Improved prognostic/diagnostic tools for fault-tolerant data buses

This SBIR Phase II program proposal will apply an innovative method of prognostic-enabling an electronic board in a modular countermeasures computer (MCC) for an Air Force Electronic Warfare (EW) system. The ability to detect impending failures in complex electronics systems supports condition-based maintenance (CBM) programs to reduce maintenance costs and increase operational readiness of advanced EW systems. The innovative method detects degradation in digital systems, such as those used in EW systems, by using an advanced power draw correlation technique, which uses a non-intrusive pseudo-random sequence (PRS) of digital bits and comparing that input to the resulting ordinary digital noise on the input power bus of a digital-based system. If the digital system is operating within its specifications, there will be a high-correlation between the input PRS sequence and the power supply noise; but if the digital system is degraded, the degree of correlation is reduced, with the degree of non-correlation increasing as degradation increases. The completed SBIR Phase II program will include a test bed to demonstrate a prototype suitable for use in a laboratory environment. This prototype will be an excellent platform for subsequent evaluation, testing and integration to a specific EW system platform. BENEFIT: The proposed power draw correlation technique (PDCT) will provide a valuable tool for reducing maintenance costs and increasing operational readiness of digital-based electronic systems such as an EW system. Because digital-based electronic systems include a wide range of systems, such as communications equipment, digital data servers, processors and digital transmission systems, the power draw correlation technique has a correspondingly wide range of commercial applications – especially in aerospace-based applications. The proposed innovation has the potential to provide both commercial and government unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) an advanced level of aircraft critical component and system health visibility with the real-time knowledge of components’ remaining useful life. The PDC technology, applied to EW systems, also has value for non-warfare, commercial applications: navigation and communications equipment (air, land, sea and space) use digital processing: microprocessors (FPGAs), microcontrollers (MCUs), and computers.