SBIR-STTR Award

AeroMancer Technology proposes to develop a 3D Lidar Global Airspeed Sensor (3D-GLAS) for remote optical sensing of three-component airspeeds in wind tunnel applications. Current methods of non-intrusive airspeed measurement include techniques such as Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) and Doppler Global Velocimetry (DGV). However, some common drawbacks of all these standoff methods for 3D airspeed sensing are that they require precise alignment of separate transmitters and receivers; and it is expensive and unwieldy to extend these measurements to a large enough volume to be practical for use in medium and large wind tunnels. The proposed instrument uses range-resolved elastic backscatter data from a lidar beam that is scanned over the volume of interest to generate a 3D map of aerosol density in a short time span. Aerosol density fluctuations are cross-correlated between successive scans to obtain the displacements of the aerosol features along the three axes. Thereby, temporally and spatially resolved velocity measurements are possible at high resolution.In Phase 1, AeroMancer proposes to conduct a requirements analysis to identify the functional and operational needs of wind tunnel application and of the instrument. A signal link budget analysis tool of the proposed lidar will be developed to aid in instrument design and scaling. A conceptual design of the instrument will be developed, where the system architecture and main components will be identified. The preliminary design of the software for extraction of 3D airspeed information from the lidar data will be developed. The design studies will be supported using experimental tests with a previously developed lower-fidelity prototype of a different configuration.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) A remote velocimetry system for measuring winds and turbulence can become an integral part of NASA ground test facilities such as wind tunnels, hover chambers and anechoic facilities. The ability to non-intrusively obtain three-component concurrent winds can be used to study key NASA challenges in aerodynamics, aeroacoustics and flight dynamics. In addition to airspeed sensing, the proposed instrument could also have potential NASA applications in spray characterization, aerosol transport and flow visualization.

Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Remote sensing of airspeed has broad applicability to research, development, test and evaluation in a variety of industries ranging from manned and unmanned air, land and sea vehicles for defense, wind tunnels for the automobile and racing industries, civilian aerospace, etc. Other commercial applications could include analyzing the effect of wakes on personnel and equipment at airports, offshore installations and building helipads, as well as measuring the flowfield in the vicinity of buildings and other structures. Other potential non-NASA applications include aerosol and particle research, atmospheric research, field surveys of wind profiles for wind turbines, etc.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
(NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.) 3D Imaging Aerodynamics Characterization Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE; NDT) Optical/Photonic (see also Photonics)

AeroMancer Technologies proposes to develop a 3D Global Lidar Airspeed Sensor (3D-LGAS) using Aerosol Correlation Velocimetry for standoff sensing of high-resolution spatially and temporally resolved three-component global airspeeds using a scanning elastic lidar. The proposed instrument uses range-resolved elastic backscatter data from a scanning lidar beam to generate a 3D map of aerosol density in a short time span. Aerosol density fluctuations are cross-correlated between successive scans to obtain the displacements of the aerosol features along the three axes. Current methods of non-intrusive global airspeed measurement include Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) and Doppler Global Velocimetry (DGV). Common drawbacks of these methods are that they require precise alignment of separate transmitters and receivers; and it is expensive and unwieldy to extend these measurements for use in medium and large wind tunnels.In Phase I, AeroMancer identified the main requirements of the application and the instrument; developed a conceptual design of a Phase II prototype; identified 3D airspeed extraction algorithms; and benchmarked the performance of the prototype using experiments and numerical simulations.In Phase II, AeroMancer will develop the final design of the prototype by finalizing the requirements; and by performing trade studies and an eye safety analysis to select major components. The prototype will then be fabricated, assembled and packaged for wind tunnel use. Algorithms for the extraction of 3D global airspeeds, turbulence and solid object identification will be developed. Different scanning approaches will be developed and sources of error in the measurement will be analyzed and quantified. Software packages for control, data acquisition, storage and processing will be developed. The prototype will be tested in the laboratory for alignment, calibration, verification and validation. Limited wind tunnel testing will be performed if resources permit.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) A remote velocimetry system for measuring winds and turbulence can become an integral part of NASA ground test facilities such as wind tunnels, hover chambers and anechoic facilities. In particular, this instrument is being designed for use at Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center. The ability to non-intrusively obtain three-component concurrent winds can be used to study key NASA challenges in aerodynamics, aeroacoustics and flight dynamics. In addition to airspeed sensing, the proposed instrument could also have potential NASA applications in solid boundary mapping, vibration analysis, spray characterization, aerosol transport and flow visualization.



Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications:
:
(Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Remote sensing of airspeed has broad applicability to research, development, test and evaluation in a variety of industries ranging from manned and unmanned air, land and sea vehicles for defense, wind tunnels for the automobile and racing industries, civilian aerospace, etc. Other commercial applications could include analyzing the effect of wakes on personnel and equipment at airports, offshore installations and building helipads, as well as measuring the flowfield in the vicinity of buildings and other structures. Other potential non-NASA applications include aerosol and particle research, atmospheric research, field surveys of wind profiles for wind turbines, etc.

Technology Taxonomy Mapping:
(NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.) 3D Imaging Aerodynamics Image Analysis Image Processing Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE; NDT) Optical/Photonic (see also Photonics)