intelligent Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (iFMCW)

Technical Abstract: Operational availability, reliability, and performance of Army weapons systems platforms are key factors in achieving mission success. ĀArmy maintainers and depot artisans have a requirement for an intelligent toolset to quickly detect, locate, characterize/classify, and predict wire and connector faults in interconnect cables. ĀAVNIK Defense Solutions, Inc. (AVNIK) has conducted Phase I of an Army Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project to develop an intelligent Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (iFMCW) hand-held toolset to detect, diagnose, and predict cable faults in aircraft and missile systems. We have worked with expert subcontract team members at Auburn University, the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH), and Instrumental Sciences, Inc. (ISI) to research cable properties, evaluate iFMCW waveform options, evaluate candidate data analytics methods for cable fault characterization, and demonstrate key elements of the toolset in the laboratory. Primary objectives of Phase II of the project research are to design, build, test, and demonstrate an engineering prototype with (1) enhanced capabilities of the prior AVNIK iFMCW hand-held cable fault identification tool prototypes, (2) applied data analytics and artificial intelligence techniques to identify and quantify cable and connector fault characteristics, and (3) use of statistical methods to maximize fault detection/prediction accuracy of the iFMCW tool technology for cable field data sets.