Integrated Diagnostics & Prognostics for Prediction of Aircraft Electronic System Power Supply Failures & Useful Life Remaining

Impact Technologies, LLC proposes to develop a vertically integrated prognostics and health management (PHM) capability for Apache weapon system electronic power supplies. Extending Phase I and related technologies for the assessment of DC-DC switched mode power supplies, Impact will provide innovations that result in a new operations and maintenance support capability from embedded monitoring and enhanced built-in test to ground station and depot-level support. Key innovations in gray-scale health assessment, time to failure modeling, and diagnostic test integration will support a capability leveraging increased understanding of failure progression in electronic systems for improved test and maintenance. Working with AMRDEC, Engineering Support Division, in conjunction with the Apache program office, Impact will develop and test the prototype system on the Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight (M-TADS) power supply. The technology will build upon previously developed DC-DC PHM technologies while innovating new AC-DC health management, more robust time to failure modeling, and test system innovations to enable broader deployment across maintenance levels. The integrated PHM system will maintain verticality of test, important for validation, supportability and maintainability of fielded systems. The potential for increased weapon system operational availability is significant, as illustrated by initial studies conducted in the preceding program.