Wireless Sensing for Survivable Machinery Control Navy STTR FY2005 Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2005 Topic No.: N05-T020 Topic Title: Wireless Sensing for Survivable Machinery Control Proposal No.: N054-020-0189 Firm: 3 Phoenix, Inc. 9607 Jomar Drive Fairfax, Virginia 22032-2014 Contact: John Jamieson Phone: (919) 368-0212 Web Site: www.3phoenix.com Abstract: The opportunity presented is to develop a robust innovative shipboard wireless network architecture capable of communication among "intelligent" components within a machinery control system. Significant cost savings can be realized in ship installation if the resultant network is capable of operation within, through, and around multiple steel compartments, bulkheads, and obstructions. The evaluation and development of a scalable hybrid fiber wireless system will enable Future Naval Capabilities to realize a highly automated ship necessary to attain manning reduction goals. State of the art control and automation systems impart distributed control as opposed to centralized architectures. Each control node is an "intelligent" autonomous device that is a member of a logical group capable of inter-node communications. Nodes share information to facilitate independent control. The architecture developed under this Phase I will significantly reduce the network installation cost, the overall system weight, provide a highly survivable control system, and enable technology insertion of the new system on existing platforms. Benefits: The results of this STTR are applicable to wide variety of sensor monitoring systems. By developing a wireless, bulkhead-penetrating node, the solution presented in Phase-I will enable tunneling a wireless network through walls where wiring simply isn't a viable option. Additionally, it brings together multiple traditional wireless sensor networks with a high-speed fiber optic backbone, capable of moving large amounts of machinery-monitoring and other ship-board data. This solution leverages very low cost, widely available electronics with a thin layer of modular extensible software. These solutions represent a flexible and scalable architecture that enables the extensive use of COTS equipment and semiconductors. At the conclusion of a successful Phase I effort we will provide the U.S. Navy with a preliminary shipwide network architecture, a preliminary Wireless Fiber Bridge design and laboratory demonstration which will be capable of data transmission through a steel bulkhead. Return