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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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New control system damps vibrations in rotating equipment with help of phase-locked-loop techniques. Vibrational modes are controlled by applying suitable currents to drive motor. Control signals are derived from sensors mounted on equipment.
A commutated automatic gain control (AGC) system was designed and built for a prototype Loran C receiver. The receiver uses a microcomputer to control a memory aided phase-locked loop (MAPLL). The microcomputer also controls the input/output, latitude/longitude conversion, and the recently added AGC system. The circuit designed for the AGC is described, and bench and flight test results are presented. The AGC circuit described actually samples starting at a point 40 microseconds after a zero crossing determined by the software lock pulse ultimately generated by a 30 microsecond delay and add network in the receiver front end envelope detector.
A phase control system concept for a solar power satellite is proposed which partitions the system into three major levels. The first level of phase control consists of a reference phase distribution system implemented in the form of phase distribution tree structure. The major purpose of the tree structure is to electronically compensate for the phase shift due to the transition path lengths from the center of the spacetenna to each phase control center located in each subarray. In the reference system, this is accomplished using the master slave returnable timing system technique. The second level of phase control consists of the beam steering and microwave power generating system which houses the power transponders. This transponder consists of a set of phase conjugation multipliers driven by the reference phase distribution system output and the output of a pilot spread spectrum receiver which accepts the received pilot via a diplexer connected to a separate receive horn or the subarray itself. The output of the phase conjugation circuits serve as inputs to the third level of the phase control system. The third level of phase control is associated with maintaining an equal and constant phase shift through the microwave power amplifier devices while minimizing the associated phase noise effects on the generated power beam. This is accomplished by providing a phase locked loop around each high power amplifier.
Fuel and lubricant deposits on solid surfaces, though often of similar visual appearance, differ in composition, depending on the nature of the deposit formers and the circumstances of deposition. To help establish these relations an Infrared Emission Fourier Polarization Microspectrophotometer was constructed to record infrared spectra from the deposits on their original support. By focussing on small aggregates with a reflecting microscope objective and by discriminating against the randomly polarized blackbody radiation with a rotating polarizing filter phase-locked to an amplifier, excellent Fourier emission spectra of polarized bands could be obtained. In many instances, the microscope objective was adequate without the polarizer. The analysis was calibrated against a very thin film of polyethylene terephthalate attached to a highly reflective aluminum mirror on the sample positioner.
A low noise, broadband, balanced mixer has been developed for use as a 225-GHz receiver. It utilizes a local oscillator (LO), whose frequency is nearly 1/4 the signal frequency, to mix the signal power to a low IF, which is then amplified. This same LO drives a similar mixer that is used to phase lock a 225-GHz transmitter. The use of a subharmonic mixer lowers LO cost, noise, and complexity, increases LO availability and reliability, and is compact and portable. Typical applications for this type of mixer include coherent receivers, passive imaging, multiple receiver systems, and broadband detection systems
A popular method of symbol synchronization exploits one aspect of generalized harmonic analysis, normally referred to as the cross-spectrum. Utilizing nonlinear techniques, the input symbol energy is effectively concentrated onto multiples of the symbol clock frequency, facilitating application of conventional phase lock synchronization techniques. A general treatment of the cross-spectrum technique is developed and shown to be applicable across a broad class of symbol modulation formats. An important specific symbol synchronization application is then treated, focusing the general development to provide both insight and quantitative measure of the performance impact associated with variation in these key synchronization parameters: symbol modulation format, symbol transition probability, symbol energy to noise density ratio, and symbol rate to filter bandwidth ratio.
Summing network receives coherent signals from all receivers in array. Method sums narrow-band radio-frequency (RF) carrier powers and wide-band spectrum powers of array of separate antenna/receiver systems designed for phase-locked-loop or suppressed-carrier operation.
A phase locked interference microscope capable of resolving depth differences to 30 A and planar displacements of 6000 A was constructed for the examination of the profiles of bearing surfaces without physical contact. This instrument was used to determine surface chemical reactivity by applying a drop of dilute alcoholic hydrochloric acid and measuring the profile of the solid surface before and after application of this probe. Scuffed bearing surfaces reacted much faster than unscuffed ones, but bearing surfaces which had been previously exposed to lubricants containing an organic chloride reacted much more slowly. In a separate series of experiments, a number of stainless steel plates were heated in a nitrogen atmosphere to different temperatures and their reactivity examined later at room temperature. The change of surface contour as a result of the probe reaction followed an Arrhenius type relation with respect to heat treatment temperature. This result could have implications on the scuffing mechanism.
In quantum optical receiver, both amplitude and phase of received optical signal measured to extract as much information as possible, thereby reducing error probability. Phase-modulated received signal mixed with equal amplitude replica of optical carrier generated in phase locked loop. Two signals interfere with each other at photomultiplier cathode. Probability of error with this scheme close to theoretical minimum and implemented with current technology.
PLL oscillator with VFO operating at one frequency yields any one of four frequencies by dividing by 4, 7, 21, or 52.5. Radiation resistant phase-locked loop oscillator generates output frequency 32 times any 1 or 4 specific input reference frequencies constructed without increasing component count over that of conventional circuit.
Outputs of two magnetrons added coherently in scheme based on resonant waveguide coupling and injection phase locking. In addition, filaments are turned off after starting. Overall effect is relatively-inexpensive, lowpower, noisy magnetrons generate clean carrier signals of higher power that ordinarily require more expensive klystrons.
A Ka-band low noise front end in proof of concept (POC) model form for ultimate spaceborne communications receiver deployment was developed. The low noise receiver consists of a 27.5 to 30.0 GHz image enhanced mixer integrated with a 3.7 to 6.2 GHz FET low noise IF amplifier and driven by a self contained 23.8 GHz phase locked local oscillator source. The measured level of receiver performance over the 27.3 to 30.0 GHz RF/3.7 to 6.2 GHz IF band includes 5.5 to 6.5 dB (typ) SSB noise figure, 20.5 + or - 1.5 dB conversion gain and +23 dBm minimum third order two tone intermodulation output intercept point.
A method for calculating the increase in received telemetry signal power required to compensate for the use of a radio frequency interference (RFI) filter in front of the DSN receiving system low-noise amplifier is described. The telemetry system for which the degradation is calculated is an uncoded PCM/PM system in which the NRZ data directly modulates the carrier at a modulation level which leaves a discrete carrier. A phase-locked loop in the RF receiver tracks the discrete carrier and coherently demodulates the PCM data. The RFI filter may be a series of Butterworth, Tchebychev, or Bessel low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, or band-reject filters, each with arbitrary bandwidth, number of poles, and, for band-pass or band-reject filters, resonant frequency. The only restriction is that the RFI filter must have only simple poles. Numerical results are presented for the RFI filters the DSN plans to place in front of the S-band FET, S-band maser, and X-band maser low noise amplifiers. The main conclusion is that the filters will produce negligible degradation at data rates below 4 Mbps.
A radio-frequency interference (RFI) environment can cause serious problems for communications systems, such as the Deep Space Network (DSN). For this reason, it is necessary to determine first the RFI susceptibility characteristics for DSN receiving systgms. The present investigation is concerned with CW RFI's which are close in frequency to the carrier frequency. The carrier tracking loop is highly sensitive, and this type of RFI will degrade the carrier loop performance before saturation effects become noticeable. The investigation has the objective to develop an analytical model which will make it possible to predict the tracking performance of the Block IV receiver when operated in the presence of a CW RFI in the receiver passband. The Block IV receiver represents one of the DSN receivers. Attention is given to the effects of a CW RFI on a phase-locked loop, the effects of a bandpass limiter, numerical results, experimental verification, and aspects of computer simulation.
The degree of insensitivity of the temperature dependence method to variations in preferred orientations in A508 low carbon steel specimens was determined. A pulsed phase locked loop was used to measure ultrasonic velocity in these specimens in the temperature range of 50 C below and above room temperature. Results are given in tables and indicate that the temperature dependence of ultrasonic longitudinal velocity in four specimens cut at different angles remains unchanged as a function of orientation within + or -2%. The variation of temperature dependence of ultrasonic shear velocity in the A508 steel as a function of applied stresses was also measured. Results show that values at zero stress are equal regardless of whether the polarization direction is parallel or perpendicular to the direction in which the stress is applied.
Design parameters and resulting performance are presented for the sampled data analogies of continuous time phase locked loops of second and third order containing perfect integrators. Expressions for noise equivalent bandwidth and steady state errors are given. Stability and gain margin are investigated using z plane root loci. Finally, an application is presented for Voyager subcarrier and carrier tracking under the dynamics of the encounters with Uranus and Neptune. For carrier tracking, loop bandwidth narrow enough for satisfactory loop signal to noise ratios can be achieved using third order loops without rate aiding, whereas second order loops would require aiding. For subcarrier tracking, third order loops can be used when the sampling rate is limited to approximately once per second, as in the Baseband Assembly, whereas second order loops sufficiently wide to track the dynamics have stability problems at that sampling rate.
Smoothing as a way to improve the carrier phase estimation is proposed and analyzed. The performance of first and second order Kalman optimum smoothers are investigated. This performance is evaluated in terms of steady state covariance error computation, dynamic tracking, and noise response. It is shown that with practical amounts of memory, a second order smoother can have a position error due to an acceleration or jerk step input less than any prescribed maximum. As an example of importance to the NASA Deep Space Network, a second order smoother can be used to track the Voyager spacecraft at Uranus and Neptune encounters with significantly better performance than a second order phase locked loop.
The composition and surface profiles of M-50 steel surfaces were measured after operation at high loads in a bearing contact simulator. An ester lubricant (trimethyolpropane triheptanoate) was used with and without various additives. Optical profiles were obtained + or - to 30 depth resolution with a phase-locked interference microscope in 10 micron diameter areas within and outside the wear tracks. Optical constants and surface film thickness were measured in the same areas with an electronic scanning ellipsometer. Film composition was measured with a scanning Auger electron spectrometer. It is concluded that metal oxide formation is accelerated within the wear tracks.