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Low-cost Cabling Infrastructure for Naval Electronics Systems
Navy SBIR 2010.1 - Topic N101-053 NAVSEA - Mr. Dean Putnam - [email protected] Opens: December 10, 2009 - Closes: January 13, 2010 N101-053 TITLE: Low-cost Cabling Infrastructure for Naval Electronics Systems TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Aegis Combat Weapons System (Non-ACAT) of DDG Class Ships (ACAT-1) 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: Develop of an innovative approach to reducing cable counts via combining cables, use of new connector types, and bundled loops. Overall goal of the project is to allow major combat systems to achieve significantly reduced cable costs (e.g. >60% reduction). DESCRIPTION: Modern Naval combatant ships are being designed with extensive network systems, often running into the thousands of network ports. Combat systems for naval ships are similarly leveraging networked equipment, and contain large amounts of cables using Fast Ethernet fiber technology. The current state-of-the-art technology is the use of individual copper cables or blown optical fiber, both of which are expensive. Current systems also have separate cables inside the electronics racks and between the electronics racks, which require two set of additional cables and large mil-Q connectors (which are also expensive). Blown Optical Fiber (BOF) infrastructure offered significant promise, but had durability problems in a shipyard environment and requires that products have separate electrical power cables (thus doubling the cable installation costs). Power-over-Ethernet technology requires copper cable-based network cables and eliminates the need for a separate electrical power cable, but so far system designs have not incorporated structured cable systems or aggregated/bundled cables to allow reduction in the amount of cables that a ship construction team had to install. Currently, the management of ship construction also includes inter-rack cables installed by shipyards which require electronics cabinets that have distinct backplanes with dozens of expensive connectors on them, so that the units are easily connected when installed. These connectors often become a significant cost driver, requiring a total of 4 expensive connectors for a connection between two cabinets. This topics seeks to develop an innovative approach to cable dressing and connector design, leveraging data center structured cable products and stress relief loops or other innovative technology, to significantly reduce product and shipboard installation costs. Proposed concepts should address the overall reduction in cable counts via combining or bundling cables, use of newer structured connector types, and loop methods for stress relief. Concepts eliminate the traditional Mil-Q connectors on the rear of electronics cabinets and reduce line noise caused thereby allowing for higher bandwidth data rates are of particular interest. The significant technical challenge is to achieve adequate environmental performance in a shipboard environment without eliminating the cost advantage of the more modern approaches. PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of a Military Environment qualified Structured Cable System. Develop an initial conceptual design and establish performance goals and metrics to analyze the feasibility of the proposed solution. Develop a test and evaluation plan that contains discrete milestones for product development for verifying performance and suitability. PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate the prototype(s) as identified in Phase I. Through laboratory testing, demonstrate and validate the performance goals as established in Phase I. Refine and demonstrate the cable product designs for a Mil-Q structured cable system as well as the ability to operate with and connect to the Common Processor System, Common Enterprise Display System, Peripheral Input/Output, and Network cabinets for a Naval surface combatant application. Develop a cost benefit analysis and a Phase III testing, qualification and validation plan. PHASE III: The small business will work with the Navy and commercial industry to complete any remaining qualification testing and refine the Cable Infrastructure products to meet tailored requirements of the sponsoring program, and expand the product line to provide other programs with variants to meet their requirements. PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Private sector commercialization opportunities include Commercial Shipping and Fishing Fleet applications, mobile data server applications for emergency preparedness and response, and US Coast Guard Deepwater program uses. REFERENCES: 2. Naval Cables: http://www.nema.org/prod/wire/highperf/shipboard/ 3. Naval Fiber Optic Shipboard Cable Technology Design Guidance: http://aero-defense.ihs.com/document/abstract/KHEAEAAAAAAAAAAA KEYWORDS: Naval Networks, Structured Cable Systems, Computing Infrastructure, Cable connectors
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