International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 18-21, 2004 / Town & Country Resort, San Diego, California / With recent improvements in data acquisition technology, it is now possible to use an FTI data acquisition system to measure analog signals with a total error from all sources of less than 0.05% - over an extended temperature range - and at high sample rates. This accuracy is better than one count of an old 10-bit system and includes non-linearities, initial errors (in gain, offset and excitation) and drift errors, simplifying the task of interpreting data acquisition system performance specifications. This paper looks at some practical steps taken to achieve this accuracy, from a hardware design and signal processing perspective. This leads to a discussion of implications for the FTI system designer, including: sensor and wiring specifications, sample rate, filtering specifications, and a discussion of implications for the data processing engineers.

ITC/USA 2015 Conference Proceedings / The Fifty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2015 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / The network switch is a critical element in the flight test network. All devices in the network are configured, synchronised and managed via the switch. In addition to this all acquired data is routed through the switch. For these reasons, the flight test network switch has always needed to be rugged and reliable with high throughput and simple intuitive setup. Ethernet technology and the move towards open standards within FTI systems have enabled flight test networks to become increasingly flexible and heterogeneous. Modern FTI networks may have different synchronisation and data transmission protocols running simultaneously. It is also important to quickly switch network configurations for different flight profiles and to enable new features to be easily added to existing installations. This paper examines the increasing network interoperability and flexibility challenges and discusses how the network switch is best placed to provide solutions.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The advent of a new generation of analog to digital converters (ADC’s) provides the aerospace signal-conditioning engineer with many design advantages, trade-offs and challenges for their next generation of signal conditioning systems. These advantages include increased range, resolution, accuracy, channel-count and sampling rate. However, in order to capitalize on these advantages, it is important to understand the trade-offs involved and to specify these systems correctly. Trade-offs include: • Analog vs. Digital signal conditioning • Implementation issues such as 12-bits vs. 16-bits (or even 24-bits) • Topology issues such as multiplexers vs. multiple ADC’s • Filter-type selection • Sigma-Delta vs. Successive Approximation ADC’s. Specification challenges include: • Total DC error vs. gain and offset (and drift, excitation, DNL, crosstalk, etc.) • ENOB vs. SINAD (or THD, SNR or Noise) • Coherency issues such as filter phase distortion vs. delay This paper will discuss some of these aspects and attempts to produce a succinct specification for the next generation of airborne signal conditioning, while also outlining some of the lessons learned in developing the same.

ITC/USA 2015 Conference Proceedings / The Fifty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2015 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / Digital data distribution systems are widely used in Aerospace and Defense products to allow devices to communicate with one another. In many cases it is desirable to monitor the data traffic flowing between two points in a copper or fiber based Operational or Onboard Network System (ONS) for Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI) purposes because these ONS systems may carry important data which can be used without duplicating/installing a specific FTI data acquisition system to receive this data. The two types of network taps that can be used are Inline Network Taps and network end-point taps. This paper examines the usage of Inline Network Taps for FTI applications and how they can support network access strategies and objectives. An Inline Network Tap is a hardware device which allows access to data flowing across a network. These devices are typically active/powered and have a number of ports: a first tap port, a second tap port, and one or more mirror ports. An in-line network tap inserted between the first and second tap port passes all data traffic through unimpeded but also copies that same data to one or more mirror ports. Some Inline Network Tap devices may also pass packets when the tap is not powered or a malfunction is detected on the device via an integrated by-pass function. If the Inline Network Tap device goes offline the unit automatically bypasses the tap connection and data traffic is directed through the bypass directly to network devices. This capability is crucial for inline usage on mission critical network segments that cannot afford the risk of losing the network connection. An in-line network tap can either be based on copper or fiber technology and as a "filterable" network tap can also provide advanced packet filtering capabilities. These filterable network taps can selectively pass data, e.g., based on VLAN ID or other parameters, to a mirror port for deep analysis, monitoring and recording. Another advanced tap function that is presented in this paper is the support for inserting time stamps at the tap level in monitored packets which provides a reference time when the data content of a given packet was generated at a data source. This capability is a significant feature for FTI applications as most ONS systems do not provide time stamped data.

<p>In Sweden, responsibility for the collection and recycling of packaging and newspapers lies with the producers. Therefore, the major producers created a joint</p><p>collection with 5800 recycling stations. The stations are the responsibility of a coordinating body, Förpacknings och Tidningsinsamlingen (FTI) which ensures Government regulations are adhered to by the producers.</p><p>In 2006, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carried out an evaluation of the collection of packaging and newspapers. EPA´s research showed</p><p>that 80 percent of households were satisfied with the collection but that there were also shortcomings, including problems with littering at the recycling stations.</p><p>We have tried to approach the litter issue from different angles in order to suggest</p><p>possible measures to reduce the problem. An important aspect proved to be uncertainties regarding the concept of operators.</p><p>As there are currently many parties involved in the collection process this lead to the issue of who is legally considered as the operator of the recycling stations. We discovered, when we studied the subject, that there had been some reorganization of FTI's activities, which we believe contributes to making the question of who is to be</p><p>regarded as operators clearer.</p><p>We have also examined FTI's and the municipalities environmental offices’ approach to the problem. Overall, the survey shows that the degree of cooperation between FTI and the environmental offices is at a satisfactory level, but that there are differences in how the problem is perceived, particularly in regard to the cause of the litter.</p><p>Based on the investigation, we have come up with some suggestions for actions that may contribute to a reduction in litter and further enhance cooperation between the</p><p>municipalities’ environmental offices and FTI.</p><p>Some conclusions we have reached are that EPA should provide clearer guidance on the question of what constitutes an appropriate collection and that the municipalities’ environmental offices should be invited to the consultations between FTI and the municipalities regarding the recycling stations on a regular basis.</p>

The research described in this thesis involves the design, development, and implementation of an automated positioning system for fiber-optic interferometric sensors. The Fiber-Tip Interferometer (FTI) is an essential component in the proven Thermo-Acousto-Photonic NDE technique for characterizing a wide range of engineering materials including polymers, semiconductors and composites. The need to adapt the fiber-optic interferometric system to an industrial environment and to achieve precision control for optimizing interferometric contrast motivated the development of an automated, self-aligning FTI system design. The design enables high-resolution positioning and alignment by eliminating manual subjectivity and allows significantly improved repeatability and accuracy to be attained. Opto-electronic and electromechanical devices including a GRIN lens, 2x2 fused bi-conical taper couplers, photodiodes, motor-controlled tip/tilt stages, oscilloscopes, and a PCI card, constitute a closed-loop system with a feedback controller. The system is controlled by and communicates with a computer console using LabVIEW, a graphical language developed by National Instruments. Specifically, alignment is quantified by scanning the voltage readings at various orientations of the GRIN lens. The experimental setup specific to achieving maximum interferometric contrast intensity when interrogating silicon wafers with various surface depositions is discussed. Results corresponding to the interferometric contrast data obtained at several different standoff distances (Fizeau Cavity magnitudes) demonstrate the robustness of the novel design.

In Sweden, responsibility for the collection and recycling of packaging and newspapers lies with the producers. Therefore, the major producers created a joint collection with 5800 recycling stations. The stations are the responsibility of a coordinating body, Förpacknings och Tidningsinsamlingen (FTI) which ensures Government regulations are adhered to by the producers. In 2006, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carried out an evaluation of the collection of packaging and newspapers. EPA´s research showed that 80 percent of households were satisfied with the collection but that there were also shortcomings, including problems with littering at the recycling stations. We have tried to approach the litter issue from different angles in order to suggest possible measures to reduce the problem. An important aspect proved to be uncertainties regarding the concept of operators. As there are currently many parties involved in the collection process this lead to the issue of who is legally considered as the operator of the recycling stations. We discovered, when we studied the subject, that there had been some reorganization of FTI's activities, which we believe contributes to making the question of who is to be regarded as operators clearer. We have also examined FTI's and the municipalities environmental offices’ approach to the problem. Overall, the survey shows that the degree of cooperation between FTI and the environmental offices is at a satisfactory level, but that there are differences in how the problem is perceived, particularly in regard to the cause of the litter. Based on the investigation, we have come up with some suggestions for actions that may contribute to a reduction in litter and further enhance cooperation between the municipalities’ environmental offices and FTI. Some conclusions we have reached are that EPA should provide clearer guidance on the question of what constitutes an appropriate collection and that the municipalities’ environmental offices should be invited to the consultations between FTI and the municipalities regarding the recycling stations on a regular basis.

The research described in this thesis involves the design, development, and implementation of an automated positioning system for fiber-optic interferometric sensors. The Fiber-Tip Interferometer (FTI) is an essential component in the proven Thermo-Acousto-Photonic NDE technique for characterizing a wide range of engineering materials including polymers, semiconductors and composites. The need to adapt the fiber-optic interferometric system to an industrial environment and to achieve precision control for optimizing interferometric contrast motivated the development of an automated, self-aligning FTI system design. The design enables high-resolution positioning and alignment by eliminating manual subjectivity and allows significantly improved repeatability and accuracy to be attained. Opto-electronic and electromechanical devices including a GRIN lens, 2x2 fused bi-conical taper couplers, photodiodes, motor-controlled tip/tilt stages, oscilloscopes, and a PCI card, constitute a closed-loop system with a feedback controller. The system is controlled by and communicates with a computer console using LabVIEW, a graphical language developed by National Instruments. Specifically, alignment is quantified by scanning the voltage readings at various orientations of the GRIN lens. The experimental setup specific to achieving maximum interferometric contrast intensity when interrogating silicon wafers with various surface depositions is discussed. Results corresponding to the interferometric contrast data obtained at several different standoff distances (Fizeau Cavity magnitudes) demonstrate the robustness of the novel design.

ITC/USA 2005 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 24-27, 2005 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The adaptation of ubiquitous Ethernet technology to airborne FTI systems is a relatively recent development, offering multiple advantages to FTI applications, including a high data throughput and ability to integrate COTS equipment with ease. For large-scale FTI applications – such as on the Airbus A380 - the use of traditional PCM based data acquisition systems results in enormously complex system architectures, with difficulties in system design, implementation, commissioning, test and maintenance. However, on the A380, the use of the Ethernet-based, IENA protocol alleviated these problems, in addition to offering several additional advantages. This paper explores the theoretical and practical implications of using Ethernet-based data acquisition in an FTI application, with direct comparison to an equivalent PCM based system.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 18-21, 2004 / Town & Country Resort, San Diego, California / The system architecture of an onboard FTI-System is specifically designed to fulfil highly demanding flight test requirements. Since these flight test requirements are steadily increasing with the growing complexity of test aircraft and mission systems, a corresponding improvement in the performance of the FTI-Systems is mandatory to satisfy those flight test demands. In addition, the individual test flights have to provide the maximum of flight test data obtainable in order to improve test efficiency and to cut project costs. Increased performance, miniaturisation, more reduced design and installation costs are the challenges for future system architectures. The developments of commercial and consumer electronics have an increasing influence on the layout of FTI-Systems.