Utilisation of turboelectric distribution propulsion in commercial aviation: A review on NASA’s TeDP concept

Emissions produced by the aviation industry are currently a severe environmental threat; therefore, aviation agencies and governments have set emission targets and formulated plans to restrict emissions within the next decade. Hybrid aircraft technology is being considered to meet these targets. The importance of these technologies lies in their advancements in terms of aircraft life cycles and environmental benignity. Owing to these advancements, hybrid electric systems with more than one power source have become promising for the aviation industry, considering that the growth of air traffic is projected to double in the next decade. Hybrid technologies have given future hybrid fans and motor-fan engines potential as alternative power generators. Herein, Turboelectric Distributed Propulsion (TeDP) is discussed in terms of power distribution and power sources. The fundamentals of turbofan and turboshaft engines are presented along with their electricity-generation mechanism. TeDP is discussed from a design viewpoint, with a detailed discussion of different types of hybrid electric and turboelectric systems. Examples of proposed TeDP aircraft models and numerical modelling tools used to simulate the performance of TeDP models are reviewed. Finally, innovative turboelectric systems in which electric power savers and mechanical gear changers have been discarded for weight optimisation are presented along with other prospective models, engines, approaches, and architectures. The findings of this review indicate the knowledge gaps in the field of numerical modelling for NASA’s TeDP and its capability to increase the efficiency by up to 24% with a 50% reduction in emissions relative to those of conventional gas turbines.     

Scheduling algorithms for rapid imaging using agile Cubesat constellations

Distributed Space Missions such as formation flight and constellations, are being recognized as important Earth Observation solutions to increase measurement samples over space and time. Cubesats are increasing in size (27U, ～40?kg in development) with increasing capabilities to host imager payloads. Given the precise attitude control systems emerging in the commercial market, Cubesats now have the ability to slew and capture images within short notice. We propose a modular framework that combines orbital mechanics, attitude control and scheduling optimization to plan the time-varying, full-body orientation of agile Cubesats in a constellation such that they maximize the number of observed images and observation time, within the constraints of Cubesat hardware specifications. The attitude control strategy combines bang-bang and PD control, with constraints such as power consumption, response time, and stability factored into the optimality computations and a possible extension to PID control to account for disturbances. Schedule optimization is performed using dynamic programming with two levels of heuristics, verified and improved upon using mixed integer linear programming. The automated scheduler is expected to run on ground station resources and the resultant schedules uplinked to the satellites for execution, however it can be adapted for onboard scheduling, contingent on Cubesat hardware and software upgrades. The framework is generalizable over small steerable spacecraft, sensor specifications, imaging objectives and regions of interest, and is demonstrated using multiple 20?kg satellites in Low Earth Orbit for two case studies – rapid imaging of Landsat’s land and coastal images and extended imaging of global, warm water coral reefs. The proposed algorithm captures up to 161% more Landsat images than nadir-pointing sensors with the same field of view, on a 2-satellite constellation over a 12-h simulation. Integer programming was able to verify that optimality of the dynamic programming solution for single satellites was within 10%, and find up to 5% more optimal solutions. The optimality gap for constellations was found to be 22% at worst, but the dynamic programming schedules were found at nearly four orders of magnitude better computational speed than integer programming. The algorithm can include cloud cover predictions, ground downlink windows or any other spatial, temporal or angular constraints into the orbital module and be integrated into planning tools for agile constellations.     

谐振式陀螺全角模式误差来源与接口技术

全角模式是谐振式陀螺的新型接口技术，具有直接测量角度、动态范围大的优点，但其对陀螺元器件对称性要求极高的缺点限制了它的实际应用。首先，从谐振式陀螺全角模式的原理出发，讨论了各种不理想因素对全角模式运行造成的问题。然后，从器件设计和控制系统两方面出发，讨论了可行的技术路线。最后，通过数值仿真的方法证明了理论分析的正确性，并给出了谐振式陀螺的选型和控制系统的建议。     

服务通告全面成本评估

从工作实际出发，提出了服务通告的全面成本评估方案，详细给出成本项分类和量化方法，应用投资收益率方法综合决策各成本项，帮助工程管理人员科学量化服务通告，得到更准确合理的评估结论。     

ITRS/GCRS transformation: Uncertainty propagation analysis and short-term modelling of IAU 2006/2000A developments

A study of the uncertainty propagation in ITRS/GCRS transformation is presented in this work. General law of propagation of variances is applied to the ITRS/GCRS transformation matrix, deriving the analytical expressions to compute GCRS position uncertainty. This evaluation is based on EOP uncertainties provided by IERS long-term series and formal uncertainties of ITRS-compatible coordinates. Numerical results for the period 1998–2016 are shown and discussed for ITRS positions in different altitudes and latitudes, providing graphical and numerical insights of the mapping of EOP uncertainties to transformed coordinates.Eventually, an analysis of short-term evolution of the Celestial Intermediate Pole coordinates in the GCRS provided by the IAU2006/2000A precession-nutation model is carried out, in order to assess the feasibility to potentially broadcast these parameters in GNSS navigation message. This approach would facilitate the dissemination of terrestrial-celestial transformation parameters for real time users, given that polar motion and UT1-UTC are already foreseen in GPS interface specification. The results presented in this work confirm the feasibility of this idea.     

Exploration life support technology challenges for the Crew Exploration Vehicle and future human missions

As NASA implements the U.S. Space Exploration Policy, life support systems must be provided for an expanding sequence of exploration missions. NASA has implemented effective life support for Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station (ISS) and continues to develop advanced systems. This paper provides an overview of life support requirements, previously implemented systems, and new technologies being developed by the Exploration Life Support Project for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Lunar Outpost and future Mars missions. The two contrasting practical approaches to providing space life support are (1) open loop direct supply of atmosphere, water, and food, and (2) physicochemical regeneration of air and water with direct supply of food. Open loop direct supply of air and water is cost effective for short missions, but recycling oxygen and water saves costly launch mass on longer missions. Because of the short CEV mission durations, the CEV life support system will be open loop as in Apollo and Space Shuttle. New life support technologies for CEV that address identified shortcomings of existing systems are discussed. Because both ISS and Lunar Outpost have a planned 10-year operational life, the Lunar Outpost life support system should be regenerative like that for ISS and it could utilize technologies similar to ISS. The Lunar Outpost life support system, however, should be extensively redesigned to reduce mass, power, and volume, to improve reliability and incorporate lessons learned, and to take advantage of technology advances over the last 20 years. The Lunar Outpost design could also take advantage of partial gravity and lunar resources.     

基于协议变换的图像采集系统设计

介绍了一个基于高速协议变换的实时图像采集系统,该系统实现了从IEEE1394协议到千兆以太网协议的实时变换,将基于IEEE 1394协议的数字相机发出的图像数据转发到以太网上.系统设计使用了SOPC(System On a Programmable Chip)技术,通过Avalon总线将Nios Ⅱ处理器,千兆网MAC核和自定义的1394芯片接口逻辑等IP组件连接在一起形成主要的硬件电路,结合系统软件设计实现了对高速图像数据的实时转发.系统达到了较好的性能,同时具有集成度高,结构简单和扩展性好的特点,展示了利用SOPC技术解决此类问题的优势.     

目标跟踪多智能体一致控制

研究了二阶多智能体系统跟踪一致问题。针对相对速度信息未知的网络,分析了有时滞和无时滞情况下网络的稳定性,给出了系统能够实现跟踪一致的条件。最后,通过仿真表明所提协议比现有协议性能更好。     

飞机单一产品数据源集成模型研究

根据对飞机产品构型及复杂历史状态的研究,给出了飞机产品单一产品数据源基本特点。设计了基于主/子模型集成的集成方法,并根据集合论关系原理,分析了单一产品数据源数据组织的约束关系。采用实体建模方法设计了数据库系统,并给出了满足状态管理要求的更改规则。根据集成模型开发了单一产品数据源原型系统,集成了工程数据及装配工艺数据,实现了由构型变化驱动的数据有效性传递,并支持了装配生产现场的无纸化操作和检验。     

连续短线段空间圆弧转接与插补

针对连续短线段高速加工控制需求,研究了利用空间圆弧转接实现高速插补的方法。建立了圆弧转接数学模型,研究了转接的几何约束和运动约束、转接参数计算、空间圆弧插补等相关理论与算法,并详细分析了算法的使用范围、效率制约因素和计算量等工程实现相关问题。仿真和加工实验表明:该转接算法能显著提高加工效率,减小振动,改善工件表面质量。作为空间圆弧转接算法基础的空间圆弧插补算法对空间任意平面内圆弧插补具有实用价值。本文所有算法已经在自主研发的数控平台上进行了验证,应用效果良好。