CompactPCI and AdvancedTCA Systems - OpenSystems Media

System demandsUAV platforms must have signal processingsystems that can function under difficultenvironmental conditions, coveringhigh humidity, extreme heat and cold,dirty air, high altitude, shock, and vibration.Usually UAV platforms must dealwith some or all of these challenges at thesame time.Despite restrictions on payload size andweight, the new signal processing systemsmust be highly flexible. The cuttingedge of defense imaging technology combinesmultiple types of sensors in a singleplatform, giving field commanders a fullspectrumview of the battlefield. Rapidaccess to multiple types of images fortheir specific situation enables these commandersto make more informed, moreeffective combat decisions. The additionof SIGINT payloads for electronicsupporttype missions, such as RadioFrequency (RF) emissions, are characterizedas to emitter type, class, and angleof arrival, and increase the effectivenessof the imaging sensor. SIGINT payloadsprovide passive, 360-degree surveillanceacross wide RF bands of interest and cancue narrow field-of-view imaging sensorsto rapidly detect activities of interest.The most powerful example of this multisensorapproach is the Integrated SensorSuite (ISS) deployed on the Global Hawk.Raytheon developed this powerful imagingsystem, with signal processing supplied bymulticomputers from Mercury ComputerSystems. SAR imagery enables operatorsto view wide areas of terrain, while high-Doppler resolution radar provides a MovingTarget Indication (MTI) capability that canidentify individual moving vehicles, oreven the recoil motion of artillery tubes.Multisensor imaging capability hasproven to be highly effective. OperationIraqi Freedom employed a single GlobalHawk; it flew just 3 percent of all imagery-collectionsorties, yet it generated55 percent of all the time-sensitive targetspassed to attacking units.These results are driving plans to putmultisensor systems on more of thenewer, smaller UAV platforms, as wellas to expand multisensor capability intohyperspectral imagery and ultrawideband(UWB) radar for penetrating foliage. Tosupport the multisensor approach, signalprocessing systems must be able to generateimagery from a shifting and variableset of sensor inputs. They must be ableto perform a set of diverse functions andinterface to a broad range of sensors.In the past, we have relied on Moore’s Lawto help us out. We could wait a couple ofyears and the technology improvements inthe electronics would have enabled significantsize and power reduction. However,the industry has reached a point whereMoore’s Law still increases absolute performance,but not performance per Watt,per pound, or per cubic foot. Although thenumber of transistors available is increasing,the power consumption is increasingat almost the same rate (see Figure 1).The increased infrastructure to handlethe power distribution and heat extractionincurs a penalty in size and weight.Alternative approaches are needed.System expectationsAs the platforms get smaller, the sensorsystems are driven to greater challengesin meeting the performance requirementswithin smaller envelopes of Size, Weight,and Power (SWaP). In addition, reducedRSC# 25 @www.compactpci-systems.com/rscFigure 1