Award Data

"This SBIR program proposes a novel laser line discrimination technology for military applications based on a novel filter made from special liquid crystal thin films. In the "off" state, the laser line discrimination device is optically clear under zerovoltage. Once electrically switched, the device exhibits narrow band reflection peaks that reject incoming laser lines at two or more predetermi ...

"Multisensor-multitarget sensor management presents amajor theoretical and practical challenge for ballistic missile detection,tracking, and discrimination. A common approach is to assemble a patchworkof heuristic "bottom up'' techniques---e.g., loosely integrating manydistinct algorithms, each of which addresses some specific part of theproblem (detection, tracking, sensor cueing, allocating and ...

"Most single- and multi-target tracking algorithms are designed to track point targets.However, in many real-world applications the targets of interest are not point targets butEXTENDED TARGETS and GROUP TARGETS, e.g. missile re-entry clusters.Under this effort we propose a systematic, fully probabilistic, and theoretically rigorousapproach to cluster target tracking and discrimination. Our approa ...

"Most single- and multi-target tracking algorithms are designed to track point targets.However, in many real-world applications the targets of interest are not point targets butEXTENDED TARGETS and GROUP TARGETS, e.g. missile re-entry clusters.Under this effort we propose a systematic, fully probabilistic, and theoretically rigorousapproach to cluster target tracking and discrimination. Our approa ...

"The Department of Defense (DoD) will require cryocoolers for future missions to cool space-based infrared sensor arrays, space-based lasers, and orbital transfer vehicles. Turbo-Brayton cryocoolers are ideal candidates for these missions because they areefficient, lightweight, highly reliable, produce negligible vibration, and have an adaptable layout that allows them to be easily integrated wit ...

"We propose to develop an innovative high capacity multistage cryocooler for dual cooling loads at temperatures of 85 K and 35 K. The cooler is based on proven turbo-Brayton technology that has been flight demonstrated and qualified for use on the HubbleSpace Telescope (HST). This technology will be adapted to the unique requirements of DoD infrared sensor applications at lower temperatures and ...

"A high-performance cooling system for gimbal-mounted infrared sensors is a critical need for future space-based target acquisition and tracking systems. The optimal approach uses a high performance cryocooler remotely located on the spacecraft platformcombined with a high conductance, cryogenic heat transport system to exchange heat from the sensors to the cryocooler. The heat transport system ...

"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will investigate a promising new technique for fabricating periodic domain gratings in stoichiometric lithium tantalate(SLT). The key innovation in this SBIR effort is the use of externally mountedmicro-electrodes to electrically pole the material. This poling technique, made possible because of the low coercive field found in SLT, will sign ...

"Improving performance while reducing cost and weight of kinetic energy kill vehicles and components will require the development of several innovative improvements in materials, processing and manufacturing technologies. For example, many accepted rocketnozzle-manufacturing processes are labor intensive, consume excessive amounts of energy and time, and force engineering tradeoffs involving geome ...

"New high power airborne and mobile military systems will require megawatts of electrical power produced by very lightweight power sources. The majority of these new systems will require multi-megawatts of power delivered at very high-voltages.Generators will not be able to directly produce the high voltages so high-voltage, multi-megawatt transformers will be required. A superconducting transf ...