Advanced materials for next generation NiMH portable, HEV and EVbatteries

While Ovonic NiMH batteries are already in high volume commercial production for portable applications, advances in materials technology have enabled performance improvements in specific energy (100 Wh/kg), specific power (600-1000 W/kg), high temperature operation, charge retention, and voltage stability. Concurrent with technology advances, Ovonic NiMH batteries have established performance and commercial milestones in electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, as well as scooter, motorcycle and bicycle applications. As important as these advances, significant manufacturing cost reductions have also occurred which allow continued growth of NiMH technology. In this paper, advances in performance, applications and cost reduction are discussed with particular emphasis on the improved proprietary metal hydride and nickel hydroxide materials that make such advances possible     

Sensor alignment with Earth-centered Earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinatesystem

In this work, we formulate the multiple sensor alignment problem in an Earth-centered Earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system. The alignment algorithm maps the sensor measurements to the ECEF coordinates using a geodetic transformation, and attributes the discrepancies in the Earth-referenced system reported by each sensor to the sensor biases. Sensor biases are then estimated using the least squares (LS) technique. Simulated and real-life radar data are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. Comparisons are made to those algorithms based on the standard stereographic projection     

Analysis and results of the 1995 Yuma ground penetration SARmeasurements

In July and October 1995, a large-scale airborne SAR experiment was conducted in the Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma, Arizona, to investigate ground penetration radar phenomenology and buried target detection. This paper describes the Yuma experiment and measurement results for many tactical, utility, and environmental targets deployed in the test     

On the convergence of iterative methods for bearings-only tracking

This paper deals with the analysis of the convergence of iterative methods for bearings only tracking (BOT). A geometric and unified framework is developed. Explicit sufficient conditions ensuring convergence of iterative methods for maximization of the likelihood functional are then derived     

Ultra-reliable real-time control systems-future trends

Today's aircraft use ultra-reliable real-time controls for demanding functions such as Fly-By-Wire (FBW) flight control. Future aircraft, spacecraft and other vehicles will require greater use of these types of controls for functions that currently are allowed to fail, fail to degraded operation, or require human intervention in response to failure. Fully automated and autonomous functions will require ultra-reliable control. But ultra-reliable systems are very expensive to design and require large amounts of on-board equipment. This paper will discuss how the use of low-cost sensors with digital outputs, digitally commanded fault-tolerant actuation devices and interconnecting networks of low-cost data buses offer the promise of more affordable ultra-reliable systems. Specific technologies and concepts to be discussed include low-cost automotive and industrial data buses, “smart” actuation devices with integral fault masking capabilities, management of redundant sensors, and the fault detection and diagnosis of the data network. The advantages of integrating the control and distribution of electrical power with the control system will be illustrated. The design, installation, and upgrade flexibility benefits provided by an all-digital and shared network approach will be presented. The economic benefits of systems that can operate following failure and without immediate repair will be reviewed. The inherent ability of these redundant systems to provide effective built-in test and self-diagnostics capabilities will be described. The challenges associated with developing ultra-reliable software for these systems and the difficulties associated with exhaustive verification testing will be presented as will additional development hurdles that must be overcome     

Progress in CMOS integrated measurement systems

Selected micro- and nano-systems developed recently at the Physical Electronics Laboratory of ETH Zurich are reviewed: (i) a fluxgate microsystem for detection of the Earth's magnetic field; (ii) a capacitive chemical sensor microsystem for detection of volatile organic compounds in air; and (iii) a parallel scanning AFM chip. The micro- and nano-systems combine sensor structures and readout circuitry on a single chip and are fabricated using industrial CMOS technology in combination with post-processing micromachining and film deposition     

Optimum Steady State Position, Velocity, and Acceleration Estimation Using Noisy Sampled Position Data

A one-dimensional tracking filter based on the Kalman filtering techniques for tracking of a dynamic target such as an aircraft is discussed. The target is assumed to be moving with constant acceleration and is acted upon by a plant noise which perturbs its constant acceleration motion. The plant noise accounts for maneuvers and/or other random factors. Analytical results for estimating optimum steady state position, velocity, and acceleration of the target are obtained.     

Development of 1000-mHz Distance Measuring Equipment

The major radio aids to air navigation are listed. Underlined are those whose signal format is standardized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and they have now all been the subject of the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society Pioneer Award, as follows: airborne direction finder/nondirectional beacon (ADF/NDB), Busignies and Moseley, 1959; VHF omnidirectional range (VOR), Stuart, 1962; instrument landing system (ILS), Kramar 1964, Alford 1965; air traffic control radar beacon system (ATCRBS), Williams, Bowden, and Harris, 1973; distance measuring equipment (DME), Dodington, 1980. A brief history of the development of the distance measuring equipment, which also formed the basis for an IEEE National Aerospace Electronics Conference luncheon address, is given.     

Slope Coding of Coherent Pulse-Burst Waveforms

Useful new properties are obtained with a coherent pulse-burst waveform if the FM slopes are allowed to change from pulse to pulse. A design feature using such a "slope-coded" waveform is the ability to transfer, in a controllable manner, ambiguity volume from the range ambiguity peaks to regions located between the peaks (in the frequency direction). Slope coding thus provides a useful mechanism for matching the waveform to the environment; i. e., it permits the signal designer to make some compromise between range ambiguity-peak heights and low-velocity clutter rejection.