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A02-247 TITLE: Innovative Tactical Vehicle Structures Utilizing Advanced Composite Materials TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes OBJECTIVES: To develop a new lightweight frame for Military vehicles, using Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) to meet the needs of the new Army Objective Force. DESCRIPTION: We would like to explore the use of PMCs for vehicle frames. PMCs offer advantages in the areas of weight, strength, and less maintenance. Using PMCs in vehicle frames will require research and innovative design solutions in joining frame members. Structural joining is a major risk factor for using PMCs in vehicle frames. An innovative design solution could potentially assist in the development of variety frames for all vehicles in the future. Potential benefits from this program include a low cost, lightweight, and stealth vehicle frames. The vehicle frame that we are initiating this venture on would be a Light Strike Vehicle. This vehicle is small, light, requires no armor, and has a limited life. Looking at a solution that works on this type of vehicle successfully would lead then to research on larger vehicles. This vehicle has a two man crew, is air deployable, can usually travel at approx. 60 MPH, and is rugged enough for a variety of terrain and grades. PHASE I: Research and select the best suitable PMCs for vehicle frames that meet or exceed those of current lightweight steel frames. Perform an initial study to demonstrate the feasibility of using PMCs in vehicle frames maintaining structural integrity and reducing weight. The vehicle frame must meet requirements in military use for all terrain, weather and environmental conditions. Also, studies shall resolve the joining problems associated with the use of PMCs for vehicle frames. PHASE II: Employ findings of Phase I research to develop and demonstrate a prototype frame structure suitable for testing. Conduct tests on the PMC frame comparing its strength to that of lightweight steel. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The PMC frame could be used on a broad range of military tactical trucks and civilian vehicles to reduce weight and increase fuel economy. KEYWORDS: lightweight frames, polymer matrix composites, A02-248 TITLE: Advanced Tire Coefficient Characteristics for Improved Vehicle Dynamics Models TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM, Mobil Tactical Vehicles OBJECTIVE: The Army is currently in the process of introducing wheeled combat vehicles in the hope of making the fighting fleet lighter and more transportable without giving up performance. In order to maintain vehicle performance levels Central Tire Inflation Systems and Run flat tires are being used more frequently. More accurate tire data is needed to ensure that our models can account for the new demands being put on tires. DESCRIPTION: Call for research on methods to obtain tire characteristics necessary to develop tire models for use in high-resolution multi-body ground based vehicle models. Current tire data is not very detailed and mostly for commercial vehicles that are strictly on road vehicles. This research should encompass a large range of operating conditions. The results of this research will be a detailed list of tire characteristics and the effects they have on accurately modeling a tire. Also included will be a methodology of how to obtain these characteristics. PHASE I: Research methods to obtain necessary tire parameters to create a valid high-resolution multi-body ground-based vehicle model. Also, develop method to acquire coefficients for an accurate Tire model. PHASE II: Using the knowledge gained in Phase I, demonstrate the methodology developed to acquire the desired tire characteristics necessary for creating accurate models. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III military applications include combat and tactical vehicles for on and off-road mobility. Commercial applications include trucking industry, mining industry, police vehicles, and off road forestry vehicles. REFERENCES: 1) Dynamic Analysis and Design System Reference Manual, Revision 9.0 (1998). 2) John C. Dixon, Tires Suspension and Handling (1996) Society of Automotive Engineers. 3) James William Fitch, Motor Truck Engineering Handbook, (1994) Society of Automotive Engineers. 4) University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, The Mechanics of Heavy-Duty Trucks and Truck Combinations (1994). KEYWORDS: Mobility, Modeling & Simulation, ground vehicles, 21st Century Truck A02-249 TITLE: 42-Volt Vehicle System Conversion TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM, Ground Combat and Support Systems OBJECTIVE: Investigate the feasibility of integration of a 42V vehicle electrical system with other power architectures, and the optimization of power management for military vehicle systems. Determine a reasonable, phased approach for implementation and dual use application for the 42V electrical and power management system. Determine the impact on sustainability and maintainability of military vehicle systems. DESCRIPTION: Future standards of vehicle power requirements will necessitate Industry’s transition to 42V-based electrical systems. These future systems will make the transition from 14V to dual-voltage (14/42V) and finally to straight-42V. Consequently, power and signal distribution architecture will be reconfigured, resulting in the decrease of wire bundles and sizes and connection systems. New design opportunities will be created with the simplification of wiring harness installation and routing. Benefits such as increased capacity and efficiency in power generation and storage, as well as a reduction in motor/actuator size and vehicle emissions are expected from these new technologies. A straight 42V electrical system will impact the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) by enabling higher power generation and storage and simplified architecture. These benefits directly address the military’s desire to utilize emerging technologies. Key technology areas to be researched include the ruggedization of the vehicle data-bus architecture and 42V power systems to meet military requirements - research currently not being done. To achieve this, a dual-use approach is required. As part of the study, a demonstration vehicle will be outfitted with either a hybrid 14/42V or straight 42V system for the vehicle electrical components where the initial study will deem the sustainability, maintainability and maximum benefit provision. PHASE I: The contractor shall research and develop the dual use application of the 42V electrical and power management vehicle systems. Contractor shall design a vehicle-platform demonstrator to validate the feasibility of integrating a dual-use 42V-based electrical and power management architecture. PHASE II: Contractor shall implement the approaches discussed in Phase I on a vehicle-demonstrator platform, clearly illustrating the dual-use nature of the new electronics power architecture. Contractor shall continue the development to a vehicle platform demonstrator, applying the lessons learned from Phase I. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Since Industry is clearly moving toward a new power electronics architecture, implementing a dual-use vehicle demonstrator will position a company to commercialize the results for the auto industry. By taking lessons learned from Phase II, contractor will demonstrate a military-ruggedized design suitable for test and evaluation. This phase will include performing limited testing of the 42V-based electrical and power management system on a military vehicle platform. REFERENCES: 1) http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/tt/1998/oct07/cars.html 2) http://www.delphiauto.com/products/manufacturers/nextech/products/42volt/ KEYWORDS: Automotive, Vehicle Power Electronics, Hybrid, 42V A02-250 TITLE: Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) for Improving the Performance of Small Robotic Systems TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM, Night Vision/Recon, Surveillance, & Target Acq OBJECTIVE: Development of MEMS technology to use as proprioceptive sensors for the improvement of varying aspects of robot performance, including mobility, perception, learning, and sensing. DESCRIPTION: MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) technology is recognized as having significant potential to improve the systems in which they are incorporated. These devices are extremely small in size and require less power to operate than sensors used currently. It is anticipated that the implementation of MEMS level sensors into small robots (under 100 pounds) could greatly improve the system performance. This new technology is being exploited for the purpose of supporting the soldier in the field and for counter-terrorism and homeland defense. In vehicles today, GPS is used to track vehicles for emergency assistance, the GPS just gives an estimate of the vehicles location. When the vehicle is traveling straight on a road, the GPS has a certain error that makes the car seem to be swaying back and forth off of the road and perhaps through buildings if buildings are present on the GPS system. If a gyro is inserted into the system then the gyro knows that the vehicle is continuing straight and not turning, which in turn can cancel the GPS error making the tracking system more precise. With the advancements of MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems), sensors are being minimized and can be implemented for sensing terrain vehicle interaction on mobile robotic platforms (either wheeled or tracked). These intelligent sensors can be used to prevent or correct such problems such as slippage and road tracking with miniature inertial measurement systems such as gyros and accelerometers. PHASE I: The contractor shall research, design, and develop a system that consists of MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors that will improve the proprioception of a small robotic platform as described in the description. Demonstrate how these MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors together will improve the mobility of a small robotic platform. PHASE II: The contractor shall extend the research and development of the system from Phase I into a working prototype, along with the algorithms and computations that it will take to control the robot in a precise manner using feedback from the MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors. Tests should be conducted to demonstrate the accuracy, ruggedness, and performance of the system in a variety of conditions. PHASE III: The system developed above in the description can be used in a broad range of military and civilian applications. For potential commercial applications, research shall be conducted for implementation into intelligent highway systems initiatives. Research also shall be conducted for implementation into the Future Combat Systems (FCS) mission. REFERENCES: 1) http://www.sandia.gov/mems/micromachine/overview.html 2) http://bsac.eecs.berkeley.edu/ 3) http://www.darpa.mil/MTO/MEMS/ KEYWORDS: MEMS, Microsystems, micro-robots, terrain, surveillance, decoys A02-251 TITLE: Integrated Mobility and Vehicle Design Tool TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Hybrid Electric Vehicle PM OBJECTIVE: More efficient system performance and increased mobility will be keystones of the Army’s next generation of weapon systems and tactical vehicles. Advanced propulsion systems, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), will play an important role in future Army vehicles. The nature of HEVs expands the design space that vehicle configurators can explore – for example, engines no longer need to be mechanically connected to the axles, they only need to be wired to the motor(s), and hence can be located anywhere within the vehicle volume. Due to the limited knowledge base of HEV in tactical situations, simulation is important to achieve an efficient and optimized design. This drive train simulation must be integrated with mobility analysis to fully predict vehicle performance. DESCRIPTION: Most mobility codes require that users input a table of speed versus power/torque - which is usually obtained by measurement or sometimes by a drive train simulation. Most vehicle design and thermal management tools model mobility through the input of constant rolling resistance values. To achieve an effective and efficient vehicle design, the drive train simulation must be united with a mobility analysis - thus allowing the mobility designer to investigate the effects of drive train design, and allowing the designers of the drive train and vehicle configuration to investigate impacts on mobility. The drive train simulation must be configured to use measured performance data for components or to model component performance using component specifications. This would allow a versatile virtual "test bed" for vehicle, component, and mobility designers and analysts. Required features of this integrated design tool include: - Advanced vehicle propulsion model integrated directly with a complete mobility analysis. - Intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) geared to assist designers in fully exploring and exploiting the capabilities of advanced propulsion systems. - Graphic visualization of mobility performance. - Detailed prediction of advanced drive train performance. - Model set-up is done through a product data management (PDM) system such as Pro/E’s Windchill.
1) J. Pechacek, et. al. “Second-order Accurate HEV Simulation,” 2002 SAE International Congress & Exposition, Paper Number 02P115, Detroit, MI, February 2002. 2) D. M. Less, Final Report on DAAE07-99-C-L009, “A Comprehensive HEV Design Tool for Dual-Use Applications” US Army TACOM, May 2001. 3) S. Laughery, G. Gerhart & R. Goetz, “Bekker’s Terramechanics Model for Off-Road Vehicle Mobility,” Proceedings f the Tenth Annual Ground Target Modeling & Validation Conference, Houghton, MI, August 1999. 4) NRMM Model KEYWORDS: Mobility, integration, Hybrid, graphic visualization, advanced drive train. A02-252 TITLE: Legged Robotics TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate a dynamically stable robot incorporating learning algorithms that allow obstacle negotiation over terrain that is impassable with control algorithms that require static stability. DESCRIPTION: In order for robotic vehicles to perform missions under land combat or civilian conditions, they must be able to traverse a range of complex terrain. Although some success has been achieved with specialized vehicles that can move efficiently over level ground, climb up walls or even span simple barriers, realistic missions require capable vehicles that can move smoothly and efficiently through each of these situations as goals require. It is our goal to capture this capacity to alter control in response to ever changing conditions in control architectures for mobile robots. This will greatly increase their dynamic stability and capacity to function independently under real world conditions. We believe that only legged vehicles with a robust control scheme will be able to achieve the above goals. The state of the art in legged robotics is probably the Honda Asimo. This biped robot is dynamically stable under a wide variety of disturbances, and is incredibly lifelike in its movements. The problem of dynamic stability, although central to legged robotics, is not unique. A good example of dynamic stability can be seen in the Segway, which was introduced this fall. Although this is a difficult problem, it is clearly not impossible if you have the sensors, actuators, and computers with resolutions and rates sufficient to correct for system disturbances. To our knowledge, the two key technology areas to be developed for legged robots are: Dynamic Stability/Adaptive Algorithms: As opposed to static stability, where at every instant in time the vehicle is stable, Dynamic stability is where even though at any instant in time the vehicle may be unstable, it is stable over time because of active control. Examples of this behavior might be running or leaping capability. Changing situations require the legged robot to actively adapt its gait and/or ground contact forces. These changes need to be rapid in response to terrain changes, as well as adjusting to long-term changes such as a leg being damaged or payload increases. The robot need not be fully autonomous, however, it needs to have a level of autonomy to adjust for the system disturbances without burdening the operator. This requires sensors that can sense the orientation of the robot. We will leave it to the discretion of the contractor as to what combination of joint sensors, accelerometers, cameras, gyros, strain sensors, etc., to use to sense orientation. Vision Algorithms: Although this cannot be completed in a Phase I/Phase II effort, we expect to see some effort put forth into forward looking vision algorithms. This can be more clearly stated in an example. Suppose the robot were to leap over an obstacle. The robot would need to know the approximate distance to the obstacle to time the gait for the plant foot to leap. Allowing the operator some type of control over plant foot timing might approximate this, similar to how a rider might guide a horse towards an obstacle. PHASE I: We expect to receive a technical report with system designs, literature review of current research in dynamic locomotion, and a detailed simulation with some of the control code that would be required for dynamic stability and adaptability. We would like these design options to include capabilities for leaping, although this is not required. We prefer that the control code for the Simulation be written in Matlab or C, so that we can utilize this source code. PHASE II: We expect a working prototype of a dynamically stable robot to be able to cross a variety of obstacles. We will expect the robot to traverse an obstacle course emphasizing the dynamic stability of the robot. At the center of this obstacle course will be a standard set of concrete stairs. The ability to climb these stairs will be required for successful completion of Phase II. If the robot can bound up the stairs in a running/leaping mode while remaining under the control of the operator, we will consider this a prime candidate for Phase III. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATION: A Field-able system will be constructed that will have both military and commercial benefits. The benefits of legged vehicles span the gap between military and commercial use. For the military, legged vehicles might assume dangerous missions such as: mine clearing, hazardous waste removal, or scout and reconnaissance. For civilian applications, we can imagine uses such as household robots, remote or dangerous inspection, and security. REFERENCES: 1) Insect Walking and Biorobotics: A Relationship with Mutual Benefits, Roy Ritzmann, Roger Quinn et.al. January 2000 BioScience Vol. 50 No.1 2) www.honda-p3.com/ 3) www.segway.com KEYWORDS: robotics, mobility, legs Army - Directory: osbp -> SBIR -> solicitations solicitations -> Army sbir 09. 1 Proposal submission instructions dod small Business Innovation (sbir) Program solicitations -> Navy sbir fy09. 1 Proposal submission instructions solicitations -> Army 16. 3 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Air force 12. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Army 14. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Navy small business innovation research program submitting Proposals on Navy Topics solicitations -> Navy small business innovation research program solicitations -> Armament research, development and engineering center solicitations -> Army 17. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Navy 11. 3 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions Download 1.78 Mb. 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