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At least 19 records

Predictive Sea State Estimation for Automated Ride Control and Handling - PSSEARCH

PSSEARCH provides predictive sea state estimation, coupled with closed-loop feedback control for automated ride control. It enables a manned or unmanned watercraft to determine the 3D map and sea state conditions in its vicinity in real time. Adaptive path-planning/ replanning software and a control surface management system will then use this information to choose the best settings and heading relative to the seas for the watercraft. PSSEARCH looks ahead and anticipates potential impact of waves on the boat and is used in a tight control loop to adjust trim tabs, course, and throttle settings. The software uses sensory inputs including IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), stereo, radar, etc. to determine the sea state and wave conditions (wave height, frequency, wave direction) in the vicinity of a rapidly moving boat. This information can then be used to plot a safe path through the oncoming waves. The main issues in determining a safe path for sea surface navigation are: (1) deriving a 3D map of the surrounding environment, (2) extracting hazards and sea state surface state from the imaging sensors/map, and (3) planning a path and control surface settings that avoid the hazards, accomplish the mission navigation goals, and mitigate crew injuries from excessive heave, pitch, and roll accelerations while taking into account the dynamics of the sea surface state. The first part is solved using a wide baseline stereo system, where 3D structure is determined from two calibrated pairs of visual imagers. Once the 3D map is derived, anything above the sea surface is classified as a potential hazard and a surface analysis gives a static snapshot of the waves. Dynamics of the wave features are obtained from a frequency analysis of motion vectors derived from the orientation of the waves during a sequence of inputs. Fusion of the dynamic wave patterns with the 3D maps and the IMU outputs is used for efficient safe path planning.

Huntsberger, Terrance L.↗

Predictive control and estimation - State space approach

A modified output prediction procedure and a new controller design based on the predictive control law are presented. A new predictive estimator enhances system performance. The predictive controller was designed and applied to the tracking control of the NASA/JPL 70-m antenna. Simulation results show significant improvement in tracking performance over the linear quadratic controller and estimator presently in use.

Gawronski, W.↗

Extended active disturbance rejection controller

Multiple designs, systems, methods and processes for controlling a system or plant using an extended active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) based controller are presented. The extended ADRC controller accepts sensor information from the plant. The sensor information is used in conjunction with an extended state observer in combination with a predictor that estimates and predicts the current state of the plant and a co-joined estimate of the system disturbances and system dynamics. The extended state observer estimates and predictions are used in conjunction with a control law that generates an input to the system based in part on the extended state observer estimates and predictions as well as a desired trajectory for the plant to follow.

Gao, Zhiqiang↗

Extended Active Disturbance Rejection Controller

Multiple designs, systems, methods and processes for controlling a system or plant using an extended active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) based controller are presented. The extended ADRC controller accepts sensor information from the plant. The sensor information is used in conjunction with an extended state observer in combination with a predictor that estimates and predicts the current state of the plant and a co-joined estimate of the system disturbances and system dynamics. The extended state observer estimates and predictions are used in conjunction with a control law that generates an input to the system based in part on the extended state observer estimates and predictions as well as a desired trajectory for the plant to follow.

Gao, Zhiqiang↗

Extended Active Disturbance Rejection Controller

Multiple designs, systems, methods and processes for controlling a system or plant using an extended active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) based controller are presented. The extended ADRC controller accepts sensor information from the plant. The sensor information is used in conjunction with an extended state observer in combination with a predictor that estimates and predicts the current state of the plant and a co-joined estimate of the system disturbances and system dynamics. The extended state observer estimates and predictions are used in conjunction with a control law that generates an input to the system based in part on the extended state observer estimates and predictions as well as a desired trajectory for the plant to follow.

Gao, Zhiqiang↗

Assessment of TLE-Based Orbit Determination and Prediction for Cubesats

The IceCube satellite is a 3U cubesat which was deployed from the International Space Station Nanoracks in May 2017. IceCube uses onboard Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements for both science data processing and orbit determination; additionally, IceCube uses Two Line Element (TLE) sets provided by USSTRATCOM through Space Track for ground station acquisition. Once acquired, GPS measurements are downlinked and can be verified against nearby TLE states.TLE sets are typically used for cubesat acquisition data, however the accuracy of their propagation has a limited lifespan which can cause issues when using an older TLE to attempt spacecraft acquisition. This presentation details the merits of TLE-based orbit determination and prediction and discusses techniques for improving both. These refinements allow for improved cubesat acquisition as well as calibration and on-orbit checkout of the GPS. Using IceCube data as representative of a typical cubesat, TLE states are simulated as tracking data and processed through an Extended Kalman Filter. This filtered solution provides not only an ongoing estimate of spacecraft drag state parameters, but also improves the definitive orbit determination estimation as well as the propagation accuracy and therefore spacecraft acquisition. Next, using the definitive TLE-based solution, raw GPS measurements are introduced into the filter where the combined measurement types allow the GPS measurements to be subsequently calibrated with respect to an unknown timing bias. These analyses provide a more accurate state estimation and prediction of cubesats during early orbit operations. Additionally, these techniques showcase methods for TLE-based state estimation and GPS calibration when other methods of tracking are unavailable.

Smith, Alexander↗

Implementation of a Battery Health Monitor and Vertical Lift Aircraft Testbed for the Application of an Electrochemisty-Based State of Charge Estimator

Prediction methods concerning remaining charge in lithium-ion batteries that power unmanned aerial vehicles are of critical concern for the safe fulfillment of mission objectives. In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have been the power source for both fixed wing and vertical lift electric vehicles. The purpose of this document is to describe in detail the implementation of a battery health monitor for estimating the state of charge of a lithium-ion battery and a lithium-ion polymer battery that is used to power a vertical lift aircraft test-bed. It will be demonstrated that an electro-chemistry based state of charge estimator effectively tracks battery discharge characteristics and may be employed as a useful tool in monitoring battery health.

Potteiger, Timothy R.↗

Kalman-like estimation for static distributed systems Antenna shape from radiation measurements

This paper advances an approach to the determination of shape of static distributed systems. It also illustrates the application of the approach to the problems of surface diagnosis of large parabolic reflectors. The estimation methods developed combine in an optimal sense the information from an elliptic model of the structure and from measurements of the structural deflection and of the far-field pattern changes due to the structural deformation. The estimators have a predictor-corrector structure, quite similar to that of a Kalman filter. The system model is first used to obtain a predicted estimate. A correction term is then added to the prediction to obtain the final state estimate. The relative weighting between prediction and correction terms is determined by an estimator gain. As in a Kalman filter, the estimator gain can be expressed in terms of the state estimation error covariance.

Rodriguez, G.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2012

Topics covered include: An "Inefficient Fin" Non-Dimensional Parameter to Measure Gas Temperatures Efficiently; On-Wafer Measurement of a Multi-Stage MMIC Amplifier with 10 dB of Gain at 475 GHz; Software to Control and Monitor Gas Streams; Miniaturized Laser Heterodyne Radiometer (LHR) for Measurements of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmospheric Column; Anomaly Detection in Test Equipment via Sliding Mode Observers; Absolute Position of Targets Measured Through a Chamber Window Using Lidar Metrology Systems; Goldstone Solar System Radar Waveform Generator; Fast and Adaptive Lossless Onboard Hyperspectral Data Compression System; Iridium Interfacial Stack - IrIS; Downsampling Photodetector Array with Windowing; Optical Phase Recovery and Locking in a PPM Laser Communication Link; High-Speed Edge-Detecting Line Scan Smart Camera; Optical Communications Channel Combiner; Development of Thermal Infrared Sensor to Supplement Operational Land Imager; Amplitude-Stabilized Oscillator for a Capacitance-Probe Electrometer; Automated Performance Characterization of DSN System Frequency Stability Using Spacecraft Tracking Data; Histogrammatic Method for Determining Relative Abundance of Input Gas Pulse; Predictive Sea State Estimation for Automated Ride Control and Handling - PSSEARCH; LEGION: Lightweight Expandable Group of Independently Operating Nodes; Real-Time Projection to Verify Plan Success During Execution; Automated Performance Characterization of DSN System Frequency Stability Using Spacecraft Tracking Data; Web-Based Customizable Viewer for Mars Network Overflight Opportunities; Fabrication of a Cryogenic Terahertz Emitter for Bolometer Focal Plane Calibrations; Fabrication of an Absorber-Coupled MKID Detector; Graphene Transparent Conductive Electrodes for Next- Generation Microshutter Arrays; Method of Bonding Optical Elements with Near-Zero Displacement; Free-Mass and Interface Configurations of Hammering Mechanisms; Wavefront Compensation Segmented Mirror Sensing and Control; Long-Life, Lightweight, Multi-Roller Traction Drives for Planetary Vehicle Surface Exploration; Reliable Optical Pump Architecture for Highly Coherent Lasers Used in Space Metrology Applications; Electrochemical Ultracapacitors Using Graphitic Nanostacks; Improved Whole-Blood-Staining Device; Monitoring Location and Angular Orientation of a Pill; Molecular Technique to Reduce PCR Bias for Deeper Understanding of Microbial Diversity; Laser Ablation Electrodynamic Ion Funnel for In Situ Mass Spectrometry on Mars; High-Altitude MMIC Sounding Radiometer for the Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; PRTs and Their Bonding for Long-Duration, Extreme-Temperature Environments; Mid- and Long-IR Broadband Quantum Well Photodetector; 3D Display Using Conjugated Multiband Bandpass Filters; Real-Time, Non-Intrusive Detection of Liquid Nitrogen in Liquid Oxygen at High Pressure and High Flow; Method to Enhance the Operation of an Optical Inspection Instrument Using Spatial Light Modulators; Dual-Compartment Inflatable Suitlock; Large-Strain Transparent Magnetoactive Polymer Nanocomposites; Thermodynamic Vent System for an On-Orbit Cryogenic Reaction Control Engine; Time Distribution Using SpaceWire in the SCaN Testbed on ISS; and Techniques for Solution- Assisted Optical Contacting.

Source record↗

Satellite Based Precipitation Estimation in Orographic Regions within the Southwestern United States

Predicting precipitation-induced landslides requires accurate estimation of orographic precipitation. Many research studies have been done to estimate orographic precipitation using measurement/estimation methods that include rain gauges, ground-based radar, satellite-based estimates, and modeling. Each method has strengths and weaknesses, but none have been able to fully resolve orographic precipitation. The Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (IMERG) early run product provides precipitation estimates at a 0.1° spatial resolution, at half-hour time scales, with only a 4-hour latency. This product is currently used for the global landslide hazard assessment, but there are known issues in mountainous terrain that the IMERG algorithm has not been able to fully resolve; and the sparse gauge density in these regions makes it even more difficult. In this study, precipitation events were identified using high temporal resolution (5-15 minute) precipitation observations from rain gauges in mountainous terrain in the southwestern United States. The brightness temperature from several infrared (IR) bands from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 16 satellite were used to estimate precipitation with a k-nearest neighbor machine learning model. Compared to IMERG, the IR estimates from GOES-16 performed better at predicting gauge-identified precipitation events. Additionally, the IR-only based estimates were able to estimate precipitation when IMERG failed to detect precipitation, false negative events. While additional analysis is needed, results indicate the need for better integration of IR observations for more accurate precipitation estimation in mountainous regions.

Jessica Sutton↗

Distributed Damage Estimation for Prognostics based on Structural Model Decomposition

Model-based prognostics approaches capture system knowledge in the form of physics-based models of components, and how they fail. These methods consist of a damage estimation phase, in which the health state of a component is estimated, and a prediction phase, in which the health state is projected forward in time to determine end of life. However, the damage estimation problem is often multi-dimensional and computationally intensive. We propose a model decomposition approach adapted from the diagnosis community, called possible conflicts, in order to both improve the computational efficiency of damage estimation, and formulate a damage estimation approach that is inherently distributed. Local state estimates are combined into a global state estimate from which prediction is performed. Using a centrifugal pump as a case study, we perform a number of simulation-based experiments to demonstrate the approach.

Daigle, Matthew↗

Dynamic Adjustment of Simulation Parameters for Efficient Vehicle Prognostics

Model-based diagnostics and prognostics rely on state estimation and uncertainty management algorithms to produce useful information for system operators and maintainers. This information enables more informed operational decisions, condition-based maintenance, and overall mission safety assurance. Typically, uncertainty is associated with vehicle state-of-health estimation and prediction results because of modeling errors, internal or external sources of noise, and sensor inaccuracy. Probabilistic uncertainty management methods including Sequential Monte Carlo simulation are commonly used to reason about state-of-health estimates and predictions in the presence of these sources of uncertainty. However, such algorithms can be computationally expensive as they require a very large number of samples to obtain a sufficiently accurate quantification of the end of life probability distribution. As a result, highly mobile autonomous systems that leverage the prognostic results for mission-level replanning are often constrained in their processing capability because of these computationally expensive simulation approaches. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate algorithmic methods for dynamically adjusting simulation time step as well as number of samples to achieve highly efficient prognostic results while maintaining results accuracy. Results obtained from simulated flight experiments of an electric unmanned aerial vehicle are presented to verify the efficacy of such algorithms.

Prognostics↗

Use of nonlinear identification in robust attitude and attitude rate estimation for SAMPEX

A method is described for obtaining optimal attitude estimation/identification algorithms for spacecraft lacking attitude rate measurement devices (rate gyros), and then demonstrated using actual flight data from the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) spacecraft. SAMPEX does not have on-board rate sensing, and relies on sun sensors and a three-axis magnetometer for attitude determination. The absence of rate data normally reduces both the total amount of data available and the sampling density (in time) by a substantial fraction. In addition, attitude data is occasionally unavailable (for example, during sun occultation). As a result, the sensitivity of the estimates to model uncertainty and to measurement noise increases. In order to maintain accuracy in the attitude estimates, there is an increased need for accurate models of the rotational dynamics. The Minimum Model Error(MME)/Least Square Correlation(LSC) algorithm accurately identifies an improved model for SAMPEX to be used during periods of complete data loss or extreme noise. The model correction is determined by estimating only one orbit(the identification pass) just prior to the assumed data loss(the prediction pass). The MME estimator correctly predicted the states during the identification phase, but more importantly determines the necessary model correction trajectory, d(t). The LSC algorithm is then used to find this trajectory's functional form, H(x(t)). The results show significant improvement of the new corrected model's attitude estimates as compared to the original uncorrected model's estimates. The possible functional form of the correction term is limited at this point in the study to functions strictly of the estimated states. The results, however, strongly suggest that functions based on the relative position of the satellite may also be possible candidates for future consideration.

Mook, D. Joseph↗

Navigation Guidelines for Orbital Formation Flying Missions

Some simple guidelines based on the accuracy in determining a satellite formation's semi-major axis differences are useful in making preliminary assessments of the navigation accuracy needed to support such missions. These guidelines are valid for any elliptical orbit, regardless of eccentricity. Although maneuvers required for formation establishment, reconfiguration, and station-keeping require accurate prediction of the state estimate to the maneuver time, and hence are directly affected by errors in all the orbital elements, experience has shown that determination of orbit plane orientation and orbit shape to acceptable levels is less challenging than the determination of orbital period or semi-major axis. Furthermore, any differences among the member's semi-major axis are undesirable for a satellite formation, since it will lead to differential along-track drift due to period differences. Since inevitable navigation errors prevent these differences from ever being zero, one may use the guidelines this paper presents to determine how much drift will result from a given relative navigation accuracy, or vice versa. Since the guidelines do not account for non-two-body perturbations, they may be viewed as useful preliminary design tools, rather than as the basis for mission navigation requirements, which should be based on detailed analysis of the mission configuration, including all relevant sources of uncertainty.

Carpenter, J. Russell↗

Navigation Accuracy Guidelines for Orbital Formation Flying Missions

Some simple guidelines based on the accuracy in determining a satellite formation's semi-major axis differences are useful in making preliminary assessments of the navigation accuracy needed to support such missions. These guidelines are valid for any elliptical orbit, regardless of eccentricity. Although maneuvers required for formation establishment, reconfiguration, and station-keeping require accurate prediction of the state estimate to the maneuver we, and hence are directly affected by errors in all the orbital elements, experience has shown that determination of orbit plane orientation and orbit shape to acceptable levels is less challenging than the determination of orbital period or semi-major axis. Furthermore, any differences among the member s semi-major axes are undesirable for a satellite formation, since it will lead to differential along-track drift due to period differences. Since inevitable navigation errors prevent these differences from ever being zero, one may use the guidelines this paper presents to determine how much drift will result from a given relative navigation accuracy, or conversely what navigation accuracy is required to limit drift to a given rate. Since the guidelines do not account for non-two-body perturbations, they may be viewed as useful preliminary design tools, rather than as the basis for mission navigation requirements, which should be based on detailed analysis of the mission configuration, including all relevant sources of uncertainty.

Carpenter, J. Russell↗

Navigation Accuracy Guidelines for Orbital Formation Flying

Some simple guidelines based on the accuracy in determining a satellite formation s semi-major axis differences are useful in making preliminary assessments of the navigation accuracy needed to support such missions. These guidelines are valid for any elliptical orbit, regardless of eccentricity. Although maneuvers required for formation establishment, reconfiguration, and station-keeping require accurate prediction of the state estimate to the maneuver time, and hence are directly affected by errors in all the orbital elements, experience has shown that determination of orbit plane orientation and orbit shape to acceptable levels is less challenging than the determination of orbital period or semi-major axis. Furthermore, any differences among the member s semi-major axes are undesirable for a satellite formation, since it will lead to differential along-track drift due to period differences. Since inevitable navigation errors prevent these differences from ever being zero, one may use the guidelines this paper presents to determine how much drift will result from a given relative navigation accuracy, or conversely what navigation accuracy is required to limit drift to a given rate. Since the guidelines do not account for non-two-body perturbations, they may be viewed as useful preliminary design tools, rather than as the basis for mission navigation requirements, which should be based on detailed analysis of the mission configuration, including all relevant sources of uncertainty.

Carpenter, J. Russell↗