Wireless Event Controller

ABSTRACT: To address the Air Force"s need for a time-synchronized, event control system to replace its current rocket-sled control system. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a Wireless Event Controller (WIRELESSEC). The system is based on a high-speed, precise, and long-range RF link and an intuitive user interface (GUI) that controls, monitors, and records events over a 12 mile area. The innovations in WIRELESSEC will enable the system to provide a wireless communication link with a universal system clock that includes hardware compensation of propagation time errors. The precise electronics will enable all events to be time tagged (at test initialization) with a precise time resolution (10 ns) directly addressing the Air Force"s requirement for maximum time resolution (100 ns or better). In addition, WIRELESSEC has a special operator-controlled abort/hold button that is fast and reliable, with a custom GUI allowing for rapid and intuitive customization of the test setup and the recorded data. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of WIRELESSEC with a scaled down (100 meter range) prototype and define a concept for implementation. In Phase II, POC plans to develop a full-scale prototype (12 mile range) of the system with several primary and backup events. BENEFIT: The ability to wirelessly control and record accurate (10 ns) time-tagged events over long distances (12 miles in this case) is a breakthrough application that will benefit the nation by enhancing this particular rocket sled application, as well as other military and commercial applications that require this amount of time accuracy and synchronization. To put the 10 ns time resolution into perspective, the radio signal requires 63.36 s to go the 12 miles from the base station to the end of the track. Some significant commercial applications include large factories, refineries, docks, rail yards, and vehicle crash testing facilities that require precise time-tagged events.