Abstract: A projectile includes a housing and a slot formed in the housing. A deployable flight surface is inside the housing. A cover is attached to the housing and covers the slot. A cutter is adjacent the cover and moves in the slot and slices the cover to open the slot and allow deployment of the flight surface through the slot.

Abstract: A T-junction circuit comprises a first connector, a second connector, a third connector, at least one data bus, a power bus, and power conditioning circuitry. The at least one data bus is communicatively coupled to the first, second, and third connector. The power bus electrically coupled to the first, second, and third connector, the power bus configured to provide power from the first connector. The power conditioning circuitry is electrically coupled between a node of the power bus and the third connector, the node of the power bus located between the first, second, and third connectors, the power conditioning circuitry configured to condition the power provided by the power bus from the first connector before providing it to the third connector.

Abstract: A system for data transfer in a rotorcraft includes a power bus extending from a power source in a main fuselage of the rotorcraft to provide electrical power to electrical loads located in a tail boom section of the rotorcraft, a first power line communication node on the power bus in the tail boom section of the rotorcraft, a second power line communication node on the power bus in the main fuselage of the rotorcraft, and a digital sensor bus connected to the first power line communication node. Information from the digital sensor bus is transmitted to the first power line communication node and across the power bus to the second power line communication node.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling an actuator for moving a load. The method includes receiving a selected bandwidth, wherein bandwidth is defined as the frequency at which the gain of the closed loop input-output response is relative to the steady state value and is related to the reciprocal of response time, receiving a command to move the load to a selected position, receiving a feedback of measured motor position, estimating reaction torque or force associated with moving the load in real time, and estimating rotational motor speed and motor position. The method further includes calculating gain for controlling position of the load as a function of the selected bandwidth, wherein in the gain represents an adjustment of at least one of the estimated motor position, motor rotational speed, and reaction torque.

Abstract: A method of bearing fault detection including measuring a signal of torsional energy transfer from a rotating device to a non-rotating device at a distance away from the rotating device, calculating a health status of the rotating device based on a comparison of the measured signal to a baseline signal, and calculating a remaining useful life of the rotating device.

Abstract: A control module for a distributed sensor system can include a non-application specific configurable module configured to operate as a function of controller configuration settings data, at least a first memory configured to store the controller configuration settings data, at least one external interface module configured to connect with a master host module of the sensor system to receive updated controller configuration settings data, the control module configured to receive and store the updated controller configuration settings in the first memory thereof via the at least one external interface module, and a subnet interface module configured to connect to one or more configurable sensor nodes on a subnetwork, wherein the control module is configured to control and/or configure the one or more sensor nodes as a function of the controller configuration setting data and receive sensor data from the one or more sensor nodes.

Abstract: An inductive sensor includes a core body, a coil wound on the core body, a cavity having a fixed volume within the core body, and an epoxy mixture filling a controlled portion of the fixed volume. The controlled portion of the fixed volume filled with the epoxy mixture controls an inductance of the sensor.

Abstract: A rotary encoder may include a magnetic encoder disc having a plurality of magnetic features added to the disc by additive manufacturing distributed over a surface of the encoder disc, wherein the disc is configured for attachment to the end of a rotatable shaft, or a cylindrical metallic encoding feature having a plurality of magnetic features added to the cylindrical encoder by additive manufacturing distributed over the surface of the cylindrical encoding feature, wherein the encoding feature is capable of attachment to an outer diameter of the rotatable shaft. The encoder additionally includes a magnetic sensor positioned adjacent to the end of the rotatable shaft to detect magnetic signals from the magnetic features on the disc and/or positioned over the surface of the rotatable shaft to detect magnetic signals from the magnetic features on the encoding feature.

Abstract: Rotational speed of a rotating component is determined using frequency domain vibrational data. A time sequence of vibrational data of the rotating component is sensed and converted to the frequency domain vibrational data. A portion of the frequency domain vibrational data corresponding to an expected rotational speed of the rotating component is identified. A frequency bin index of the frequency domain vibrational data corresponding to a maximum vibration within the portion of the frequency domain vibrational data is identified. The maximum vibration at the identified frequency bin index and vibrations associated with adjacent frequency bin indices are fitted to a model curve. A floating point frequency bin index corresponding to a maximum of the model curve is identified, and the rotational speed of the rotating component is determined based on the frequency bin index corresponding to the maximum of the model curve.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods relate to determining a course-correction signal for a spin-stabilized projectile based on a time sequence of images of a scene aligned with and obtained by a forward-looking imager coupled to the projectile. As the projectile rotates, the aligned scenes captured in the images obtained by the forward-looking imager are rotated. The rotation angle of each of the captured scenes corresponds to the spin angle of the projectile at the time of image exposure. Objects in the captured scenes will circle about a rotation center of the time-sequence images. The distances from a rotation center to the objects in the captured scenes, as well as the rotation angles of the captured scenes can be used to generate a course-correction signal so that the projectile can be guided to a target selected from the objects in the captured scene.

Abstract: A method is provided for sensing proximity of a target. The method includes sensing inductance associated with a magnetic field, wherein the inductance is affected by the target when the target is proximate the magnetic field. The method further includes providing the sensed inductance for processing.

Abstract: A circuit card assembly (CCA) stack includes a first circuit card assembly (CCA) with circuit components mounted thereto, wherein the first CCA includes a power contact and a return contact for powering the first CCA. A plurality of additional CCAs in a stack with the first CCA, wherein each CCA in the plurality of additional CCAs includes respective power and return contacts, and wherein each CCA in the plurality of additional CCAs includes a first aperture and a second aperture for passage of power buses. The first power bus can include one or more power wires bonded to power contacts of the CCAs, and one or more return wires bonded to return contacts of the CCAs.

Abstract: An electronic braking arrangement includes a brake stack assembly, a driver circuit, a current limiter circuit, and a voltage limiter circuit. The driver circuit is operably connected to the brake stack assembly. The current limiter circuit and the voltage limiter circuit are connected in series between the driver circuit and the brake stack assembly to drive friction brake loads in the brake stack assembly with a voltage limited constant drive current.

Abstract: A method is provided of generating a course-correction signal for a spin-stabilized projectile. The method includes capturing a time-sequence of images of a scene at a frame rate, comparing respective current images of the time-sequence of images to a corresponding previous image of the time-sequence of images, determining a rotation angle between the current and previous images, rotating the images using the rotation angle, identifying a target in the rotated images, generating target bearing angles to cause the projectile to correct its course toward the target using the target bearing angles, and adjusting the target bearing angles to compensate for the rotation of the images.

Abstract: An aircraft monitoring system includes a sensor operatively connected to at least a portion of an aircraft, a memory configured to store instructions, and a processor disposed in communication with the memory and the sensor. The processor, upon execution of the instructions, is configured to display a graphical representation of the portion of the aircraft reflecting real-time monitoring activity, and display a monitoring controller. A method of providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for an aircraft monitoring system includes displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of an aircraft's geometry reflecting real-time monitoring activity. The method includes displaying one or more monitoring controllers. Each monitoring controller is associated with at least a portion of an aircraft monitoring system and a location on the aircraft's geometry.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods relate to ranging an object nearby an aircraft by triangulation using two simultaneously-captured images of the object. The two images are simultaneously captured from two distinct vantage points on the aircraft. Because the two images are captured from distinct vantage points, the object can be imaged at different pixel-coordinate locations in the two images. The two images are correlated with one another so as to determine the pixel-coordinate locations corresponding to the object. Range to the object is calculated based on the determined pixel-coordinate locations and the two vantage points from which the two images are captured. Only a subset of each image is used for the correlation. The subset used for correlation includes pixel data from pixels upon which spatially-patterned light that is projected onto the object by a light projector and reflected by the object.

Abstract: A sensor system can include a sensor configured to output raw sensor data, a plurality of processing modules configured to process the raw sensor data from the sensor to output processed sensor data, a state module for each processing module operative to cause a respective processing module to receive and/or process the sensor data, and a control module configured to receive a bitmask and to operate each state module based on the bitmask to control which processing modules process the sensor data and/or an order of processing. The bitmask can include a plurality of discrete bits. Each state module and/or processing module can be associated with at least one discrete bit.

Abstract: A wireless communication system and method includes a first wireless node and a data concentrator configured to provide a new encryption key updated from a current encryption key to the first wireless node. The data concentrator includes first and second transceivers. The data concentrator provides a key update message that includes the new encryption key to the first wireless node via the first transceiver. The key update message is encrypted using the current encryption key. The data concentrator is configured to decrypt first transmissions from the first wireless node via the second transceiver using the new encryption key, and decrypt the first transmissions via the first transceiver using the current encryption key.

Abstract: A master node of a distributed acquisition system is provided. The master node includes a communication interface for interfacing between a control component and a bus and the control component. The bus is coupled to one or more slave nodes distributed in the acquisition system. The control component is configured to acquire a configuration that provides a definition for a packet interval, wherein the packet interval definition provides an adequate timing margin to ensure that communication packets transmitted by the master node and the one or more slave nodes occur only at harmonics of the packet interval definition, distribute a time reference packet of the communication packets based on the packet interval definition via the bus to all of the slave nodes of the distributed acquisition system, and schedule transmission of communication packets transmitted by the master node via the bus to the one or more selected slave nodes based on the packet interval definition.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a housing base and a circuit board. The housing base contains a cavity, a boss containing a mounting bore, and a support pad connected to the boss. The circuit board is positioned in the cavity so that an accelerometer carried by the circuit board is disposed directly above the support pad.