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At least 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

A brief review on the identification of nonlinear mechanical systems

This paper presents a brief review of the disciplines used in the identification of nonlinear mechanical systems, including the detection of nonlinearities and their quantification, and parameter estimation. Techniques for determining the parameters of nonlinear system models with assumed model form are described and briefly discussed. Recent developments in identifying system models which may contain the actual model forms as well as incorrect forms is also briefly described. A list of representative references from structures and control disciplines is given.

Natke, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Software reliability through fault-avoidance and fault-tolerance

The use of back-to-back, or comparison, testing for regression test or porting is examined. The efficiency and the cost of the strategy is compared with manual and table-driven single version testing. Some of the key parameters that influence the efficiency and the cost of the approach are the failure identification effort during single version program testing, the extent of implemented changes, the nature of the regression test data (e.g., random), and the nature of the inter-version failure correlation and fault-masking. The advantages and disadvantages of the technique are discussed, together with some suggestions concerning its practical use.

Vouk, Mladen A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Multivariable frequency domain identification via 2-norm minimization

The author develops a computational approach to multivariable frequency domain identification, based on 2-norm minimization. In particular, a Gauss-Newton (GN) iteration is developed to minimize the 2-norm of the error between frequency domain data and a matrix fraction transfer function estimate. To improve the global performance of the optimization algorithm, the GN iteration is initialized using the solution to a particular sequentially reweighted least squares problem, denoted as the SK iteration. The least squares problems which arise from both the SK and GN iterations are shown to involve sparse matrices with identical block structure. A sparse matrix QR factorization method is developed to exploit the special block structure, and to efficiently compute the least squares solution. A numerical example involving the identification of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) plant having 286 unknown parameters is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Bayard, David S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Investigation for improving Global Positioning System (GPS) orbits using a discrete sequential estimator and stochastic models of selected physical processes

GEODYNII is a conventional batch least-squares differential corrector computer program with deterministic models of the physical environment. Conventional algorithms were used to process differenced phase and pseudorange data to determine eight-day Global Positioning system (GPS) orbits with several meter accuracy. However, random physical processes drive the errors whose magnitudes prevent improving the GPS orbit accuracy. To improve the orbit accuracy, these random processes should be modeled stochastically. The conventional batch least-squares algorithm cannot accommodate stochastic models, only a stochastic estimation algorithm is suitable, such as a sequential filter/smoother. Also, GEODYNII cannot currently model the correlation among data values. Differenced pseudorange, and especially differenced phase, are precise data types that can be used to improve the GPS orbit precision. To overcome these limitations and improve the accuracy of GPS orbits computed using GEODYNII, we proposed to develop a sequential stochastic filter/smoother processor by using GEODYNII as a type of trajectory preprocessor. Our proposed processor is now completed. It contains a correlated double difference range processing capability, first order Gauss Markov models for the solar radiation pressure scale coefficient and y-bias acceleration, and a random walk model for the tropospheric refraction correction. The development approach was to interface the standard GEODYNII output files (measurement partials and variationals) with software modules containing the stochastic estimator, the stochastic models, and a double differenced phase range processing routine. Thus, no modifications to the original GEODYNII software were required. A schematic of the development is shown. The observational data are edited in the preprocessor and the data are passed to GEODYNII as one of its standard data types. A reference orbit is determined using GEODYNII as a batch least-squares processor and the GEODYNII measurement partial (FTN90) and variational (FTN80, V-matrix) files are generated. These two files along with a control statement file and a satellite identification and mass file are passed to the filter/smoother to estimate time-varying parameter states at each epoch, improved satellite initial elements, and improved estimates of constant parameters.

Goad, Clyde C.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Mechanism of Water Droplet Breakup Near the Leading Edge of an Airfoil

This work presents results of an experimental study on droplet deformation and breakup near the leading edge of an airfoil. The experiment was conducted in the rotating rig test cell at the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial (INTA) in Madrid, Spain. The airfoil model was placed at the end of the rotating arm and a monosize droplet generator produced droplets that fell from above, perpendicular to the path of the airfoil. The interaction between the droplets and the airfoil was captured with high speed imaging and allowed observation of droplet deformation and breakup as the droplet approached the airfoil near the stagnation line. Image processing software was used to measure the position of the droplet centroid, equivalent diameter, perimeter, area, and the major and minor axes of an ellipse superimposed over the deforming droplet. The horizontal and vertical displacement of each droplet against time was also measured, and the velocity, acceleration, Weber number, Bond number, Reynolds number, and the drag coefficients were calculated along the path of the droplet to the beginning of breakup. Droplet deformation is defined and studied against main parameters. The high speed imaging allowed observation of the actual mechanism of breakup and identification of the sequence of configurations from the initiation of the breakup to the disintegration of the droplet. Results and comparisons are presented for droplets of diameters in the range of 500 to 1800 microns, and airfoil velocities of 70 and 90 m/sec.

Vargas, Mario↗
NASA NTRS2012

Mechanism of Water Droplet Breakup near the Leading Edge of an Airfoil

This work presents results of an experimental study on droplet deformation and breakup near the leading edge of an airfoil. The experiment was conducted in the rotating rig test cell at the Instituto Nacional de T cnica Aeroespacial (INTA) in Madrid, Spain. The airfoil model was placed at the end of the rotating arm and a monosize droplet generator produced droplets that fell from above, perpendicular to the path of the airfoil. The interaction between the droplets and the airfoil was captured with high speed imaging and allowed observation of droplet deformation and breakup as the droplet approached the airfoil near the stagnation line. Image processing software was used to measure the position of the droplet centroid, equivalent diameter, perimeter, area, and the major and minor axes of an ellipse superimposed over the deforming droplet. The horizontal and vertical displacement of each droplet against time was also measured, and the velocity, acceleration, Weber number, Bond number, Reynolds number, and the drag coefficients were calculated along the path of the droplet to the beginning of breakup. Droplet deformation is defined and studied against main parameters. The high speed imaging allowed observation of the actual mechanism of breakup and identification of the sequence of configurations from the initiation of the breakup to the disintegration of the droplet. Results and comparisons are presented for droplets of diameters in the range of 500 to 1800 micrometers, and airfoil velocities of 70 and 90 meters/second.

Vargas, Mario↗
NASA NTRS2017

Optimization of a Deep Convective Cloud Technique in Evaluating the Long-Term Radiometric Stability of MODIS Reflective Solar Bands

MODIS reflective solar bands are calibrated on-orbit using a solar diffuser and near-monthly lunar observations. To monitor the performance and effectiveness of the on-orbit calibrations, pseudo-invariant targets such as deep convective clouds (DCCs), Libya-4, and Dome-C are used to track the long-term stability of MODIS Level 1B product. However, the current MODIS operational DCC technique (DCCT) simply uses the criteria set for the 0.65- m band. We optimize several critical DCCT parameters including the 11- micrometer IR-band Brightness Temperature (BT11) threshold for DCC identification, DCC core size and uniformity to help locate DCCs at convection centers, data collection time interval, and probability distribution function (PDF) bin increment for each channel. The mode reflectances corresponding to the PDF peaks are utilized as the DCC reflectances. Results show that the BT11 threshold and time interval are most critical for the Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) bands. The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function model is most effective in reducing the DCC anisotropy for the visible channels. The uniformity filters and PDF bin size have minimal impacts on the visible channels and a larger impact on the SWIR bands. The newly optimized DCCT will be used for future evaluation of MODIS on-orbit calibration by MODIS Characterization Support Team.

Mu, Qiaozhen↗
NASA NTRS1978

Insensitive control technology development

THe investigation of two insensitive controller synthesis techniques was reported. The finite dimensional inverse approach produces a time varying insensitive controller and/or parameter identifier by constructing inverse functions derived from a finite number of input output pair relationships. The MD/IM concept relies on the information matrix theory that was developed in the estimation and identification field. The MD/IM synthesis technique is based on the hypothesis that minimizing the information matrix will reduce system identifiability and consequently system sensitivity to uncertain parameters. The controllers designed with both techniques were evaluated on a realistic C-5A aircraft flight control problem. Results indicate that the FDI controller is more suited to trajectory type problems because of its time varying nature. The MD/IM controller performed as well as the top-rated controllers of the initial effort and has direct application to aircraft flight control problems.

Harvey, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Structure Errors in System Identification

An approach to system identification is presented which explicitly takes structure errors into account and hence provides a systematic way for answering questions concerning the magnitude of estimated parameter errors resulting from structural errors. It is indicated that, from this point of view, it is possible to define near equivalence between process and model and to obtain meaningful theoretical results on solution error system identification. It remains to apply these results to large realistic problems such as those involving models of complex man machine systems.

Bekey, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

In-flight identification of the Galileo spacecraft flexible mode characteristics

The scan platform of the Galialan spacecraft is attached to a flexible stator structure that separates the actuator from the platform-mounted inartial sensor. A scheme to identify the flexible mode characteristics (frequency, damping, and modal coefficient) of the stator using flight data is presentevd. A frequency domain analysis approach is taken and the identified mode characteristics will be used for updating the scan platform controler parameters. The influence of structural flexibility to th s can controller design is explained and the constraints in experting the identification procedure in flight are discused. Computer simulation results of the identification scheme are presented. The scheme in further verified by DISCOS simulations, in conjunction witha full spacecraft dynamics model and the scan platform controllers.

Wang, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

In Situ Identification of Mineral Resources with an X-Ray-Optical "Hands-Lens" Instrument

The recognition of material resources on a planetary surface requires exploration strategies not dissimilar to those employed by early field geologists who searched for ore deposits primarily from surface clues. In order to determine the location of mineral ores or other materials, it will be necessary to characterize host terranes at regional or subregional scales. This requires geographically broad surveys in which statistically significant numbers of samples are rapidly scanned from a roving platform. To enable broad-scale, yet power-conservative planetary-surface exploration, we are developing an instrument that combines x-ray diffractometry (XRD), x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and optical capabilities; the instrument can be deployed at the end of a rover's robotic arm, without the need for sample capture or preparation. The instrument provides XRD data for identification of mineral species and lithological types; diffractometry of minerals is conducted by ascertaining the characteristic lattice parameters or "d-spacings" of mineral compounds. D-spacings of 1.4 to 25 angstroms can be determined to include the large molecular structures of hydrated minerals such as clays. The XRF data will identify elements ranging from carbon (Atomic Number = 6) to elements as heavy as barium (Atomic Number = 56). While a sample is being x-rayed, the instrument simultaneously acquires an optical image of the sample surface at magnifications from lx to at least 50x (200x being feasible, depending on the sample surface). We believe that imaging the sample is extremely important as corroborative sample-identification data (the need for this capability having been illustrated by the experience of the Pathfinder rover). Very few geologists would rely on instrument data for sample identification without having seen the sample. Visual inspection provides critical recognition data such as texture, crystallinity, granularity, porosity, vesicularity, color, lustre, opacity, and so forth. These data can immediately distinguish sedimentary from igneous rocks, for example, and can thus eliminate geochemical or mineral ambiguities arising, say between arkose and granite. It would be important to know if the clay being analyzed was part of a uniform varve deposit laid down in a quiescent lake, or the matrix of a megabreccia diamictite deposited as a catastrophic impact ejecta blanket. The unique design of the instrument, which combines Debye-Scherrer geometry with elements of standard goniometry, negates the need for sample preparation of any kind, and thus negates the need for power-hungry and mechanically-complex sampling systems that would have to chip, crush, sieve, and mount the sample for x-ray analysis. Instead, the instrument is simply rested on the sample surface of interest (like a hand lens); the device can interrogate rough rock surfaces, coarse granular material, or fine rock flour. A breadboard version of the instrument has been deployed from the robotic arm of the Marsokhod rover in field trials at NASA Ames, where large vesicular boulders were x-rayed to demonstrate the functionality of the instrument design, and the ability of such a device to comply with constraints imposed by a roving platform. Currently under development is a flight prototype concept of this instrument that will weigh 0.3 kg, using about 4500 J of energy per sample analysis. It requires about 5 min. for XRD analysis, and about 30 min. for XRF interrogation. Its small mass and rugged design make it ideal for deployment on small rovers of the type currently envisaged for the exploration of Mars (e.g., Sojourner-scale platforms). The design utilizes a monolithic P-N junction photodiode pixel array for XRD, a Si PIN photodiode/avalanche photodiode system for XRF, and an endoscopic imaging camera system unobtrusively embedded between the detectors and the x-ray source (the endoscope with its board-mounted camera can be adapted for IR light in addition to visible wavelenths. A rugged, miniature (7 cu cm) x-ray source for the instrument has already been breadboarded.

Marshall, J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Estimation of aircraft aerodynamic parameters from flight data

Several ways for obtaining aerodynamic parameters of an aircraft from flight data are presented. A brief description of data analysis from steady measurements is given, and a concept of system identification is introduced. This is followed by a mathematical model of an aircraft with aerodynamic forces and moments approximated either by polynomials or splines and a detailed treatment of two often-used techniques for parameter estimation. Because of renewed interest in frequency-domain analysis, one section of the paper is devoted to this problem. The methods are demonstrated in several examples using real flight data.

Klein, Vladislav↗
NASA NTRS2002

Parametric Identification of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems

In this project, we looked at the application of harmonic balancing as a tool for identifying parameters (HBID) in a nonlinear dynamical systems with chaotic responses. The main idea is to balance the harmonics of periodic orbits extracted from measurements of each coordinate during a chaotic response. The periodic orbits are taken to be approximate solutions to the differential equations that model the system, the form of the differential equations being known, but with unknown parameters to be identified. Below we summarize the main points addressed in this work. The details of the work are attached as drafts of papers, and a thesis, in the appendix. Our study involved the following three parts: (1) Application of the harmonic balance to a simulation case in which the differential equation model has known form for its nonlinear terms, in contrast to a differential equation model which has either power series or interpolating functions to represent the nonlinear terms. We chose a pendulum, which has sinusoidal nonlinearities; (2) Application of the harmonic balance to an experimental system with known nonlinear forms. We chose a double pendulum, for which chaotic response were easily generated. Thus we confronted a two-degree-of-freedom system, which brought forth challenging issues; (3) A study of alternative reconstruction methods. The reconstruction of the phase space is necessary for the extraction of periodic orbits from the chaotic responses, which is needed in this work. Also, characterization of a nonlinear system is done in the reconstructed phase space. Such characterizations are needed to compare models with experiments. Finally, some nonlinear prediction methods can be applied in the reconstructed phase space. We developed two reconstruction methods that may be considered if the common method (method of delays) is not applicable.

Feeny, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1982

Spectroscopic requirements for HALOE: An analysis of the HCl and HF channels

Spectral line parameters that have absorption features within the HCl and HF channels of the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) were evaluated. Line positions and identification of stratospheric and solar absorption features in both channels are presented based on an analysis of high-resolution, balloon-borne solar occultation spectra. For the relevant HCl and HF lines and for transitions of the interfering species, the accuracy of the following spectral parameters was assessed: line positions, line strengths, lower state energies, air-broadened collisional half-widths, and temperature dependence of the air-broadened half-widths. In addition, since the HALOE instrument and calibration cells are filled with mixtures of HCl in N2 and HF in N2, the self-broadened and N2-broadened HF and HCl half-widths were also considered.

Rinsland, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Effects of model deficiencies on parameter estimation

Reliable structural dynamic models will be required as a basis for deriving the reduced-order plant models used in control systems for large space structures. Ground vibration testing and model verification will play an important role in the development of these models; however, fundamental differences between the space environment and earth environment, as well as variations in structural properties due to as-built conditions, will make on-orbit identification essential. The efficiency, and perhaps even the success, of on-orbit identification will depend on having a valid model of the structure. It is envisioned that the identification process will primarily involve parametric methods. Given a correct model, a variety of estimation algorithms may be used to estimate parameter values. This paper explores the effects of modeling errors and model deficiencies on parameter estimation by reviewing previous case histories. The effects depend at least to some extent on the estimation algorithm being used. Bayesian estimation was used in the case histories presented here. It is therefore conceivable that the behavior of an estimation algorithm might be useful in detecting and possibly even diagnosing deficiencies. In practice, the task is complicated by the presence of systematic errors in experimental procedures and data processing and in the use of the estimation procedures themselves.

Hasselman, T. K.↗
NASA NTRS1974

On the design of optimal input signals in system identification

The problem of designing optimal inputs in the identification of multi-input multi-output linear systems with unknown time-varying parameters is considered using a Bayesian approach. A sensitivity index gives a measure of performance for the closed-loop system inputs. The computation of the optimal closed-loop mappings is shown to be a nontrivial exercise in stochastic control with no analytic solution, but optimal open-loop and affine laws yield much more tractable problems. For time-invariant systems, the sensitivity index considered is shown to be equivalent to the trace of the (strictly positive definite) information matrix associated with the system. Numerical examples are given. A Kalman filter is used to estimate the parameters. A necessary condition for the Kalman filter not to diverge when applying linear feedback is also given.

Lopez-Toledo, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Optimal policies for identification of stochastic linear systems

The problem of designing closed-loop policies for identification of multiinput-multioutput linear discrete-time systems with random time-varying parameters is considered in this paper using a Bayesian approach. A sensitivity index gives a measure of performance for the closed-loop laws. The computation of the optimal laws is shown to be nontrivial, an exercise in stochastic control, but open-loop, affine, and open-loop feedback optimal inputs are shown to yield tractable problems. Numerical examples are given. For time-invariant systems, the criterion considered is shown to be related to the trace of the information matrix associated with the system.

Lopez-Toledo, A. A.↗