International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Time-Space-Position-Information (TSPI) visualization systems used today at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) and simulation visualization tools used at the Air Armament Center (AAC) utilize two-dimensional (2D) display systems for both real-time and post-mission data analysis. Examples are monitors and large screen projection systems. Some TSPI visualization systems generate three-dimensional (3D) data as output, but the 3D data is translated so that it is compatible with 2D display systems. Currently, 3D volumetric display systems are being utilized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for monitoring air traffic in 3D without 3D goggles. The aircraft’s position information is derived from radar and fed to a volumetric display. The AFFTC and AAC need a similar system for Open Air Range testing utilizing the Global Positioning System (GPS) as the source of position information and Installed Systems Testing utilizing 6 Degree of Freedom (DOF) flight simulation data as the source of position information. This system should be capable of displaying realistic terrain structures, vehicle models and physical test configurations along with text data overlays. The ability to display the mission in real-time on a volumetric 3D display makes it possible for test engineers to observe resource utilization continuously as the mission develops. Quicker turn-around times in the decision process will lead to more efficient use of limited test resources and will increase the information content of the data being collected.

A linear model of an annealing furnace is developed using a black-box system identification approach, and used when testing three different control strategies to improve temperature control. The purpose of the investigation was to see if it was possible to improve the temperature control while at the same time  decrease the switching frequency of the  burners. This will lead to a more efficient process as well as less maintenance, which has both economic and environmental benefits. The estimated model has been used to simulate the furnace with both the existing controller and possible new controllers such as a split range controller and a model predictive controller (MPC). A split range controller is a control strategy which can be used when more than one control signal affect the output signal, and the control signals have different range. The main advantage with MPC is that it can take limitations and constraints into account for the controlled process, and with the use of integer programming, explicitly account for the discrete switching behavior of the burners. In simulation both new controllers succeed in decreasing the switching and the MPC also improved the temperature control. This suggest that the control of the furnace can be improved by implementing one of the evaluated controllers.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1989 / Town & Country Hotel & Convention Center, San Diego, California / Modern aircraft testing and training increasingly demand the use of multiple targets. A novel method to meet this requirement is to use the new AN/MPS-39 Multiple Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) with Vega Target Control System equipment. The AN/MPS-39 can be loosely described as the equivalent of ten AN/FPS-16 radars. This equivalency, due largely to the AN/MPS-39’s phased array antenna, immediately suggests the controlling of multiple target drones as an added capability to the radar’s basic and demonstrated function as a precision metric instrument. This paper demonstrates the adaptability of the AN/MPS-39 MOTR to the use of VTCS, thus exploiting the AN/MPS-39’s inherent capability to control multiple target drones simultaneously.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 17-20, 1988 / Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada / The Multi-Vehicle Metric & Telemetry System (MMTS) is a complete range system which performs real-time tracking, command destruct, and telemetry processing functions for support of range safety and the test and evaluation of airborne vehicles. As currently configured, the MMTS consists of five hardware and software subsystems with the capability to receive, process, and display tracking data from up to ten range sensors and telemetry data from two instrumented vehicles. During a range operation, the MMTS is employed to collect, process, and display tracking and telemetry data. The instrumentation sites designated for operational support acquire tracking and telemetered data and transmit these data to the MMTS. The raw data is then identified, formatted, time tagged, recorded, processed, and routed for display to mission control and telemetry display areas. Additionally, processed tracking data is transmitted back to instrumentation sites as an aid to acquire or maintain vehicle track. The mission control area consists of a control and status console, high resolution color graphics stations, and large screen displays. As the mission controller observes mission progress on the graphics stations operational decisions can be made and invoked by activation of the appropriate console controls. Visual alarms provided my MMTS will alert mission control personnel of hazardous conditions posed by any tracked vehicle. Manual action can then be taken to activate transmission of the MMTS vehicle destruct signal. The telemetry display area consists of ten fully-functional, PC compatible computers which are switchable to either of two telemetry front end processors. Each PC can be independently set up by telemetry analysts to display data of interest. A total of thirty data pages per PC can be defined and any defined data page can be activated during a mission. A unique feature of the MMTS is that telemetry data can be combined with tracking data for use by the range safety functions.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 28-31, 1996 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / The objective of the FIRST project is to define a modern DoD Standard Datalink capability. This defined capability or standard is to provide a solution to wide variety of test and training range digital data radio communications problems with a common set of components, flexible to fit a broad range of applications, yet be affordable in all of them. This capability is to be specially designed to meet the expanding range distances and data transmissions rates needed to test modern weapon systems. Presently, the primary focus of the project is more on software, protocols, design techniques and standards, than on hardware development. Existing capabilities, on going developments and emerging technologies are being investigated and will be utilized as appropriate. Modern processingintensive communications technology can perform many complex range data communications tasks effectively, but a large-scale development effort is usually necessary to exploit it to its full potential. Yet, range communications problems are generally of limited scope, so different from one another that a communication system applicable to all of them is not likely to solve any of them well. FIRST will resolve that dilemma by capitalizing on another feature of modern communications technology: its high degree of programmability. This can enable custom-tailoring of datalink operation to particular applications, just as a PC can be tailored to perform a multitude of diverse tasks, through appropriate selection of software and hardware components.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 23-26, 2000 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / A novel approach combines GPS receiver technology with micro-electromechanical inertial sensors to improve performance of single object tracking radar. The approach enhances range safety by integrating an airborne Global Positioning System/Inertial Movement Unit (GPS/IMU) with a C-band transponder to downlink time-space-position information (TSPI) via FPS-16 instrumentation radar. This improves current telemetry links and the Range Application Joint Program Office (RAJPO) data link for downlinking TSPI because of the inherent long-range advantage of the radar. The goal of the project is to provide distance independent accuracy, and to demonstrate continuous 15-meter or better position accuracy over the entire flight envelope out to slant ranges up to 1,000 Km with at least 50 updates per second. This improves safety coverage for the wide area flight testing. It provides risk reduction for the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards Air Force Base, California and other ranges planning TSPI system upgrades.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The Space and Missile Systems Center at Vandenberg AFB has integrated ID-1 high bit rate helical scan digital recorders into the ground based and mobile telemetry receiving and processing facilities. The systems are used for recording higher bit rates than those available with the current IRIG standard longitudinal wideband and double density instrumentation magnetic tape recorder/reproducers. In addition to the 400 Mbps digital recorders, the systems consist of high-speed multiplexer/ demultiplexers and multi-channel bit synchronizers for recording numerous telemetry data links and sources on a single recorder. This paper describes the system configurations and compares recording capabilities with those of the previous generation instrumentation magnetic tape recorder/reproducers.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Two kinds of differential GPS (DGPS) technology on position differential GPS and pseudo-range differential GPS are studied and compared in this paper. Positioning tests by single GPS receiver, position DGPS and pseudo-range DGPS systems based on GPSOEM board are done. Experiment result indicates that position error is about 30 - 100 meters on single GPS receiver and position error is reduced to 3 - 10 meters on DGPS. Furthermore, Developed DGPS system which is based on GPS-OEM has the advantages of low cost, utility and flexibility, etc.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 26-29, 1998 / Town & Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / This paper describes a highly integrated and low cost GPS Translator/Telemetry system for use on missile platforms – the Digital GPS Translator (DGT), a component part of the Translated GPS Range System (TGRS). The DGT provides translated GPS tracking capability combined with transmission of telemetry at rates of up to 10 Mbps with optional encoding and/or encryption. This integrated approach to GPS tracking and telemetry results in a significant reduction in hardware size and cost compared to a segregated approach. The TGRS includes a ground-processing unit that provides real time processing of both the GPS and telemetry portions of the DGT transmission.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 21, 2002 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / This paper presents a Flight Safety System (FSS) for multiple, reliable Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV’s) capable of flying Over-the-Horizon (OTH) and outside test range airspace. Expanded uses beyond flight safety, such as UAV Air Traffic Control, are considered also. This system satisfies the operational requirement for a Hazard Control Communication Channel as well as providing a reverse communications channel to provide Safety Critical Information to the Range Safety Officer (RSO). Upon examining 60 communications candidates, IRIDIUM accessed through a Data Distribution Network (DDN), with ARINC being a potential service provider, is recommended.