GO93004-SkyTrain-Interactive-app1.doc (Application coding)
Executive Summary
Inventions and Innovations
Sol# DE-PS35p03GO93004
·
Provide a short title for the application.
Portable accelerometer transportation
quantifying system
- List
the applicant’s and other major participants’ name, address, telephone
number, fax number, e-mail address, and congressional district.
Karl W. Guenther Wilfred
Sergeant PE Eric
Kaltenbacher
CEO VP
Operations Director
MEMS
Sky Train Corp (STC) Sky
Train Corp USF/Marine
Science
727-939-2177 727-584-8122 727-553-1009
Cell: 727-409-2213 727-692-9595
Fax: 727-939-1271 727-582-9286 727-553-3967
info@skytraincorp.com wilfstco@gte.net
www.skytraincorp.com/us.htm
www.skytraincorp.com www.marine.usf.edu
District 9 District
10 District
9
Bruce Russell
Chief Designer Designer
Electronic Prototypes Sensor Designer
Baxter Healthcare/STC USF/Marine Science USF/Marine Science
109 S. Meteor 140 7th
Ave
727-442-0493 727-553-1009 727-553-1009
Fax:
727-544-5050-X2059 727-553-3967 727-553-3967
District 9 District
9 District
9
Nonproprietary summary of proposed
project, including project benefits and all project participants, suitable for
public release (maximum of 250 words).
Application
for a type I grant for instrumentation to compare ride quality in non-FTA
regulated public transit and the monorail/theme park market. The
The sensor suite will be applicable to deployment on a
variety of transportation vehicles, including suspended monorails, trains,
airplanes, buses and automobiles. Data from these sensor suites will
demonstrate the improved riding comfort possible with advanced designs of mass
transit systems. The portable instrumentation will be used in our 1/6 scale
suspended monorail, to compare “comfort” levels in the bottom supported vehicle
and the suspended passenger vehicle, then later on the full scale suspended
vehicles when inaugurated. These instruments can then create a new “Industry
Standard” for cataloging comfort comparisons in existing designs at multiple
locations of a vehicle, helping defining ride quality.
- Why
the proposed project is appropriate for the domestic industry, and how the
proposed project relates to the objectives of the solicitation.
Monorails
have always been the darlings of the public.
Their design
with high-wear rubber tires generally needs steering components requiring low
speed, high maintenance and much higher power consumption then the competing
steel wheel/rail vehicles. We cite
In older
studies conservative Consultants and Planning Organizations have labeled them
as new technologies and removed them from relevance. Now that the public
process that allows more public input it has become a mandate that the public
demands monorails.
News articles
are now asking consultants what standards to apply to these now
"Public" systems This grant will create the
instrumentation and the technique, assisting in the definition of ride quality,
resulting in the process of standardization. The instruments will serve to
quantify the passenger comfort of Sky Train's Overhead-Suspended Light Rail
(OSLR) system, being the basic Light Rail Transit (LRT) system rearranged into
a suspended mode. This means having one set of sensors in the upper suspended
vehicle and another set in the suspended car beneath it. This will
electronically document quality and allow testing, cataloging and tuning of
vehicles as a scientific process.
Sky Train is
close to completing this steel wheel suspended monorail system in 1/8 scale
with the 501-C3 group Largo Central RailRoad (LCRR) club. This is funded in
part by a TRDA, Florida Grant. These designs offer superior passenger comfort
while allowing increased speeds with comfort around curves. Examples: on flat
curves (in the absence of a raised outer rail) the suspended vehicle can go
round curves 3 times faster than bottom-supported vehicles. Compared with tilt
trains on curves with superelevation, our OSLR can go 15% faster without the
complexity of a tilt mechanism.
Our web site
at http://www.skytraincorp.com/LCRR%20test%20020804.htm
carries a research report showing that there is a large safety factor. We have
available PowerPoint presentations, some with voice that elaborate on these
features.
·
Identify
the total project costs and the total amount of federal and non-federal cost
share proposed for each project partner (itemize the financial commitment of
each participant).
Sky Train
Corporation contribution;
Material to extend the track of our existing 1/8 suspended system $
20,429.00
(This will add the necessary test section to a system now under
construction)
Labor to construct & fabricate elevated track $
21,000.00
Salaries, three personnel supervise construction and get
Permits, sealed drawings take measurements on several
comparative systems like
Miscellaneous costs $ 1,000.00
Total Sky Train $ 53,429.00
Grand total: $ 93.000.00
·
Justification
for DOE funding.
As Transit Consultants and Engineers, STC is
developing a product designed for low energy consumption and notable passenger
comfort. We need an instrument package that can measure our level of passenger
comfort and help tune our system mathematically. This will be a Hi-tech
marketable instrument solving the needs of the News Article quoted in sec 1.3
of this report.
The requested funding also will purchase accelerometers, data loggers, materials and supplies required for the development of the accelerometer measurement system and inclusion in the 1/8 system in place by before June 2003.
Criterion 1.0: Project Description/Technical
Feasibility and Innovation
1.1
Describe how your invention is directly related to EERE’s
Offices and Programs.
The proposed
instruments will support the development and implementation of the OSLR,
bringing the associated energy savings in this adopted mode of transportation.
Passenger discomfort is an indication that accelerations are imbalance and
absorbing energy, creating not just discomfort but wear and possible structural
failure of vehicles components. The proposed instruments then serve as a safety
device allowing for the micro identification of problem components, a rating of
vehicle comfort that effects life cycles.
1.2
Describe the product, process, system, or material comprising the invention.
COT
proposes to design, develop and test an expandable and highly portable
accelerometer data acquisition system. The system will include miniaturized
accelerometers for measuring ride characteristics, signal conditioning
electronics, and data storage/display hardware. The system will be expandable
to enable simultaneous measurement from multiple (at least three)
three-dimensional accelerometer units.
STC will complete the installation of the 1/8th scale model that will depend upon these instruments to measure the qualities of ride and compare suspended vehicles against bottom supported vehicles. Later the instruments will be used in full size vehicles in public service.
1.3
Discuss the invention’s technical advantages over the current
technologies and identify the features that are innovative.
The
innovation is in creating instrumentation in small packages capable of use in
confined locations where conventional instruments cannot go. The technical advantage
is the ability of moving the instruments around first in small scale vehicles
then in the full size vehicles for comparing different levels of ride quality
in different areas of a vehicle for seated or standing passengers or at
multiple locations.
Various news articles have described the need
to be able to make these measurements and as transportation engineers we can
address this need. This instrumentation package will greatly reduce costs of
measurement at will.
We quote the
News Article:
What
Is Bumpiness? - From July/August 2002 publication Transit Pulse by
L. J. Fabian Publisher 617- 825-2318
“While riding the Mitsubishi APM (Automated people mover) at
When queried, APM
Standards Chair Tom McGean pointed to standards of
the International Standards Organization (ISO) #2631 on "Mechanical
Vibration and Shock - Evaluation of Human Exposure to Whole-body Vibration."
This is referenced in the still-emerging ASCE APM standards.
APM engineering expert
Mlke Venter of Kimley-Horn
Associates (which has absorbed JKH) mentioned limits for acceleration, deceleration
and jerk rates. Jerk rate is one of the keys. Venter also cited Standard E1155
of the American Society of Testing Materials for determining floor flatness
and levelness. This, however, does not address the suspension characteristics
of APM vehicles.
Attention to these
matters can make a big difference to the comfort of folks riding in future APM
installations around the world.”
1.4
Identify the scientific and engineering basis for the invention’s
operation to show that the invention is well developed by providing the
following: calculations, engineering analyses, sketches, drawings, schematics,
performance data through experimentation, or other evidence that support the
theoretical validity.
The
University of South Florida College of Marine Science’s Center for Ocean
Technology has extensive facilities and experience in the design, fabrication
and testing of a variety of environmental sensors. The facility is located on
The need is to create the instrument and then to create a
set of data not readily available to help in making public ridership decisions.
Each of the data input devices consists of two three dimensional accelerometers
with a capability to mount in each data sector or item tested. There will be an
adjustable distance between them to allow for analysis of damping between the two
data points. A second set of input devices can be moved a long distance to show
comparisons of two locations. This can show how the effect of a vehicle
entering some change of environment shows up in varying parts of the vehicle.
An example would be to show changes in an airplane or tilt train. If one is
seated at the wing center or the tail of an airplane the effect of turbulence
is different on each rider. If a passenger is seated in a comfortable seat the
effect seen on his feet compared to his head height will vary greatly. If
compared to a standee the difference at the same points would also be
different. The size of these sensors as described in (1.2 above) allows
readings to be taken at two points of a frame or spring of a suspension showing
the actual bump seen at the connected base of the spring and on the component
being supported. COT has defined the
numerical parameters in section 1.2 above and further substantiates:
1.5
Identify technical hurdles, and discuss how they will be overcome.
No hurdles have
appeared in discussions between Sky Train engineers and members of the MicroElectroMechanicalSystems (MEMS) group of USF.
1.6
Discuss prior work to date that supports the current stage of
development.
The qualities
of overhead-suspended vehicles have been presented before relevant transit
societies and naturally to USF’s Center for Urban Transportation Research.
Further development will be seen upon acceptance of this technology by various
agencies and manufacturers that can at least learn to know their vehicles
behavior. A run-on study would catalogue existing transit systems but would
require a lot of international travel.
This easily
could develop into an industry standard, not just as a diagnostic tool.
Criterion 2.0 Commercialization/Market
Potential
2.1
Briefly identify in lay terms the specific product or process expected
to be sold.
The product
will be a device that measures and compares velocities, accelerations and jerk,
using electronic data in two or more areas of the same vehicle or adjacent vehicles
or at various points of a resilient body. In passengers the effect on that part
of the head housing the semicircular canals would be of greatest interest as
that is a human’s accelerometer effecting perceived comfort and balance. A
scale similar to the Richter scale for human perceived discomfort could also
result; this could be based on medical parameters in future expanded studies.
2.2
Is the commercialization of your invention dependent on the development
of other technologies?
No other
technologies are required.
2.3
Describe who will buy your product and estimate the total
As a unique
system the price could be determined by replication of the parts and the
mark-up.
Market is
limited unless the local Planning Organizations mandate that new vehicles meet
certain ride quality before purchase.
Several
thousand could be sold into varying markets yet to be identified.
2.4
State what commercialization strategy the applicant intends to use
(e.g., start a new business; expand an existing
business; license or sell the technology to another entity; enter a joint
venture or strategic alliance with another company).
License or
sell, or to fill the need for new standards allowing numerical comparisons and
testing of transportation or other products where vibration is present.
Availability of this as a suitable instrument to measure ride quality and
vibration in confined spaces will be included in publicity by STC in promoting
the OSLR around the world.
Criterion 3.0: Energy Savings
3.1
Discuss the invention’s energy savings and compare the savings to
existing and commercially available technologies. To make the comparison, describe the existing
and commercially available technology(s) that your invention will replace or
supplement as an add-on. The comparison
should reflect a percentage improvement of your state-of-the-art technology
over an equivalent existing and commercially available unit of production. It is very important to clearly define both
your “unit” and the appropriate competing “unit” in terms of size, capacity,
production rate, etc. in order to draw an accurate and specific comparison of
energy savings. The “units” must be
functionally equivalent to create an appropriate comparison. Further, claimed energy savings should be
directly attributable to the implementation of your specific technology. Include and validate all assumptions derived
from engineering and/or scientific calculations.
The proposed
instruments will support the development and implementation of the OSLR, bringing
the associated energy savings in this adopted mode of transportation. The
instrument can serve also as a safety device helping to measure vibration or
jerk of a device as it goes though its work cycles, and subsequently to define
new standards. Vibration and jerk represent energy losses. There will be a
study into potential energy savings due to redirecting or elimination of the
condition to be put into definable terms as a saving. This will lead to a simple application used
in life cycle measurements under various levels of vibration or to measure the
degradation of stability over the life cycle of a device.
Criterion 4.0: Economic and
Environmental Benefits
4.1
Discuss the economic and environmental benefits of the proposed
technology. This may include reductions
in CO2 emissions, elimination of waste production at the source,
improvements in quality and productivity achieved through use of the
technology, impacts of the technology on employment, etc. Compare the economic and environmental
benefits to existing and commercially available technologies.
The proposed
instruments will support the development and implementation of the OSLR,
bringing the associated energy savings in this adopted mode of transportation.
This micro size adaptable system will allow the cataloging of small members of
systems for improvements thereof or the measurement of degradations of systems
to help in life cycle predictions. This can be also be used in remote locations
where the results can be sent via telemetry to recording areas. The miniature
instrument will allow analysis of small as well as large components with
variations of fastening to the test members also investigated and made
available.
4.2
Quantitatively discuss the invention’s economic and environmental
benefits over competing/existing and commercially available technologies. Quantify economic and environmental benefits
information by providing calculations on a per unit basis. Quantifiable benefits may include reductions
in CO2 emissions, elimination of waste production at the source,
cost of a manufactured unit, etc. Also
discuss improvements in quality and productivity achieved through use of the
technology, impacts of the technology on employment, etc. of the technology as compared
to competing/existing, state-of-the-art, and commercially available
technologies.
The proposed
instruments will support the development and implementation of the OSLR,
bringing the associated energy savings in this adopted mode of transportation.
This will be state-of-art both in size and portability.
Criterion 5.0: Project Management
Plan/Statement of Objectives
5.1
State the project objective in a narrative form, and clearly indicate
what the applicant will achieve with the project funds.
To create instrumentation
in miniature, not now available, that can affect the purchase decision, the
productive life and the energy losses of billions of dollars of purchased
items. Demonstration by these instruments of the quality of ride in OSLR
systems can encourage adoption of OSLR technology with its associated savings
in energy consumption in transportation systems. High vibration rates indicate
out of balance or problematic conditions that can result in substantial costs
over the operating life of any system.
5.2
Include a task/milestone table that includes an organized list of tasks,
with estimated timeframes, identification of technical and commercialization
achievements at 6 month, 1 year, and end-of-project intervals, responsible
individual/organization, and projected cost, which supports the project
objective.
Step 1
Review a series of needs, weekly meetings, additional to the Calendar-month
ones mentioned that this system should
be included in this testing. 1
Step 2 Update present concepts of the design prior to
implementation .25
Step 3 System design 1
Step 4 Component procurement 2
Step 5 Assembly 1
Step 6 Field test
.5
Step 7 Evaluation by committee
.25
Step 8 Test comparative systems write report of findings 1
Total Months: 7
months
5.3
Include a detailed description and expected results in narrative form
for each task above.
Steps
- Several
brainstorm sessions to expand the needs from what is defined here. Create a
task grid to see the design variables and means of connection to these
means.
- Review
previous charts and gain agreement of final designs.
- Change
sketches to drawings to satisfy the maximum range of use.
- Purchase
components and start any machining requirement to shop.
- Assemble
after inspection.
- Take
the assembly out into the field and test on various scale models including
the OSLR vehicles. Create categories and means of presentation.
- Review
by peer group.
- Do
some additional testing of transit systems, include in final reports.
Required time, 7 – 8 months.
5.4 Discuss roles and responsibilities
of each team member.
As elaborated in the resumes the members bring vast
knowledge to this task some of them are:
STC: Machine shop
practices, drawings, Material Management, including purchasing, Knowledge of
modes of transportation, their strengths and weaknesses to be cataloged.
COT:
Technical knowledge of accelerometers, the test environment, circuit design,
available components, assembly and machining resources.
Criterion
6.0: Applicant Technical Capabilities
6.1 Describe the technical/commercialization experience of key personnel,
including those of team members or partners.
Include resumes with additional information.
Resumes STC:
The STC staff consists of
full and part time engineers and researchers as well as business development
and sales and marketing personnel. Additional staff is projected to come on
board at the time of the first system contract anticipated sometime in
2003/2004. To this date, approximately
twelve man-years of research, sales and development have been invested in this
project. Expanded resumes are on a unlisted web page at www.skytraincorp.com/us.htm
Karl W. Guenther, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Also President of SkyRail UK Limited, the joint venture in the
Mr. Guenther is listed in the,
"Who’s Who" national directory of executives and professionals. Mr.
Guenther began pursuing Physics at
Wilfred Sergeant PE, Vice President, Planning and Operations. Mr. Sergeant is a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers,
and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the
Bruce W. Russell, Chief Designer. Mr. Russell is responsible for vehicle design for Sky Train. Mr. Russell has over 20 years of aircraft and mechanical design expertise. Mr. Russell has worked for the likes of Advanced Technology & Research, General Dynamics, RES-NET Microwave and BWI Inex Vision Systems. Mr. Russell was the production engineer for the Disney Monorail system’s composite construction and fabrication. Recently, Mr. Russell served as senior engineer at Hi-Tech, producing color computer video displays utilized in sport stadiums worldwide. Mr. Russell has worked at the Omega Resource Group as Contract Design Engineering Manager, designing flight simulators for advanced pilot training for the Blackhawk and Apache helicopters. Presently Mr. Russell is working at Baxter Healthcare on the latest Blood Processing Equipment eliminating the external laboratory requirement, a projected serving a several billion dollar market.
Resumes COT:
Eric Kaltenbacher
Education
BS in Electrical Engineering,
GMI-EMI, 1993
MS in Electro-Optics,
Present Position
Optoelectronics Engineer, Center
for Ocean Technology (USF)
Past Positions
Optical Engineer, Inex Vision Systems, 1996-1998
Electro-Optics Engineer,
Industrial Technology Institute, 1992-1994
Experience
Eleven years of experience in optical and electronic
prototype creation, from research to product design and construction.
Experience has focused on optical system design and alignment, circuit design
and microprocessor programming. Developed a broad-based
knowledge of electronic/computer/optical hardware and general knowledge of
signal and image processing.
Current research interests involve the development of liquid
core waveguides to extend spectrophotometric
detection limits, developing technologies for mapping the ocean floor, and
diffractive optics.
Publications
Kaltenbacher, E., J.T. Patten, D. English,
D.K. Costello, K.L. Carder, “Development of a compact, real-time, optical system
for 3-D mapping of the ocean floor, Proceedings
of Oceanology International, May 2000.
Steimle, E.T., E. A. Kaltenbacher, and R. H. Byrne, “In-situ nitrite
measurements using a compact spectrophotometric analysis
system,” Marine Chemistry 77:255-262,
2002.
Kaltenbacher, E., E. Steimle, and R. H. Byrne, “A compact, in situ spectrophotometric sensor for aqueous environments: Design and applications.” Proceedings of Underwater Technology, pages 41-45, May 2000.
Kaltenbacher, E. and R. C. Hardie, “Infrared image registration and high resolution reconstruction,” SPIE Proceedings of Aerosense Conference, vol. 2751, April 1996.
Kaltenbacher, E. and M. Coletta.,
"Holographic robotic alignment aide,” Proceedings
of OPTCON '91, pages 50-59,
Harding,
K., E. Sieczka, E. Kaltenbacher, and A. Boehnlein, "Design of an on-machine optical gage for
diameter measurements,” Proceedings of
ICALEO '91,
Rauchmiller Jr., R., K. Hardin, M. Michniewicz and E. Kaltenbacher, "Design and application of a lighting
test bed," Proceedings of SME Vision
'90,
Harding, K., E. Kaltenbacher,
and L. Bieman, "Single lens Moire
contouring method," Proceedings of OPTCON '90, vol. 1385,
pages 246-255, Boston, November 1990.
Chad
Education
BSME 1995 University of South Florida
Specialization
Design
of mechanics of sensors, vehicles and platforms, including but not limited to
pressure housing design, static and dynamic seals, high and low pressure fluid
transfer, vacuum systems, fixturing (optical,
electrical, mechanical), cable splicing, power and data transmission, and
overall sensor layout. Engineering support on past AUV, ROV,
buoy, and towed platform deployments and operations - locally and abroad.
Professional
Organizations
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Professional
Experience
January
1998 – Present Mechanical/Ocean
Engineer, University of
May 1995 - December 1997 Mechanical Design Engineer,
Specialty and Luxury Watercraft, David Jones and Associates,
September 1994 – May 1995 Mechanical Properties Testing Technician,
Sigma Laboratories,
Publications
R.T. Short, D.P. Fries, S.K. Toler, C.E. Lembke
and R.H. Byrne, "Development of an underwater mass spectrometry system for
in-situ chemical analysis,” Meas. Sci. Technol. 10 (1999) 1195-1201.
S. Samson,
L. Langebrake, C. E. Lembke,
and J. T. Patten, "Design and initial results of high-resolution shadowed
image particle profiling and evaluation recorder," Oceans '99 MTS/IEEE
Conference Proceedings, v. 1, p. 58-63 (1999).
D.P. Fries, R.T. Short, S.K. Toler, C.E. Lembke, M.L. Kerr, S.A. Samson and R.H. Byrne,
"In-situ mass spectrometry on small unmanned underwater vehicles,” Proceedings
of the 12th Sanibel Conference on Mass Spectrometry(ASMS),
D.P. Fries, R.T. Short, R.H. Byrne, C.E. Lembke
and M.L. Kerr, "Mass spectrometry in the hydrosphere,” Proceedings of
the 48th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics,
R.T.
Short, D.P. Fries, M.L. Kerr, C.E. Lembke, S.K.
Toler, S.A. Samson and R.H. Byrne, "Development of an underwater mass
spectrometer for in-situ chemical analysis,” Proceedings of Oceanology International 2000, Brighton England (2000).
S. A.
Samson, L. C. Langebrake, T. L. Hopkins, C. E. Lembke, J. T. Patten and D. R. Russell, "Design and
current results of a high-resolution Shadowed Image Particle Profiling and
Evaluation Recorder (SIPPER)," Proceedings of Oceanology
International 2000.
L. C. Langebrake, C.E. Lembke, R. H. Weisberg, R. H. Byrne, D. R. Russell, G. Tilbury, R. Carr, “Design and initial results of a bottom stationing ocean profiler,” Proceedings of Oceans 2002 MTS/IEE Conference Proceedings, v. 1, p. 98-103 (2002).
Bill Flanery
Bill Flanery obtained a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the
6.1
Mr. Flanery currently works
as a Sensor Development Engineer at the
6.2
Describe the availability of, or plans to obtain, equipment and
facilities necessary to conduct the proposed scope of work.
Suitable
equipment and facilities to do this project have been identified and will be
used to assemble and test the proposed suites of instruments. there will be revisions and new inclusions after the first
review period.
6.3
Describe the commitment of team members
6.4
Sky
Train personnel assigned to this project will comprise a Transportation
Consultant with career experience, a licensed Methods Time Motions Instructor,
and two having flight simulator and instrumentation experience.
Staff from COT will comprise: Eric Kaltenbacher
will coordinate all developmental and testing efforts. Bill Flanery
will be responsible for electronic design and sensor evaluation.Chad
Lembke will be responsible for mechanical design.
Other salary support will involve personnel required for fabrication and
assembly.
These members
work for the participating organizations or have vested interests in this study
(as in stock options for STC).