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Ridgetop Group
Engineering Innovation
Apache Helicopter Power System Health Monitoring
Working closely with Boeing, Ridgetop provided an effective solution to monitoring the health of on-board power systems for the Apache Helicopter. Due to the harsh environment in a helicopter, monitoring of key systems in the aircraft is essential. The work involved applying Ridgetop’s proven power system monitoring tools and Sentinel Power to extract degradation “signatures” and application of algorithms to provide state of health (SoH) and remaining useful life (RUL) metrics for the complex system.
Improved Test Program Sets (TPS) for Air Force Aircraft
Maintenance of complex systems in aircraft is an important, yet time-consuming job. Certain circuit card assemblies (CCAs) will drift over time, yet conventional test program sets (TPSs) will not catch the soft faults that are involved. Under multiple contracts to the Air Force’s Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC), Ridgetop is developing new methods of reducing the instances of “No Fault Found” by providing tools for improved test coverage. Ridgetop’s expertise in anomaly detection algorithms has been applied to locate these troublesome faults in the Expert Troubleshooting and Test System (ETRS).
Semiconductor Design, Layout, Fabrication and Test
Ridgetop is certified as category 1A under the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) as part of the Trusted Supplier Program. Ridgetop has history of designing analog and mixed signal ICs for demanding applications in space satellites that are subjected to extreme temperatures and radiation. Our designs have utilized bulk CMOS, CMOS-SOI, and SiGe at process geometries down to 28 nm channel lengths. Radiation hardness is also a concern, and Ridgetop has addressed those requirements as well. A recent Ridgetop design was delivered to ON Semiconductor for the U.S. Air Force STELLAR Star Tracker.
MEMS-based Sensor Design
Under contract to NASA, Ridgetop designed an effective 3-axis wireless rotational sensor. The RotoSense™ sensor has been tested on fast-spinning pinion gears on helicopter gear boxes, and also rolling stock for railroad safety improvements.