Engineers at Payload Systems (Cambridge, MA) have teamed with Cambridge Arrow Instruments (Warren, VT) to deliver one aspect of commercial airplanes that general aviation aircraft have always lacked: the black box. Similar in principle to those the big guys carry, the self-contained flight data recorder saves information such as altitude, position, time, temperature, and orientation from the cockpit's controls/displays for use in flight instruction or accident investigation. The only problem: engineers at Payload Systems say there are no requirements for this type of device. "We're trying to come up with a realistic set of requirements for the planes that will benefit from this product," says Steve Sell, mechanical engineer at Payload. "We will be able to record cockpit voice and other parameters such as engine noise. We're basically going to retain and enhance the security features so the data that comes off the recorder will be secure and tamper proof." Information is saved to 1 X 1 X 1/8-inch-thick SanDisk (Sunnyvale, CA) flash cards which can be removed for review or archiving. The flight recorder box is located in the tail of the airplane and will accommodate two wire connections: one for power, and one for GPS. Upon completion, it should sell for less than $1,000, a price that Sell credits to the ever-increasing value in PC components. "You are getting a lot more for your dollar," he says. "You can buy a 386 or 486 board for $100 or less and it has a lot of capabilities." He began with an Intel 80386, and has since realized the advantages of a Windows CE machine, specifically for initial prototyping in real-time. Engineers are using Parametric Technology's (Waltham, MA) Pro/Engineer to design the physical structure of the recorder, and OrCAD (Beaverton, OR) for the PC-board layout. Automotive-airbag sensors and accelerometers from Motorola (Austin, TX) and Analog Devices (Norwood, MA) will be used to record information such as altitude. "The computer industry is evolving so much faster than the proposal cycles," comments Sell, "so it is highly likely that electronic components with even greater capabilities will be available during the development cycle, at a similar cost."
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Designing and filling a new type of water bottle might take less engineering work, but the description will help kids understand how science, math, and engineering influence their lives even through things that seem mundane.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
7 
