Satellite fault diagnosis using a bank of interacting Kalman filters

The main objective of this work is development and testing of a detection, isolation, and diagnosis algorithm based on interacting multiple model (IMM) filters for both partial (soft) and total (hard) reaction wheels faults in a spacecraft. This is shown to be accomplished under a number of different faulty mode scenarios for these actuators associated with the attitude control system (ACS) of a satellite. Various operating and faulty conditions due to changes and anomalies in the temperature, the power supply line voltage, and the loss of effectiveness of the torque and the current are considered in each reaction wheel associated with the three axes of the satellite. Once a fault mode is detected and isolated the recovery procedure can subsequently be engaged by invoking appropriate switching control strategies for the ACS. The application of a bank of interacting multiple Kalman filters for detection and diagnosis of anticipated reaction wheel failures in the ACS is described and developed. Compared with other model-based fault detection, diagnosis and isolation(FDDI) strategies developed in the control systems literature, our FDDI strategy is shown, through extensive numerical simulations, to be more accurate and robust with potential for extension to a number of other application areas.     

Probing the era of galaxy formation via TeV gamma ray absorption by the near infrared extragalactic background

We present models of the extragalactic background light (EBL) based on several scenarios of galaxy formation and evolution. We have treated galaxy formation with the Press-Schecter approximation for both cold dark matter (CDM) and cold+hot dark matter (CHDM) models, representing a moderate (z _f 3) and a late (z _f 1) era of galaxy formation respectively. Galaxy evolution has been treated by considering a variety of stellar types, different initial mass functions and star formation histories, and with an accounting of dust absorption and emission. We find that the dominant factor influencing the EBL is the epoch of galaxy formation. A recently proposed method for observing the EBL utilizing the absorption of 0.1 to 10 TeV gamma-rays from active galactic nuclei (AGN) is shown to be capable of discriminating between different galaxy formation epochs. The one AGN viewed in TeV light, Mrk 421, does show some evidence for a cutoff above 3 TeV; based on the EBL models presented here, we suggest that this is due to extinction in the source. The large absorption predicted at energies > 200 GeV for sources at z > 0.5 indicates that observations of TeV gamma-ray bursts (GRB) would constrain or eliminate models in which the GRB sources lie at cosmological distances.Now at University of Chicago, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics.     

Specification and Performance of Passive Sonar Spectral Estimators

The application of existing estimation theory to the problem of specification and performance of passive sonar spectral estimators is considered. The classification function is addressed, so that the signal is assumed to be present, and so that the energy arrival angle is known. The spatial filter considered is a line array of M equally spaced omnidirectional hydrophones. Signal and ambient noise are both zero-mean, wide-sense, stationary Gaussian random processes that differ in their spatial correlation across the face of the array. The signal is a plane wave that can be made totally spacially corrected between array elements by inserting delays between sensors to invert the signal propagation delay. The noise correlation is a function of frequency, bandwidth, element separation, and the relative time delay between sensors. Under these assumptions, the Cramer-Rao lower bound is derived for the class of unbiased estimates of signal power in a narrow frequency band at the hydrophone in the presence of correlated ambient noise of known power. The bound is examined numerically, resulting in a threshold phenomenon with M that constitutes a new design consideration. In addition, there is a striking insensitivity to realistic values of ambient noise correlation, and there are ranges in signal-to-noise ratio for which one gains more by increasing M than by increasing the bandwidth-time product. Specific processors, including a new unbiased estimator when noise power is unknown, are developed.     

Radar Performance with Multipath Using the Complex Angle

The complex angle (CA) method for resolving a low angle target from its multipath signal is evaluated in the presence of system noise. It is shown that standard deviation improvements of around 3-to-1 can be achieved at a 20-dB signal-to-noise power ratio relative to a normal monopulse system without the CA. It is also shown that the CA method is unbiased, giving bias improvements of as much as 100 times relative to normal monopulse. Evaluation of the assumptions in the technique shows very little sensitivity to knowledge of the reflecting surface's conductivity or dielectric constant. However, the method is somewhat sensitive to knowledge of surface roughness.     

Medium PRF set selection using evolutionary algorithms

This paper presents a new and novel method of selecting multiple pulse repetition frequency (PRF) sets for use in medium PRF pulsed-Doppler radars. Evolutionary algorithms are used to minimise the blind areas in the range/Doppler space. The evolutionary algorithm allows optimal solutions to be generated quickly, far faster than with exhaustive searches, and is fully automatic, unlike existing techniques. The evolved solutions compare very favorably against the results of both an exhaustive search and existing published PRF set selection methods. This evolutionary approach to generation of PRF sets is a major advance in medium PRF radar design.     

Radar Identification of Naval Vessels

A scheme is presented for the identification of naval vessels via active multiple-frequency radar interrogation. A major virtue of the described method is the use of a response waveform synthesized using amplitude data only. A prediction correlation using natural resonances associated with substructures on the vessels is applied to synthetically generated matched-filter response waveforms. The identification scheme is tested using measured model data for 8 vessels on a simulated sea surface. A correct identification probability of roughly 77 percent is obtained.     

Matched Filter Criteria and Range Weighting for Weather Radar

The effective weighting function for weather radar is defined. This weighting function considers the effects of both the transmitted signal and the receiver filter. It is used to assign effective ranges to samples taken at prescribed times. For uniformly distributed targets it is shown that "signal"-to-noise ratio depends on the receiver filter, transmitted signal envelope, and receiver noise spectral density. Maximization of this signal-to-noise ratio when range resolution constraints are imposed is discussed, and a receiver design approach specifically adapted for Doppler weather radars is developed.     

Susceptibility of DS/FH,M, Binary DPSK to Partial and Full Band Barrage Jamming

Spread spectrum signaling schemes have been proposed to counter unfriendly, electrical jamming threats. In order to establish their effectiveness, such schemes must be analyzed. This work takes a step in this direction by developing the susceptibility equation, or equivalently, the probability of error, of a direct sequence/frequency hopped (DS/FH), binary differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) system when subjected to a barrage jamming signal. Specific system models are established for the receiving system as well as for the jamming signal and the spread spectrum techniques. Both partial and full band jamming strategies are considered. Graphical results are presented with the conclusions summarizing the spread spectrum effectiveness and the deficiencies of the FH processing gain definition.     

Calibration of the MERIC full-polarimetric radar: theory and implementation

This paper describes the architecture and calibration design of the experimental ground based radar station MERIC. This full-polarimetric radar is conceived for the analysis and the recognition of non cooperative aircraft in flight.We carefully study how the full-polarimetric capability is obtained for a simultaneous transmit (simultaneous transmission of two linear FM with opposite slopes) radar system, using analogue deramping with a replica.The phase distortions of the signal propagating in the four polarimetric channels are carefully estimated. We define a phase calibrating method compatible with the outdoor measurements conditions and few constraints on reference targets.We show the phase accuracy obtained with the proposed calibration method on real measurements.