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At least 721 records · Page 40

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NASA NTRS1993

Study of optical techniques for the Ames unitary wind tunnel: Digital image processing, part 6

A survey of digital image processing techniques and processing systems for aerodynamic images has been conducted. These images covered many types of flows and were generated by many types of flow diagnostics. These include laser vapor screens, infrared cameras, laser holographic interferometry, Schlieren, and luminescent paints. Some general digital image processing systems, imaging networks, optical sensors, and image computing chips were briefly reviewed. Possible digital imaging network systems for the Ames Unitary Wind Tunnel were explored.

Lee, George↗

NASA NTRS1993

Optimizing digital 8mm drive performance

The experience of attaching over 350,000 digital 8mm drives to 85-plus system platforms has uncovered many factors which can reduce cartridge capacity or drive throughput, reduce reliability, affect cartridge archivability and actually shorten drive life. Some are unique to an installation. Others result from how the system is set up to talk to the drive. Many stem from how applications use the drive, the work load that's present, the kind of media used and, very important, the kind of cleaning program in place. Digital 8mm drives record data at densities that rival those of disk technology. Even with technology this advanced, they are extremely robust and, given proper usage, care and media, should reward the user with a long productive life. The 8mm drive will give its best performance using high-quality 'data grade' media. Even though it costs more, good 'data grade' media can sustain the reliability and rigorous needs of a data storage environment and, with proper care, give users an archival life of 30 years or more. Various factors, taken individually, may not necessarily produce performance or reliability problems. Taken in combination, their effects can compound, resulting in rapid reductions in a drive's serviceable life, cartridge capacity, or drive performance. The key to managing media is determining the importance one places upon their recorded data and, subsequently, setting media usage guidelines that can deliver data reliability. Various options one can implement to optimize digital 8mm drive performance are explored.

Schadegg, Gerry↗

NASA NTRS1991

Compensated digital readout family

ISC has completed test on an IC which has 32 channels of amplifiers, low pass anti-aliasing filters, 13-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converters with non-uniformity correction per channel and a digital multiplexer. The single slope class of A/D conversion is described, as are the unique variations required for incorporation of this technique for use with on-focal plane detector readout electronics. This paper describes the architecture used to implement the digital on-focal plane signal processing functions. Results from measured data on a test IC are presented for a circuit containing these functions operating at a sensor frame rate of 1000 hertz.

Ludwig, David E.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Optimal digital redesign of continuous-time controllers

This paper proposes a new optimal digital redesign technique for finding a dynamic digital control law from the available analog counterpart and simultaneously minimizing a quadratic performance index. The proposed technique can be applied to a system with a more general class of reference inputs, and the developed digital regulator can be implemented using low cost microcomputers.

Shieh, Leang S.↗

NASA NTRS1992

A data base of ASAS digital imagery

The Advanced Solid-State Array Spectroradiometer (ASAS) is an airborne, off-nadir tilting, imaging spectroradiometer that acquires digital image data for 29 spectral bands in the visible and near-infrared. The sensor is used principally for studies of the bidirectional distribution of solar radiation scattered by terrestial surfaces. ASAS has acquired data for a number of terrestial ecosystem field experiments and investigators have received over 170 radiometrically corrected, multiangle, digital image data sets. A database of ASAS digital imagery has been established in the Pilot Land Data System (PLDS) at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center to provide access to these data by the scientific community. ASAS, its processed data, and the PLDS are described, together with recent improvements to the sensor system.

Irons, James R.↗

NASA NTRS1991

High Density Digital Data Storage System

The High Density Digital Data Storage System was designed to provide a cost effective means for storing real-time data from the field-deployable digital acoustic measurement system. However, the high density data storage system is a standalone system that could provide a storage solution for many other real time data acquisition applications. The storage system has inputs for up to 20 channels of 16-bit digital data. The high density tape recorders presently being used in the storage system are capable of storing over 5 gigabytes of data at overall transfer rates of 500 kilobytes per second. However, through the use of data compression techniques the system storage capacity and transfer rate can be doubled. Two tape recorders have been incorporated into the storage system to produce a backup tape of data in real-time. An analog output is provided for each data channel as a means of monitoring the data as it is being recorded.

Wright, Kenneth D., II↗

NASA NTRS1994

Wavelength-Division Multiplexing Of Bipolar Digital Signals

In system, bipolar digital data transmitted by use of wavelength-division multiplexing on single optical fiber. Two different wavelengths used to transmit pulses signifying "positive" or "negative" bipolar digital data. Simultaneous absence of pulses at both wavelengths signifies digital "zero."

Gibbons, Ronnie D.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Timing in private digital telecommunication networks

For proper operation of today's large digital private networks, high quality synchronization must be achieved. A general telecommunication performance objective is to maintain long-term frequency accuracy of ten parts per trillion at all synchronous digital equipment in the network. Many times, however, this is not achieved in private networks. Low quality clocks, errored transmission facilities, and incorrectly designed synchronization plans are often cause for poor performance. It is shown that properly-designed private networks can operate with long term frequency averages between ten parts per trillion to ten parts per million. These performance levels can adversely impact customer applications. The most demanding applications are digital and voice band data, encrypted voice, facsimile, and video. In a typical private network operating at 0.01 parts per million, the user would experience reduced data throughput, dropped encrypted calls, unreadable facsimile pages, or interrupted video transmission dozens of times per day. The major contribution to poor private network synchronization performance is the interaction of Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) clocks and the network facilities used to distribute timing. The performance of typical CPE clocks and facilities, and their impact on customer applications, are discussed. CPE clock performance issues, along with private network architectural constraints, make synchronization planning extremely difficult. Planning is usually costly and requires specialized expertise.

Abate, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Spur-reduced digital sinusoid synthesis

This article presents and analyzes a technique for reducing the spurious signal content in digital sinusoid synthesis. Spurious-harmonic (spur) reduction is accomplished through dithering both amplitude and phase values prior to word-length reduction. The analytical approach developed for analog quantization is used to produce new bounds on spur performance in these dithered systems. Amplitude dithering allows output word-length reduction without introducing additional spurs. Effects of periodic dither similar to those produced by a pseudonoise (PN) generator are analyzed. This phase-dithering method provides a spur reduction of 6(M plus one) dB per phase bit when the dither consists of M uniform variates. While the spur reduction is at the expense of an increase in system noise, the noise power can be made white, making the power spectral density small. This technique permits the use of a smaller number of phase bits addressing sinusoid lookup tables, resulting in an exponential decrease in system complexity. Amplitude dithering allows the use of less complicated multipliers and narrower data paths in purely digital applications, as well as the use of coarse resolution, highly linear digital to analog converters (DAC's) to obtain spur performance limited by the DAC linearity rather than its resolution.

Flanagan, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Digital test signal generation: An accurate SNR calibration approach for the DSN

In support of the on-going automation of the Deep Space Network (DSN) a new method of generating analog test signals with accurate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is described. High accuracy is obtained by simultaneous generation of digital noise and signal spectra at the desired bandwidth (base-band or bandpass). The digital synthesis provides a test signal embedded in noise with the statistical properties of a stationary random process. Accuracy is dependent on test integration time and limited only by the system quantization noise (0.02 dB). The monitor and control as well as signal-processing programs reside in a personal computer (PC). Commands are transmitted to properly configure the specially designed high-speed digital hardware. The prototype can generate either two data channels modulated or not on a subcarrier, or one QPSK channel, or a residual carrier with one biphase data channel. The analog spectrum generated is on the DC to 10 MHz frequency range. These spectra may be up-converted to any desired frequency without loss on the characteristics of the SNR provided. Test results are presented.

Gutierrez-Luaces, Benito O.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Digital Baseband Architecture For Transponder

Proposed advanced transponder for long-distance radio communication system with turnaround ranging contains carrier-signal-tracking loop including baseband digital "front end." For reduced cost, transponder includes analog intermediate-frequency (IF) section and analog automatic gain control (AGC) loop at first of two IF mixers. However, second IF mixer redesigned to ease digitization of baseband functions. To conserve power and provide for simpler and smaller transponder hardware, baseband digital signal-processing circuits designed to implement undersampling scheme. Furthermore, sampling scheme and sampling frequency chosen so redesign involves minimum modification of command-detector unit (CDU).

Nguyen, Tien M.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Method and apparatus for spur-reduced digital sinusoid synthesis

A technique for reducing the spurious signal content in digital sinusoid synthesis is presented. Spur reduction is accomplished through dithering both amplitude and phase values prior to word-length reduction. The analytical approach developed for analog quantization is used to produce new bounds on spur performance in these dithered systems. Amplitude dithering allows output word-length reduction without introducing additional spurs. Effects of periodic dither similar to that produced by a pseudo-noise (PN) generator are analyzed. This phase dithering method provides a spur reduction of 6(M + 1) dB per phase bit when the dither consists of M uniform variates. While the spur reduction is at the expense of an increase in system noise, the noise power can be made white, making the power spectral density small. This technique permits the use of a smaller number of phase bits addressing sinusoid look-up tables, resulting in an exponential decrease in system complexity. Amplitude dithering allows the use of less complicated multipliers and narrower data paths in purely digital applications, as well as the use of coarse-resolution, highly-linear digital-to-analog converters (DAC's) to obtain spur performance limited by the DAC linearity rather than its resolution.

Zimmerman, George A.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Digital modulation schemes for high speed transmission through low bandwidth lowpass analog links

Existing NTSC (National Television System Committee) standard will be phased out and replaced with HDTV (High Definition Television) standard within the next 10 years. Accordingly, the existing video network system operated by NASA will become obsolete and requires either replacement or modification to accommodate digital transmission. Network replacement is extremely expensive, hence, several digital modulation schemes are investigated in this report to accomplish digital transmission over existing analog links saving NASA from the cost of network replacement. There are two competing transmission systems available for HDTV transmission over limited bandwidth channels. The cost and performance of the two competing schemes are remarkably similar. However, the input data rate in such a case is limited to 40 Mbit/s. Transmission of higher data rates is possible using simple signal processing techniques. On the other hand, a third transmission system, multilevel pulse amplitude modulation (M-PAM) is proposed. M-PAM is the first stage of the well known M-VSB. This M-PAM scheme is much simpler and uses the channel more efficiently. The three schemes are compared and preliminary conclusions were made. Despite of several similarities, each modulation scheme has it unique merits. To determine the suitability of each scheme, more investigations and laboratory tests for all schemes are needed.

Andrawis, Alfred S.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Converting the Active Digital Controller for Use in Two Tests

The Active Digital Controller is a system used to control the various functions of wind tunnel models. It has the capability of digitizing and saving of up to sixty-four channels of analog data. It can output up to 16 channels of analog command signals. In addition to its use as a general controller, it can run up to two distinct control laws. All of this is done at a regulated speed of two hundred hertz. The Active Digital Controller (ADC) was modified for use in the Actively Controlled Response of Buffet Affected Tails (ACROBAT) tests and for side-wall pressure data acquisition. The changes included general maintenance and updating of the controller as well as setting up special modes of operation. The ACROBAT tests required that two sets of output signals be available. The pressure data acquisition needed a sampling rate of four hundred hertz, twice the standard ADC rate. These modifications were carried out and the ADC was used during the ACROBAT wind tunnel entry.

Wright, Robert G.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Computer Simulation Results and Analysis for a Root-Raised Cosine Filter Design using Canonical Signed Digits

Filters implemented using Canonical Signed-Digit (CSD) number representation for the coefficients have been studied for many years as an efficient way to increase the speed and reduce the hardware complexity. A simple and very effective method for designing a CSD filter with a specific set of filter parameters has been investigated and its simulation results are presented here. In order to optimize filter coefficients into the corresponding CSD numbers, the Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) criterion is used. Furthermore, an attempt is made to improve frequency response of the CSD filter by allocating an extra non-zero digit for normalized coefficients exceeding one-half. Due to limited filter aperture width in examples presented here, the frequency response of CSD filter as the number of non-zero digits in a CSD code increases is not affected much. A root-raised cosine filter model is employed as a base line for this design approach. Finally, the CSD filter simulation results and a hardware complexity comparison with a conventional filter are also shown along with the eye diagrams an Bit-Error-Rate (BER) performance curves.

Kim, Heechul↗

NASA NTRS1997

Digital Signal Processing Based Biotelemetry Receivers

This is an attempt to develop a biotelemetry receiver using digital signal processing technology and techniques. The receiver developed in this work is based on recovering signals that have been encoded using either Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) or Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technique. A prototype has been developed using state-of-the-art digital signal processing technology. A Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is being developed based on the technique and technology described here. This board is intended to be used in the UCSF Fetal Monitoring system developed at NASA. The board is capable of handling a variety of PPM and PCM signals encoding signals such as ECG, temperature, and pressure. A signal processing program has also been developed to analyze the received ECG signal to determine heart rate. This system provides a base for using digital signal processing in biotelemetry receivers and other similar applications.

Singh, Avtar↗

NASA NTRS1997

Characterization of HF Propagation for Digital Audio Broadcasting

The purpose of this presentation is to give a brief overview of some propagation measurements in the Short Wave (3-30 MHz) bands, made in support of a digital audio transmission system design for the Voice of America. This task is a follow on to the Digital Broadcast Satellite Radio task, during which several mitigation techniques would be applicable to digital audio in the Short Wave bands as well, in spite of the differences in propagation impairments in these two bands. Two series of propagation measurements were made to quantify the range of impairments that could be expected. An assessment of the performance of a prototype version of the receiver was also made.

Vaisnys, Arvydas↗

NASA NTRS1961

A Digital Solar Aspect Sensor

The solar aspect sensor described herein performs the analog-to-digital conversion of data optically. To accomplish this, it uses a binary "Gray code" light mask to produce a digital indication, in vehicle-fixed coordinates, of the elevation and azimuth angles of incident light from the sun. This digital solar aspect sensor system, in Explorer X, provided measurements of both elevation and azimuth angles to +/- 2 degrees at a distance of over 140,000 statute miles.

Albus, James S.↗