Precision Systems Inc announced that the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) has purchased new Rotor Azimuth Processors for a U.S. Army aviation modernization program. These units are designed as test equipment to provide high resolution rotor azimuth regardless of rotor speed.

Stress on the airframe, main rotor torsion bar and rotor blades along with blade pitch control and noise reduction (sometimes called “blade slap”) require exacting knowledge of the location of the main and tail rotor blades in conjunction with main rotor speed.

The generated output of the Rotor Azimuth Processor (RAP), in combination with other recorded flight data, provides a methodology for analyzing rotor conditions in all phases of flight. The RAP provides main rotor azimuth to plus and minus (+)0.5 degrees and tail rotor azimuth to plus and minus (+)5 degrees at 130% of the maximum rotation speed of today’s fastest rotary wing aircraft. This accuracy is greatly improved with lower rotational speed aircraft.

The RAP can be configured to operate with any rotary wing aircraft using standard configuration setup. Real-time rotor data can provide vital information to help isolate stress points, alteration of blade characteristics, reduction of impulse noise and diagnosing aircraft problems.

Data is collected from main and tail rotor contactors and tachometers, filtered in both hardware and software, computed and converted to 12-bit parallel digital and analog outputs for capture or analysis by external test and measurement instrumentation. Rotor azimuth is updated every 200 microseconds or 5,000 times every second. Weighing less than 3 pounds, equipped with MIL-38999 connectors and powered by the aircraft’s 28 VDC, the unit is designed for tolerance to operational temperatures of (-30°C to +60°C), voltage to MIL-STD-704F and 4G acceleration in each axis.

The RAP features a small form factor and consumes very little power, typically 13.3 watts. These features coupled with a rugged design permits deployment of the RAP in a wide range of demanding test environments.

About Precision Systems, Inc.
Precision Systems is a leading provider of real-time and embedded systems to the military, semi-conductor, energy, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. We specialize in providing unique solutions in the demanding world of mission-critical applications. Precision Systems was founded in 1979. For more information visit www.psi-software.com.