Date: Jan 15, 2010 Source: ARMY SBIR Success Stories (
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Increased reliability, availability, safety, and cost efficiency requirements for Army platforms have highlighted a demand for a reliable condition monitoring and prognostic solution for onboard electronic systems. Qualtech Systems Inc. (QSI), in collaboration with University of Maryland's Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering, developed a data-driven condition monitoring, diagnostic and prognostic solution applicable to onboard electronic systems of airborne platforms.
The approach comprises advanced signal processing, feature extraction, fault detection and isolation, and forecasting algorithms. By using monitored data and functional structure of a system, the technology can detect and identify parametric faults, trace back to their sources, and forecast the performance level and remaining lifetime for the overall system as well as for the degraded components. A major advantage of the solution lies in its capability to "learn" the degradation dynamics of a target system with minimal human intervention, thereby facilitating minimal effort customization and wide range of applicability across platforms.
Since electronic systems are rapidly proliferating in all advanced engineering applications, this technology will be useful for both military and commercial users. Industrial sectors that employ costly high-tech equipment and automobile manufacturing can both use the solution for real-time health assessment and to anticipate equipment performance degradation and possible outage. Performance assessment and condition forecasting of medical equipment (e.g., CT scan, ECG, EEG, etc.) is another potential application of this prognostic solution.
Phase III Impacts
QSI has experience in building advanced health management solutions for Pratt & Whitney engines, Sikorsky helicopters, and the Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopter. Under a collaborative effort with BAE Systems, QSI technology is being incorporated into the Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for onboard real-time fault isolation and troubleshooting. QSI is also working closely with Northrop Grumman Corporation's Aerospace Systems in order to incorporate their technology for the RQ-8 "Fire Scout" UAV program.
