TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS-485, PEO-LMW, PEO-SHIPS

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative array-cable/tether-cable shape, orientation, and/or heading sensing system concepts that use purely fiber-optic sensing methods to remotely measure the position and orientation of a tethered payload as well as the tether itself.

DESCRIPTION: Existing methods for performing array element localization and cable orientation in the Navy�s fixed and towed array systems, tethered unmanned vehicles, and other tethered undersea systems rely on devices such as hydrophones and magnetic heading/orientation sensors that are embedded into the cable itself. Electrical power, space, and weight reservations must be made within the overall cable design to accommodate traditional orientation sensors, historically leading to design compromises, electromagnetic interference risks, and increased complexity and cost. Recent breakthroughs in Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technologies indicate that distributed FBG, or similar purely optical interferometric means, can be used to continually sense the curvature, shape, and twist of a cable at regular intervals along the fiber optic cable in order to know the position of not only the payload at the cable-end but also the cable itself in three-dimensional space. This topic seeks proposals that address how Fiber-Optic Shape, Heading, or Orientation Sensing (FOSHOS) technology could be used when incorporated into naval array/tether cable systems that fall into one or more of the following length regimes: short (5m - 50m), medium (50m - 500m), long (500m � 5 km), and very long (5 km+).

PHASE I: The contractor shall select at least one of the four stated length regimes to study. The contractor shall identify one or more approaches to apply FOSHOS technology to the selected length regime(s). The contractor shall deliver a concept study that, at a minimum, assesses accuracy, power consumption, size, weight, cost, and technological risk of the selected FOSHOS approach(es). Concepts for the supporting processing, electronics and opto-electronics that would be needed to interface FOSHOS technology to an external processor should be part of this Phase I study. Opportunities for integration of FOSHOS technology with other fiber optic sensors such as hydrophones, magnetometers, strain sensors, temperature sensors etc. should also be a part of this Phase I study.

PHASE II: The contractor shall develop, demonstrate, and deliver a minimum working set of six prototype FOSHOS systems, including prototype electronics and fiber-optic cable assemblies manufactured in accordance with the Phase I study results.

PHASE III: The contractor shall refine the FOSHOS technology, including electronics miniaturization and improving the power efficiency, reliability and manufacturability. The contractor shall incorporate the product into undersea array cable and/or tether cable systems.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: There are many potential applications for this technology in areas where GPS positioning is denied or otherwise unavailable. In the undersea domain, FOSHOS could provide improved positional information for tethered vehicles designed for ship hull inspection/cleaning, force protection/harbor security, tethered diver systems, and in oceanographic research arrays. For land-based applications, tethered underground search and rescue robots/vehicles and directional drilling systems could easily benefit. The product of this SBIR topic will extend the utility of any cabled, remotely operated system where the position and orientation of the cable and/or the payload it is connected to is critical and GPS-based positioning at the payload is unavailable.

REFERENCES:
1. A. Othonos and K. Kalli: Fiber Bragg Gratings: Fundamentals and Applications in Telecommunications and Sensing. Artech House Publishing.

2. R. Kashyap: Fiber Bragg Gratings. Academic Press Inc.

3. K. Grattan and B. Meggitt: Optical Fiber Sensor Technology (Volumes 1 through 3). Kluwer Academic Publishers.

KEYWORDS: Fiber optic; shape sensing; fiber Bragg gratings; tethered systems; interferometry; undersea systems

TPOC: Dana Hesse
Phone: (703)696-8557
Fax: (703)696-2007
Email: [email protected]