15. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions Revised Closing Date: February 25, 2015, at 6: 00 a m. Et
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2. HS Gokturk, TJ. Fiske, DM Kalyon, “Electric and Magnetic Properties of a Thermoplastic Elastomer Incorporated with Ferromagnetic Powders.” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 29, No. 6, 1993. 3. Beitel, Jesse. “Overview of Smoke Toxicity Testing and Regulations.” Naval Research Laboratory, April 15 1998; http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA342016. KEYWORDS: Impedance magnetic powders, additive manufacturing, antenna miniaturization, 3D electromagnetics, advanced radome designs, electronic warfare systems N151-030 TITLE: Automated Acoustic Monitoring System TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics, Battlespace ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO IWS 5, Undersea Warfare Systems The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Develop an automated acoustic monitoring system to evaluate sensor performance and platform noise with the objective of improving overall combat system performance. DESCRIPTION: The U.S. Navy needs an improved automated acoustic monitoring system on surface ship combatants to better alert operators to degraded sensor performance and to monitor platform noise. The Navy combat system employs many underwater acoustic sensors and processing [ref 1] designed to detect threat vessels. The performance of these sensors must be maintained at a high level for the combat system to perform effectively. Many of the sensors are exposed to harsh environments and operating conditions that compromise performance. In addition, excessive radiated noise emitted from the platform may limit the performance of one or more of these sensors. The fleet operators must be made aware of these degradations as soon as possible so they can take corrective action. These actions may require the operator to run diagnostic procedures, modify a sensor processing configuration, rely more heavily on other sensors, and issue a casualty report (CASREP) when the problem is severe. The Navy system currently provides Performance Monitoring Fault Localization (PMFL) processed data for many of its acoustic sensors; however, in some cases it is not always clear to the operator what action should be taken. Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) has been successful at monitoring the status of equipment to facilitate efficient maintenance and lower the total cost of ownership. Although CBM more commonly uses sensors to facilitate the maintenance of inboard equipment, related techniques could be used for the maintenance of acoustic sensors themselves. An innovative automated system is desired that will process acoustic PMFL data and assist the operator in assessing overall sensor status and recommend corrective actions. Additional PMFL processing techniques that help detect telemetry processing issues, electronic noise and other intermittent issues are needed. Proposed algorithms should be able to distinguish between a processing induced artifact and real acoustic signal/transient in the water. The acoustic monitoring system will make recommendations to the operator to maximize overall acoustic performance while considering operational constraints and fault-tolerance of the current system software [ref 2]. For example, failed sensors can increase conventional beamformer (CBF) sidelobes. If too many sensors fail, CBF performance becomes compromised and array repairs are generally required. However, if the system uses adaptive beamforming [ref 3] that is more tolerant to failed sensors, perhaps array repairs can be deferred to a more convenient time. This example shows how PMFL action recommendations should consider the robustness of the system software that is running. Array self-noise measurements will provide additional sensor health insight as well as help gauge expected/maximum sensor performance. Improvements are sought for the array self-noise surveys to better automate how the data is recorded, disseminated, and evaluated in support of regular maintenance activities. Approaches that account for operational and environment conditions such as ship speed, sea-state, and shipping traffic are encouraged. The sensor monitoring system is required to be fully integrated with the entire processing system. Innovative ideas are sought in the following areas: signal processing; sensor performance measurement; sensor acoustic performance prediction; and automated processing which result in improved operator awareness of sensor degradation and corrective action. Technologies developed under this topic may run standalone or will transition appropriately into existing software baselines such as the Sensor Performance Prediction Functional Segment (SPPFS) [ref 4]. PHASE I: The company will develop a concept for an automated acoustic monitoring system that meets the requirements described above. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of the concept in meeting Navy needs and will establish that the concept can be feasibly developed into a useful product for integration into existing combat system elements such as SQQ-89, BQQ-10 and/or UQQ-2. Testing and analytical modeling will establish feasibility. PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I, the company will develop a prototype of the Automated Acoustic Monitoring System for evaluation. The Prototype is primarily software but includes the additional benefit of a hardware component if applicable. The prototype will be evaluated to determine its capability in meeting performance goals and Navy requirements for the automated acoustic monitoring system. System performance will be demonstrated through prototype evaluation and modeling or analytical methods over the required range of parameters such as speeds, array configurations, sonar set up configurations and sonar at sea recordings including numerous deployment cycles. Evaluation results will be used to refine the prototype into an initial design that will meet Navy requirements. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology to Navy use. PHASE III: The company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning the Automated Acoustic Monitoring System for Navy use. The company will further refine the Automated Acoustic Monitoring System according to the Phase III development plan for evaluation to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. This could potentially transition to any AxB platform which includes surveillance platforms, surface platforms and submarines. The company will support the Navy for test and validation to certify and qualify the system for Navy use. PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Automated Acoustic Sensor Monitoring technologies developed under this topic offer many commercial opportunities where underwater acoustic sensors are utilized including commercial sonar systems (manned and autonomous), oil exploration, fishing industry, etc. REFERENCES: 1. Urick, R.J. Principles of Underwater Sound, Third Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1983. 2. Hodges, Richard P., Underwater Acoustics: Analysis, Design and Performance of Sonar, Wiley, 2010. 3. Wage, K.E., Buck, J.R., “Snapshot Performance of the Dominant Model Rejection Beamformer,” IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, Volume 39, Issue 2, April 2014, pp. 212-225. 4. Ainslie, Michael A. Principles of Sonar Performance Modeling. Berlin: Springer, 2010. KEYWORDS: Acoustic performance prediction; array self-noise; sensor performance; performance monitoring fault localization; sensor monitoring; condition based maintenance N151-031 TITLE: Automated Visual Location Fix for Submarine Navigation TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics, Battlespace ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO IWS 5, Undersea Warfare Systems The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Develop an automated visual location fix capability for submarine navigation systems that detect and recognize navigation aids used for visual fix. DESCRIPTION: The Navy has a need for an automated fix capability in submarine combat systems. This capability will aid the submarine navigation team in decision-making and recommendations to the bridge while piloting the submarine in and out of ports. Navigation of submarines in and out of port can be challenging due to local boating traffic and littoral water hazards. Submarine navigation teams use navigation aids to make visual fixes to determine submarine location (ref. 1). This process can be both time-consuming and error-prone. The Navy seeks to automate the visual fix process to aid navigation, team decision-making, and recommendations to the bridge. The use of digital imaging systems in submarine periscope masts allows the potential of automated pattern recognition technologies (ref. 2) for recognizing and localizing navigation aids. Automated pattern recognition is complicated by the fact there are a wide variety of types, shapes, colors, and sizes of navigation aids existing in US coastal waters (ref. 3) and around the world today. The sheer number of navigation aids around the world, as well as environmental conditions and visual occlusion also add to the degree of difficulty in the development of an automated fix capability. An innovative approach is needed to provide an automated visual location fix capability while piloting a submarine. The algorithm(s) should be capable of operating on video from the full spectrum of imaging sensors including visible color, near infrared, short wave infrared (SWIR), and mid-wave infrared. PHASE I: The company will develop concepts for an Automated Visual Fix capability that meet the requirements discussed in the topic description. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of the concept in meeting Navy needs and will establish that the concept can be feasibly developed into a useful product for the Navy. The company will work with the Navy to identify metrics for measuring performance of a prototype Automated Visual Fix capability. Testing and analytical modeling will establish feasibility. PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I, the company will develop a software prototype of the Automated Visual Fix algorithm for evaluation. The prototype will be evaluated to determine its capability in meeting Navy requirements for an Automated Visual Fix capability. The final Phase II implementation of the algorithm shall operate on standalone Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) hardware, ready for a land based demonstration using actual periscope data. Capability performance will be demonstrated through prototype testing and evaluation on real periscope data provided by the Navy. The prototype shall effectively demonstrate an improvement over the manual visual fix process using the metrics defined in Phase I. Evaluation results will be used to refine the prototype into an initial design that will meet Navy requirements. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology to Navy use. PHASE III: The company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning the technology for Navy use. The company will develop an Automated Visual Fix capability according to the Phase III development plan for evaluation to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. The company will support the Navy for test and validation to certify and qualify the system for Navy use. The target platform for this technology is the Integrated Submarine Imaging System (ISIS) system (AN/BVY-1). The target transition program is the Advance Processor Build (APB) program, the current modernization process for submarine combat systems. PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: An automated visual fix capability should easily be applicable to both commercial and military vessels. Commercial fishing vessels can potentially use this technology to navigate in and out of port. REFERENCES: 1. Derencin, Robert. “Underwater navigation for submarines.” uboat.net, 16 Aug 2005 http://www.uboat.net/articles/61.html 2. Jain, Anil, et al. "Statistical Pattern Recognition: A Review.” IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Volume 22, Issue 1, January 2000. 3. “U.S. Aids To Navigation System.” U.S. Coast Guard, June 2011, http://www.uscgboating.org/regulations/navigation_rules.aspx KEYWORDS: Automated visual location fix; pattern recognition; navigation aids; image processing; digital imaging systems; visual occlusion N151-032 TITLE: Submarine Navigation in a GPS-Denied Environment TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS435, Submarine Electromagnetic Systems The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Develop an innovative approach to allow position fixing via existing outboard submarine sensors or new inboard sensors. DESCRIPTION: GPS information is used to accurately localize position during navigation. In the event GPS information is not available, an alternate solution is desirable to allow for accurate position fixing. The goal of this effort is to provide the submarine an alternate method for accurate geo-positioning when GPS is unavailable. Current practices rely on GPS signals received by sensors in the submarine antenna and basic navigational techniques (ref 1). The solution is preferred to make use of existing sensors – imagers, antenna, gyroscopes, etc., with only limited allowance for new associated inboard hardware support equipment (6 to 8 inches in a 19 inch diameter rack that could be located inside the submarine hull which allows for more flexibility).Solutions using existing available information from the fielded masts will always be more desirable. This SBIR topic seeks innovative ways to calculate position either within the constraints given above or through newly developed approaches. Examples such as, but not limited to, the magnetic fields (ref 3), astronomical observations (ref 2), and lighting are all examples of desirable solutions. Use of active transmissions is not acceptable. PHASE I: The company will determine the feasibility of concepts for a non-GPS based above water submarine navigation method. The company will determine the optimal solution for achieving the performance goals based on testing/analytical modeling and technical risk analysis. PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I and the Phase II contract statement of work, the company will develop a scaled prototype (either software demonstration or sensor for proof of concept). The prototype will be evaluated to determine its position accuracy. System performance will be demonstrated through prototype evaluation and modeling or analytical methods. Evaluation results will be used to refine the prototype into a design that will meet Navy requirements. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology to Navy use. PHASE III: If Phase II is successful, the company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning the technology through the Navy’s Advanced Processor Build (APB) or Technology Insertion (TI) process. The company will integrate the architecture into a prototype where it will be evaluated against requirements in a realistic scenario. The company will support the Navy for test and validation to certify and qualify the system for Navy use. PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: GPS localization is used extensively in commercial applications such as trucking, mapping, shipping, and potentially in the future, air traffic control; were GPS signals to be unavailable, there would be great impact on systems using position In addition, electromagnetic interference may limit use of GPS signals in some environments. Given the huge commercial market in GPS devices, there is clearly opportunity for alternate solutions to position fixing. REFERENCES: 1. Gonzalez, Andres R. “Navigational Algorithms.” Google Sites. 9 Jan 2013, https://sites.google.com/site/navigationalalgorithms/ 2. Optimal Estimation of a Multi-Star Fix, C. De Wit. NAVIGATION, Vol.21 , No. 4, Winter 1974-75, pp 320-325. 3. Texeira, Francisco C., “Novel approaches to geophysical navigation of autonomous underwater vehicles” Proceedings of the Workshop on Marine Robotics 2013, December 10, 2012, http://dsorsrv02.isr.ist.utl.pt/wmr2013/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Curado.pdf KEYWORDS: GPS-denied; passive navigation; geolocation; stellar imaging; geographic localization; global positioning N151-033 TITLE: Using Environmental Information in State Estimation for Undersea Systems TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics, Battlespace ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO IWS 5, Undersea Warfare Systems The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Develop an automated state estimation capability for undersea systems that exploits physical environmental characteristics to improve target motion analysis (TMA) and to avoid detection through exploiting the environment. DESCRIPTION: A submarine is vitally dependent on its acoustic sensors during periods of total submersion. Because of this, collecting, associating, and assimilating acoustic data to generate the tactical and operational picture depends greatly on the effects of the acoustic environment. While acoustic tactical decision aids have been available and in use for years, currently limited research and development is available to reliably exploit environmental information in an automated manner to improve contact range and velocity estimation processes. This topic will pursue more fully automated signal and information processing techniques to leverage environmental knowledge such as propagation paths, boundary interactions, and other physical phenomenon to aid in target localization and state estimation using acoustic sensors. Data comes from multiple sources in-situ both organic (onboard) and non-organic (off board); then there are historical databases of the environment. These are all to be considered as part of this effort. State estimation, as commonly referred to in the tracking and fusion literature, is defined as a quantitative statement of an object’s position and velocity with a principled quantified characterization of uncertainty of these values as well as the possible inclusion of the target's spectral properties. The small business should document the quantification methods and processes as part of their concept. Successful efforts must deal with uncertainties in the environment and physical processes affecting acoustic source localization (ref 1). The Navy is pursuing innovative approaches to exploiting information about the environment to enable the Navy to estimate the distance to a contact held on passive radar. The physics of undersea acoustic propagation are well understood, a number of numerical and closed form methods exist that can be employed to aid both the operator and automated tracking and fusion processes to reduce target state estimate uncertainties (ref 2). Approaches that address these physical processes directly in determining state estimates are more desirable than approaches that attempt to condition state estimates to account for the environment after the estimates are produced, since such approaches rarely address the accrual of environmental information over time. Efforts to improve state estimation can benefit from environmental information, such as the existence and location of convergence zones as well as indications of ranges that are not possible because of an acoustic path blocked by some bathymetric feature (ref 3). For example, the initialization of a target state estimate or “solution” stands to benefit from the use of this information once properly characterized in terms of the confidence in environmental knowledge. Of great importance to any concept, transitioning to operational use will be a means to provide confidence to the Command Team and crew that environmental processing is working correctly and accurately. The Navy is looking for innovative approaches to estimate the reliability of environmental data and processing efforts on target localization and state estimation. A critical factor for success is then a demonstrable means for the concept to provide transparency to the operator on all facets of the environmental effects on the state estimation. In addition to this transparency, a means to “self-regulate” is of equal importance. We define self-regulation as the property of the system to assess inputs and accurately characterize its fused contact output in terms of uncertainty or confidence. Empirical and analytic techniques for this self-assessment are well known [refs 4, 5]. A successful concept must then self-regulate to report when operational thresholds for confidence are not satisfactory to remain under automated contact fusion. Effective approaches will provide a means for rapid and effective operator interaction with the system to act when manual attention is required. PHASE I: The company will define measurable criteria for an automated State Estimation capability as described above. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of the concept in meeting Navy needs and will establish that the concept can be feasibly developed into a useful product for the Navy. Testing and analytical modeling will establish feasibility. |