)have been packaged into several differ-ent types of current and advancedfrontal and side impact dummies.Measurement range can be adapted tothe application.

Researchers using the system can get abetter understanding of the interactionbetween the dummy and the airbags,seatbelts, and car interior. For example,in one series of side impact tests, thedummy ribs were being pushed signifi-cantly forward during the crash, as indi-cated by data that previously had notbeen measurable. After evaluating thedata, researchers found that a stiffenerbar in the seat structure was causing theproblem. Safety engineers have alsofound that with data, they can differenti-ate between the loading on the dummycaused by the seatbelt versus that causedby the airbag. This previously had notbeen possible.

This work was done by Boxboro SystemsLLC. For more information, visithttp://info.hotims.com/34455-121.

Measuring Multiple-Axis Position of Multiple Points at Data-Sampling Rates of 10-20 kHzMulti-axis measurement of position is important in testing of weapons and in automotive crash testing.Boxboro Systems LLC, Boxborough, Massachusetts

Measurement System for the crash test dummy.Sensors and controller/DAS are built into one enclo-sure.

LEDs mounted on ribs (above), and the measurement system’sdummy thorax (right).

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-742NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 55

This method enables sensing and quantization of analogstrain gauges. By manufacturing a piezoelectric sensor stack inparallel (physical) with a piezoelectric actuator stack, thecapacitance of the sensor stack varies in exact proportion tothe exertion applied by the actuator stack. This, in turn, variesthe output frequency of the local sensor oscillator. The output,Fout, is fed to a phase detector, which is driven by a stable refer-ence, Fref.

The output of the phase detector is a square waveform, Dout,whose duty cycle, tW, varies in exact proportion according towhether Fout is higher or lower than Fref. In this design, shouldFout be precisely equal to Fref, then the waveform has an exact50/50 duty cycle.

The waveform, Dout, is of generally very low frequency suit-able for safe transmission over long distances without corrup-tion. The active portion of the waveform, tW, gates a remotelylocated counter, which is driven by a stable oscillator (source)of such frequency as to give sufficient digitization of tW to theresolution required by the application.

The advantage to this scheme is that it negates the most-common, present method of sending either very low level sig-

Remote Sensing andQuantization of AnalogSensors This technique has applications in automotiveride and steering sensors, and in industrialvibration and process monitors. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

A passive vaporizing heat sink has been developed as a rela-tively lightweight, compact alternative to related prior heatsinks based, variously, on evaporation of sprayed liquids or onsublimation of solids. This heat sink is designed for short-termdissipation of a large amount of heat and was originally intend-ed for use in regulating the temperature of spacecraft equip-ment during launch or re-entry. It could also be useful in a ter-restrial setting in which there is a requirement for a light-weight, compact means of short-term cooling. This heat sinkincludes a hermetic package closed with a pressure-relief valveand containing an expendable and rechargeable coolant liq-uid (e.g., water) and a conductive carbon-fiber wick. The vaporof the liquid escapes when the temperature exceeds the boil-ing point corresponding to the vapor pressure determined bythe setting of the pressure-relief valve. The great advantage ofthis heat sink over a melting-paraffin or similar phase-changeheat sink of equal capacity is that by virtue of the ≈10× greaterlatent heat of vaporization, a coolant-liquid volume equal to≈1/10 of the paraffin volume can suffice.

This work was done by Timothy R. Knowles, Victor A. Ashford,Michael G. Carpenter, and Thomas M. Bier of Energy ScienceLaboratories, Inc., for Johnson Space Center. For further information,contact the Johnson Commercial Technology Office at (281) 483-3809.MSC-23414-1

Passive Vaporizing Heat SinkLyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




FARRAND CONTROLS

Inductosyn® and Electrosyn® Transducers Provide absolute or incremental position data accurateto ±0.5 arc second, or better. Resolution to 26 bits.

For Industrial, Automation,Aerospace, and Militaryapplications.

Operate under extremeconditions - vibration,temperature from 10°K to160°C, shock, highpressure, vacuum, anddust or oil films.

Linear units accurate to±40 μinches, or better,with sub-μinch resolution.

DIVISION OF RUHLE COMPANIES, INC.99 Wall Street, Valhalla, NY 10595 Tel: 914-761-2600 Fax: 914-761-0405

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.RUHLE.COM

When you needP O S I T I O NA C C U R A C Yto +0.5 arc second!

For brochure, call or fax today, or contact us at:[email protected]


www.polymicro.com

The broadest spectrum of optical fi bersand assemblies to meet your design needs

Specialty fi ber optics — perfected with advancedPolyimide and PolyClad coating and silica technology

• High –OH: UV-Vis & Rad-hard fi bers• Low –OH: Vis-NIR fi bers• Broad Spectrum: UV to NIR, low FRD• Hard Clad: 0.37 to 0.48 NA• Dual Clad for high power applications• Silica Waveguide for mid-IR: 2.9μm to >10.6μm


Physical Sciences

nals (viz. direct output from the sensors) across great distances(anything over one-half meter) or the need to transmit widelyvarying higher frequencies over significant distances therebyeliminating interference [both in terms of beat frequency gen-eration and in-situ EMI (electromagnetic interference)]caused by ineffective shielding. It also results in a significantreduction in shielding mass.

This work was done by Karl F. Strauss of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory.

In accordance with Public Law 96-517, the contractor has elected toretain title to this invention. Inquiries concerning rights for its commer-cial use should be addressed to:

Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 202-2334800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-46665, volume and number of this NASA Tech

Briefs issue, and the page number.

This shroud provides a deep-space simulating environmentfor testing scaled-down models of passively cooling systems forspaceflight optics and instruments. It is used inside a liquid-nitrogen-cooled vacuum chamber, and it is cooled by liquidhelium to 5 K. It has an inside geometry of approximately 1.6 mdiameter by 0.45 m tall. The inside surfaces of its top and side-walls have a thermal absorptivity greater than 0.96. The bottomwall has a large central opening that is easily customized toallow a specific test item to extend through it. This enables test-ing of scale models of realistic passive cooling configurationsthat feature a very large temperature drop between the deep-space-facing cooled side and the Sun/Earth-facing warm side.

This shroud has an innovative thermal closeout of the bot-tom wall, so that a test sample can have a hot (room tempera-ture) side outside of the shroud, and a cold side inside theshroud. The combination of this closeout and the very blackwalls keeps radiated heat from the sample’s warm end fromentering the shroud, reflecting off the walls and heating thesample’s cold end.

The shroud includes 12 vertical rectangular sheet-copperside panels that are oriented in a circular pattern. Using tabsbent off from their edges, these side panels are bolted to eachother and to a steel support ring on which they rest. Theremovable shroud top is a large copper sheet that rests on, andis bolted to, the support ring when the shroud is closed. Thesupport ring stands on four fiberglass tube legs, which isolateit thermally from the vacuum chamber bottom. The insides ofthe cooper top and side panels are completely covered with 25-mm-thick aluminum honeycomb panels. This honeycomb ispainted black before it is epoxied to the copper surfaces. A spi-ral-shaped copper tube, clamped at many different locations to

Helium-Cooled Black Shroudfor Subscale Cryogenic TestingA sheet metal and honeycomb design allows aspace-like thermal environment to bemaintained around a test item.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





EPOXIES • SILICONES • POLYURETHANES • CYANOACRYLATES • UV CURES

154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601Tel: 201-343-8983 • Fax: 201-343-2132

www.masterbond.com • [email protected] solve problems.

Epoxy Meets NASALow Outgassing

SpecificationsCryogenically Serviceable

Master BondEP29LPSP

• Withstandscryogenic shocks:room temperature toliquid helium temperatures in a 5 to 10 minute time period

• Excellent optical clarity• Low viscosity - easy application• High bond strength• Superior electrical insulation properties• Long working life at room temperatures• 100 to 65 mix ratio by weight• Low exotherm• Chemical resistant• Meets NASA requirements for low outgassing• Convenient packaging


electronics, inc.

SPACE IS UNLIMITED

there is no room for failures.

but

ORBITAL FILM CAPACITORS


Phase-retrieval is a general term used in optics to describethe estimation of optical imperfections or “aberrations.” Thepurpose of this innovation is to develop the application ofphase retrieval to radio telescope and antenna control in themillimeter wave band.

Earlier techniques do not approximate the incoherent sub-traction process as a coherent propagation. This approxima-tion reduces the noise in the data and allows a straightforwardapplication of conventional phase retrieval techniques forradio telescope and antenna control.

The application of iterative-transform phase retrieval toradio telescope and antenna control is made by approximatingthe incoherent subtraction process as a coherent propagation.Thus, for systems utilizing both positive and negative polarityfeeds, this approximation allows both surface and alignmenterrors to be assessed without the use of additional hardware orlaser metrology. Knowledge of the antenna surface profileallows errors to be corrected at a given surface temperatureand observing angle. In addition to imperfections of the anten-na surface figure, the misalignment of multiple antennas oper-ating in unison can reduce or degrade the signal-to-noise ratioof the received or broadcast signals. This technique also hasapplication to the alignment of antenna array configurations.

This work was done by Bruce Dean of Goddard Space Flight Center. Formore information, download the Technical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Physical Sciences category.GSC-15977-1

Phase Retrieval for RadioTelescope and AntennaControl Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

the outside of the top copper plate, serves as part of the liquidhelium cooling loop.

Another copper tube, plumbed in a series to the top plate’stube, is clamped to the sidewall tabs where they are bolted tothe support ring. Flowing liquid helium through these tubescools the entire shroud to 5 K. The entire shroud is wrappedloosely in a layer of double-aluminized Kapton. The supportring’s inner diameter is the largest possible hole throughwhich the test item can extend into the shroud.

Twelve custom-sized trapezoidal copper sheets extendinward from the support ring to within a few millimeters of thetest item. Attached to the inner edge of each of these sheets isa custom-shaped strip of Kapton, which is aluminum-coated onthe warm-facing (outer) side, and has thin Dacron nettingattached to its cold-facing side. This Kapton rests against thetest item, but the Dacron keeps it from making significant ther-mal contact. The result is a non-contact, radiatively reflectivethermal closeout with essentially no gap through which radia-tion can pass. In this way, the part of the test item outside theshroud can be heated to relatively high temperatures withoutany radiative heat leaking to the inside.

This work was done by James Tuttle, Michael Jackson, MichaelDiPirro, and John Francis for Goddard Space Flight Center. For moreinformation, download the Technical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Physical Sciences cate-gory. GSC-15968-1

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro






Traditionally microstrip or printed reflectarrays aredesigned using the “transmit mode” technique. In thismethod, the size of each printed element is chosen so as toprovide the required value of the reflection phase such that acollimated beam results along a given direction. The reflectionphase of each printed element is approximated using an infi-nite array model. The infinite array model is an excellent engi-neering approximation for a large microstrip array since thesize or orientation of elements exhibits a slow spatial variation.

In this model, the reflection phase from a given printed ele-ment is approximated by that of an infinite array of elementsof the same size and orientation when illuminated by a localplane wave. Thus the reflection phase is a function of the size(or orientation) of the element, the elevation and azimuthangles of incidence of a local plane wave, and polarization.Typically, one computes the reflection phase of the infinitearray as a function of several parameters such as size/orienta-tion, elevation and azimuth angles of incidence, and in some

cases for vertical and horizontal polarization. The designrequires the selection of the size/orientation of the printedelement to realize the required phase by interpolating or curvefitting all the computed data. This is a substantially complicat-ed problem, especially in applications requiring a computa-tionally intensive commercial code to determine the reflectionphase. In dual polarization applications requiring rectangularpatches, one needs to determine the reflection phase as a func-tion of five parameters (dimensions of the rectangular patch,elevation and azimuth angles of incidence, and polarization).This is an extremely complex problem.

The new method employs the reciprocity principle and reac-tion concept, two well-known concepts in electromagnetics toderive the receive mode analysis and design techniques. In the“receive mode design” technique, the reflection phase is com-puted for a plane wave incident on the reflectarray from thedirection of the beam peak. In antenna applications with a sin-gle collimated beam, this method is extremely simple since allprinted elements see the same angles of incidence. Thus thenumber of parameters is reduced by two when compared tothe transmit mode design. The reflection phase computationas a function of five parameters in the rectangular patch arraydiscussed previously is reduced to a computational problemwith three parameters in the receive mode. Furthermore, if thebeam peak is in the broadside direction, the receive modedesign is polarization independent and the reflection phasecomputation is a function of two parameters only. For a squarepatch array, it is a function of the size, one parameter only, thusmaking it extremely simple.

The present method is substantially less intensive computa-tionally. Since most practical antenna arrays require the designof a broadside beam or a single collimated beam, the receivemode design is expected to be substantially simpler than thetraditional transmit mode design. In addition, when a design-er needs to generate the reflection phase data using a comput-er intensive commercial software such as Ansoft HFSS, thereduction of computational effort in the receive mode willresult in a substantial saving in design turnaround time.Similarly the receive mode analysis technique has potential tosave computer time for large reflectarrays.

Microstrip reflectarrays have desirable features such as easeof design, manufacture, and deployment for application inmany space-based radar and remote sensing systems. They arebeing investigated for many JPL systems such as SWOT (SurfaceWater Ocean Topography). The receive mode design andanalysis technique is expected to find many future applicationsin NASA.

This work was done by Sembiam Rengarajan of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, [email protected]. NPO-47408

(Continued on page 75)

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-74758 NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011

Information Sciences

Receive Mode Analysis and Design of Microstrip Reflectarrays A new method developed for the design of microstrip reflectarrays is extremely efficient. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




The Role of Software in Acoustic Micro Imaging..................................................................63


New Products ..........................................................................................................................67


June 2011

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro


60 www.techbriefs.com Imaging Technology, June 2011

Machine vision combines a range oftechnologies to provide useful

outputs from the acquisition and analy-sis of images. Used primarily for inspec-tion and robot guidance, the processmust be done reliably enough for in-dustrial automation. This article pro-vides an introduction of how today’smachine vision technology guides basicrobotic functions.

Let’s go through a simple example ofwhat happens during robot guidance.Take, for example, a stationary mount edcamera, a planar work surface, and ascrewdriver that must be grasped by therobot. The screwdriver may be lying flaton that surface and mixed amongst, butnot covered by, other items. The key stepsexecuted during each cycle include: 1. Acquire a suitable image. 2. “Find” the object of interest (the over-

all screwdriver, or the piece of it thatmust be grabbed.)

3. Determine the object’s position andorientation.

4. Translate this location to the robot’sco-ordinate system.

5. Send the information to the robot. 6. Using that information, the robot can

then move to the proper position andorientation to grasp the object in aprescribed way. While the machine vision portion

(steps #1 through #5) may appearlengthy when explained, the entire se-quence is usually executed within a fewhundredths of a second.

#1 Acquire a suitable image: Severalmachine vision tools are describedbelow. Each of these software programcomponents operates on an image andrequires differentiation to “see” an ob-ject. This differentiation may be light vs.

dark, color contrast, height (in 3D imag-ing), or transitions at edges. Note: It’simportant to confirm or design a geo-metric solution so that lighting createsreliable differentiation.

The choices of imaging methods varyfundamentally. The most common aregray scale and color versions of area scanimaging, which simply means a conven-tional picture taken and processed all atonce. Less common options are linescan imaging, where the image is builtduring motion, one line at a time, and3D profiling, where the third dimensionof an image (“Z”) is coded into the valueof each pixel of the figure.

Points on a plane of interest vary intheir distance from the camera, chang-ing their apparent size; this issue is ac-centuated when the camera aim is notperpendicular to the surface. Optics mayintroduce barrel or pincushion distor-tion. Barrel distortion bulges lines out-ward in the center, like the lines or staveson a wooden barrel; pincushion does theopposite. A distortion correction tool isoften used to remove these flaws. Duringa “teaching” stage, a known accuratearray (such as a rectangular grid of dots)

is placed at the plane of interest. Thetool views the (distorted) image, and de-termines the image transformation re-quired to correct it. During the “run”phase, this transformation is executed oneach image.

#2 Find the object of interest: “Find-ing” the object requires creating a dis-tinction between the object of interestand everything else that is in the field ofview, including the background (such asa conveyor) or other objects. Here aresome common methods:• Template matching: A template-matching

tool is shown and trained on one ormore images of the item of interest,like the round clips of the assembly inFigure 1 and 2. It may learn the entireimage of the part, or certain featuressuch as the geometry of the edges.During operation, the technologysearches the field of view for a near-match to what it “learned.” There arevarious images and mathematical pro-cessing methods (such as normalizedcorrelation) to accomplish each. Thosebased on edge geometries offer advan-tages for partially occluded objects or ascale-invariance option when the cam-

Figure 1. Gray scale image. Figure 2. Enhanced image, with found templatesmarked with yellow rectangles.

Machine Vision Fundamentals:How to Make Robots ‘See’

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



Teledyne DALSA delivers the imaging technology to build the vision system you need; a fully integrated technology path from sensors to solutions. Like the Genie HC GigE camera; equipped with Teledyne DALSA’s CMOS sensor technology capable of achieving up to 300fps with color acquisition.

*DALSA is now Teledyne DALSA.

Flexible Teledyne DALSA Imaging

Get more vision. Download our white paper:

www.teledynedalsa.com/jun/n2011


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




era’s distance from the object is vari-able. When the degree of match ex-ceeds a minimum threshold, the objectis “kept.” Figure 2 shows these results,where the software tool has found twoclips that met the matched criteria andmarked them with yellow rectangles.

• Differentiation based on brightness: Thismethod includes determining abrightness “threshold” on a gray scaleimage such that everything above orbelow that value is the object of inter-est (i.e. light objects on a dark back-ground or vice versa). Most commonlythis is a value between 0 and 255 corre-sponding to the 256 levels available in8 bit coding for each pixel. The thresh-old value may be fixed, or it may adaptto varying light levels via a simple (av-erage gray level) or complex (his-togram-based) algorithm. The thresh-old is applied to the image, separatingthe object(s) of interest.

• Differentiation based on color: Color isbest addressed by transforming eachpixel of the image to “distance” fromthe trained color sample set in 3-axiscolor space. Color representationmethods usually characterize a colorby 3 coefficients. RGB (Red, Green,Blue) is common and native to mostimaging and display processes. Tripletsof coefficients require a three dimen-sional graph called a “color space.” R,G, B are each located on an axis or-thogonal to each other, for example.“Distance” between the points repre-senting two colors in this space is thethree dimensional Pythagorean dis-tance ([(R1 - R2)2 + (G1 - G2)2 + (B1 -B2)2].5) between them. The “trainedcolor” can be that of either the desiredobject or the background.

Figure 3 shows the original image be-fore a color tool is trained on theshades of red present in the screw-driver handle. Execution on the colorimage transforms it into the syntheticimage shown in Figure 4. The shade of

each pixel represents the distance in3D color space (the closeness of thematch) to the trained color. Finally, inFigure 5, the handle is uniquely objec-tified using thresholding, marking theobject green on the display.

• Differentiation based on height: This tech-nique is used on images where thethird dimension is scanned and codedinto the pixel values as previously de-scribed. This synthetic image may thenbe processed in the same manner.

All methods may retain multiple eli-gible objects, in which cases a choicewill need to be made between them onsome additional criteria, such as “firstin line.” #3 Determine the position and orien-

tation of the object: For our example,the results of this stage are the x and yco-ordinates of the object and the angleof its orientation. Sometimes this func-tion is performed as part of the previous“find” procedure. For example, a tem-plate-match tool might supply positionand orientation data on the part which ithas located. The addition of simple soft-ware tools that provide feature computa-tion or geometric analysis will generallycomplete this task.

#4 Translate the information to the co-ordinate system of the robot: The visionsystem and the robot each innately havetheir own co-ordinate system to repre-sent location, an orthogonal “x” and “y.”To communicate to the robot, one musttranslate to/from the other; this is usu-ally handled by the vision system.

Besides permanent innate differ-ences, other small errors may get intro-duced. A simple addition or subtractionof a correction factor from the x and yvalues can provide first order correctionand translation for these factors. A tooldesigned for this purpose operates intwo modes: a “learn/calibrate” mode(where the robot may be stopped with a

target on it in view of the camera) and arun mode when the correction or trans-lation is applied. X and y offsets betweenthe systems are set during a calibrationsequence, and applied to the measure-ment during running.

#5 This information is sent to therobot controller: Interfaces are visualizedas having “layers,” each of which must bematched between the two systems. Thebottom layers are the familiar generaltypes (typically Ethernet or RS232). Thetop layers are the format and sequenceprotocol for the data itself and its trans-fer. Having one side of the link (therobot) define this as a rigid proprietaryprotocol is still common. When this isthe case, the protocol should be stableand documented; then the machine vi-sion supplier often creates a customtranslator to that “language.”

#6 The robot uses this information tomove to the correct position and orien-tation to grasp the object: The vision sys-tem tells the robot (specifically, therobot controller) where to go, not howto get there. In other configurations,(especially with robot-mounted cam-eras) the vision may continue to operateduring the move to provide feedback forhigher accuracy.

Conclusion Using a simplified example applica-

tion, we can see the basic steps of howmachine vision guides robots. Most ap-plications have additional complexitiesin one or more areas. Many (such aswhen the part is moving on a conveyor,and when the camera is mounted on therobot itself) are common and addressedby additional technologies, tools andmethods which are currently available.

This article was written by Fred D. Turek,COO at FSI Technologies, Inc. (Lombard,IL). For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-151.

Figure 3. Color image. The desired object is thescrewdriver handle.

Figure 4. Transformation of color image basedon 3D color space distance.

Figure 5. Handle objectified using thresholding,marked in green.

Machine Vision Fundamentals

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




The Role of Software inAcoustic Micro Imaging

Imaging Technology, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com 63

A coustic micro imaging uses a movingtransducer that pulses ultrasound

into materials and receives the returnechoes from material interfaces. Imagesmade from the echo signals may showanomalies such as delaminations or othercracks, since gaps send back strongerechoes than well-bonded interfaces.

In manufacturing that involvesbonded layers of polymers, ceramics, ormetals, engineers often check bondquality by making images of internal in-terfaces. They may also image a singlelayer between interfaces to search forvoids or cracks within it. When destruc-tive physical analysis is planned, theacoustic image shows exactly where tosection the sample.

Imaging a Multi-layer CompositeIn an acoustic micro imaging system,

the ultrasonic transducer and otherhardware provide the reflection-mode ortransmission-mode data about the sam-ple being examined, but it is the softwarethat does the work of manipulating thatdata to solve specific problems.

In the case reported here, acousticmicro imaging was used to determinewhether a particular laminated compos-ite material could withstand the variousstresses that it would encounter in serv-ice. The material, imaged at Sonoscan’sheadquarters and applications laboratoryin Elk Grove Village, IL, was a 4.9 mmthick graphite epoxy composite having27 layers of fine fibers laid down at 0°,90°, +45° and -45°.

For this application, a small hole wasdrilled vertically through the sample,and the hole was used to mill a long nar-row channel. The acoustic micro imag-ing system could then gather data con-cerning the internal damage caused bythese two operations.

Acoustic Micro Imaging HardwareThe imaging system’s transducer

raster-scans one flat surface of thesample while pulsing ultrasound rang-ing in frequency from 5 MHz to 400MHz into the sample and receivingthe return echoes. The speed of ultra-sound through most production mate-rials is so high that the pulse-echofunction can be carried out at each ofseveral thousand x-y coordinates persecond as the transducer moves acrossthe sample.

The transducer itself contains two pri-mary elements: a piezoelectric crystalthat generates the pulses and collectsthe incoming echoes, and a sphericallens that focuses the pulse. As the trans-ducer scans the sample, it is coupled tothe top surface of the sample by water oranother fluid, since ultrasound at thesefrequencies is propagated poorly or notat all through air.

In samples that consist of layers ofsolid materials, pulsed ultrasound is re-flected by the interfaces between differ-ent materials (see Figure 1). The essen-tially flat material interfaces in thissample are the air-filled delaminationscaused by the destructive test. All gaps

(delaminations, voids, cracks) reflect vir-tually 100% of the ultrasonic pulse, un-like solid-to-solid interfaces, where aportion of the pulse crosses the gap andtravels deeper (see gray arrow in Figure1). In the acoustic images of this study’sparticular composite material (see Fig-ure 2), epoxy-graphite interfaces arerepresented by gray (reflections of mod-est amplitude), and gaps are repre-sented by white (reflections of very highamplitude).

Software Controls the Imaging Process

Figure 2 is an acoustic image known asa C-Mode image, produced by raster-scanning a transducer pulsing 30 MHzultrasound over the surface of the com-posite sample and collecting echoesfrom a depth of interest. Three featuresare immediately evident:• The cross-hatch pattern of the grap -

hite fibers is visible.• The dark diagonal line at center is the

slit milled into the composite.• The white features adjacent to the slitare delaminations between the layers ofthe composite.

This image does not encompass thefull thickness of the composite. In thissample, echoes can be reflected fromeach of the 27 layers, which would pro-duce a very complex image. For thisreason, a C-Mode image is typically “gated” on a narrow time window —only echoes arriving within that win-dow are used to make the image. Herethe gated depth is the top few layers ofthe composite.

Software Takes OverThe ultrasonic echoes in Figure 1

travel through the lens of the trans-

Figure 2. An acoustic image of graphite-epoxycomposite. The white regions are internal de-fects.

Figure 1. Solid-to-solid material interfaces typically reflect a portion of the ultrasonic pulse as a usablesignal.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



ducer and into the piezoelectric ele-ment, and the mechanical waves areconverted into RF electrical signals.These analog signals are then convertedinto digital signals; at this point softwaretakes over from hardware. Each signal isfirst analyzed to determine its polarity— positive if the interface was fromlower to higher acoustic impedance,and negative if the opposite.

From this point there are two generalfunctions that software can carry outwith the millions of incoming signals.First, it can classify and sort them to

make one or more of the many types ofacoustic images. Second, it can analyzethe results of classifying and sorting.

Software operations begin by assign-ing a gray-scale value to some attributeof the signal — often its amplitude, butfor some purposes, its frequency or lo-cation or polarity. At a single x-y coor-dinate within a single gate, not one butmany echoes are returned. Suppose, forexample, that a 100 MHz transducer isbeing used. The ultrasound in a singlepulse from this transducer will actuallycontain ultrasonic frequencies from

perhaps 70 to 120 MHz. In producinga C-Mode acoustic image, software se-lects the single echo at that x-y locationthat has the highest amplitude, andthen assigns to that echo a gray-salevalue between 1 and 256. This valuecan then, if desired, be converted into acolor by any one of numerous colormaps that assign colors to gray-scale val-ues. The other signals from this x-y co-ordinate are discarded. White areas inFigure 2, for example, have the highestamplitude and indicate gaps. Blackareas have very low amplitude, or re-turned no signal at all. Many areas, es-pecially among the fibers, are someshade of gray.

One newly developed technique devi-ates sharply from C-Mode imaging bydiscarding both amplitude and polarityof echoes. Instead software assigns gray-scale values based only on the echo ar-rival time, to measure the precise dis-tance from the transducer to the surfaceof the part at each x-y coordinate. Theresult is a contour map of the surface(see Figure 3). Magenta indicates thehighest points on the surface, whilegreen indicates the lowest points. Thecolor map in Figure 3 shows the relativealtitude of each coordinate. The areaaround the drilled hole is raised, a fea-ture that can also be seen in the cross-sections at the right and bottom.

In some samples, it is important toseek out very subtle features at the inter-face between two materials. The featureof interest might be, for example,greater or lesser degrees of bonding atvarious spots on the interface. Each x-ycoordinate at the interface will reflectultrasound at many different frequen-cies, as mentioned above. In C-Modeimaging, only the single highest-ampli-tude echo is used, and the others (thereMatrox Iris GT smart camera brings color to

your vision

Sometimes, color is all you have to identify a part or product

and confirm its quality. Matrox Iris GT smart cameras now

have the ability to let you pick out the slightest color variations,

while Matrox Design Assistant flowchart-based integrated

development environment lets you set up your color vision

application with ease.

Download our white paper!

“Color Machine Vision”:

www.matroximaging.com/colorwp

See in color

matroximaging.com 1-800-804-6243 / +1-514-822-6020 [email protected]

M AT R O X I M A G I N G

64 Imaging Technology, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-749

Figure 3. Acoustic surface flatness map of thecomposite sample. The magenta area aroundthe drilled hole is curled upward.

Acoustic Micro Imaging

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



NEED IMAGINGSOLUTIONS?

STOCK OPTICSFOR CUSTOMSOLUTIONS

more optics | more technology | more service

www.edmundoptics.com

USA: 1-856-547-3488EUROPE: 44 (0) 1904 788600

ASIA: 65 6273 6644JAPAN: 81-3-5800-4751

OVER 705IMAGING OPTICS

AVAILABLE IN VOLUME!

SCAN THE QR CODEwith your smartphone towatch the Imaging Lab

Want to become anIMAGING EXPERT?

Imaging Technology, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-750

may be 20 or 30) are ignored. One typeof software regime accepts all of theechoes of all frequencies from an x-y lo-cation and produces a series of planarimages, one for each frequency. Theprocess is known as frequency-domainimaging, to distinguish it from time-do-main (C-Mode) imaging, where signalsare classified by their arrival time. If therange of frequencies is from 80 to 115MHz, software may produce twenty orso acoustic images, each providing a dif-ferent view of the same interface at asingle frequency. A feature that is absentor ambiguous at 92 MHz may be crispand sharp at 87 MHz (see Figure 4).

For some samples the most useful typeof acoustic image is a non-destructivecross section. Visually, this acoustic imageis the equivalent of viewing a physicalcross section, but is done without destroy-ing the part. Often it is preceded by a pla-nar C-Mode acoustic image. The planarimages display the whole area of the part,which might be a ceramic substrate con-taining internal traces. The planar imagecan locate in x and y specific anomaliesor defects that can then be non-destruc-tively cross sectioned.

Scanning proceeds along a single linein the planar image that marks the sec-tioning plane that intersects the anom-aly or defect. The transducer scans backand forth along this line, going deeperat each pass. The return echoes are col-lected by the transducer for processing.The key parameters are x-y location,elapsed time, amplitude, and polarity.

Software assigns gray-scale values andarranges the resulting pixels into a dis-play showing the cross-section.

The non-destructive cross section andthe planar image of the composite areshown in Figure 5. The sectioning planepasses vertically through damaged areasbut not through the milled slit. In thecross section at bottom, irregular whitefeatures form an inverted U shape; theseare delaminations and cracks caused bydrilling and milling. The U shape seenhere is generally considered acceptablebecause delaminations travel along fiberlengths where the material is strongest.The smaller, more regularly arrangedfeatures in the top layers are minor de-laminations, probably caused by lack ofwetting between the fiber and the epoxy.

ConclusionThere are numerous other modes in

which hardware can collect and softwarecan manipulate acoustic signals to solvespecific problems, such as displaying the3-dimensional structure of an internalfeature like a crack, or preserving theentire acoustic content of a sample topermit comparison to its original condi-tion after failure in testing or in service.These modes, most of which were devel-oped and patented by Sonoscan, havegreatly broadened the scope of prob-lems that can be solved.

This article was written by Tom Adams,consultant at Sonoscan, Inc. (Elk Grove Vil-lage, IL). For more information, visithttp://info.hotims.com/34455-145.

Figure 5. A non-destructive cross section throughthe composite. The damaged areas form an in-verted U pattern.

Figure 4. The same flip chip imaged at 192 MHz(top) and 171 MHz (bottom). At 192, most solderbumps (rows of small circles) look about thesame. At 171, bad ones stand out. The solderbump marked with an arrow is ambiguous at192 but clearly defective at 171.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro






Imaging System Buckles Up Camera and Parking Sensor

For five years, Michael Lunoe, Presi-dent of Zorg Industries, had been in

need of a camera system that could iden-tify objects and provide accurate dis-tance from the rear of a vehicle.

Zorg Industries, a Hong-Kong-basedoperation with offices in five countriesincluding the US, UK, Korea, Australia,and China, builds Smart Park™ collisionavoidance and vehicle integration prod-ucts. The company sells these parkingsensors, reversing cameras, and LCDmonitors to larger aftermarket distribu-tors, some car manufacturers, includingToyota, as well as automotive electronicsdistributors like Audiovox Corp., head-quartered in Hauppauge, NY.

“We actually got a large grant from theAustralian government to develop thistechnology, and we couldn’t get it done,primarily because the processing powerthat we needed made it price-prohibi-tive,” Lunoe said.

In February of 2010, it was Audiovoxthat introduced Lunoe to CogniVueCorp., a Gatineau, Quebec, Canada-based company that provides ImageCognition Processors (ICPs) and soft-ware. The two vendors have sinceteamed up to create products that inte-grate the capabilities of a camera withthe capabilities of a parking sensor.

“There’s a reason bumpers don’t haveelectronics. They’re designed for bump-ing. The only reason people put parkingsensors in them was because they hadto,” said Lunoe.

The standard cameras alone offer apassive view from the rear of the vehicleto the driver’s display. The small-foot-print chip from CogniVue, however, hasallowed a great deal of cognitive process-ing, according to Lunoe, including sceneanalysis to detect objects or pedestrians,display distance estimation, and offermultiple-view options. The CV220Xprocessor is available in a 9x9mm2 BGApackage and dissipates around 250mWof power depending on the application.

One year after their meeting, SmartPark Automotive Technologies’ Multi-View Cam with Pedestrian Warning wona Best of Innovations Design and Engi-neering award at the 2011 ConsumerElectronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. The

SmartPark CAM430MV combines multi-ple viewing angles with digital imagingtechnology. To achieve a wide view, thereversing camera, currently in produc-tion, uses a 180-degree glass lens andCMOS digital sensor.

“To have that at market within 12months is pretty extraordinary, consider-ing I’d been trying to do it for 5 years,”said Lunoe.

The MultiView CAM with PedestrianWarning will be commercially available inthe coming months, he said. The minia-ture camera, mounted on the rear of thevehicle, will monitor the area behind thecar and identify objects in its path. Thesystem will give the driver an audibleand/or visual alert to the presence of aperson or object behind the vehicle. Thecamera's reversing image, which includesa graphic overlay of colored icons to de-note distance and closure rate, can be dis-played in various locations, including thefactory radio. The driver can also use aportable GPS with reverse camera input,a dedicated LCD, or a rear-view mirrorwith built-in LCD display.

Next in the queue is the SmartParkCAM-BSD1 Blind Spot Detection cam-era system, as well as the SmartParkCAM-LDFCW, which is currently in theworks and will supply collision avoidancetechnology in a small windscreenmounted camera. The forward-collisionstandalone unit similarly uses a glass lens

with CMOS digital sensor, and incorpo-rates processing as well as the audio andvisual warning displays.

“The first generation is lane-departurewarning, which basically means if youlose concentration, or you fall asleep,and your vehicle leaves the lane you’retraveling in without you indicating thatyou’re planning to leave that lane, thesystem alerts the driver to pay attentionagain,” said Lunoe. “And the next stagefrom there is forward-collision warning,”where the imaging system monitors theclosure distance between two vehicles.”

The specifications for the SmartParkCAM-BSD1 blind-spot detection systemhave been confirmed, but the product isnot yet available in commercial form.Lunoe expects these to be in the marketby year’s end as the company developsthe hardware for specific vehicles.

Lunoe said Zorg is “probably 80 per-cent down the track on lane-changewarning and blind-spot detection,” andhe looks forward to opportunities thatuse vision rather than radar for automo-tive safety functions, including humandetection for pedestrian warning.

“I’ve got a whole list of stuff that I’dlike to do,” said Lunoe.

For free info related to CogniVue Corp.’simage processor, visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-156. For more information about SmartPark Automotive Technologies products, visithttp://info.hotims.com/34455-155.

The adjustable visual warning of the Smart Park Automotive Technologies’ object detection systemcan be used in a variety of vehicles.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




Get Application-Driven, Customized Solutions

Visit our Websites to Learn More

OEM CameraPartnership Program

There are many reasons why

companies choose Photometrics and QImaging

as their preferred OEM supplier.

What’s important to you?

www.photometrics.com

www.qimaging.com

Imaging Technology, June 2011 67

MTF Testing – Multi-Waveband

Image Science has been providing customised systemsfor MTF measurement since 1991 for both productionand R&D applications. Other optical parameters meas-ured include Distortion, EFL, Field Curvature, Encircled

Energy, Transmission andStrehl Ratio. Please visit:www.image-science.co.ukfor more information.



Industrial Cameras The Imaging Source, Charlotte NC, has released two MegaPixel indus-

trial cameras. The cameras include a Sony CCD ICX274, 1/1.8" sensor;a resolution of 1600 × 1200 pixels; a frame rate of 15 fps; a USB 2.0or GigE interface; optional trigger in and digital I/Os; and auto-iris control.


Frame Grabber/Video StreamerForesight Imaging, Chelmsford, MA, offers the AccuStream Ex-

press HD+™ frame grabber and video streamer, featuring a highperformance PCI Express x4 board design. The device acquiresvideo from non-standard and standard video formats includingHDMI video, DVI-D, RGBHV, YPbPr, HDTV, S-video, compositecolor, and monochrome video sources up to 170 MHz pixel rates.It is specifically designed for the high speed PCIe x4 bus and deliv-

ers sustained data transfers of 750 MB per second. The AccuStream ExpressHD+™ provides acquisition up to 75 MHz and includes 720p HDTV and 1024 × 768 × 70 Hz; italso acquires from video signals up to 50 MHz and includes 480p, 576p, and 800 × 600 × 75 Hz.

All boards have a real-time up/down video re-sizer/scalar, which uses a polyphase algorithmto create images down to 4 × 4 and up to 2048 × 2048.


Infrared Snapshot CameraSensors Unlimited — Goodrich ISR Sys-

tems, Princeton, NJ, announces theSU640KTS, a large-format indium gallium ar-senide (InGaAs) high-resolution shortwave in-frared (SWIR) snapshot video camera. Theimager meets all Conformite Europeene (CE)and U.S. Federal Communications Commis-sion (FCC) standards for radiated and con-ducted emissions, for immunity from suchemissions, and for electrostatic discharge(ESD) resistance. The SU640KTS operates ina 0.9-1.7 micron range at 30 frames per sec-ond. The solid-state, uncooled 640 × 512 pixelarray camera with 25 μm pitch also featuresbuilt-in non-uniformity corrections (NUCs),automatic gain control (AGC), and adjustableautomatic contrast enhancement. It offersboth EIA-170 analog video output and CameraLink® compatibility for 12-bit digital imaging.Extensive camera commands and controls arealso available using the Camera Link interfaceor a separate EIA232 interface.

The low power (<2.5 W at 20 °C, 9-16 V) In-GaAs camera comes with a C-mount lensadapter. Camera options include a C-mount25 mm f/1.4 lens, Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 lenswith an F-mount adapter, or a SWIR optimized50 mm f/1.4 lens with the Goodrich 42 mminterface adapter. Also available is an imagingpack consisting of 2-meter Camera Link cableand the National Instruments PCIe-1427frame grabber card.

For Free Info Visithttp://info.hotims.com/34455-146

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro







Schneider Compact C-Mount lenses lockin calibrated settings, so focus and boreslightstay true no matter now harsh the conditions.Offering virtually indestructible constructionand visible through near IR performance.

As small and robust as�� can be.

Schneider KreuznachCompact C-Mount Lenses

In the USA: +1 631 761-5000Outside the USA: +49.671.601.205

www.schneiderindustrialoptics.com

68 Imaging Technology, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-753

Wide variety of lens assemblies in stock for high-res diagnostic cameras. Over 60 years of design and manufacturing experience.

© 2011 Universe Kogaku (America) Inc.

UKAoptics.com516-624-2444 [email protected]

*+,-. ��

CUSTOM MEDICAL IMAGING LENSES

F R O M P R OTOT Y P E TO PR O D U C T I O N

1000s of Lens Sizes in Stock. Most Lenses Ship Same Day.


Thermal Scanning SystemInvisual E. Inc., Toronto, Ontario,

Canada, offers an in-process, real-timethermal scanning system for welding in-spection and batch process monitoring.The system utilizes the thermal distribu-tion of the heat-affected zone to detect ir-regularities of the thermal field during so-

lidification of the welded seam. It also provides mill or productionequipment integration, I/O signaling, alarm generation, productiontags, and traceability and production reports for audits.


Optical Part-Recognition ToolTeledyne DALSA, Billerica, MA, a

Teledyne Technologies company, hasannounced its BOA IDR optical in-spection product. Features includeidentification and grading capabili-ties for part tracking based on codes,characters, or pattern; verification of2D matrix codes, such as Data Ma-trix, PDF/QR codes, 1D barcodes, or printed characters; Ethernet com-munication between the BOA IDR and the factory enterprise; user ad-ministration controls; remote inspection monitoring via Ethernet;history logging; IP67 rated enclosure with lens cap; and direct connec-tion to external light sources.


LED Video DisplayMulti ChipLEDs from OSRAM Opto

Semiconductors, Sunnyvale, CA, havebeen used by FormoLight Technologies,Inc., Taipei, Taiwan, to develop a 150" di-agonal LED video display.

The compact size of the RGB MultiChipLEDs (1.6 × 1.6 × 0.9 mm) permits a

special image format in LED video displays ranging in size from smallto large screens. The LEDs are packed closely together, and the dis-tance between pixels can be as little as 2 mm. They contain three chips(red, green, blue), each of which can be controlled separately. Thecolor impression is constant across the entire viewing angle.


High-Speed Imaging SystemPhotron, San Diego, CA, has introduced

the IDP Express R2000 system. The R2000features an on-board field-programmablegate array (FPGA) to provide developersaccess to the open-ended architecture.The new system supports one or two ofPhotron’s miniature CMOS high speedcamera heads at full or reduced resolution and speed. It is available intwo configurations, without the FPGA and with an XILINX FPGA.Without the FPGA, the R2000 operates in a typical, image acquisitioncapacity, writing image data directly to the host computer’s RAM. Op-erating with the XILINX FPGA, the tool enables real-time hardware-based pre-processing while recording the event.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro








Imaging Technology, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com

Low Cost USB Camera

The mvBlueFOX-MLC module is a fully featured compact single-board camera perfectly targeted for space and cost sensitive OEM applications. A superior image quality (high dynamic range mode is supported) in combination with a very high frame rate make the camera ideally suited for embedded applications.

List Price is $273.00 for the board level camera w/o the lensholder.

Designed and manufactured in Germany.

www.dnvllc.comTel: 1-888-701-0874

Camera Link Equipment

Supporting devices for Camera Link imaging applications:

Repeaters Adapters Video Splitters Camera Selectors Test Equipment Custom Engineering

508-842-0165 [email protected] www.vividengineering.com



Frame GrabberThe PIXCI® SV5L low-profile composite and S-Video PCI frame grab-

ber from EPIX, Buffalo Grove, IL, acquires video from NTSC, RS-170,PAL, CCIR, or S-Video cameras. A 3-input video multiplexer allows signalselection from two mini-BNC inputs or one S-Video. SMA connectorsprovide TTL Trigger In and Strobe Out. Digitized video is transferred viaDMA to the host computer’s PCI bus as fast as the bus will allow and with

minimal delay. Included XCAP-Lite software provides adjustments to gain, hue, bright-ness, saturation, and contrast. It can run up to 8 PIXCI® SV5L frame grabbers in one computer.


High-Definition CMOS CameraToshiba Imaging Systems Division, Irvine, CA, offers the IK-HR2D

HD camera. Providing real-time, live-image data capture, the cameraalso features both DVI-D and USB outputs. The 1.73 × 1.73 × 3.17', one-piece CMOS device has selectable outputs to capture and send outvideo data. The device sends data up to 60 fps at 1080p/720p or 30 fpsat 1080i. For still images, a series of images, video at 5 fps in 1080mode, or 10 fps in 720 mode, the optional USB port is ideal.


Imaging AdaptersThe VA210 Series of AOTF-NIR (Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter

Near Infrared) hyperspectral imaging adapters from Brimrose,Sparks, MD, measure visible or NIR hyperspectral imaging infor-mation on a variety of materials. The AOTF-based imaging sys-tem, equipped with radio-frequency driver software, provides nar-row bandwidth, wavelength selection, spatial resolution, spectral

resolution, and intensity control. The tool has a 6.4 × 4.8 mm camera sensor area, and its highspatial resolution will reach up to 2560 × 1840 pixels.


Stainless Steel SensorThe ZM Series from Optex FA Sensors, West Des Moines, IA, provides

durability with a SUS316L stainless steel housing and IP69K protection con-forming to the IEC60529 rating system. The self-contained sensor meets en-vironmental demands such as high pressure and high temperature deter-gent washing. The anti-static PPSU lens is scratch resistant and repels waterand oil.


Lens Nanopositioning SystemMad City Labs, Madison, WI, offers the Nano-F3D lens nanopositioning sys-

tem. The tool positions an objective lens in 3 dimensions with sub-nanometer accuracy and repeatability. With a travel range of 100 μm ineach axis, the Nano-F3D is suitable for 4Pi microscopy as well as otherimaging and inspection applications. Designed to be mounted on micro-

scopes and optical fixturing, it also features integrated PicoQ® sensors withclosed loop control.


Color-Identification CamerasPPT VISION, Bloomington, MN, introduces twenty-six new IM-

PACT® M-Series color cameras with dedicated software tools for sort-ing, monitoring, and identifying color objects. The options rangefrom economical VGA resolution cameras, to 210 frames-per-secondhigh-speed cameras, to a five-megapixel, high-precision model. ColorIMPACT M-Series cameras can be used to detect food spoilage anddetermine the fat content in meat. Other applications include sort-ing and identifying pharmaceutical tablets, wire placement, and components in electronic prod-ucts. The IMPACT M-Series Embedded Vision System also allows users to perform up to fourunique inspections that can be initiated independently—at different times or simultaneously—utilizing a single vision processor.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro











WebinarsUpcoming...

PHX ModelCenter: Integrated Design Tools Save Time, Money...

Live Presentation - Thursday, June 2, 2011, 2:00 PM ET

NASA strives to employ the best design tools throughout its research and development activities, however, many of these tools arenot designed to communicate with each other. PHX ModelCenter ties together existing tools and simulates one complex system.This webinar will explain the graphical environment for process integration and design automation and how it provides a robust,physics-based design and analysis framework for integrating multiple design elements into one usable platform.

Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar52

James MullinsDirector of Professional ServicesPhoenix Integration

Presenter:

This 30-minute webinar includes: Live Q&A session • Application Demo • Access to archived event on demand

Solving Assembly Challenges in Reduced Footprint Applications

Live Presentation - Wednesday, June 15, 2011, 2:00 PM ET

The trend toward smaller, lighter, and thinner electronic devices and their inherently restrictive design envelopes have presented particular challenges on the road to their assembly and manufacture. This presentation will expand on the new hardware demandsand profile several advanced micro fastener technologies gaining traction as suitable attachment solutions in the marketplace.


Jay McKennaGlobal Product Manager New and Micro ProductsPennEngineering


Presenter:

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




Expanding Multiphysics Applications with COMSOL 4.2 Live Presentation - Tuesday, June 21, 2011 2:00 pm ET

Multiphysics has earned the reputation as an excellent approach for simulation in engineering and science. COMSOL Version 4.2 represents the latest advances in expanding the applications of multiphysics in several directions. Attend this webinar to hear the lat-est features for electromagnetic, mechanical, chemical, fluid, and CAD modeling.



Practical Thermal Management Solutions: Heat Pipes –Design Fundamentals & Product Applications

Live Presentation – Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 2:00 PM ET

With the dramatic increase in technology requirements and the allowable space decreasing, thermal management solutions are evermore challenging. This webinar will provide ‘hands on’ information for the product design engineer about heat pipes – How they func-tion, when to consider using them, and how to implement them into your design.



Scott Garner, P.E.Vice PresidentElectronics Products Group

Bryan MuzykaSales EngineerElectronics Products Group

David KanVP of Sales - Southwest USACOMSOL, Inc.

Presenter:

Presenters:

ADVANCED COOLING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Process Control ModulesThe CS series of process control

modules from OMEGA Engineer -ing, Stamford, CT, provides PIDloop control of any process withoutusing a PLC. A variety of modulesallows control of temperature, flow,and pressure; the single- and dual-

loop temperature modules also provide ramp-and-soak controls. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-105

Light-Curable Adhesive DYMAX Corp., Torrington, CT, has released the 3225-T-SC plastic-

bonding adhesive formulated with the company’s patented See-Curetechnology. This material is designed for rapid bonding, laminating,and sealing of most plastics and aluminum. It is colored bright blue inthe uncured state. The adhesive’s high visibility enables automatedvision systems to confirm adhesive placement prior to the cure. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-106

Capacitive SensorThe CPA100 capacitive sensor from Lion

Precision, St. Paul, MN, has a setpoint output to indi-cate presence/absence. The nonlinear analog out-put is capable of resolutions as low as 15 nm RMS.The sensor features a front-panel range indicator toalert the operator to out-of-range conditions, DINrail-mount electronics, and user adjustments for off-set and gain. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.

com/34455-107

LED DriverSupertex, Sunnyvale, CA, offers the HV9967open-loop, average-mode current control

LED driver IC that operates in a constantoff-time mode. It includes a 60V, 0.8-ohmMOSFET that can be used as a stand-alone buck converter, or connected as asource driver output for driving an exter-

nal MOSFET to operate at offline AC linevoltages. It delivers LED current accuracy of ±3%

without sensitivity to external component variation. For Free Info Visit


Industrial KeyboardCTI Electronics, Stratford, CT,

offers the KIO6000 and KIO7000rugged industrial keyboards withcountry-specific languages. TheNEMA 4 (IP66) keyboardsinclude an integrated mouse.Languages available include US English,Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, UK English,and Italian. The Plug-n-Play KIO6000 Series or KIO7000 Series areoffered in a watertight aluminum or stainless steel enclosure. For Free

Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-109

Electrical DesignTrace Software USA, Byron Center, MI,

has released elecworks electrical designsoftware for SolidWorks that allows users todesign automation and electrical installa-tion projects from 2D schematics up to 3Ddesign. An additional Routing and Cabling module enables paneland machine wiring in 3D automatically. For Free Info Visit


Functional SimulationLMS International, Troy, MI, offers LMS

Virtual.Lab Revision 10 software for function-al performance simulation. Features covermulti-body simulation to FEM acoustics,including custom-fit solvers. Automatically

Matched Layer (AML) eliminates the need to model the absorbingPerfectly Matched Layer (PML). The solver does it automatically,delivering a simplified FEM mesh close to the radiating system. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-101

Design CollaborationIronCAD, LLC, Atlanta, GA, has introduced

IronCAD Design Collaboration Suite ProductUpdate #1, which includes IRONCAD, INO-VATE, IRONCAD DRAFT, and the NativeTranslator Bundles. The integrated suite pro-vides collaboration between 2D and 3D, enabling users to commu-nicate design data seamlessly throughout their design process. Thesuite extends the user’s ability to leverage 3D within a 2D designprocess. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-102

3D Data DistributionElysium, Southfield, MI, offers

ASFALIS K2 software for managing 3Ddata distribution in manufacturing.The software performs data transla-tion automation, data distributionrecord-keeping, and assembly configu-

ration management. The system enables users to search records byCAD attributes and compare original and revised models. For Free

Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-103

Materials SoftwareGranta Design, Cambridge, MA, has

announced extensions to its GRANTAMI software that helps users make deci-sions on coatings and surface treat-ments. The new capabilities focus oncompliance, regulatory, and risk factorsrelating to restricted substances. Data can be integrated with anexisting database of over 6,000 restricted substances and 60 regu-lations, legislation, and industry standards that impact these sub-stances. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-104

Product Focus: CAD/CAE Software

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro









http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP72I

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP72J



If you want better control of your air powered device, install the Deschner Kinechek® speed regulator. Offering superior performance over ordinary control valves – the Kinechek® will regulate your air cylinder with extraordinary precision over millions of cycles. Simply set the Kinechek’s infinitely adjustable speed control knob and watch your operation run more smoothly year after year, that’s it! Easy to install and maintain, the Kinechek® is designed for years of outstanding leak proof performance. In fact, thousands of Kinechek® speed regulators continue to operate flawlessly after decades in service.

GET YOUR AIR CYLINDERUNDER CONTROL

DESCHNER CORPORATION1-800-457-6666

[email protected] www.deschner.com

“THE AIR CYLINDER SPEED CONTROL”

KINECHEK®

SPEED REGULATOR

®

AIR CYLINDER KINECHEK

SLIDE

MILL HEAD

Get your air cylinder under control now. Most Kinechek® models

are available for immediate delivery. Call, or visit us at DESCHNER.COM

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2011 73Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-758


Portable RecorderConduant Corp., Longmont, CO,

has introduced the Big River™LTX3 portable recorder pow-

ered by Amazon Express. It supplies up to 800megabytes per second of sustained PCI Express recording and play-back. The recorder can operate independently from a host computerwith command/control performed over an Ethernet network connec-tion. An 8-lane cabled PCIe interface provides connectivity to a hostcomputer for command/control and/or data access. For Free Info

Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-110

Gaging SystemThe Equator™ gaging system from Renishaw,

Hoffman Estates, IL, can be programmed for mul-tiple parts and re-programmed in minutes fordesign changes. The system is available with twolevels of software: a programmable version forproduction engineers to create DMIS programs,and a shop floor system that allows those pro-grams to be executed but prevents operators frommaking modifications. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/

34455-111

Laser Distance SensorThe optoNCDT ILR 1030 laser distance sen-

sor from Micro-Epsilon, Raleigh, NC, offers ameasuring range between 0.2 m and 8 m on dif-fuse reflective surfaces, and as high as 50 mwhen using a reflector plate. Features includemeasurement speed of 100 Hz, which alsoenables length measurements with different

objects in the measuring range, as well as measurements on differenttarget materials. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-112

Structural AdhesivesHenkel Corp., Rocky Hill, CT, offers Loctite®

H8100™ and H8110™ Speedbonder™ structuralacrylic adhesives formulated to fixture in 5 to 20 min-utes. They are designed to reduce or eliminate welds,rivets, and threaded fasteners. Both adhesives aregreen-colored, two-component acrylic adhesives thatcure rapidly at room temperature. The H8100 fix-tures in 20 minutes, while the H8110 offers fixturingin 5 minutes. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-113

Temperature ControllerSelco Products, Reno, NV, offers the

2699B electronic temperature controllerhoused in an easy-to-install enclosure. Thecontroller includes a temperature range toover 2000 °F, timer control, multiplepower and sensor inputs, multiple output

types, and a variety of selectable hardware configurations. The all-in-one controller is configurable by setting the software options andselecting the correct hardware configuration. For Free Info Visit


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro









Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-865 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-861 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-864



Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-863Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-874Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-872

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-866 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-873

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-869Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-860


PRECISION ORIFICES & FILTERSBird Precision offers laser-drilled, wire-lapped ruby andsapphire orifices.• Huge variety of Orifices, Inserts, Connectors and Fittings • Unique micron ori-fices series sizes from .0004"thru .081" • Highly repeatable

flow from < .5sccm at 5psi • Extreme wear & chemi-cal resistance • Engineering resources & designguides. Please visit our award winning website formore information. Bird Precision, Waltham, MA; Tel: 800-454-7369; Fax: 800-370-6308; e-mail:[email protected]; www.birdprecision.com.

Bird Precision

FREE MAGAZINE ON MULTIPHYSICS SIMULATION ININDUSTRYAre you interested in what yourpeers in engineering and sci-ence have achieved through theuse of multiphysics simulation

in their work? The most recent issue of COMSOLNews gives you 60 pages worth of case studies thatillustrate recent achievements in industry — allmade possible by COMSOL’s modeling tools. Checkout a complimentary copy of the magazine today atwww.comsol.com/ntblit.

COMSOL

THE ULTIMATE MECHANICALCONNECTIONSPOLYGON PROFILES arethe solution to any coupling,sliding, power transmission,

torque, stress, fatigue, or space problems you mayhave. Precision ground to give superb strength, ahigh capacity for torque, and long life. Self-aligning,self-centering feature eliminates alignment problems, with minimal backlash and reduced vibration. Suitable for fixed and sliding connec -tions; available on oval, 3-sided and 4-sided, customproduced to your specifications. Call 1-877-546-6378 or visit www.generalpolygon.com; e-mail:[email protected]

General Polygon

MEGA DC/DC & AC/DC CONVERTERS TO 150 WATTSMEGA Electronics Inc. pro-vides customers with the

DC/DC and AC/DC converters needed to meettheir performance and financial re quirements.100% electrically tested, ROHS compliant andavailable with a variety of options, such as short circuit protection, high isolation, metal cases andremote on/off. Visit our searchable part list on our website. Contact: Guy Francfort; Tel: 732-249-2656; e-mail: [email protected]; or visitwww.megaelectronics.com.

MEGA Electronics Inc.

FAST PULSE TEST SOLUTIONS

Avtech offers over 500 standard models of high-speedpulse generators for R&D and automated factory-floor testing. Some of our standard models include:AVR-EB4-B: for reverse-recovery time testsAV-156F-B: for airbag tests.AVO-9A-B: for laser diode tests.AV-151J-B: for piezoelectric tests.AVOZ-D2-B: for testing of attenuators.AVR-DV1-B: for phototriac dV/dt testsPricing, manuals, datasheets: http://www.avtechpulse.com/

Avtech Electrosystems Ltd

EVANS TANTALUMWETS MEETDSCC 93026Evans Capacitor’s new

HyCap series includes wet tantalum capacitors meet-ing DSCC 93026 requirements. The B and D (#2 and#4) capacitors rate from 150μF at 125V to 680μF at50V (85°C). Evans’ Hybrid® capacitors are used byvirtually every Tier 1 aviation defense contractor,storing up to 2 joules/cc. (0.5 joules/g.). EvansCapacitor; http://www.evanscap.com/hycap.htm

Evans Capacitor

ULTRAFAST UNIVERSAL TESTINGMACHINE Offering precision materialsanalysis, Shimadzu’s AG-XplusSeries features ultrafast 5kHz(0.2 msec) sampling as well as

3,300 mm/min return and 3,000 mm/min crossheadspeeds for reduced cycle times. The Series guaran-tees a precision range of the load cell (1/1000 to1/1), and control resolution has been improved by afactor of eight, enhancing the reliability of testresults. Learn more: Shimadzu ScientificInstruments, 800-477-1227, www.ssi.shimadzu.com

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments

BOKER’S FREE 2011WASHER CATALOGBoker’s 2011 Washer Catalogfeatures over 25,000 non-stan-dard flat washer sizes availablewith no tooling charges. Outsidediameters of 0.080" to 5.140", awide variety of inside diameters

and thicknesses, and over 2,000 material options pro-vide endless possibilities. ISO 9001:2008 Registered.Boker’s, Inc.; Tel: 888-927-4377; Fax: 800-321-3462;email: [email protected]; www.bokers.com/ntbl

Boker’s, Inc.

POROUS CERAMICVACUUMCHUCKPhotoMachining of -fers a porous ceramicvacuum chuck for use

with thin films and other flat samples. Pore sizesunder 25 microns assure uniform suction and holdingpower for even the smallest parts. PhotoMachiningalso provides contract laser-manufacturing services,and designs and builds custom laser-based manufactur-ing equipment. PhotoMachining, Inc., 4 Industrial Dr.,Unit 40, Pelham, NH 03076; Tel: 603-882-9944; Fax:603-886-8844; [email protected];www.photomachining.com

PhotoMachining, Inc.

EMI SHIELDINGGASKETS Molded and DieCutNickel-Graphite filledsilicone and fluorosili-

cone rubber compounds provide corrosion andweather resistant EMI shielding gaskets for electronicenclosures. Nickel-Graphite filled silicone has shield-ing effectiveness of 80 dB in frequencies of 20 MHz to10 GHz. Gaskets are die cut or water jet cut from.020" to .125" thick molded sheets. Gaskets with seal-ing beads and complex profiles are custom moldedfrom 30, 45, 55 and 65 durometer compounds. Emaila dxf file for test samples. Stockwell Elastomerics,Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. Tel: 215-335-3005; e-mail:[email protected]; www.stockwell.com

Stockwell Elastomerics

HIGH-PERFORMANCECOATINGSBoyd Coatings Re -search Co. manufac-tures, applies, and dis-tributes custom-devel-oped, high-perform-ance coatings to meetspecific device needs.

High-volume and flexible manufacturing capabilitiesallow the company to produce both large and small quantities quickly and cost-effectively. Boyd is a Licensed Industrial Applicator of Teflon®.www.boydcoatings.com

Boyd Coatings Research Co.

THERMOCOUPLES,MAKE YOUR OWNThe HotSpot Welder is aportable capacitive dischargewire welding unit that allowsthermocouple wire to beformed into freestanding beador butt welded junctions, or tobe directly welded to metal.

The HotSpot provides a quick, simple, accurate, low-cost means of fabricating thermocouples on a “whenneeded, where needed” basis. Brochure and specifi-cation sheet provide photos and descriptions ofthermocouple construction and use. DCCCorporation, Pennsauken, NJ 08110; Tel: 856-662-7272; www.dccCorporation.com.

DCC Corporation

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro









http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP74I

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP74J

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP74K

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106NTBP74L



Information Sciences

(Continued from page 58)

Missions to small bodies, such ascomets or asteroids, require autonomousguidance for descent to these small bod-ies. Such guidance is made challengingby uncertainty in the position and veloci-ty of the spacecraft, as well as the uncer-tainty in the gravitational field aroundthe small body. In addition, the require-ment to avoid collision with the asteroidrepresents a non-convex constraint thatmeans finding the optimal guidance tra-jectory, in general, is intractable.

In this innovation, a new approach isproposed for chance-constrained opti-mal guidance with non-convex con-straints. Chance-constrained guidancetakes into account uncertainty so that theprobability of collision is below a speci-fied threshold. In this approach, a newbounding method has been developedto obtain a set of decomposed chanceconstraints that is a sufficient condition

of the original chance constraint. Thedecomposition of the chance constraintenables its efficient evaluation, as well asthe application of the branch and boundmethod. Branch and bound enablesnon-convex problems to be solved effi-ciently to global optimality.

Considering the problem of finite-horizon robust optimal control ofdynamic systems under Gaussian-distrib-uted stochastic uncertainty, with stateand control constraints, a discrete-time,continuous-state linear dynamics modelis assumed. Gaussian-distributed stochas-tic uncertainty is a more natural modelfor exogenous disturbances such as windgusts and turbulence than the previous-ly studied set-bounded models.However, with stochastic uncertainty, it isoften impossible to guarantee that stateconstraints are satisfied, because there istypically a non-zero probability of having

a disturbance that is large enough topush the state out of the feasible region.

An effective framework to addressrobustness with stochastic uncertainty isoptimization with chance constraints.These require that the probability of vio-lating the state constraints (i.e., theprobability of failure) is below a user-specified bound known as the riskbound. An example problem is to drivea car to a destination as fast as possiblewhile limiting the probability of an acci-dent to 10–7. This framework allowsusers to trade conservatism against per-formance by choosing the risk bound.The more risk the user accepts, the bet-ter performance they can expect.

This work was done by Lars JamesBlackmore of Caltech and Masahiro Ono andBrian Williams of MIT for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more information,contact [email protected]. NPO-47305

Chance-Constrained Guidance With Non-Convex Constraints This solution can be used for non-convex guidance problems in small-body rendezvous,formation flight, and uninhabited aerial vehicle applications. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California


Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-871Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-870

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-830 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-859

AMERICAN AEROSPACE CONTROLS INC. CATALOG ONLINEVisit our Website to find ourfull-line catalog of high-reliabili-ty current, voltage, power, andfrequency transducers. AAC

offers timely delivery, custom design services, andstandard transducer products for space, aircraft,land vehicles, shipboard, rail transit, industrial con-trols, military, and commercial C grade applications.Contact Greg D’Abramo: 888-873-8559; e-mail:[email protected]; www.a-a-c.com.

American Aerospace Controls, Inc.

SWITCH SEALINGBOOT CATALOGHermetically seal any switch,potentiometer or circuit breakerwith a HEXSEAL® silicone seal-ing boot. IP66/68 rated, meetsMIL Spec MIL-DTL-5423 and isUL Recognized. Armored and

EMI/RFI versions. Toggle, pushbutton, rotary, androcker styles to fit all popular devices. Catalog featuresmanufacturer cross reference charts. NEMA & techni-cal reference info. APM HEXSEAL; 800.498.9034;www.apmhexseal.com; [email protected]

APM HEXSEAL

PRECISION DISPENSERS &METERING PUMPSFluid Metering, Inc. offers a fullline of Dispensers and MeteringPumps for Laboratory, In dus -trial and OEM applications.FMI’s unique piston-type posi-

tive displacement units feature no valves, low-deadvolume, 1% accuracy and a ceramic/fluorocarbonfluid path… Flows from 2.5 μl/dispense to flows of4,600 ml/min with pressures to 200 psig. FluidMetering is certified as compliant with ISO 9001quality standards. Ph: 800-223-3388 or 516-922-6050;Fax: 516-624-8261; email: [email protected];www.fmipump.com.

Fluid Metering, Inc.

MSC SOFTWAREFREE TRAINING &EVALUATION SOFTWAREMSC Software has been a trust-ed source in engineering for aHalf-Century. Our engineers,

and the products and services they provide, have beenhelping customers solve the world’s most challengingmechanical engineering problems for generations injust about every industry. MSC Software sponsoredEvents provide an opportunity to meet our experiencedengineers. Let our Engineers & Software products helpyou solve your company’s most challenging problems.http://pages.mscsoftware.com/EventsLanding.html

MSC Software

MSC SOFTWAREUSERS CONFERENCE REGISTRATIONWe’re Engineering Tomorrow’sInnovations Today! The world’s

smartest engineers attend our conferences. So shouldyou. Let’s Simulate Reality! Join Us: October 4-6, 2011in sunny Costa Mesa, CA. MSC conferences are the pre-mier event in the simulation and analysis community.Bringing leading academics, engineers, technologists,designers, executives and managers from all over theworld to exchange information and ideas, network withpeers, and gain access to the software developers thatare redefining CAE. http://pages.mscsoftware.com/MSC_UserConference2011_Home.html

MSC Software


From AAC: Transducers for extreme environments.

Standard AC & DC current, voltage, power and frequency transducers available

Prototype development MIL-STD 461, DO-160 and EN 50121 Automated surface

mount per IPC-A- 610 and J-STD-001

5 year warranty Contact AAC today; www.a-a-c.com

570 Smith Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735Tel>631.694.5100 | Toll Free>888.873.8559 | Fax>631.694.6739 | 631.845.0766

Email>[email protected] | www.a-a-c.com

American Aerospace ControlsAAC Our products perform… We deliver… always.

Discover theLatest Advances in LEDs and Solid-State LightingFrom the publishers of NASA Tech Briefs,

Lighting Technology digital magazinefeatures design tutorials, tech reports,application notes and product news onenergy-efficient LEDs. View free of chargeat: www.greendesignbriefs.com/ezines

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro










NASA’s Technology SourcesIf you need further information about new technologies presented in NASA Tech Briefs,request the Technical Support Package (TSP) indicated at the end of the brief. If a TSP is notavailable, the Innovative Partnerships Office at the NASA field center that sponsored theresearch can provide you with additional information and, if applicable, refer you to theinnovator(s). These centers are the source of all NASA-developed technology.

Ames Research CenterSelected technological strengths: InformationTechnology; Biotechnology; Nanotechnology;Aerospace Operations Systems; Rotorcraft;Thermal Protection Systems.Lisa L. Lockyer(650) [email protected]

Dryden Flight Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aerodynamics; Aeronautics Flight Testing;Aeropropulsion; Flight Systems; ThermalTesting; Integrated Systems Test andValidation.Yvonne D. Gibbs(661) [email protected]

Glenn Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aeropropulsion; Communications; EnergyTechnology; High-Temperature MaterialsResearch.Kathleen Needham(216) [email protected]

Goddard Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Earth andPlanetary Science Missions; LIDAR; CryogenicSystems; Tracking; Telemetry; Remote Sensing;Command.Nona Cheeks(301) [email protected]

Jet Propulsion LaboratorySelected technological strengths: Near/Deep-Space Mission Engineering; Microspacecraft;Space Communications; Information Systems;Remote Sensing; Robotics.Indrani Graczck(818) [email protected]

Johnson Space CenterSelected technological strengths: ArtificialIntelligence and Human Computer Interface;Life Sciences; Human Space FlightOperations; Avionics; Sensors;Communications.David Leestma(281) [email protected]

Kennedy Space CenterSelected technological strengths: Fluids andFluid Systems; Materials Evaluation; ProcessEngineering; Command, Control, and MonitorSystems; Range Systems; EnvironmentalEngineering and Management.David R. Makufka(321) [email protected]

Langley Research CenterSelected technological strengths: Aerodynamics;Flight Systems; Materials; Structures; Sensors;Measurements; Information Sciences.Elizabeth B. Plentovich(757) [email protected]

Marshall Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Materials;Manufacturing; Nondestructive Evaluation;Biotechnology; Space Propulsion; Controls andDynamics; Structures; Microgravity Processing.Jim Dowdy(256) [email protected]

Stennis Space CenterSelected technological strengths: PropulsionSystems; Test/Monitoring; Remote Sensing;Nonintrusive Instrumentation.Ramona Travis(228) [email protected]

National Technology Transfer CenterDarwin MolnarWheeling, WV(800) 678-6882

NASA HEADQUARTERS

Innovative Partnerships Program OfficeDoug Comstock, Director(202) [email protected]

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) &Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)ProgramsCarl Ray, Program Executive(202) [email protected]

Published by .........................................Tech Briefs Media Group

Publisher.....................................................Joseph T. Pramberger

Editorial Director ........................................................Linda L. Bell

Editor, PTB and Embedded Technology...............Bruce A. Bennett

Technical/Managing Editor.........................................Ted Selinsky

Technical Writers .........................................................Shirl Phelps

.........................................................................Nick Lukianoff

Editor, Green Design & Manufacturing ....................Kendra Smith

Associate Editor .........................................................Emily Chang

Associate Editor...........................................................Billy Hurley

Production Manager .............................................Adam Santiago

Production Manager ................................................Cortney Silva

Art Director ...............................................................Lois Erlacher

Designer ...........................................................Bernadette Torres

Marketing Director .............................................Debora Rothwell

Circulation Manager .............................................Marie Claussell

Circulation/Audience Development Coordinator ....Brandie Denlinger

NASA Tech Briefs are provided by the National Aeronauticsand Space Administration, Innovative Partnerships Program:

Administrator...............................................Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

Director, Innovative Partnerships Office ...............Doug Comstock

Publications Director ...............................................Janelle Turner

Technical Director .............................................................Carl Ray

TECH BRIEFS MEDIA GROUP261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016

(212) 490-3999 FAX (212) 986-7864

Chief Executive Officer ..............................Domenic A. Mucchetti

Executive Vice-President.......................................Luke Schnirring

Technology Director .............................................Oliver Rockwell

Systems Administrator ............................................Albert Sunseri

Web Developer......................................................Karina Adames

Online Content Manager/Web Developer ..............Peter Bonavita

Digital Media Producer ................................................Phil Abalos

Credit/Collection ......................................................Felecia Lahey

Accounting/Human Resources Manager .......................Sylvia Ruiz

Office Manager ...................................................Alfredo Vasquez

Receptionist............................................Elizabeth Brache-Torres

NASA TECH BRIEFS ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

CT, MA, NH, ME, VT, RI, Eastern Canada ......................Ed Marecki......................................................................Tatiana Marecki...........................................................................at (401) 351-0274

NJ, PA, DE ..................................................................John Murray...........................................................................at (973) 545-2132

NY ........................................................................Stan Greenfield...........................................................................at (203) 938-2418

VA, MD, DC, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, TN, MS, LA, AR, OK, TX, WV ...........................................Ray Tompkins...........................................................................at (281) 313-1004

Western NY, OH, MI, IN..........................................Ryan Beckman...........................................................................at (973) 409-4687

MN, ND, SD, WI, IL, KY, MO, KS,IA, NE, Central Canada .................................................Bob Casey ...........................................................................at (847) 223-5225

Northwest, N. Calif., Western Canada .......................Craig Pitcherat (408) 778-0300

Bill Hague...........................................................................at (310) 457-6783

CO, UT, MT, WY, ID, NM ............................................Cynthia Louis...........................................................................at (970) 223-3911

S. Calif., AZ, NV ...............................................................Tom Boris...........................................................................at (949) 715-7779

New Business Managers ........................................Patrick Harvey...........................................................................at (973) 409-4686

Angelo Danza...........................................................................at (973) 874-0271

Tim Powers...........................................................................at (973) 409-4762

Michael Barboza...........................................................................at (973) 545-2565

Reprints........................................................................Jill Kaletha .................................................................at (866) 879-9144, x168

w w w . t e c h b r i e f s . c o m

NASA’s Technology SourcesIf you need further information about new technologies presented in NASA Tech Briefs,request the Technical Support Package (TSP) indicated at the end of the brief. If a TSP is notavailable, the IPO at the NASA field center that sponsored the research can provide you withadditional information and, if applicable, refer you to the innovator(s). These centers are thesource of all NASA-developed technology.

Ames Research CenterSelected technological strengths: InformationTechnology; Biotechnology; Nanotechnology;Aerospace Operations Systems; Rotorcraft;Thermal Protection Systems.Mary Walsh(650) [email protected]

Dryden Flight Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aerodynamics; Aeronautics Flight Testing;Aeropropulsion; Flight Systems; ThermalTesting; Integrated Systems Test andValidation.Yvonne D. Gibbs(661) [email protected]

Glenn Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aeropropulsion; Communications; EnergyTechnology; High-Temperature MaterialsResearch.Joe Shaw(216) [email protected]

Goddard Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Earth andPlanetary Science Missions; LIDAR; CryogenicSystems; Tracking; Telemetry; Remote Sensing;Command.Nona Cheeks(301) [email protected]

Jet Propulsion LaboratorySelected technological strengths: Near/Deep-Space Mission Engineering; Microspacecraft;Space Communications; Information Systems;Remote Sensing; Robotics.Indrani Graczyk(818) [email protected]

Johnson Space CenterSelected technological strengths: ArtificialIntelligence and Human Computer Interface;Life Sciences; Human Space FlightOperations; Avionics; Sensors;Communications.John E. James(281) [email protected]

Kennedy Space CenterSelected technological strengths: Fluids andFluid Systems; Materials Evaluation; ProcessEngineering; Command, Control, and MonitorSystems; Range Systems; EnvironmentalEngineering and Management.David R. Makufka(321) [email protected]

Langley Research CenterSelected technological strengths: Aerodynamics;Flight Systems; Materials; Structures; Sensors;Measurements; Information Sciences.Elizabeth B. Plentovich(757) [email protected]

Marshall Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Materials;Manufacturing; Nondestructive Evaluation;Biotechnology; Space Propulsion; Controls andDynamics; Structures; Microgravity Processing.Jim Dowdy(256) [email protected]

Stennis Space CenterSelected technological strengths: PropulsionSystems; Test/Monitoring; Remote Sensing;Nonintrusive Instrumentation.Ramona Travis(228) [email protected]

National Technology Transfer CenterDarwin MolnarWheeling, WV(800) 678-6882

NASA HEADQUARTERS

Innovative Partnerships OfficeDoug Comstock, Director(202) [email protected]

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) & SmallBusiness Technology Transfer (STTR) ProgramsCarl Ray, Program Executive(202) [email protected]

w w w . t e c h b r i e f s . c o mNASA’s Innovative PartnershipsOffice (IPO)

NASA’s R&D efforts produce a robust supply of promising technologies with applications in many indus-tries. A key mechanism in identifying commercial applications for this technology is NASA’s nationalnetwork of laboratories and business support entities. The network includes ten NASA field centers, theNational Technology Transfer Center (NTTC), and a full tie-in with the Federal Laboratory Consortium(FLC) for Technology Transfer. To explore technology transfer, development, and collaboration opportu-nities with NASA, visit www.ipp.nasa.gov.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




mailto:[email protected]









































Advertisers IndexFor free product literature, enter advertisers’ reader service numbers at www.techbriefs.com/rs, or visit the

Web site listed beneath their ad in this issue. Advertisers listed in bold-face type have banner ads on the NASA Tech Briefs web site — www.techbriefs.com

Reader ServiceCompany Number Page

Reader ServiceCompany Number Page

Agilent Technologies..........................................715 ............................19

AllMotion, Inc.....................................................710 ............................12

Alpha Wire Company ........................................747 ............................58

American Aerospace Controls ..........................830 ............................75

APM Hexseal ......................................................859 ............................75

ASM Sensors, Inc. ..............................................725 ............................31

Astro-Med Inc. ....................................................712 ............................15

AutomationDirect ..............................................717 ............................21

Avtech Electrosystems Ltd. ................................860 ............................74

Belt Technologies, Inc. ......................................850 ............................40

Bird Precision ....................................................861 ............................74

Bishop-Wisecarver Corp. ....................................719 ............................23

Boker’s Inc. ........................................................862 ............................74

Boyd Coating Research Co., Inc ........................863 ............................74

Bruker Corp. ......................................................760 ..................COV III

Celesco Transducer Prod, Inc. ..........................721 ............................27

COMSOL, Inc. ................................................707, 864 ..............7, 74

Crane Aerospace & Electronics ........................727 ............................33

Create The Future Design Contest....................708............................8-9

DCC Corporation ..............................................865 ............................74

Dearborn Electronics, Inc. ................................745 ............................57

Deschner Corporation ......................................757 ............................73

Dewetron Inc...................................................720 ..........................25

Digi-Key Corporation ......................................704 ......................3, 46

Digital Network Vision, LLC ..............................755 ............................69

Dimension ......................................................................................42

Dynapar ..............................................................766 ............................7a

Eagle Stainless Tube........................................736 ..........................45

Edmund Optics ..............................................750 ..........................65

element14............................................................711 ............................13

ELMA Bustronic ................................................722 ............................28

Evans ..............................................................730, 866 ............36, 74

Farrand Controls ............................................743 ..........................56

FLIR Commercial Vision Systems....................729 ..........................35

Fluid Metering Inc. ............................................867 ............................75

Forest City Gear ..................................................706 ..............................6

FORTUS 3D Production Systems ....................................................42

Fotofab ................................................................735 ............................44

General Polygon Systems ..................................868 ............................74

HaydonKerk Motion Solutions ........................761 ..........................1a

Helical Products Co., Inc. ..................................762 ............................2a

Herber Aircraft Service, Inc...............................733 ............................48

IKO International, Inc. ......................................763 ............................3a

Image Science Ltd. ............................................751 ............................67

IMS Schneider Electric Motion USA ................815 ............................9a

Indium Corporation ..........................................737 ............................47

Insaco Inc. ..........................................................771 ............................20

Integrated Engineering Software Inc. ..............716 ..........................38

International Rectifier........................................728 ............................34

Kaydon Bearings ................................................764 ............................4a

Lin Engineering..................................................765 ............................5a

Lowell Corporation ............................................768 ..........................10a

LPKF Laser & Electronics ..................................718 ............................22

Master Bond Inc. ................................................746 ............................57

MathWorks ..........................................................705 ..............................5

Matrox Imaging ..................................................749 ............................64

Measurement Computing Corp. ......................724, 726 ............30, 32

MEGA Electronics, Inc. ......................................869 ............................74

Micro-Epsilon Messtechnik GmbH....................732 ............................39

MicroCare Corp. ................................................741 ............................55

Mill-Max Mfg. Corp. ..........................................731 ............................37

Morehouse Instrument Co., Inc. ......................713 ............................50

MPL ....................................................................742 ............................55

MSC Software Corporation ............................870, 871 ..................75

National Instruments..........................................701 ....................COV II

Newport Corporation ........................................769 ............................16

Nippon Pulse America, Inc. ..............................767 ............................8a

NuSil Technology ..............................................714 ............................17

Omega Engineering ........................................702 ............................1

PhotoMachining Inc...........................................872 ............................74

Photometrics | QImaging ..................................754 ............................67

Polymicro Technologies ....................................744 ............................56

Proto Labs, Inc. ..................................................734 ............................43

RedEye RPM....................................................................................42

Schneider Optics ................................................752 ............................68

Seastrom Mfg. ....................................................758 ............................73

SENSORS Tech Forum ......................................723 ............................29

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments ......................873 ............................74

Smalley Steel Ring Company ............................739 ............................51

SolidWorks Corporation..................................759..................COV IV

Stanford Research Systems Inc. ........................703 ..............................2

Stockwell Elastomerics ......................................874 ............................74

Stratasys Inc. ..................................................709 ..........................11

Teledyne DALSA ............................................748 ..........................61

Universe Kogaku America, Inc. ......................753 ..........................68

Vivid Engineering ..............................................756 ............................69

VueMetrix............................................................740 ............................53

Watson-Marlow Pumps Group ..........................738 ............................49

yet2.com ................................................................................................41

Zeus Industrial Products ....................................770 ............................52

NASA Tech Briefs, ISSN 0145-319X, USPS 750-070, copyright ©2011 in U.S. is publishedmonthly by Tech Briefs Media Group, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016.The copyright information does not include the (U.S. rights to) individual tech briefsthat are supplied by NASA. Editorial, sales, production, and circulation offices at 261Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. Subscription for non-qualified subscribersin the U.S. and Puerto Rico, $75.00 for 1 year; $135 for 2 years. Single copies $6.25.Foreign subscriptions one-year U.S. Funds $195.00. Remit by check, draft, postal,express orders or VISA, MasterCard, and American Express. Other remittances atsender’s risk. Address all communications for subscriptions or circulation to NASA TechBriefs, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid at NewYork, NY and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes and cancellations to NASA Tech Briefs, P.O. Box3525, Northbrook, Il 60065.

Ridealong Enclosed in Versions 3 and 4.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Inside NASAThis feature profiles NASA’s ten field centers located across the country. Each month, we’ll highlight a NASA center’s uniquefacilities, capabilities, and areas of research, as well as specific missions and projects underway at each center. If you are interestedin partnering with a particular center, or in licensing specific technology, check out the More Information section at the end of eachprofile for contact information.

Langley Research Center inHampton, VA, has always been inno-vative. By solving monumental tech-

nology challenges, including those thatspawned the aviation industry and spacetravel, our researchers have earned areputation for their expertise inresearch, development, and experimen-tation. Today is no different. We arelooking at new ways to revolutionize air-planes and the air transportation system,to provide access to space, and to under-stand climate change. With our uniqueblend of aerosciences, structures andmaterials, atmospheric characterization,systems analysis, and entry, descent, andlanding expertise, we work across all ofNASA’s missions.

What We’re DoingIn aeronautics, we are tackling the

technical challenges of “NextGen,” thenext generation of air transportation.With new airframe design and air-frame/engine integration concepts,we’re reducing noise. We’re also devel-oping methods to verify and validatesoftware-intense automation and distrib-uted networks of safety systems. Ouradvanced materials and design conceptscan significantly lower fuel consumptionand noise, yet still create stronger, light-weight aircraft.

For rotorcraft, we are improvingactive control technologies for more effi-cient performance. We are working onoperational and safety issues related tounmanned aircraft systems operating inthe national airspace. Along with theFAA Surveillance and Broadcast ServicesOffice, Aviation Communication & Sur -veillance Systems (MITRE), we’re devel-oping procedures and applications forthe Automatic Dependent Surveill ance-Broad cast system to increase the effi-ciency of airport operations and reducefuel burn.

To support exploration, we are collabo-rating with partners in government,industry, and academia on needed tech-nologies for the next generation oflaunch, crew, and cargo vehicles able togo beyond Low Earth Orbit. Our exper -

Langley Research Center

NASA Langley’s Airspace and Traffic Operations Laboratory (ATOL) houses a suite of complex, high-fidelity simulation systems dedicated to the research of advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) con-cepts and technologies.

Workers from ILC Dover and NASA Langley inflated and tested the Inflatable Re-Entry VehicleExperiment (IRVE) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore of Virginia.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




tise in space launch system aerodynamics,guidance, navigation and control, andstructural and thermal analyses is beingused across the spectrum of vehicle devel-opment, including the launch abort sys-tem. For both spacecraft and inflatablehabitats, Langley’s experts are construct-ing lightweight materials and structuresto make space travel more economical,more efficient, and safer from radiation.We’re building a 2.65-meter aeroshellwith an advanced thermal protection sys-tem and structure to demonstrate manu-facturability and performance at relevantscale. Our new Hydro Impact Basin willenable validating and certifying futurespace vehicles for water landings.

Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) isone of our “sweet spots.” We are devel-oping rigid and flexible thermal protec-tion systems and supersonic and hyper-sonic inflatable aerodynamic decelera-tors to allow astronauts to land withexploration-class payloads on planetarysurfaces. For the Mars ScienceLaboratory, we will integrate a suite ofsensors to measure atmospheric condi-tions and the craft’s heat shield perform-ance during its entry and descent.

Langley’s science researchers aremeasuring, monitoring, and modelingour planet’s atmosphere to learn how itis changing. Our goal is to understandhow and why the changes are takingplace and then share this knowledgewith others, especially policymakers. Wedevelop instrumentation used on satel-lites, research aircraft, and on theground. Currently, we are measuring theoutgoing energy reflected and emittedfrom Earth — one of the two mostimportant long-term measurements fordetecting climate change. By using acombination of instruments, we arestudying the effects of clouds andaerosols on the heating and cooling ofEarth. We’re also making measurementsof aerosols, ozone, and CO2, and assess-ing the impact of human activities onthe atmosphere. Our scientists also tack-le climate by flying with their instru-ments into hurricanes to study how theyform and gather in strength. With teamsaround the globe, we conduct atmos-pheric missions. As a result, we have col-

lected one of the world’s most compre-hensive and precise collections of cli-mate data.

Technical CapabilitiesFrom concept to flight, our end-to-

end technical capabilities and facilitiesenable the experimentation, testing,and validation needed to advance next-generation aerospace technologies.Langley has many unparalleled facilities,such as the National Transonic Facility,the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel, and the8-Foot-High-Temperature Tunnel. Ourability to test from subsonic to hyperson-ic flight, along with our advanced labsand simulators, provides a unique envi-ronment for developing game-changingtechnologies and systems for future airand space transportation.

Often, we are asked to address inter-national issues and to respond to urgentnational problems. Recent examplesinclude rescuing the Chilean miners,crash investigations, oil spills, and vol-canic ash mitigation.

Where Do The Technologies Go?The technologies we develop fre-

quently find down-to-Earth applications.

Langley inventors received the NASAGovernment Invention of the Year awardfor their “Ultrasonic Crimp Tool,” origi-nally used by the Aircraft Aging andDurability Project to inspect connectionson electrical wiring systems in commer-cial and military airplanes. A system ini-tially created to detect clear air turbu-lence can now be used for earthquakedetection, for predicting environmentaland weather conditions, and for general-purpose sound pressure testing. The“Portable Infrasonic Detection System”also recently won a “green innovation”award. These technologies and manyothers are available for licensing (visithttp://technologygateway.nasa.gov/)

More InformationAn ever-accelerating pace of change

and rapid advancement make collabora-tion a critical component of our strategyfor success. We look forward to workingwith others all over the world as we con-tinue to develop innovative solutions forthe future. For more information, con-tact Michele Ferebee, Manager ofPartnership, Innovation, and Co m -mercial Space, at [email protected]; Tel: 757-864-5617.

By using data from NASA's Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIP-SO) satellite, Langley researchers created this image of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano ash cloud as it con-tinued to drift over the continent.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





NASA TechNeeds www.techbriefs.com/nasatechneeds

NASA Tech Briefs (NTB) has been a very successful method by which NASA conveys technologies available for commercial use tothe NTB audience. NTB readers represent a broad spectrum of technology experts in many disciplines and industries across the coun-try, and just as you may benefit from NASA technology, NASA may also benefit from your technology.

To help tap into the technologies you may be aware of that can address NASA’s technology needs, NTB features NASA TechNeeds,a series of articles that highlights the technology needs of the Agency. (A detailed overview of NASA’s tech needs areas is availableat: www.techbriefs.com/nasatechneeds.) The objective is to provide awareness of NASA’s future needs and requirements, whichcould facilitate potential future partnerships.

Each article describes specific selected technologies of importance. In every case, a NASA point of contact will be provided so thatthose interested have the means to explore the potential for partnerships with NASA.

NASA wants to make NTB a means by which we can achieve mutually beneficial two-way technology transfer, building on thetrack record of success that NTB has achieved in transferring NASA technology for commercial development and public benefit.

NASA seeks innovative tech-nologies to facilitate meeting

back Planetary Protection objec-tives for a potential Mars SampleReturn (MSR) mission, and tofacilitate forward Planetary Pro -tection implementation for apotential mission to Europa. For -ward and back Planetary Pro -tection concerns biological mate-rial transported from Earth, or toEarth, respectively.

Back Planetary Protection ad -dresses the possibility that Marsmaterial may pose a biologicalthreat to the Earth’s biosphere.This leads to a constraint thatreturned samples of Mars materi-al be contained with extraordi-nary robustness until they can betested and proved harmless, orbe sterilized by an acceptedmethod. Achieving this contain-ment goal will require new tech-nology for several functions.Containment assurance requires“breaking the chain of contact” withMars: the exterior of the sample con-tainer must not be contaminated withMars material. Also, the integrity of thecontainment must be verified, thesealed sample container must survivethe worst-case Earth impact correspon-ding to the candidate mission profile,and the Earth entry vehicle (EEV)must withstand the thermal and struc-tural rigors of Earth atmosphere entry— all with an unprecedented degree of confidence.

For Europa, products and technolo-gies are sought that can be demonstrat-

ed to be compatible with the missionprelaunch sterilization conditions andthe environmental conditions of space-flight and the Jovian system. Candidatetechnologies for new functions andcapabilities include development ofalternative sterilization solutions for sen-sitive spacecraft hardware, and demon-stration of novel biobarrier and reconta-mination prevention approaches forspacecraft hardware.

NASA NeedsBack Planetary Protection technolo-

gies for the following MSR functions

are needed: container design,sealing, and verification; break-ing-the-chain of contact/dustmitigation; meteoroid protec-tion and breach detection; andreliability analysis.

Technologies are desired forthe Europa mission that allowsterilization of previously non-sterilizable flight hardware (forexample, sensors, battery andvalve seals, and optical coatings)by either 1) dry heat processing,or 2) gamma irradiation. NASAalso seeks to use 3) hydrogenperoxide vapor processes for re-sterilization of assembled flighthardware elements. Productsand technologies are sought thatcan be demonstrated to be com-patible with these three identi-fied sterilization processes, aswell as the environmental condi-tions of spaceflight and theJovian system.

ApplicationsThe Mars Astrobiology Ex plorer-

Cacher (MAX-C) mission, as part of aMars Sample Return, and the EuropaOrbiter Mission, are included as high-priority efforts of the next decade. Bothof these complex missions have signifi-cant Planetary Protection requirements,and can directly benefit from innovativesolutions from industry.

More Information For further information, please contact Dr. J.

Andy Spry at [email protected] or at818-354-3073, or email [email protected].

NASA Planetary Protection By Dr. J. Andy Spry, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

NASA needs appropriate new technologies to be developed toallow missions to meet their Planetary Protection requirements, asin the case of the biobarrier cover for the arm on the Phoenix lan-der shown here deployed on Mars.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Innovation with Integrity Atomic Force Microscopy

Imagine working 100s of times faster… and imagine doing it with an AFM that breaks the mold for speed and imaging performance. Well, there is no need to dream, Bruker’s Dimension FastScan is the new gold standard in AFM technology. Dimension FastScan provides true fast scanning, on any sample, air or fl uid, is easy to use and provides the world’s highest AFM resolution and performance due to the system’s lowest drift and low noise. Speed up your productivity and discover Dimension FastScan for yourself. View high-resolution FastScan images at our website, or experience it on your sample – call for a demonstration.

For more information visit www.bruker-axs.com, email [email protected]

or call +1.805.967.1400 / 800.366.9956

Dimension FastScan™

The World’s Fastest AFM

Work 100s of Times Faster

Speed and Resolution in One System

No Waiting for Images


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



Solid

Wor

ks is

a re

gist

ered

trad

emar

k of

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es. ©

2011

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es. A

ll rig

hts

rese

rved

.

Help host Jeremy Luchini design the fi rst hardcore baby buggy using SolidWorks®. You’ll share ideas, comment on designs and vote on keydecisions throughout the project. If you think you’re ready, let’s go design.Watch. Share. Vote. LetsGoDesign.tv

PROJECT 3: HOT ROD BABY BUGGY

LOOKING FOR DESIGNERS TOPUSH THIS BABY


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




June 2011


Electro-Hydraulic Motion Controller for Earthquake Simulation ..............................6a

New Products ..................................................9a


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTHOME


IIa www.techbriefs.com/motion Motion Control Technology, June 2011

H ydraulic steering systems have longdominated the industrial utility

vehicle market because of their familiar-ity both to vehicle designers and opera-tors. More recently, a trend has beenseen towards the use of electronic steer-by-wire systems that provide greaterdesign flexibility by enabling software tocustomize the connection between thesteering wheel and steering mechanism.Several suppliers offer integrated steer-by-wire systems targeting the industrialutility vehicle market. A key differentiat-ing factor is the method used to providetorque feedback to give the operator aheightened sense of vehicle control. Thelatest generation of integrated steer-by-wire systems consumes less power, is lessexpensive, and offers the ability to beprogrammed to provide a wide range ofvalue-added features.

Moving Away from Hydraulic Steering

Hydraulic steering technology hasbeen used in industrial utility vehiclesfor decades. Engineers are familiar withits ruggedness in unfriendly environ-ments and its power density, whichenhances performance in the most diffi-cult applications. But recent trends inthe industry position hydraulic steeringas less advantageous for many industrialutility vehicles. Hydraulic steering sys-tems require a motor, pump, valves,hoses, and fittings. Utility vehicles thatutilize hydraulic drives for other func-tions may or may not have a hydraulicpump with enough capacity to accom-modate the steering system.

There has been a general trend awayfrom hydraulics in other applications aswell. Many manufacturers are looking tocut back or eliminate the use ofhydraulics, so it is becoming much hard-er to find spare capacity on a hydraulicpump for the steering system. If sparecapacity is not available, then it becomesnecessary to add a hydraulic system ded-icated to steering, which substantiallyraises the cost of this approach.Electronic steer-by-wire systems, on theother hand, are completely self-con-tained and do not require externalpumps or hoses. This means that theyare usually considerably less expensive

than hydraulic steering when the costsof the pump, valve, hoses, and fittingsare taken into account.

Another reason for considering a moveaway from hydraulic steering is the desireto improve battery life of electric-poweredvehicles and reduce energy consumption

of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. Hydraulicvehicles tend to consume relatively highamounts of power because the hydraulicsystem continually consumes supply powerwhether or not the steering system is beingoperated. Electronic steering also con-sumes considerably less power because

Steer-by-Wire Systems with IntegratedTorque Feedback Improve Steering

Performance and Reduce Cost

Electronic steering systems provide nearly maintenance-free operation, and offer substantially greaterdesign flexibility than hydraulic or direct drive systems. Newer-generation electronic steer-by-wire sys-tems also provide the tactile response, or “feel,” of mechanical and hydraulic steering systems.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



TM


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTP1


power is drawn only when operating thesteering systems.

Advantages of Electronic Steer-by-Wire Systems

Another reason for the trend awayfrom hydraulic steering is substantial per-formance improvements that have beenmade in electric motors. The power den-sity of electric motors has substantiallyincreased because of advances in magnet-ic materials, lead/ball screw efficiency,construction, manufacturing techniques,and electronics. Today’s electric motors

can deliver substantially more powerwhile maintaining high levels of efficien-cy. Steer-by-wire systems have also benefit-ted by the improved reliability of all elec-tronic and electrical products. Electronicsteering systems provide nearly mainte-nance-free operation and are much lessprone to fail due to lack of maintenance.

Electronic steering also offers substan-tially greater design flexibility thanhydraulic or direct-drive systems. Thereis much greater flexibility in locating thesteering wheel because it no longer hasto connect directly to a mechanical drive

shaft or a hydraulic valve, which in turnneeds to be connected by hoses to thesteering motor. Electronic steering elim-inates the need for costly telescopicmechanical linkage or long hydraulichoses in man-up vehicles where theoperator is hoisted up to pick stock fromhigh warehouse racks.

Electronic steering also provides farmore opportunity in configuring thesteering functionality of the vehicle.Design engineers themselves can easilychange the steering ratio with a softwarecommand, and can even design the vehi-cle so that the steering ratio can bechanged in the field or programmed tochange on the fly, depending on vehicleoperating conditions. For example, anelectronic steering system could be con-figured to have a high steering ratio atlow speeds and a lower ratio at highspeeds to help avoid sudden turns athigh speed, or configured to allow forrapid maneuvering at low speed.Electronic steering can be programmedto indicate that the vehicle is nearing theend of the steering range by increasingtorque resistance. Electronic steeringalso opens up the door to other moreadvanced options such as using torqueresistance to prevent the operator fromsteering towards detected obstacles.

Unique Torque FeedbackA critical consideration in moving to

electronic steering is that operators areused to the tactile response, or “feel,”provided by both direct mechanical andhydraulic steering systems. The earliestgenerations of electronic steer-by-wire sys-tems did not provide this feedback andthey did not achieve acceptance by vehi-cle users. Today, torque feedback devicesare available that provide several signifi-cant advantages. The new approachworks much like a brake by using a mag-netic actuation system to apply force to afriction disc that impinges upon a rotor.The friction disc utilizes an innovativematerial whose static-to-dynamic-frictionperformance is not subject to the slip-stick effect that in a conventional brakegenerates a higher level of friction whenthe shaft is stationary.

The new material also provides a pro-portional torque force over a wide rangeof applied forces. The air gap betweenthe friction material and the rotorremains constant regardless of wear tothe friction material. Unlike other mate-rials used in torque feedback devices,the new friction material is insensitive totemperature so it provides consistentperformance over a wide range of oper-

2a Motion Control Technology, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-762

Steer-by-Wire Systems

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro




Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



Steer-by-Wire Systems

www.techbriefs.com/motion Motion Control Technology, June 2011

Solar panel positioning to 0.0006”?

www.kaydonbearings.com

Recently a solar energy system developer had a bright idea: rotate each panel with one bearing instead of two — a Kaydon slewing ring bearing.

And since solar positioning requires 10 times the accuracy of a standard bearing, we designed one with radial runout of 0.0006” (precision class ABEC 5).

Kaydon can solve your design problem, too. Visit our website today for examples and 3-D drawings, or call 800-514-3066.

No problem.


ating conditions without the need for atemperature compensation system. Thenew material generates a consistent fric-tional force over its life and does notgenerate any frictional force when cur-rent is turned off. This torque feedbackdevice also provides faster response tovery small changes in current.

Integrated Systems ReduceDevelopment Costs

Nearly every industrial utility and per-sonal mobility vehicle manufacturer haseither introduced steer-by-wire or has aninitiative underway to introduce it in thenear future. Many of these companies aredesigning and sourcing their own sys-tems. This can be a challenging taskbecause of the need to specify a sensor,building or buying a system to providetorque feedback, providing a drive motor,and integrating these components witheach other and with the vehicle.

Utilizing a complete electronic steer-by-wire system can substantially reduceproduct development and sourcing costswhile providing an advanced design thathas been proven in the field. Such elec-tronic steer-by-wire systems includeredundant shaft position sensors, torquefeedback device with friction assemblyand electromagnetic actuator, drivemotor, and protective housing. The orig-inal equipment manufacturer simplyneeds to connect the drive motor totheir gearbox, bolt the steering wheel tothe housing, and program the device toprovide the desired functionality.

The architecture of these completesystems offers a wide range of mechani-cal interfaces, voltages, torques, drivehorsepower, etc. as standard, so they canbe adapted easily to most any applica-tion. Such integrated electronic steeringsystems are, in most cases, less expensivethan hydraulic systems and internallydeveloped electronic steering systems.

Application SuccessNilfisk-Advance, Inc. is the world’s

largest manufacturer of professionalcleaning equipment. The company’sAdvance Captor 4300B and 4800B bat-tery rider sweeper-scrubbers can bothsweep and scrub in a single pass. Theyalso provide 80-gallon tanks, the largestmain broom in their class, and the pro-ductivity of an engine machine withoutthe noise and fumes.

These cleaning machines were original-ly designed with direct-drive steering andelectrical torque assist. Nilfisk-Advanceengineers made the decision to upgradethe steering system to electronic steer-by-

wire in order to improve steering per-formance, reduce power consumption,and make it possible to add additional fea-tures. “We considered hydraulic steering;however, the vehicle only has a smallhydraulic power pack used for lifting thehopper and closing the dump door,” saidKurt Vetse, mechanical engineer. “Thispower pack is designed for intermittentuse so going to hydraulic steering wouldhave required a new continuous-dutypower pack. This would have significantlyincreased the cost of the steering system.We didn’t want to devote the extensiveresources or expose ourselves to the riskthat would have been required to developour own steer-by-wire system from scratch.So we looked at three leading commercialsteer-by-wire solutions. We selected theThomson unit because of its compact sizeand low cost.”

The integrated steer-by-wire unitincorporates all of the capabilities need-ed for steer-by-wire, including torquefeedback technology that providesrepeatable performance over time andtemperature and no torque at zero cur-rent. The steer-by-wire unit bolts righton to the existing gearbox that Nilfisk-Advance uses to turn the steered wheel,and fits within the existing console.Nilfisk-Advance engineers adjusted thetorque feedback to simulate thehydraulic steering systems that manycustomers are used to. They configuredthe unit to provide fewer lock-to-locksteering wheel turns than are requiredby most hydraulic systems to reduce theamount of operator effort. They alsodecreased the level of steering sensitivitywhen the vehicle is going straight inorder to make it easier for the operatorto keep the vehicle on a straight path.

This article was written by Geoff Rondeau,Product Manager, Thomson Industries, Inc.,Wood Dale, IL. For more information, visithttp://info.hotims.com/34455-320.

The Torque Feedback Device provides position orvelocity feedback to electric and steer-by-wiresystem operators with the “feel” of hydraulics.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTP4A

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTP4B



Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/ -34455 765

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



6a www.techbriefs.com/motion Motion Control Technology, June 2011

Applications

H ow do you test the behavior of differ-ent soil structures in an earthquake?

Obviously, large earthquakes don’t hap-pen often, and they certainly don’t hap-pen on cue. The solution, of course, is tomodel earthquakes in a laboratory envi-ronment. And that’s exactly what is beingdone by the Center for GeotechnicalModeling at the University of California,Davis. Since it’s not economical to simu-late the forces of an earthquake on full-size soil structures such as one wouldfind beneath a real bridge or large build-ing, physical models of much smaller sizeare used. In Figure 1, for example, is amodel of the San Francisco Bay AreaRapid Transit transbay tube that wasrecently tested in Davis1.

The problem with using small soilmodels, however, is that material proper-ties of the soil do not scale the same wayas the physical dimensions of the modelscale. In fact, in order to respond in thesame manner to earthquake forces asfull-size physical environments, the forceof gravity on a smaller model needs to bescaled upward by the same factor thatthe size of the model is scaled downwardfrom the real-world environment that isbeing modeled2. That is, in order toaccurately model the gravity loading of amodel that is 1/100 the size of the prob-lem in real life, the weight of everythingin the model would need to be increasedto 100 times its original weight.

So how do you simulate a 100-timesincrease in the force of gravity on anobject? You put the object on the end ofa centrifuge arm and take it for a spin(Figure 2). Then, if you want to see howthe object responds to an earthquake,you shake it while it’s spinning. That’swhat’s going on at the UC Davis Centerfor Geotechnical Modeling.

The soil and structure model is placedon a shake table that is affixed to theend of the centrifuge arm. As the cen-trifuge spins, the table pivots to alignitself perpendicular to the arm of thecentrifuge. The rotational velocity of thecentrifuge is increased until the desiredoutward force is reached, at which timea hydraulic cylinder applies the shaking

action. The shaking motion is controlledby an electro-hydraulic motion con-troller under direction from a remotepersonal computer that can instruct themotion controller to “play back” theshaking motion as recorded from pastreal earthquakes.

The UC Davis lab typically tests mod-els that are between 1/30 and 1/60 thesize of their real-life counterparts, butthe lab is not studying what happens tobuildings or other structures themselveswhen subjected to earthquakes. Instead,the researchers are focused on learningabout how the soils behave and howstructures interact with the soil.

The soil used for testing is regular soilor sand so that the material properties ofthe model soil will match the real world.This is possible because the relative sizeof the sand or soil particles is still suffi-ciently small compared to the size of themodel structures. Getting the stresses cor-rect within the soil is the most importantpart of getting the soil behavior correct.

Simulation RequirementsThe hydraulics that shake the model

are mounted on the centrifuge arm(Figure 3). The shaking table that they

act on is similar to those used in otherlaboratory research, except that it needsto operate in an accelerated G-field envi-ronment. Earthquake frequencies thatare produced in real life typically rangefrom less than 1 to around 10 Hz ormore, but the shaking frequency needs tobe scaled along with the G level in themodel environment. So, the frequency ofthe hydraulic shaking motion that mustbe produced in the centrifuge environ-ment will typically be on the order of 30Hz to 300 Hz. Since real earthquake sig-natures as well as test waveforms arebeing reproduced, the hydraulic controlsneed to be able to respond very quickly toarbitrary inputs, using closed-loop con-trol to make sure that the motion ade-quately follows the target inputs.

“The motion controller responds by‘playing back’ recorded stimulus,” saidDan Wilson, Associate Director of theCenter for Geotechnical Modeling atUC Davis. “We typically use sine waves tocheck out the system and then move onto reproduce actual motions recorded inearthquakes such as the 1989 LomaPrieta or 1995 Kobe earthquakes, or justabout any other recorded strong groundmotion of interest.”

Electro-Hydraulic Motion Controller for Earthquake Simulation

Figure 1. The large geotechnical centrifuge at UC Davis was used to study the seismic response of theSan Francisco Bay Area’s BART transbay tube and surrounding spoils.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



Recently, the UC Davis team upgrad-ed the motion controller they use ontheir 1-m-radius centrifuge shaker. “Ourold hydraulic controller was a home-made device that we couldn’t maintain,”said Wilson. “We wanted a controllerthat was highly reliable, capable of pro-ducing extreme, high-frequency wave-forms under closed-loop control, andone that is easy to program for differentapplications. Plus, we wanted one thatwould interface easily to a PC runningLabVIEW.” The researchers use theLabVIEW program by NationalInstruments to do filtering and scalingof the earthquake files, as well as collectdata from instruments during theexperiments.

The shaker on the 1-m radius cen-trifuge operates at 3000 psi with a peakforce of around 4500 pounds, shaking apayload of around 150 pounds. It shakeswith a peak stroke of ±6 mm and peakvelocity of 0.3 m/s at frequencies up to400 Hz (not all simultaneously). Thehigh-frequency motions put a stress onhydraulic system components and con-trols. The frequencies are beyond theresonant frequencies of the oil columnand the servo valve being used, and themass that is being driven is very largecompared to the reaction mass available.Plus, the payload (soil sample) can gofrom something very stiff to very softduring the testing (wet soil can liquefyduring an earthquake). This means thatthe closed-loop controls will be receivingfeedback that changes nonlinearly andrapidly during the simulation run.

Selecting the MotionController

To upgrade the controls in the earth-quake simulator, the UC Davis teamselected an RMC70 Series motion con-troller from Delta Computer Systems ofBattle Ground, WA. When running asimulation, the controller uses positionfeedback that it gets from a linear vari-able displacement transducer (LVDT)to close the position control loop. Themotion controller is mounted in a boxon the wall outside the centrifuge, andthe LVDT and load cell feedback sig-nals and the valve coil drive signal runover slip rings to the actuator on thecentrifuge.

The UC Davis team has been usingDelta’s RMCTools software package togenerate motion commands to check

Motion Control Technology, June 2011 7a

HAROWE BRAND RESOLVERS ARE

Harowe resolvers are built for high temperature (up to 200°C), high pressure, and severe shock and vibration feedback applications.

Resolvers are used in adverse operating conditions involving extreme environments. Harowe resolvers provide a consistent and reliable signal in conditions where encoders tend to have failures.

IndustriesRoboticsMachine ToolWood WorkingMetal WorkingPlant Automation

1675 Delany Road, Gurnee, IL. 60031

MAXIMUM DUTY FEEDBACK

INNOVATION - CUSTOMIZATION - DELIVERY - RELIABILITY


Figure 2. The model to be tested and the shake table are mounted to a pivoting container at the endof the centrifuge arm. A hydraulic rotary joint in the middle passes high-pressure oil onto onboardaccumulators that provide high pressure and high flow to the servo valve.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



www.techbriefs.com/motion Motion Control Technology, June 2011

LINEAR SHAFT MOTOR

| www.nipponpulse.com | [email protected] | 1-540-633-1677

NPM

EFFICIENT.

Nippon PulseYour Partner in Motion Control

PRECISE. ACCURATE.

STEPPER MOTORS

ECONOMICAL.RELIABLE. ACCURATE.

MOTION COMMUNICATION

DRIVE.CONTROL. NETWORK.


Applications

out the hardware. The tuning wizardwas used as the starting point for all ofthe tuning. In the case of the shaker,the motion open loop is run at thehighest frequencies. The auto-tuningprovided baseline PID coefficientsused for feedback control at slowerspeeds. Typically, the UC Davis teamstarts out the system with a new modelby doing linear motion at relativelyslow speeds. Once the system is stabi-lized, the motion is switched to pro-duce sine waves, and then theresearchers switch to using more com-plex waveforms in proving out thehardware. Full simulation runs arethen done using the filtered earth-quake waveforms that are downloadedfrom the PC to the RMC using ModbusTCP/IP over Ethernet.

One of the early challenges that need-ed to be overcome by the team was theability to manage the high motion fre-quencies that were being produced. Atthe frequencies at which they were oper-ating, some of the position feedback wasout of phase with the motion. The teamneeded to filter out higher-frequencyfeedback signals in order to keep themotion under control.

The new control system has been usedso far primarily for a study on using bio-

logical grouting methods for liquefac-tion remediation. In this work,researchers harness naturally occurringbiological processes to create cementedsands in the hope they can reduce therisk of liquefaction. The project is a chal-lenge to control because the researcherswant to recreate the same motion inmodels that fully liquefy (i.e. becomevery soft) to models that are fullycemented (i.e. very stiff).

Interesting things that the team haslearned include how to tune a systemthat is very nonlinear in its re sponse. Theproperties of the system change as itshakes, and soil changes to slurry.Getting the system to respond well underboth sets of conditions is a challenge.

This article was written by Bill Savela ofDelta Computer Systems. For more informa-tion, visit http://info.hotims.com/34455-321.

References1 Chou et al, “Centrifuge Modeling of

Seismically-Induced Uplift for the BARTTransbay Tube”, Journal of Geotechnicaland Geoenvironmental Engineering (Printdate TBD)

2 B.L. Kutter, "Dynamic Centrifuge Modelingof Geotechnical Structures", Trans portationResearch Record 1336, TRB, NationalResearch Council, pp. 24-30, Washington,DC, 1992

Figure 3. The actuator, servo valve, and feedback LVDT are mounted below the soil and structuremodel. The steel beams support the model container in the g field and provide the reaction mass forshaking.

Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro





Motion Control Technology, June 2011 www.techbriefs.com/motion Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-815

ProductsNEW

Ball ValvesM-series metal seat ball valves from A-T Controls (Cincinnati,

OH) are engineered with coated matched balls and seats to with-stand high temperatures, pressures, and abrasive materials.The valves have a temperature range of -20 °F to 661 °F,and a pressure rating up to ANSI class 600. Ball and seatmaterials include stainless steel, stellite welded, andhard chrome-plated steel, allowing the valves to per-form in applications involving abrasive fluids and steam.Two optional coatings are also available: a tungsten car-bide (TC) coating for heavy slurry environments, and achrome carbide (CC) coating for higher-temperature applications. An oversized stem preventsdeformation at higher pressures and temperatures. Larger ball design provides a tight seal, pre-venting leakage, and an Inconel seat spring maintains positive contact between the ball and seatduring operation.

The valves are available with four connection options (flanged, threaded, socket weld, andbutt weld), and body material options include WCB, CF8, and CF8M. Special material is avail-able based on application. Nominal pipe size (NPS) range is 0.5 to 8.0". A uni-directional shut-off is standard, with a bi-directional shutoff available for back flow applications.


Stainless Steel MotorsBoston Gear (Charlotte, NC) has launched a line of stainless

steel motors designed for washdown applications. Exteriorconstruction consists of 300 Series stainless steel housing,end bells, output shaft, and conduit box. Motors areUL/ULc certified and conform to 2007 EISA efficiencystandards. All units feature Class F insulation, Class B rise at1.15 service factor, and epoxy-encapsulated windings.Internally locked bearings eliminate unwanted axial movement. Other features include double-lip shaft seals, rubber gasket seal on the conduit cover, O-rings between end bells and the hous-ing, and no mounting feet. Stainless steel 230/460 VAC, 3-phase, 60 Hz (50 Hz) motors are total-ly enclosed, and are available in seven sizes ranging from 0.5 HP to 3 HP. Fan-cooled and non-ventilated models are offered.


Motion and Logic ControllersORMEC Systems Corp. (Rochester, NY) offers the ServoWire Motion &

Logic Controllers (SMLC) that coordinate a network of ServoWire(FireWire) drives for applications where multi-axis motion is needed. Incases where axes are required that do not need as tightly coordinatedmotion, the XD-Indexer drive can be integrated into the SMLC system viaModbus TCP communication. The total number of drives on a SMLC con-

troller can be expanded beyond the ServoWire limit of 16to more than 100. The controller features high-perform-ance computing capability and offers CoDeSys IEC61131-3 programming, PLCopen motion function blocks,industrial Ethernet network solutions, and FireWire-based drive networking.

ServoWire drives are offered in more than 14 models with onboard I/O and output currentsranging from 2.5 to 60 amps. Both encoder and resolver feedbacks are available. The XD-Indexer drives are programmed with table-based software. They provide 32 independentmotion profiles synchronizing motion with machine I/O. The drive has fully functional index-ing capabilities. The CoDeSys program in the SMLC controller uses a library of function blocksto command the indexing sequences.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTP9C

http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTP9D




Rotary Servo DriveDE-STA-CO (Auburn Hills, MI) has released the

CAMCO® RSD rotary servo drive. The zero-backlash,cam-actuated drive can be used with both rotary and lin-ear systems for smooth motions even at high speeds orwith rapid speed changes. The drive is compatible with avariety of industry-standard servomotors, offering theflexibility and logic to handle applications that involve

uneven motion or displacement, change in direction, or different products run-ning on the same machine. A large-output mounting surface enables the drive tosupport dials and high loads. Its thru-hole can accommodate accessory lines suchas electrical wiring, and air or hydraulic lines. Additional features include fouroutput options: large flange with thru-hole; 32-mm-diameter shaft; externalshrink disk for 30-mm or 40-mm shaft; and internal shrink disk for 30-mm shaft.


Robots and GrippersABB Robotics (Auburn Hills, MI) has introduced two

palletizing robots and three palletizing grippers for end-of-line, centralized, full-layer, and bag palletizing appli-cations. The IRB 460 palletizing robot is capable of upto 2,190 cycles per hour. The 4-axis robot is designedto handle products weighing up to 50 kilograms, hasa reach of 2.4 meters, and has a maximum payloadof 110 kg. The second robot, the IRB 760, isdesigned for high-output, full-layer palletizing.With a payload capacity of 450 kilograms and a

reach of 3.2 meters, the 4-axis robot fea-tures a high-inertia wrist that enables itto rotate heavier and larger products.

Three FlexGripper end-of-arm tools include a heavy-duty claw forhigh-speed bag palletizing, a vacuum gripper for light- and medium-weight cases, and a clamp gripper for handling heavy cases. The prod-ucts also feature the RobotStudio Palletizing PowerPac software, whichallows users to configure, simulate, and program the robots and grip-pers for palletizing solutions, in one step, with little or no robot pro-gramming experience required.


10a Motion Control Technology, June 2011Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/34455-768

ProductsNEW

Integrated Motion SystemsThe MDrive® integrated motor anddrive systems from IMS Schneider

Electric Motion USA (Marlborough,MA) are available for Ethernet net-works with simplified connectivity

and minimal signal degradation overlong distances. The systems feature integrat-

ed motor, drive, and fully programmable con-troller, with a standardized IP addressing system that

allows up to 255 devices on a network while eliminating wiring andsoftware configuring of traditional multi-drop systems using RS-422/485 communications. The integrated systems use standard RJ45connectors and CAT5/6 cabling. The systems support the MOD-BUS/TCP as well as MCode/TCP.

An additional enhancement is Hybrid Motion Technology™, whichdelivers the benefits of servo and stepper motors, with capabilities andenhancements over both. The technology is a hardware-based system forreal-time response that delivers smooth movement while eliminatingunintentional stalling, lowers heat with Variable Current Setting, enablesoperation at 100% of motor torque, and operates in Torque Mode.


Linear Position SensorsMacro Sensors (Pennsauken, NJ) offers the MLW Series

long-stroke linear position sensors for absolute positionmeasurement of displacements up to 1.2 meters. Availablein ranges of 300 mm (11.8") to 1,200 mm (39.4"), thesecontactless linear position transducers are suited forhydraulic cylinder and actuator feedback applicationswhere the sensor can either be mounted externally or

embedded into the cylinderor actuator body. Utilizingmagnetostrictive technolo-gy, the sensors operate bytransmitting a current pulsethrough its tube that isreflected by a moveable per-manent magnet. The sensor

measures the time of flight to determine the position of themagnet on the tube. The time-based position measure-ment is translated into an output signal.

Powered by 24VDC, the sensors have less than ±0.25%linearity and ±0.01% repeatability over the full scale withoutputs that include analog voltage, current, and SSI. Thesensors feature self-contained electronics, a stainless steelprobe, and die cast probe head with an IP66 rating andtube IP67. The sensor probe is sealed up to 5,000 psi, so thesensors can be packaged within hydraulic cylinders as aclosed-loop feedback device.


Cov ToC + – ➭

➮

AIntro



http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTP10C


http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?201106MCTP10E


nasa tech briefs june 2011

Documents