Improved Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) System

Current Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADECs) and Electronic Engine Controls (EECs) perform their tasks by using multiple IC chips and several printed circuit boards. Tasks performed by these chips include power regulation, communications, actuator drive, sensor monitoring, processing capable of number crunching, prognostic health management, and fault detection and isolation. Implementations of these FADEC functions on a system-on-a-chip (SOC) will improve performance and reduce the size, weight, and thermal footprint of FADEC systems on traditional turbine engines. Orbital Research Inc. proposes to develop a high temperature SOC for aircraft engine FADECs and EECs using discrete and custom high temperature (200oC - 220oC) components. This SOC will provide the interfaces to most inputs and outputs on existing and next generation turbine engine EECs, and will provide the state-of-the-art prognostic and diagnostic functions. In order to accomplish the Phase I goal of demonstrating design and fabrication techniques that meet the requirements called out in the solicitation Orbital will adapt its existing high-temperature ASICs as follows: Modify design rules for synthesis, emulation, simulation and layout for use in the manufacturing process. Incorporated necessary layout rules. Compare the simulation results to compute improvement in area, power consumption, and bandwidth. BENEFIT: During Phases I and II of this project Orbital Research Inc will design, develop, and test a prototype system-on-a-chip (SOC) implementation of FADEC functions to improve performance and reduce the size, weight, and thermal footprint of FADEC systems on traditional turbine engines. The temperature tolerance of the SOC developed herein opens numerous applications for the military market, including advanced engine and flight controls, unmanned aerial vehicles, directed energy systems, military control units, actuators, and more-electric systems. Projected applications for the developed SOC temperature-tolerant control technology in the civilian sector are equally attractive and include commercial aircraft, automotive, ground-based power generation, oil industry, and harsh industrial processing applications. In addition to significant high temperature intelligent interface needs for commercial aircraft (a high-temperature distributed control system reduces the wiring harness complexity by a factor of 10 or more while saving weight), significant automotive and oil/gas drilling markets exist.