Electro-Mechanical Replacement (Synchro-Resolver Assembly)
Communications & Embedded Systems
An integral part of the tracking radar system is a synchro-resolver assembly.
The U.S. Air Force operates Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) sites in Greenland, Great Britain, and Alaska. The BMEWS site at Clear Air Force Station (AFS), Alaska, uses a large tracking radar (TR) system as part of the hardware complement required to perform its mission. The TR uses a very large moveable dish and supporting control systems designed to operate with the radar to acquire and then track a target moving through space.
Synchro-Resolver Assembly
An integral part of the tracking radar system is a synchro-resolver assembly, an angle processing system that uses a combination of:
- Electrical motors
- Gear trains
- Synchro-resolver devices
This assembly works in combination with several nested control systems to eliminate errors in the position of the antenna with respect to programmed positions or detected target positions. Data taken directly from the synchro-resolver assemblies form the basis for target trajectory plotting in the BMEWS and the ultimate determination of the presence and nature of a potential threat.
The synchro-resolver assemblies have become reliability risks and require significant amounts of maintenance of the angle processing systems. The U.S. government contracted with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to design and develop a functional replacement of the synchro-resolver assembly using modern technology. SwRI first developed a type C1a prime item product function specification.
After U.S. government acceptance of the specification, SwRI designed, fabricated, and tested three synchro-resolver replacement assemblies. The new design utilized microcontrollers to perform a transfer function that mimicked the dynamic functionality of the existing motor and gear train. This approach allowed SwRI to develop solid-state functional replacement of the synchro-resolver assembly. In addition to functional testing, acceptance testing included:
- Temperature cycling
- Vibration
- Shock
- Altitude
- Electromagnetic interference
SwRI also delivered procurement documentation and a user manual.
Related Terminology
communication devices • electro-mechanical replacement • synchro-resolver assembly • communication networks • tracking radar systems • ballistic missile early warning system • BMEWS • RF systems • radio frequency engineering • communications engineering
