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An equalizer (10) for removing parabolic phase distortion from an analog signal (3), utilizing a pair of series connected transversal filters. The parabolic phase distortion is cancelled by generating an inverse parabolic approximation using a sinusoidal phase control filter (18). The signal (3) is then passed through an amplitude control filter (21) to remove magnitude ripple components.
A multiphase converter circuit generates a plurality of sinusoidal outputs of displaced phase and given speed value from the output of an angular resolver system attachable to a motor excited by these multi-phase outputs, the resolver system having a lower speed value than that of the motor. The angular resolver system provides in parallel format sequential digital numbers indicative of the amount of rotation of the shaft of an angular position sensor associated with the angular resolver system. These numbers are used to excite simultaneously identical addresses of a plurality of addressable memory systems, each memory system having stored therein at sequential addresses sequential values of a sinusoidal wavetrain of a given number of sinusoids. The stored wavetrain values represent sinusoids displaced from each other in phase according to the number of output phases desired. A digital-to-analog converter associated with each memory system converts each accessed word to a corresponding analog value to generate attendant to rotation of the angular resolver a sinusoidal wave of proper phase at each of the plurality of outputs. By properly orienting the angular resolver system with respect to the rotor of the motor, essentially ripple-free torque is supplied to the rotor. The angular resolver system may employ an analog resolver feeding an integrated circuit resolver-to-digital converter to produce the requisite digital values serving as addresses. Alternative versions employing incremental or absolute encoders are also described.
The Earth Observing System (EOS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) is scheduled for launch in 2004 on the EOS Aura spacecraft. The design, assembly and test of the flight 2nd Intermediate Frequency/ Local Oscillator (2nd IF/LO) subsystem for this instrument has been completed and is presented here. The 2nd IF/LO subsystem consists of 5 separate microwave assemblies, 1 for each of the 5 millimeter wave radiometer front ends, providing a total of 33 separate IF channels. Some key requirements of the subsystem are as follows: provide frequency multiplexing of overlapping or closely spaced 1st IF channels while maintaining low ripple in the passbands; generate 19 different 2nd LO frequencies, in the range of 4-20 GHz, with low phase noise and a placement resolution of 400 KHz; downconvert the 1st IF's to a common 2nd IF frequency centered at 900 MHz; minimize cost and schedule by using common designs for the 5 different assemblies wherever possible.
For real-time stereo vision systems, the standard method for estimating sub-pixel stereo disparity given an initial integer disparity map involves fitting parabolas to a matching cost function aggregated over rectangular windows. This results in a phenomenon known as 'pixel-locking,' which produces artificially-peaked histograms of sub-pixel disparity. These peaks correspond to the introduction of erroneous ripples or waves in the 3D reconstruction of truly Rat surfaces. Since stereo vision is a common input modality for autonomous vehicles, these inaccuracies can pose a problem for safe, reliable navigation. This paper proposes a new method for sub-pixel stereo disparity estimation, based on ideas from Lucas-Kanade tracking and optical flow, which substantially reduces the pixel-locking effect. In addition, it has the ability to correct much larger initial disparity errors than previous approaches and is more general as it applies not only to the ground plane.
A cross-differential amplifier is provided. The cross-differential amplifier includes an inductor connected to a direct current power source at a first terminal. A first and second switch, such as transistors, are connected to the inductor at a second terminal. A first and second amplifier are connected at their supply terminals to the first and second switch. The first and second switches are operated to commutate the inductor between the amplifiers so as to provide an amplified signal while limiting the ripple voltage on the inductor and thus limiting the maximum voltage imposed across the amplifiers and switches.
Solid tantalum capacitors are widely used in space applications to filter low-frequency ripple currents in power supply circuits and stabilize DC voltages in the system. Tantalum capacitors manufactured per military specifications (MIL-PRF-55365) are established reliability components and have less than 0.001% of failures per 1000 hours (the failure rate is less than 10 FIT) for grades D or S, thus positioning these parts among electronic components with the highest reliability characteristics. Still, failures of tantalum capacitors do happen and when it occurs it might have catastrophic consequences for the system. This is due to a short-circuit failure mode, which might be damaging to a power supply, and also to the capability of tantalum capacitors with manganese cathodes to self-ignite when a failure occurs in low-impedance applications. During such a failure, a substantial amount of energy is released by exothermic reaction of the tantalum pellet with oxygen generated by the overheated manganese oxide cathode, resulting not only in destruction of the part, but also in damage of the board and surrounding components. A specific feature of tantalum capacitors, compared to ceramic parts, is a relatively large value of capacitance, which in contemporary low-size chip capacitors reaches dozens and hundreds of microfarads. This might result in so-called surge current or turn-on failures in the parts when the board is first powered up. Such a failure, which is considered as the most prevalent type of failures in tantalum capacitors [I], is due to fast changes of the voltage in the circuit, dV/dt, producing high surge current spikes, I(sub sp) = Cx(dV/dt), when current in the circuit is unrestricted. These spikes can reach hundreds of amperes and cause catastrophic failures in the system. The mechanism of surge current failures has not been understood completely yet, and different hypotheses were discussed in relevant literature. These include a sustained scintillation breakdown model [1-3]; electrical oscillations in circuits with a relatively high inductance [4-6]; local overheating of the cathode [5,7, 8]; mechanical damage to tantalum pentoxide dielectric caused by the impact of MnO2 crystals [2,9, 10]; or stress-induced-generation of electron traps caused by electromagnetic forces developed during current spikes [11]. A commonly accepted explanation of the surge current failures is that at unlimited current supply during surge current conditions, the self-healing mechanism in tantalum capacitors does not work, and what would be a minor scintillation spike if the current were limited, becomes a catastrophic failure of the part [l, 12]. However, our data show that the scintillation breakdown voltages are significantly greater that the surge current breakdown voltages, so it is still not clear why the part, which has no scintillations, would fail at the same voltage during surge current testing (SCT).
With a dynamic atmosphere and a large supply of particulate material, the surface of Mars is heavily influenced by wind-driven, or aeolian, processes. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provides a new view of Martian geology, with the ability to see decimeter-size features. Current sand movement, and evidence for recent bedform development, is observed. Dunes and ripples generally exhibit complex surfaces down to the limits of resolution. Yardangs have diverse textures, with some being massive at HiRISE scale, others having horizontal and cross-cutting layers of variable character, and some exhibiting blocky and polygonal morphologies. 'Reticulate' (fine polygonal texture) bedforms are ubiquitous in the thick mantle at the highest elevations.
Quantifying the propellant mass flow rate in liquid bismuth-fed electric propulsion systems has two challenging facets. First, the flow sensors must be capable of providing a resolvable measurement at propellant mass flow rates on the order of 10 mg/see with and uncertainty of less that 5%. The second challenge has to do with the fact that the materials from which the flow sensors are fabricated must be capable of resisting any of the corrosive effects associated with the high-temperature propellant. The measurement itself is necessary in order to properly assess the performance (thrust efficiency, Isp) of thruster systems in the laboratory environment. The hotspot sensor[I] has been designed to provide the bismuth propellant mass flow rate measurement. In the hotspot sensor, a pulse of thermal energy (derived from a current pulse and associated joule heating) is applied near the inlet of the sensor. The flow is "tagged" with a thermal feature that is convected downstream by the flowing liquid metal. Downstream, a temperature measurement is performed to detect a "ripple" in the local temperature associated with the passing "hotspot" in the propellant. By measuring the time between the upstream generation and downstream detection of the thermal feature, the flow speed can be calculated using a "time of flight" analysis. In addition, the system can be calibrated by measuring the accumulated mass exiting the system as a-function of time and correlating this with the time it takes the hotspot to convect through the sensor. The primary advantage of this technique is that it doesn't depend on an absolute measurement of temperature but, instead, relies on the observation of thermal features. This makes the technique insensitive to other externally generated thermal fluctuations. In this paper, we describe experiments performed using the hotspot flow sensor aimed at quantifying the resolution of the sensor technology. Propellant is expelled onto an electronic scale to provide an independent measure of the propellant mass flow rate as a function of time. In addition, two separate detection schemes are employed. The first uses a thermocouple to directly measure temperature in the fluid. The second involves the ,use of a fiber optic coupled to a photodiode allowing for detection of an increase in light emission from the fluid as the hotspot passes. the detection location.
Topics include: Wearable Environmental and Physiological Sensing Unit; Broadband Phase Retrieval for Image-Based Wavefront Sensing; Filter Function for Wavefront Sensing Over a Field of View; Iterative-Transform Phase Retrieval Using Adaptive Diversity; Wavefront Sensing With Switched Lenses for Defocus Diversity; Smooth Phase Interpolated Keying; Maintaining Stability During a Conducted-Ripple EMC Test; Photodiode Preamplifier for Laser Ranging With Weak Signals; Advanced High-Definition Video Cameras; Circuit for Full Charging of Series Lithium-Ion Cells; Analog Nonvolatile Computer Memory Circuits; JavaGenes Molecular Evolution; World Wind 3D Earth Viewing; Lithium Dinitramide as an Additive in Lithium Power Cells; Accounting for Uncertainties in Strengths of SiC MEMS Parts; Ion-Conducting Organic/Inorganic Polymers; MoO3 Cathodes for High-Temperature Lithium Thin-Film Cells; Counterrotating-Shoulder Mechanism for Friction Stir Welding; Strain Gauges Indicate Differential-CTE-Induced Failures; Antibodies Against Three Forms of Urokinase; Understanding and Counteracting Fatigue in Flight Crews; Active Correction of Aberrations of Low-Quality Telescope Optics; Dual-Beam Atom Laser Driven by Spinor Dynamics; Rugged, Tunable Extended-Cavity Diode Laser; Balloon for Long-Duration, High-Altitude Flight at Venus; and Wide-Temperature-Range Integrated Operational Amplifier.
A team of JPL researchers has analyzed stereoscopic vision software and produced a document describing its performance. This software is of the type used in maneuvering exploratory robotic vehicles on Martian terrain. The software in question utilizes correlations between portions of the images recorded by two electronic cameras to compute stereoscopic disparities, which, in conjunction with camera models, are used in computing distances to terrain points to be included in constructing a three-dimensional model of the terrain. The analysis included effects of correlation- window size, a pyramidal image down-sampling scheme, vertical misalignment, focus, maximum disparity, stereo baseline, and range ripples. Contributions of sub-pixel interpolation, vertical misalignment, and foreshortening to stereo correlation error were examined theoretically and experimentally. It was found that camera-calibration inaccuracy contributes to both down-range and cross-range error but stereo correlation error affects only the down-range error. Experimental data for quantifying the stereo disparity error were obtained by use of reflective metrological targets taped to corners of bricks placed at known positions relative to the cameras. For the particular 1,024-by-768-pixel cameras of the system analyzed, the standard deviation of the down-range disparity error was found to be 0.32 pixel.
The RF performance of a new K-Band helix conduction cooled traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA) is presented in this paper. A total of three such units were manufactured, tested and delivered. The first unit is currently flying onboard NASA s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft and has flawlessly completed over 2000 orbits around the Moon. The second unit is a proto-flight model. The third unit will fly onboard NASA s International Space Station (ISS) as a very compact and lightweight transmitter package for the Communications, Navigation and Networking Reconfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT), which is scheduled for launch in 2011. These TWTAs were characterized over the frequencies 25.5 to 25.8 GHz. The saturated RF output power is >40 W and the saturated RF gain is >46 dB. The saturated AM-to- PM conversion is 3.5 /dB and the small signal gain ripple is 0.46 dB peak-to-peak. The overall efficiency of the TWTA, including that of the electronic power conditioner (EPC) is as high as 45 percent.
A cross-differential amplifier is provided. The cross-differential amplifier includes an inductor connected to a direct current power source at a first terminal. A first and second switch, such as transistors, are connected to the inductor at a second terminal. A first and second amplifier are connected at their supply terminals to the first and second switch. The first and second switches are operated to commutate the inductor between the amplifiers so as to provide an amplified signal while limiting the ripple voltage on the inductor and thus limiting the maximum voltage imposed across the amplifiers and switches.
A tunable-bandwidth filter system (TBFS), now undergoing development, is intended to be part of a remote-sensing multispectral imaging system that will operate in the visible and near infrared spectral region (wavelengths from 400 to 900 nm). Attributes of the TBFS include rapid tunability of the pass band over a wide wavelength range and high transmission efficiency. The TBFS is based on a unique integration of two pairs of broadband Raman reflection holographic filters with two rotating spherical lenses. In experiments, a prototype of the TBFS was shown to be capable of spectral sampling of images in the visible range over a 200-nm spectral range with a spectral resolution of .30 nm. The figure depicts the optical layout of a prototype of the TBFS as part of a laboratory multispectral imaging system for the spectral sampling of color test images in two orthogonal polarizations. Each pair of broadband Raman reflection holographic filters is mounted at an equatorial plane between two halves of a spherical lens. The two filters in each pair are characterized by steep spectral slopes (equivalently, narrow spectral edges), no ripple or side lobes in their pass bands, and a few nanometers of non-overlapping wavelength range between their pass bands. Each spherical lens and thus the filter pair within it is rotated in order to rapidly tune its pass band. The rotations of the lenses are effected by electronically controlled, programmable, high-precision rotation stages. The rotations are coordinated by electronic circuits operating under overall supervision of a personal computer in order to obtain the desired variation of the overall pass bands with time. Embedding the filters inside the spherical lenses increases the range of the hologram incidence angles, making it possible to continuously tune the pass and stop bands of the filters over a wider wavelength range. In addition, each spherical lens also serves as part of the imaging optics: The telephoto lens focuses incoming light to a field stop that is also a focal point of each spherical lens. A correcting lens in front of the field stop compensates for the spherical aberration of the spherical lenses. The front surface of each spherical lens collimates the light coming from the field stop. After the collimated light passes through the filter in the spherical lens, the rear surface of the lens focuses the light onto a charge-coupled-device image detector.
The RF performance of a new K-Band helix conduction cooled traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA), is presented in this paper. A total of three such units were manufactured, tested and delivered. The first unit is currently flying onboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft and has flawlessly completed over 2000 orbits around the Moon. The second unit is a proto-flight model. The third unit will fly onboard NASA's International Space Station (ISS) as a very compact and lightweight transmitter package for the Communications, Navigation and Networking Reconfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT), which is scheduled for launch in 2011. These TWTAs were characterized over the frequencies 25.5 to 25.8 GHz. The saturated RF output power is greater than 40 W and the saturated RF gain is greater than 46 dB. The saturated AM-to-PM conversion is 3.5 /dB and the small signal gain ripple is 0.46 dB peak-to-peak. The overall efficiency of the TWTA, including that of the electronic power conditioner (EPC) is as high as 45%.
Stirling cycle power conversion is an enabling technology that provides high thermodynamic efficiency but also presents unique challenges with regard to electrical power generation, management, and distribution. The High Power Linear Alternator Test Rig (HPLATR) located at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, OH is a demonstration test bed that simulates electrical power generation from a Stirling engine driven alternator. It implements the high power electronics necessary to provide a well regulated DC user load bus. These power electronics use a novel design solution that includes active rectification and power factor control, active ripple suppression, along with a unique building block approach that permits the use of high voltage or high current alternator designs. This presentation describes the HPLATR, the test program, and the operational results.
Compact amplifier assemblies of a type now being developed for operation at frequencies of hundreds of gigahertz comprise multiple amplifier units in parallel arrangements to increase power and/or cascade arrangements to increase gains. Each amplifier unit is a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) implementation of a pair of amplifiers in differential (in contradistinction to single-ended) configuration. Heretofore, in cascading amplifiers to increase gain, it has been common practice to interconnect the amplifiers by use of wires and/or thin films on substrates. This practice has not yielded satisfactory results at frequencies greater than 200 Hz, in each case, for either or both of two reasons: Wire bonds introduce large discontinuities. Because the interconnections are typically tens of wavelengths long, any impedance mismatches give rise to ripples in the gain-vs.-frequency response, which degrade the performance of the cascade.
The chemical composition, global abundance, distribution, and formation pathways of carbonates are central to understanding aqueous processes, climate, and habitability of early Mars. The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit analyzed a series of olivine-rich outcrops while descending from the summit region of Husband Hill into the Inner Basin of the Columbia Hills of Gusev Crater to the eastern edge of the El Dorado ripple field in late 2005. Reanalysis of Spirit s mineralogical data from the Moessbauer Spectrometer (MB) and the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) and chemical data from the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) in 2010, coupled with new laboratory data for carbonate-bearing samples, lead to identification of carbonate in one of the outcrops (Comanche) [Morris, R.V., et al., Science, 329, 421-424]. The carbonate is rich in magnesium and iron (Mc62Sd25Cc11Rh2, assuming all Ca and Mn is associated with the carbonate) and is a major component of the Comanche outcrops (16 to 34 wt.%). The mineralogical, chemical, and abundance data are constrained in multiple, mutually consistent ways by the MER analyses. For example, a low-Ca carbonate is required by the MB and APXS data and is consistent with Mini-TES data. Three spectral features attributable to fundamental infrared vibrational modes of low-Ca carbonate are present in the Mini-TES spectra of Comanche outcrops. The average composition of Comanche carbonate approximates the average composition of the carbonate globules in Martian meteorite ALH 84001. Analogy with ALH 84001, terrestrial, and synthetic carbonate globules suggests that Comanche carbonate precipitated from aqueous solutions under hydrothermal conditions at near neutral pH in association with volcanic activity during the Noachian era. Comanche outcrop morphology suggests they are remnants of a larger carbonate-bearing formation that evolved in ultramafic rock and then preferentially eroded by a combination of aeolian abrasion and chemical decomposition by exposure to acid-sulfate vapors/solutions. The high carbonate concentration in the Comanche outcrops supports climate models involving a CO2 greenhouse gas on a wet and warm early Mars and subsequent sequestering of at least part of that atmosphere in carbonate minerals.
Stirling cycle power conversion is an enabling technology that provides high thermodynamic efficiency but also presents unique challenges with regard to electrical power generation, management, and distribution. The High Power Linear Alternator Test Rig (HPLATR) located at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio is a demonstration test bed that simulates electrical power generation from a Stirling engine driven alternator. It implements the high power electronics necessary to provide a well regulated DC user load bus. These power electronics use a novel design solution that includes active rectification and power factor control, active ripple suppression, along with a unique building block approach that permits the use of high voltage or high current alternator designs. This report describes the HPLATR, the test program, and the operational results.