System data communication structures for active-control transport aircraft, volume 2

The application of communication structures to advanced transport aircraft are addressed. First, a set of avionic functional requirements is established, and a baseline set of avionics equipment is defined that will meet the requirements. Three alternative configurations for this equipment are then identified that represent the evolution toward more dispersed systems. Candidate communication structures are proposed for each system configuration, and these are compared using trade off analyses; these analyses emphasize reliability but also address complexity. Multiplex buses are recognized as the likely near term choice with mesh networks being desirable for advanced, highly dispersed systems

Index to 1981 NASA Tech Briefs, volume 6, numbers 1-4

Short announcements of new technology derived from the R&D activities of NASA are presented. These briefs emphasize information considered likely to be transferrable across industrial, regional, or disciplinary lines and are issued to encourage commercial application. This index for 1981 Tech Briefs contains abstracts and four indexes: subject, personal author, originating center, and Tech Brief Number. The following areas are covered: electronic components and circuits, electronic systems, physical sciences, materials, life sciences, mechanics, machinery, fabrication technology, and mathematics and information sciences

Penetration Testing of Vehicle ECUs

The automobile industry has grown rapidly in the last few decades. The industry is moving towards electronics and software for better efficiency and results. These electronic components consist of hardware and software to control important operations like braking, engine control etc. The future automobiles will be highly sophisticated and extremely integrated with other devices like smart phones and tablets and update protocols like Firmware Update Over the Air (FOTA). It is also possible to have car to car and car to infrastructure communication which will open up for lots of security attacks on the Electronic Control Units (ECUs). Given the future developments and increasing percentage of electronics in automobiles, it is vital to perform penetration testing of ECUs. A Fault or a failure in one ECU can affect the operations of the automobile and hence endangering the passengers. This occurs due to the properties of In-vehicle networks which are discussed here. In order to find vulnerabilities and access security of an in-vehicular system, it is necessary to perform penetration testing on ECUs. This thesis focuses on how to perform penetration testing of ECUs by discussing the working of ECUs, its security mechanisms and discovering the vulnerabilities that exist in the ECU. Performing penetration test is essential for designing and building of new ECUs with better performance. The discovered attacks on ECUs are studied and appropriate countermeasures are suggested to patch the vulnerabilities

A novel framework for vehicle functions identification by exploiting machine learning techniques

openNowadays vehicles architectures exploit various automotive network protocols that bring information between the implemented Electronic Central Units (ECUs). Exchanged data are encoded and only Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and T1 (Tier One) producers know their meaning and how decode them. A software model will be developed in order to detect vehicles functions without having database files associated to network signals. Furthermore, the model will behave like an ECU by producing output signals related to input ones. Machine Learning techniques will be exploited, in particular Clustering task will be exploited to understand not a priori known vehicle functions and a Neural Network will be implemented to emulate an ECU behavior. Signals will be grouped in five different types of vehicle functions and the model will predict the ECU’s output data with high accuracy. Applications concerning the developed project are, in primis, to fix up possible vehicles electronics faults. In addiction, vehicle predictive maintenance could be done. Another application, could be to check by OEMs if T1 manufacturers comply the required specification.Nowadays vehicles architectures exploit various automotive network protocols that bring information between the implemented Electronic Central Units (ECUs). Exchanged data are encoded and only Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and T1 (Tier One) producers know their meaning and how decode them. A software model will be developed in order to detect vehicles functions without having database files associated to network signals. Furthermore, the model will behave like an ECU by producing output signals related to input ones. Machine Learning techniques will be exploited, in particular Clustering task will be exploited to understand not a priori known vehicle functions and a Neural Network will be implemented to emulate an ECU behavior. Signals will be grouped in five different types of vehicle functions and the model will predict the ECU’s output data with high accuracy. Applications concerning the developed project are, in primis, to fix up possible vehicles electronics faults. In addiction, vehicle predictive maintenance could be done. Another application, could be to check by OEMs if T1 manufacturers comply the required specification

Advanced sensors technology survey

This project assesses the state-of-the-art in advanced or 'smart' sensors technology for NASA Life Sciences research applications with an emphasis on those sensors with potential applications on the space station freedom (SSF). The objectives are: (1) to conduct literature reviews on relevant advanced sensor technology; (2) to interview various scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government who are knowledgeable on this topic; (3) to provide viewpoints and opinions regarding the potential applications of this technology on the SSF; and (4) to provide summary charts of relevant technologies and centers where these technologies are being developed