NASA SBIR 2003 Solicitation

FORM B - PROPOSAL SUMMARY


PROPOSAL NUMBER:03-A1.01-8137 (For NASA Use Only - Chron: 034870)
SUBTOPIC TITLE:Crew Systems Technologies for Improved Airspace Safety and Security
PROPOSAL TITLE:A Multi-Layer Intelligent Loss-of-Control Prevention System (LPS) for Flight Control Applications

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Scientific Systems Co Inc
500 West Cummings Park Suite 3000
Woburn ,MA 01801 - 6580
(781) 933 - 5355

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Jovan D Boskovic
jovan@ssci.com
500 West Cummings Park Suite 3000
Woburn ,MA  01801 -6580
(781) 933 - 5355
U.S. Citizen or Legal Resident: Yes

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The main objective of the proposed work is to design and develop a multi-layer intelligent Loss-of-control Prevention System (LPS) for flight
control applications. The proposed LPS consists of several interconnected modules: (i) FDIR module that detects and identifies the failure; (ii) Achievable Dynamic Performance (ADP) calculation module that calculates the maximum performance that can be achieved with the control authority available after failure; (iii) System's Variables Prediction (SVP) module
that calculates the relevant variables of the system over a prediction horizon to predict if the system will enter an Unsafe Mode Set (UMS); and (iv) Command Limiting System (CLS) that recalculates the new command constraints and corresponding commands that prevent entering the UMS.
In Phase I the emphasis will be on the loss-of-control due to the
hard-over failures of the critical flight control effectors. We
plan to demonstrate through computer simulations that the proposed
LPS will effectively prevent the loss of control and assure the
avoidance of unsafe modes of operation. Boeing Phantom Works (Mr. James Urnes, Sr.) will provide technical and commercialization support throughout the project.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
One of main directions of NASA is to improve flight safety in the 21st century. A system that prevents the loss of control in critical flight regimes is an important contribution toward that goal, and will result in numerous commercial applications. An effective LPS will also be very beneficial for NASA programs involving hypersonic and re-entry vehicles
that operate in regimes where the danger of the loss of control is highly pronounced.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The proposed LPS will have an immediate application in commercial aviation since it would substantially improve flight safety in critical flight regimes. The problem of loss-of-control handling in the case of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is even more pronounced since it involves a human operator. Effective decision-making aids in this context would substantially improve the flight safety and prevent collisions and unnecessary loss of the vehicle.