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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 631 records · Page 35

The Mount Wilson magnetograph

In the summer of 1957, an instrument quite similar to the prototype solar magnetograph described by Babcock (1953) was installed at the 150-foot tower telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory, and daily magnetograph observations of the full disk of the sun were started. During the following years, the instrument was modified and improved on several occasions. The present investigation is concerned with the present state of the magnetograph, which was largely rebuilt during 1981. Attention is given to the spectrograph entrance slit, the diffraction grating, the exit slit, the employed microprocessor, the setup procedure, the magnetic signal, the Doppler signal, and a solar magnetogram.

Howard, R.↗

Integrated flight/propulsion control system architectures for a high speed aircraft

The present investigation is concerned with the impact of integrated flight, inlet, and engine control system architectures on system effectiveness and life cycle cost (LCC). The aircraft employed in the investigation is a modified YF-12 with a cruise Mach number of 2.5. The aircraft has two advanced technology aircraft JT-69 afterburning, low-bypass turbofan engines. Advanced technologies suitable for use in future flight/propulsion control systems are related to distributed computer networks, fault tolerant computers and software, analytical redundancy, self-checking microprocessor pairs, advanced direct drive actuators, fiber optic data buses, VLSI microcircuits, and skewed sensors. The integrated architectures were found to have fewer sensors, actuators, and power sources than the nonintegrated architectures.

Bangert, L. H.↗

Integrated control system concept for high-speed aircraft

The synthesis and evaluation of flight control system architectures for future aircraft are discussed in terms of design features and the requirements for fighter aircraft. Advanced fighter configurations may feature canards, flaperons, two-dimensional vectoring nozzles, a mixing compression inlet, and an advanced turbojet engine. Survey and evaluation technology will also progress to include distributed microprocessors, VLSI and VHSIC microcircuitry, optical circuits, analytic redundancy, etc. Bottom-p and top-down architectures have been investigated to fulfill the reliability, maintainability, cost, and performance goals. A centralized architecture has been devised with line-removable units to facilitate maintainability and reduce weight. Descriptions are provided of the performance parameters and applications of optical elements, photoelastic pressure sensors, rare earth sensors, computing elements, and information transfer system.

Carlin, C. M.↗

Controlling Solar-Power Systems With Distributed Processors

System undergoing development uses distributed microprocessors to monitor and control photovoltaic power system. Equipment increases life expectancy and reliability of power system and decreases costs. Adapted to vehicular, residential, and commercial solar and nonsolar power systems. Equipment especially desirable in systems with overall power levels above few kilowatts.

Imamura, M. S.↗

Fiber-Optic Equipment for Power-System Control

Report surveys state of art in fiber optics and explores use of microprocessors communicating over optical fibers to control complicated power system with many producing and consuming units. Power system of study is of planetary spacecraft, and fiber-optic technology extension of that now under development or used in military aircraft and ships.

Bridgeforth, A. O.↗

Communication Program Emulates Switchboard

Software allows microprocessor systems to communicate with external devices. Flexible program completely menu-driven, and all local operator commands require only single keystroke.

Ron, D.↗

Laser Rangefinder and Remote Profilometer

Proposed laser rangefinder and profilometer operates with precision of about 1mm at ranges of up to 100m. With scanning optics, device could track objects or accurately measure shapes of objects in field of view. New microprocessor-controlled design uses variable-length fiber-optic delay line as distance reference. New rangefinding method used in vision systems for industrial robots.

Mclauchlan, J. M.↗

Integrated Exhaust-Gas-Analysis System

Gas-Analysis system includes eight commercial gas analyzers and data-processing and calibration electronics. Two microprocessors range analyzers, calibrate system, process raw data to units of concentration, and make all system information available to facility research computer and to operator. After initial setup, system operates several hours without significant operator attention. Saves considerable operator time.

Anderson, R.↗

Development and flight test of an X-band precision approach concept for remote-area rotorcraft operations

A novel airborne radar-based precision approach concept was developed and flight tested as a part of NASA's Rotorcraft All-Weather Operations Research Program. A demonstration, transponder-based beacon landing system (BLS), incorporating state-of-the-art X-band radar technology and digital processing techniques, was built and flight tested to demonstrate the concept feasibility. The BLS airborne hardware consists of an add-on microprocessor, installed in conjunction with the aircraft weather/mapping radar, which analyzes the radar beacon receiver returns and determines range, localizer deviation, and glide slope deviation. The ground station is an inexpensive, portable unit which can be quickly deployed at a landing site. Results from the flight test program show that the BLS concept has a significant potential for providing rotorcraft with low-cost, precision, instrument approach capability in remote areas.

Clary, G. R.↗

Flight evaluation results from the general-aviation advanced avionics system program

A demonstration advanced avionics system (DAAS) for general-aviation aircraft was tested at NASA Ames Research Center to provide information required for the design of reliable, low-cost, advanced avionics systems which would make general-aviation operations safer and more practicable. Guest pilots flew a DAAS-equipped NASA Cessna 402-B aircraft to evaluate the usefulness of data busing, distributed microprocessors, and shared electronic displays, and to provide data on the DAAS pilot/system interface for the design of future integrated avionics systems. Evaluation results indicate that the DAAS hardware and functional capability meet the program objective. Most pilots felt that the DAAS representative of the way avionics systems would evolve and felt the added capability would improve the safety and practicability of general-aviation operations. Flight-evaluation results compiled from questionnaires are presented, the results of the debriefings are summarized. General conclusions of the flight evaluation are included.

Callas, G. P.↗

The 400-Hz aircraft power-generation systems: Advancing the baseline

Today's benchmark system for the Boeing 757/767/A310 airplanes and future trends in hydromechanical aircraft power generating systems are discussed. The 757/767/A310 system represents the commercial state of the art and the direction in which Sundstrand Corp. is headed, particularly in regard to weight reduction. Sundstrand introduced microprocessor control in an in service system in the Boeing 767 and was the first to use databus communications between the controls. Plans to develop this technology are briefly discussed. Alternative ways to produce and use power in aircraft are discussed. The integrated starter drive is discussed.

Glennon, T.↗

NASA Demonstration Advanced Avionics System (DAAS)

The Demonstration Advanced Avionics Systems (DAAS) integrates a comprehensive set of general aviation avionics functions into an advanced system architecture for demonstration in a Cessna 402 aircraft. A cursory functional description of the DAAS complex is given. Microprocessors, computer architecture, and display devices are discussed.

Peterson, E. M.↗

Design, development and flight test of a demonstration advanced avionics system

The design of integrated avionics suitable for general aviation was examined. The program emphasizes the use of data busing, distributed microprocessors, shared electronic displays and data entry devices, and improved functional capability. Design considerations includes cost, reliability, maintainability, and modularity. A demonstration advanced avionics system (DAAS) was designed, built, and flight tested in a Cessna 402, twin engine, general aviation aircraft. The DAAS, and the system architecture are described.

Denery, D. G.↗

Recording and reproduction of microwave holograms using a scanning procedure and their subsequent optical processing

Intensity distributions in nonoptical wave fields can be visualized and stored on photosensitive material. In the case of microwaves, temperature effects can be utilized with the aid of liquid crystals to visualize intensity distributions. Particular advantages for the study of intensity distributions in microwave fields presents a scanning procedure in which a microcomputer is employed for the control of a probe and the storage of the measured data. The present investigation is concerned with the employment of such a scanning procedure for the recording and the reproduction of microwave holograms. The scanning procedure makes use of an approach discussed by Farhat, et al. (1973). An eight-bit microprocessor with 64 kBytes of RAM is employed together with a diskette storage system.

Hetsch, J.↗

Modular approach for satellite communication ground terminals

The trend in satellite communications is toward completely digital, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems with uplink and downlink data rates dictated by the type of service offered. Trunking terminals will operate in the 550 MBPS (megabit per second) region uplink and downlink, whereas customer premise service (CPS) terminals will operate in the 25 to 10 MBPS region uplink and in the 200 MBPS region downlink. Additional criteria for the ground terminals will be to maintain clock sychronization with the system and burst time integrity to within a matter of nanoseconds, to process required order-fire information, to provide adaptive data scrambing, and to compensate for variations in the user input output data rates, and for changes in range in the satellite communications links resulting from satellite perturbations in orbit. To achieve the required adaptability of a ground terminal to the above mentioned variables, programmable building blocks can be developed that will meet all of these requirements. To maintain system synchronization, i.e., all bursted data arriving at the satellite within assigned TDMA windows, ground terminal transmit data rates and burst timing must be maintained within tight tolerances. With a programmable synchronizer as the heart of the terminal timing generation, variable data rates and burst timing tolerances are achievable. In essence, the unit inputs microprocessor generated timing words and outputs discrete timing pulses.

Gould, G. R.↗

A portable real-time data processing system for standard meteorological radiosondes

The UMET-1 is a microprocessor-based portable system for automatic real-time processing of flight data transmitted from the standard RAWINSONDE upper atmosphere meteorological balloonsonde. The first 'target system' is described which was designed to receive data from a mobile tracking and telemetry receiving station (TRADAT), as the balloonsonde ascends to apogee. After balloon-burst, the UMET-1 produces user-ready hardcopy.

Staffanson, F. L.↗

The ISPM experiment for spectral, composition and anistropy measurements of charged particles at low energie

The Heliosphere Instrument for Spectral, Composition, and Anisotropy at Low Energies (HI-SCALE) designed to measure interplanetary ions and electrons is described. Ions and electrons are detected by five separate solid-state detector telescopes oriented to give complete pitch angle coverage from the spinning spacecraft. Ion elemental abundances are determined by a telescope using a thin front detector element in a three-element telescope. Experiment operation is controlled by a microprocessor-based data system. Inflight calibration is provided by radioactive sources mounted on closable telescope covers. Ion and electron spectral information is determined using broad-energy-range rate channels, and a pulse-height analyzer for more detailed spectra. The instrument weighs 5.775 kg and uses 4.0 W power.

Lanzerotti, L. J.↗

Intelligent editor/printer enhancements

Microprocessor support hardware, software, and cross assemblers relating to the Motorola 6800 and 6809 process systems were developed. Pinter controller and intelligent CRT development are discussed. The user's manual, design specifications for the MC6809 version of the intelligent printer controller card, and a 132-character by 64-line intelligent CRT display system using a Motorola 6809 MPU, and a one-line assembler and disassembler are provided.

Woodfill, M. C.↗