Publications
TCAS multiple threat encounter analysis
October 22, 2009
Project Report
Published in:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Report ATC-359
Topic:
R&D area:
R&D group:
Summary
The recent development of high-fidelity U.S. airspace encounter models at Lincoln Laboratory has motivated a simulation study of the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) multiple threat logic. We observed from archived radar data that while rarer than single-threat encounters, multiple threat encounters occur more frequently than originally expected. The multithreat logic has not been analyzed in the past using encounter models. To generate multi-threat encounters, this report extends the statistical techniques used to develop pairwise correlated encounters. We generated and simulated a large number of multi-threat encounters using the TCAS logic implemented in Lincoln Laboratory's Collision Avoidance System Safety Assessment Tool. Near mid-air collision (NMAC) count indicates how often close encounters are resolved, unresolved, or induced by TCAS. Change in vertical miss distance shows the effect of the additional threat on the vertical separation between the first two aircraft. Risk ratio measures how the probability of an NMAC changes when an aircraft is equipped with TCAS versus being unequipped. Study results indicate that in multi-threat encounters, the TCAS logic results in a more than twofold increase in unresolved NMACs and approximately five times more induced NMACs than one-on-one encounters. TCAS provides a safety benefit in multi-threat encounters by issuing resolution advisories that result in increased vertical separation between the equipped aircraft and the first intruder.
Summary
The recent development of high-fidelity U.S. airspace encounter models at Lincoln Laboratory has motivated a simulation study of the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) multiple threat logic. We observed from archived radar data that while rarer than single-threat encounters, multiple threat encounters occur more frequently than originally expected...
READ MORE
Sinewave parameter estimation using the fast Fan-Chirp Transform
October 18, 2009
Conference Paper
Published in:
Proc. IEEE Workshop on Applications of Signal Processing to Audio and Acoustics, WASPAA, 18-21 October 2009, pp. 349-352.
Topic:
R&D area:
Summary
Sinewave analysis/synthesis has long been an important tool for audio analysis, modification and synthesis [1]. The recently introduced Fan-Chirp Transform (FChT) [2,3] has been shown to improve the fidelity of sinewave parameter estimates for a harmonic audio signal with rapid frequency modulation [4]. A fast version of the FChT [3] reduces computation but this algorithm presents two factors that affect sinewave parameter estimation. The phase of the fast FChT does not match the phase of the original continuous-time transform and this interferes with the estimation of sinewave phases. Also, the fast FChT requires an interpolation of the input signal and the choice of interpolator affects the speed of the transform and accuracy of the estimated sinewave parameters. In this paper we demonstrate how to modify the phase of the fast FChT such that it can be used to estimate sinewave phases, and we explore the use of various interpolators demonstrating the tradeoff between transform speed and sinewave parameter accuracy.
Summary
Sinewave analysis/synthesis has long been an important tool for audio analysis, modification and synthesis [1]. The recently introduced Fan-Chirp Transform (FChT) [2,3] has been shown to improve the fidelity of sinewave parameter estimates for a harmonic audio signal with rapid frequency modulation [4]. A fast version of the FChT [3]...
READ MORE
Towards co-channel speaker separation by 2-D demodulation of spectrograms
October 18, 2009
Conference Paper
Published in:
WASPAA 2009, IEEE Workshop on Applications of Signal Processing to Audio and Acoustics, 18-21 October 2009, pp. 65-68.
Topic:
R&D area:
Summary
This paper explores a two-dimensional (2-D) processing approach for co-channel speaker separation of voiced speech. We analyze localized time-frequency regions of a narrowband spectrogram using 2-D Fourier transforms and propose a 2-D amplitude modulation model based on pitch information for single and multi-speaker content in each region. Our model maps harmonically-related speech content to concentrated entities in a transformed 2-D space, thereby motivating 2-D demodulation of the spectrogram for analysis/synthesis and speaker separation. Using a priori pitch estimates of individual speakers, we show through a quantitative evaluation: 1) Utility of the model for representing speech content of a single speaker and 2) Its feasibility for speaker separation. For the separation task, we also illustrate benefits of the model's representation of pitch dynamics relative to a sinusoidal-based separation system.
Summary
This paper explores a two-dimensional (2-D) processing approach for co-channel speaker separation of voiced speech. We analyze localized time-frequency regions of a narrowband spectrogram using 2-D Fourier transforms and propose a 2-D amplitude modulation model based on pitch information for single and multi-speaker content in each region. Our model maps...
READ MORE
Moving clutter spectral filter for Terminal Doppler Weather Radar
October 6, 2009
Conference Paper
Published in:
34th Conf. on Radar Meteorology, 5-9 October 2009.
Summary
Detecting low-altitude wind shear in support of aviation safety and efficiency is the primary mission of the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR). The wind-shear detection performance depends directly on the quality of the data produced by the TDWR. At times the data quality suffers from the presence of clutter. Al-though stationary ground clutter signals can be removed by a high-pass filter, moving clutter such as birds and roadway traffic cannot be attenuated using the same technique because their signal power can exist any-where in the Doppler velocity spectrum. Furthermore, because the TDWR is a single-polarization radar, polarimetry cannot be used to discriminate these types of clutter from atmospheric signals. The moving clutter problem is exacerbated at Western sites with dry microbursts, because their low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) are more easily masked by un-wanted moving clutter. For Las Vegas (LAS), Nevada, the offending clutter is traffic on roads that are oriented along the radar line of sight near the airport. The radar is located at a significantly higher altitude than the town, improving the visibility to the roads, and giving LAS the worst road clutter problem of all TDWR sites. The Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah, airport is located near the Great Salt Lake, which is the biggest inland staging area for migrating seabirds in the country. It, therefore, suffers from bird clutter, which not only can obscure wind shear signatures but can also mimic them to trigger false alarms. The TDWR "dry" site issues are discussed in more detail by Cho (2008). In order to mitigate these problems, we developed a moving clutter spectral filter (MCSF). In this paper we describe the algorithm and present preliminary test results.
Summary
Detecting low-altitude wind shear in support of aviation safety and efficiency is the primary mission of the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR). The wind-shear detection performance depends directly on the quality of the data produced by the TDWR. At times the data quality suffers from the presence of clutter. Al-though...
READ MORE
Channel engineering of SOI MOSFETs for RF applications
October 5, 2009
Conference Paper
Published in:
2009 IEEE Int. SOI Conf. Proc., 5 October 2009.
Topic:
R&D area:
Summary
Channel engineering of SOI MOSFETs is explored by altering ion implantation without adding any new fabrication steps to the standard CMOS process. The effects of implantation on characteristics important for RF applications, such as transconductance, output resistance, breakdown voltage, are compared. Data show that the best overall RF MOSFET has no body and drain-extension implants.
Summary
Channel engineering of SOI MOSFETs is explored by altering ion implantation without adding any new fabrication steps to the standard CMOS process. The effects of implantation on characteristics important for RF applications, such as transconductance, output resistance, breakdown voltage, are compared. Data show that the best overall RF MOSFET has...
READ MORE
Development of dual polarization aviation weather products for the FAA
October 5, 2009
Conference Paper
Published in:
34th Conf. on Radar Meteorology, 5-9 October 2009.
Topic:
R&D area:
R&D group:
Summary
Weather radar products from the United States' NEXRAD network are used as key components in FAA weather systems such as CIWS, ITWS, and WARP. The key products, High Resolution VIL (HRVIL) and High Resolution Enhanced Echo Tops (HREET), provide primary information about precipitation location and intensity. The NEXRAD network will become dual polarization capable beginning in late 2010 adding the ability to classify hydrometeors. This new aspect from radar remote sensing of the weather offers opportunity to provide new aviation weather products and augment existing ones. This paper will detail the dual polarization product development program at MIT Lincoln Laboratory (LL) in support of FAA system needs. Current development efforts focus on four products. Two new products will provide volumetric analysis seeking aviation hazards (icing and hail). Two existing products, HRVIL and HREET, will be invigorated by dual polarization data to yield improved data quality and mitigation of partial beam blockage. The LL program has partnered with NCAR and NSSL subject matter experts to bring their most advanced research results into these new and improved products. The LL program also has partnered with Valparaiso University for them to provide dual polarization and local sonde sounding data especially during suspected icing conditions. The new Icing Hazards Level (IHL) product is expected to provide the most benefit to the FAA. Its development also poses the greatest challenge both in scope and in the ability of S-band radar to sense the phenomena of interest. Icing phenomena include supercooled drops/droplets and ice crystals and the associated aviation hazard could be aloft or near/at the surface. Graupel is an indication that supercooled water has accreted to ice particles. The initial NEXRAD hydrometeor classifier will not have an explicit supercooled water class or the benefit of supporting data. It will have ice crystal and graupel classes. The LL approach will utilize at least some additional data (vertical thermodynamic profiles). Techniques applied to the development of IHL will likely have applicability to the other products as well. Aspects of the IHL development will also be discussed in the paper.
Summary
Weather radar products from the United States' NEXRAD network are used as key components in FAA weather systems such as CIWS, ITWS, and WARP. The key products, High Resolution VIL (HRVIL) and High Resolution Enhanced Echo Tops (HREET), provide primary information about precipitation location and intensity. The NEXRAD network will...
READ MORE
A log-frequency approach to the identification of the Wiener-Hammerstein model
October 1, 2009
Journal Article
Published in:
IEEE Sig. Proc. Lett., Vol. 16, No. 10, October 2009, pp. 889-892.
Topic:
R&D area:
Summary
In this paper we present a simple closed-form solution to the Wiener-Hammerstein (W-H) identification problem. The identification process occurs in the log-frequency domain where magnitudes and phases are separable. We show that the theoretically optimal W-H identification is unique up to an amplitude, phase and delay ambiguity, and that the nonlinearity enables the separate identification of the individual linear time invariant (LTI) components in a W-H architecture.
Summary
In this paper we present a simple closed-form solution to the Wiener-Hammerstein (W-H) identification problem. The identification process occurs in the log-frequency domain where magnitudes and phases are separable. We show that the theoretically optimal W-H identification is unique up to an amplitude, phase and delay ambiguity, and that the...
READ MORE
Wafer-scale 3D integration of InGaAs image sensors with Si readout circuits
September 28, 2009
Conference Paper
Published in:
3DIC 2009, IEEE Int. Conf. on 3D System Integration, 28-30 September 2009.
Topic:
R&D area:
Summary
In this work, we modified our wafer-scale 3D integration technique, originally developed for Si, to hybridize InP-based image sensor arrays with Si readout circuits. InGaAs image arrays based on the InGaAs layer grown on InP substrates were fabricated in the same processing line as silicon-on-insulator (SOI) readout circuits. The finished 150-mm-diameter InP wafer was then directly bonded to the SOI wafer and interconnected to the Si readout circuits by 3D vias. A 1024 x 1024 diode array with 8-um pixel size is demonstrated. This work shows the wafer-scale 3D integration of a compound semiconductor with Si.
Summary
In this work, we modified our wafer-scale 3D integration technique, originally developed for Si, to hybridize InP-based image sensor arrays with Si readout circuits. InGaAs image arrays based on the InGaAs layer grown on InP substrates were fabricated in the same processing line as silicon-on-insulator (SOI) readout circuits. The finished...
READ MORE
Unmanned aircraft collision avoidance using partially observable Markov decision processes
September 22, 2009
Project Report
Published in:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Report ATC-356
Topic:
R&D area:
Summary
Before unmanned aircraft can fly safely in civil airspace, robust airborne collision avoidance systems must be developed. Instead of hand-crafting a collision avoidance algorithm for every combination of sensor and aircraft configuration, this project investigates the automatic generation of collision avoidance logic given models of aircraft dynamics, sensor performance, and intruder behavior. By formulating the problem of collision avoidance as a partially-observable Markov decision process (POMDP), a generic POMDP solver can be used to generate avoidance strategies that optimize a cost function that balances flight-plan deviation with collision. Experimental results demonstrate the suitability of such an approach using three different sensor modalities and two aircraft performance models.
Summary
Before unmanned aircraft can fly safely in civil airspace, robust airborne collision avoidance systems must be developed. Instead of hand-crafting a collision avoidance algorithm for every combination of sensor and aircraft configuration, this project investigates the automatic generation of collision avoidance logic given models of aircraft dynamics, sensor performance, and...
READ MORE
Redeployment of the New York TDWR - technical analysis of candidate sites and alternative wind shear sensors
September 14, 2009
Project Report
Published in:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Report ATC-351
Summary
The John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) are protected from wind shear exposure by the New York Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), which is currently located at Floyd Bennet Field, New York. Because of a September 1999 agreement between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Transportation, this location is required to be vacated no later than January 2023. Therefore, a study based on model simulations of wind shear detection probability was conducted to support future siting selection and alternative technologies. A total of 18 candidate sites were selected for analysis, including leaving the radar where it is. (The FAA will explore the feasibility of the latter alternative; it is included in this study only for technical analysis.) The 18 sites are: Six candidate sites that were identified in the initial New York TDWR site-survey studies in the 1990s (one of which is the current TDWR site), a site on Staten Island, two Manhattan skyscrapers, the current location of the WCBS Doppler weather radar in Twombly Landing, New Jersey, and eight local airports including JFK and LGA themselves. Results clearly show that for a single TDWR system, all six previously surveyed sites are suitable for future housing of the TDWR. Unfortunately, land acquisition of these sites will be at least as challenging as it was in the 1990s due to further urban development and likely negative reaction from neighboring residents. Evaluation results of the on-airport siting of the TDWR (either at JFK or at LGA) indicate that this option is feasible if data from the Newark TDWR are simultaneously used. This on-airport option would require software modification such as integration of data from the two radar systems an dimplementation of "overhead" feature detection. The radars on the Manhattan skyscrapers are not an acceptable alternative due to severe ground clutter. The Staten Island site and most other candidate airports are also not acceptable due to distance and/or beam blockage. The existing Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR-9) Weather Systems Processor (WSP) at JFK and the Bookhaven (OKX) Weather Surveillance Radar 1988-Doppler (WSR-88D, commonly known as NEXRAD) on Long Island cannot provide sufficient wind shear protection mainly due to limited wind shear detection capability and/or distance.
Summary
The John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) are protected from wind shear exposure by the New York Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), which is currently located at Floyd Bennet Field, New York. Because of a September 1999 agreement between the Department of the Interior and the...
READ MORE