N121-056 TITLE: Improved Capabilities for an Integrated and Robust System for Dynamic Ranging and Increased Radio Frequency Coverage of Fiber Optic Signals

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS397 Ohio Replacement Program

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is "ITAR Restricted". The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120 - 130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign Citizens may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign citizen who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal will be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to develop technologies that will allow for wideband RF distribution over fiber optics in a reliable and cost effective manner.

DESCRIPTION: An overall fiber optic system concept capable of transmitting and receiving 3kHz to 300GHz RF signals is not available commercially and is the focus of this SBIR. Current commercial state of the art fiber solutions are capable of distributing RF over Fiber (RFoF) and Intermediate Frequency (IF) over fiber within narrow frequency bands and are in general isolated to the 1GHz to 40GHz range. The submarine industry requires the use of RF across the entire RF spectrum. Fiber optic technologies on board submarines today are primarily used for distribution of digital data aboard submarines. Even though they have provided multiple technical benefits and some financial benefits, they do not currently have the ability to solve the problem of receiving and transmitting across the entire RF spectrum. Submissions to this SBIR should propose innovative approaches to develop a system or family of systems that can reliably and cost effectively handle the distribution while maintaining current solution performance.

Coaxial cables and waveguides are currently used in the Navy for transmission of RF signals across the RF spectrum. These products are selected based on their ability to support set frequency ranges and the signal end user requirement for signal strength. Standard militarized coaxial cables tend to have the worst attenuation characteristics and waveguides have the best. Conversely waveguides are the most difficult to design into space constrained platforms and coaxial cables as a whole provide for better flexibility. There is a significant quantity of coaxial cables and waveguides designed into platforms and installed aboard vessels in the fleet at a significant cost to the taxpayer. While coaxial cables are physically more flexible than waveguides and current fiber optic cabling, they are also more susceptive to electromagnetic interference. Electromagnetic physical separation requirements are documented in "The Handbook of Shipboard Electromagnetic Practices, S9407-AB-HBK-010". A substantial amount of effort is expended in the design of the submarine and surface fleet to address these separation requirements. Waveguides are generally used when the signal end user requires virtually no signal loss and are highly specific in their frequency coverage. While waveguides are effective in providing maximum signal strength they also require substantial design work because they are very rigid and take up a lot of space.

The need for a fiber optic based solution to handle wideband RF distribution and multi signal processing simultaneously is very much financial driven and would ultimately have to prove fiscally beneficial as compared to the design, installation, and maintenance costs of the currently employed systems. The new system of systems or family of systems capability could potentially prove to have multiple benefits such as substantial cost savings capable of enabling open architecture concepts with current and future platform systems, decrease signal attenuation, reduce or eliminate electromagnetic interference design efforts, increase crew habitability, and decrease overall platform weight.

PHASE I: The company will develop concepts for and determine the feasibility of a wide band RF fiber optic based solution. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of their concepts in meeting Navy needs including fiscal concerns, and will establish that the concepts can be feasibly developed into a useful product for the Navy. Feasibility demonstrations can include analytical modeling. The company will provide a Phase II development plan with performance goals and key technical milestones.

PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I and the Phase II development plan, the company will develop a scaled prototype for evaluation. The prototype will be evaluated to determine its capability in meeting the performance goals defined in Phase I and the Navy requirements for the RF Systems. System performance will be demonstrated through prototype evaluation and modeling. Evaluation results will be used to refine the prototype into an initial design that will meet Navy requirements. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology to Navy use.

PHASE III: If Phase II is successful, the company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning the technology for Navy use should a Phase III award be made. The company will develop their RoF system for evaluation to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. The company will support the Navy for test and validation to certify and qualify the system for Navy use.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Innovations in the area of radio frequency distribution over fiber optic networks will benefit the telecommunication industry and airline industries. For example the airlines also have to process multi RF signals and realize many of the same design constraints as navy vessels such as being weight, size, and arrangements limited.

REFERENCES:
1. Brawner, M; Network Centric Radio Frequency Distribution; Proceedings of the 2009 Submarine Technology Symposium

2. Brawner, M; A Case for Optical Distribution of Platform Radio Frequency Signals; Proceedings of the 2010 Maritime Systems and Technology Conference America

3. Handbook of Shipboard Electromagnetic Practices, S9407-AB-HBK-010

KEYWORDS: Dynamic ranging; radio frequency; fiber optic; integrated; cost saving; communications

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between November 9 and December 11, 2011, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting December 12, 2011, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the DoD's SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS (12.1 Q&A) during the solicitation period for questions and answers, and other significant information, relevant to the SBIR 12.1 topic under which they are proposing.

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