SBIR-STTR Award

GSS will develop the Flexible Integrated Intelligent Network (FIIN) architecture for Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) Systems using Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) design principles. By following the MOSA design principles, the FIIN architecture will leverage investments made throughout the defense industrial base to produce new commercial products, practices, and technologies that will integrate advanced capabilities more easily into future Army aircraft and field superior PHM capabilities more quickly and affordably into legacy Army rotorcraft. We will look to adopt into the FIIN architecture open standards-based technologies from the automotive industry (e.g., Controlled Area Network) or IP based technologies to provide a common interface for a message-based communication protocol and integration of multiple PHM control modules from health-enabled aircraft systems. Leveraging the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) work being done by the Open Group FACE Consortium, we will consider the possibilities of integrating a communication protocol that introduces a standard interface for run-time PHM data exchange with FACE compliant and systems. This includes researching the Joint Common Architecture (JCA) to ensure that the two developing frameworks are considered in defining the FIIN architecture. We will also consider integration of actual diagnostic logic and corrosion sensors into the PHM modules.

The scope of the Phase II efforts is to develop and demonstrate the underlying software technology and implementation process for the Common Onboard Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) Data Acquisition and Exchange framework. Using the work products produced during the Phase I effort, the objective is to advance this work by developing a Minimum Viable Product (prototype software) and move toward a common IVHM data collection and exchange capability that enables the data acquisition and exchange process that facilitates onboard IVHM, and the application of on/off-board Data Analytics, Maintenance Aids, and AI/machine learning applications. The efforts are designed to advance the onboard architecture framework defined by GSS under the Phase I efforts to enable standard IVHM system implementations on aviation platforms. The value of this approach to the U.S. Navy (and the DoD) is that a design instantiation of the architecture can be done on a legacy platform to advance the legacy platform IVHM capability, and at the same time move toward a standardized open system for application on new platforms. This dual path of maturation and transition process provides for immediate impact on legacy platforms, when cost effective, while leveraging commonality and positioning for transition to future fleet platforms.

Benefit:
The market potential for health monitoring systems and related technologies is very promising. The key is that the market for these technologies is just developing and the solutions are truly dual-use technologies that apply to both government and commercial market sectors. GSS observes that there are several efforts throughout the defense and commercial aviation industry focused on collecting data produced by the platforms, but no one is addressing the flexibility, intelligence, level of integration and knowledge based decision support process delivered by the concept described in this proposal. Our business objective in pursuing the funding for this project is to bridge the technology gap which is consuming valuable resources in DOD and at the same time develop opportunities in the commercial aviation sector.

Keywords:
CBM, Data Exchange, Software Defined Network, CBM+, IVHM, Virtual Data Bus, data transfer, IVHM Processor