Edge_Blending_Specifications.doc

Purchase Specification for

Geometry Warping, Alignment, and Brightness Blending System

For A Rear Projected Spherical Dome Projection Screen U.S. Air Force

OO-ALC

MASHC

July 17, 2014

1.0 Background

The Human Engineering Development System (HEDS) is part of the Software Engineering Division (MAS) located at the Ogden Air Logistics Center (OO-ALC), Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Among other responsibilities, MAS supports all Operational Flight Program (OFP) modifications to the F-16 C/D aircraft. HEDS is responsible for prototyping the OFP changes and then showing these prototypes in a flight simulator to pilots and others that make decisions about the OFP upgrades.

2.0 Objective

Prototyping or simulating OFP changes is most effective when experienced in an environment simulating actual flight conditions. OFP upgrades include the use of a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) device which will make available to the pilot flight and target information similar to what he sees in the Heads up Display (HUD). The HMD display, because it’s displayed on the helmet’s visor, moves with the pilot’s head always staying in view where ever he looks. The pilot must have a full field of view (FOV) both horizontally and vertically within which he can evaluate the various aspects of the HMD. A spherical dome display screen is a close match for these requirements. Projectors will display images of the world (sky, ground, buildings, etc.) on the outside of the translucent dome. The pilot and cockpit will be located within the dome.

3.0 Scope

The scope of this Alignment/Blending System contract for geometry warping, alignment, luminance blending, and auto-calibration involves delivery of a software and/or hardware solution for the alignment and blending of 30 rear-projected display channels on a spherical dome, acceptance testing, and related documentation if any material documentation is required. Tools and equipment necessary to complete the Alignment/Blending System shall also be considered part of this scope.

The rear projection dome is a 16.5’ diameter partially translucent spherical dome covering 360° horizontally from 35° below the equator to 90° above the equator. It sits on a 16” high base and has a rear entry cutout, 5’8” in width and close to a standard door height, to accommodate insertion and removal of cockpit equipment as displayed in the attached SolidWorks model in the attached file “overlap.SLDPRT”. This covers the majority of the FOV the pilot can see in an actual F-16. The butt joint seams are also translucent and allow for nearly uninterrupted viewing - 1 arc-minute translucent seam width at an 8’ viewing distance (essentially eye limited). These butt joints contain no opaque components. The Alignment/Blending System can ignore the presence of the seams.

Video signals will be provided by an Image Generator (IG) computer system, provided independently of the spherical projection screen and not covered under this document. Fifteen Aechelon Technologies (pc-NOVA 5.5) image generator nodes will provide imaging to the 30 projectors (2 projectors per IG node, 1 on each output of the nVidia card).

The projection system will also be provided independent of the Alignment/Blending System. There will be 30 LCoS projectors (1920x1080 resolution) placed evenly around each dome as described in the attached Word document “Projector Placements.doc” and shown in the overall view of the room and the two domes plus the projectors, wide angle converter lenses, and some of the scaffolding and mirrors in the attached file “Dome View – 2560x2048.jpg”. The outlines of their projections on the dome are illustrated in the attached SolidWorks model.

Each projector has a 0.65X Navitar wide angle converter lens placed in front of the projector’s zoom lens (18.5-29.6 mm, f/2.5-3.4). Additional mirrors to fold the light paths will be used to meet room dimension constraints. The resultant light path for each projector will be perpendicular to the dome surface at the center of the projection. Those mirrors will be placed such that no part of the dome can see any other part of the dome reflected in any of the mirrors, so ghosting will not occur.

Radial graduated neutral density filters that are dark in the center and feathered out to clear at the edges will be placed in front of the lenses. While the output of each projector/lens combination is not completely uniform or identical to the others and has slight placement/alignment differences slightly affecting the resulting range of brightness on the dome, the filter greatly reduces the brightness fall off of the projections on the spherical dome surface. This greatly reduces the correction required of the blending system.

The projector frustrum overlaps are illustrated in the following attached JPEG files:

01-Left of Doorway.jpg

02-Left of Doorway and Up 1.jpg

03-Left of Doorway and Up 2.jpg

04-Left of Doorway and Up 3.jpg

05-Cap 1.jpg

06-Cap 1 (top view).jpg

07-Left of Doorway and Up 3 (top view).jpg

08-Right of Doorway and Up 3 (top view).jpg

09-Right Plus 1 of Doorway and Up 3 (top view).jpg

10-Left of Doorway (left view).jpg

11-Left plus 1 of Doorway (left view).jpg

12-Left plus 1 of Doorway and Up 1 (left view).jpg

13-Left of Doorway and Up 1 (left view).jpg

Each one of these views has one projector’s frustrum outlined in orange with the other projectors’ frustrums outlined in black.

Acceptance testing shall be performed onsite to validate system capability. Technical assistance relative to the Alignment/Blending System shall also be provided in coordination with other related components (i.e. image generator and projectors). The government shall be permitted to share any documentation or technical information acquired in technical assistance with Image Generator and projector vendors as required integrating associated components of full simulation system. Similar information shall be available to the dome screen provider from the IG and projection system providers.

4.0 Contractor Qualifications

The vendor shall demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of geometry warping, alignment, luminance blending, and auto-calibration of projectors on non-planar surfaces and ability to integrate 30 channels with the specified image generator system and projectors for real-time performance through reference to prior completed projects or demonstrations.

5.0 Specific Tasks

The contractor shall be directly responsible for ensuring the accuracy, timeliness and completion of all tasks assigned under this contract. Specifically, the contractor shall perform all tasks described in this section.

5.1 Build or cause to be built all materials listed in section 6.

5.2 Vendor Installation Requirements. The vendor shall identify any requirements it may have for performing the installation. This may include, but is not limited to, the following: site preparation, electrical power, material handling equipment, environmental conditions, tools, or general use equipment required to successfully complete the installation and integration of the Alignment/Blending System.

5.3 Shipping. Vendor shall cause all parts and supplies to be shipped from factory location(s) to 6137 Wardleigh Rd., Hill AFB, UT 84056-5840. Vendor shall be responsible to pay the freight charges, and they shall maintain ownership of the subassemblies until final acceptance testing has been approved by the Government Contracting Administrator.

5.4 Onsite installation of the Alignment/Blending System.

5.5 Acceptance Testing. Acceptance testing will be performed onsite by HEDS personnel to validate the performance of the warping and blending system.

5.6 Operation Instruction. Instruction on the use, maintenance, and trouble shooting of the Alignment/Blending System shall be provided at time of acceptance testing.

6.0 Deliverables/Delivery Schedule

6.1 Deliverable items. All of the following deliverables shall be delivered on or before the delivery date specified in section 6.2.

6.1.1 Alignment/Blending System for one dome with the following characteristics:

6.1.1.1 Coverage of a continuous horizontal Field-Of-View (FOV) covering 360 degrees except for a 5’8” wide x 6’8” high opening in the rear.

6.1.1.2 Continuous vertical FOV shall be 90 degrees up and 30 degrees down except for a 5’8” x 6’8” opening in the rear

6.1.1.3 The output of the blending software shall be “masked” to not output (or else output black) into the specified door opening in the rear.

6.1.1.4 Latency of the warped blended image generation and delivery not to exceed 2 frames (33.3 ms)

6.1.1.5 Integrate with Aechelon Technologies (pc-NOVA 5.5) image generator nodes

6.1.1.6 Input and output up to 1080p (1920x1080 resolution) @ 60 Hz

6.1.1.7 Output 8 bit color for each R, G, and B pixel

6.1.1.8 Support mixture of Sony VPL-HW30ES and VPL-HW40ES projectors totaling 30 projectors covering the dome surface

6.1.1.9 Support projection overlaps as described in the attached file Projector Placements.docs and illustrated in the following attached JPEG files:

01-Left of Doorway.jpg

02-Left of Doorway and Up 1.jpg

03-Left of Doorway and Up 2.jpg

04-Left of Doorway and Up 3.jpg

05-Cap 1.jpg

06-Cap 1 (top view).jpg

07-Left of Doorway and Up 3 (top view).jpg

08-Right of Doorway and Up 3 (top view).jpg

09-Right Plus 1 of Doorway and Up 3 (top view).jpg

10-Left of Doorway (left view).jpg

11-Left plus 1 of Doorway (left view).jpg

12-Left plus 1 of Doorway and Up 1 (left view).jp

13-Left of Doorway and Up 1 (left view).jpg

6.1.1.10 The boundaries between adjacent display channels shall appear seamless and free of abrupt changes and discernible discontinuities within the limitation of projector black levels.

6.1.1.11 Abrupt variations in the appearance of sky, horizon, terrain, and surface in the training scene which are not typical of the scene being simulated shall not be noticeable for the full range of simulated conditions.

6.1.1.12 Geometric uniformity across the entire blended display, measured two ways:

6.1.1.12.1 Orientation Accuracy. The overall simulation projection orientation on the dome surface shall be within 0.5º of the specified orientation. That is, the simulated projection on the dome surface for 0º along the equator and the zenith shall be within 0.5º of the government specified position on the display surface. 90º, 180º and 270º along the equator shall be within 0.5º of their correct orthogonal positions on the display surface.

6.1.1.12.2 Relative Distortion. Within each 5º x 5º section of the blended projection, no resultant pixel shall be more than 5 arc minutes (.08º) offset from its proper placement relative to the section’s boundaries. Displacements shall be similar enough to surrounding pixel misplacements that abrupt changes and discernible discontinuities in a displayed moving scene are not noticeable.

6.1.1.13 Luminance values (as measured at the center of the dome) between any two points on the display surface not to differ by more than 10%.

6.1.1.14 Luminance and chrominance information processing shall be accomplished with sufficient resolution and accuracy to ensure stable, continuous color at the display, without Mach bands or other digital processing artifacts.

6.1.1.15 The gamma function shall be programmable.

6.1.1.16 If proposed hardware needs to be connected while running the simulation, contractor shall provide a means to physically separate non-volatile data for classified and unclassified environments and have only the respective data connected at run time (for example, separate removable hard disks for unclassified and classified). Such hardware being completely disconnected during running is preferred. Proposed hardware connected during setup and/or calibration is permitted without distinguishing between classified and unclassified runs of the simulation if it can be disconnected during the run of the simulation.

6.1.1.16.1 A statement of volatility shall be provided concurrent with system delivery.

6.1.1.17 Accurate automatic camera based recalibration of geometry warping, alignment, and brightness for the 30 projectors. Automatic recalibration shall be within the following parameters:

6.1.1.17.1 Geometry warping and alignment and luminance recalibration meeting requirements 6.1.1.1 through 6.1.1.16 above for all 30 channels for the entire dome and completed within 8 hours of initiation

6.1.1.17.2 Ability to select which of the types of recalibration (geometry warping and alignment or luminance blending or both) to perform at time of calibration

6.1.1.17.3 Geometry recalibration alone not to take longer than two minutes per projector

6.1.1.17.4 Calibration values preserved for each of the types of recalibration for use as default for the time the blending system is used and the next recalibration

6.1.1.17.5 Recalibration must be possible after the projectors have been adjusted for color matching.

6.1.2 Documentation. Applicable documentation for the use and maintenance of the system shall also be provided on electronic medium.

6.1.3 Warranty. The Alignment/Blending System shall have a warranty of 12 months or longer against defects and workmanship.

6.2 Deliverables/Delivery Schedule

Note: projector scaffolding complete also means projector mountings, mirror placements, and all wiring from the Image Generator connected.

7.0 Inspection and Acceptance Criteria

Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports and other deliverables will be performed at the place of delivery by the Government Contracting Administrator.

7.1 General Acceptance Criteria

General quality measures as set forth below will be applied to each work product received from the contractor under this statement of work.

· Accuracy ‑ Work Products shall be accurate in presentation, technical content, and adherence to accepted elements of style.

· Clarity ‑ Documentation shall be clear and concise. Any/All diagrams shall be easy to understand and be relevant to the operation and maintenance of the equipment.

· Format - Documentation shall be submitted in an electronic medium mutually agreed upon prior to submission.

· Timeliness ‑ Work Products shall be submitted on or before the due date specified in this statement of work or submitted in accordance with a later scheduled date determined by the Government.

8.0 Travel & Other Direct Costs (ODCS)

8.1 Travel

Local and/or long-distance travel may be required for integration in the final location specified in section 9.0. Accordingly, anticipated travel should be included in the contractor’s cost proposal and provided by the contractor.

8.2 Other Direct Costs (ODC’S) The government will pay no costs beyond that of the agreed Fixed Firm Price contract.

9.0 Place of Performance

Tasks 5.4 through 5.6 (above) shall be performed at Hill Air Force Base, UT, specifically, 6137 Wardleigh Rd., Hill AFB, UT.

10.0 Period of Performance The period of performance for this task is date of award for a period of 4 weeks.

11.0 Type of Contract

Firm Fixed Price.

12.0 Security

A security clearance is not required in performance of this contract. Vendor personnel will be escorted at all times while in secure areas.

13.0 Data Use, Disclosure of Information and Handling of Sensitive Information

Information made available to the contractor by the Government for the performance or administration of this effort shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the written agreement of the Contracting Officer.

All data received, processed, evaluated, loaded, and/or created as a result of this delivery order shall remain the sole property of the Government unless specific exception is granted by the Contracting Officer.

14.0 Points of Contact:

All contract questions and concerns shall be directed to the Government Contracting Administrator:

14.1 Government Contracting Administrator

14.1.1 Primary:

Leonard Richmond

801-777-3199 leonard.richmond@us.af.mil

14.1.2 Alternate:

Natalie Meah

801-775-3899 natalie.meah@us.af.mil

15.0 Invoicing The Contractor shall develop a payment schedule based on deliverables, and will be reviewed by both the Government Contracting Administrator and contracting officer. If payment schedule is acceptable to the Government, the contractor shall bill based on deliverables.

Invoices are forwarded to the Government Contracting Administrator for acceptance and approval. Invoices will be paid upon approval and acceptance by the Government Contracting Administrator

16.0 Other Administrative Considerations:

16.1 Hours of Work Hours of work are flexible but normal on-site business hour staffing will cover 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Government Contracting Administrator and the contractor must mutually agree upon all deviations to this schedule not mentioned herein. Work conducted outside these hours will have to be conducted at the contractor’s site or may be negotiated by the Project Task Leader with the Contracting Officer Technical Representative.

All contractor personnel may need to be escorted at all times while in the building depending on prevailing security levels.

16.2 Government Holidays The following Government holidays are normally observed by Government personnel: New Years Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Presidential Inauguration Day (metropolitan DC area only), Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and any other day designated by Federal Statute, Executive Order, and/or Presidential Proclamation.

16.3 Contract Management

The Contractor shall be responsible for managing and overseeing the activities of all Contractor personnel, as well as subcontractor efforts used in performance of this contract. The Contractor's management responsibilities shall include all activities necessary to ensure the accomplishment of timely and effective support, performed in accordance with the requirements contained in the statement of work. Resumes submitted for employees assigned to perform under this statement of work shall contain documented experience directly applicable to the functions to be performed. Further, these prior work experiences shall be specific and of sufficient variety and duration that the employee is able to effectively and efficiently perform the functions assigned.

16.4 Project Manager, CO, and Government Contracting Administrator Meetings

The Contractor's Project Manager shall meet with the Government Contracting Administrator as necessary to maintain satisfactory performance and to resolve other issues pertaining to Government/Contractor procedures. At these meetings, a mutual effort will be made to resolve any and all problems identified. Written minutes of these meetings shall be prepared by the Contractor, signed by the Contractor's designated representative, and furnished to the Government within two (2) workdays of the subject meeting.

17.0 Option for Second and Third Alignment/Blending System

Options for a second Alignment/Blending System to be executed in the next 5 years shall be proposed. Options for a third Alignment/Blending System to be executed in the next 5 years may be proposed.

17.1 The Option for a second Alignment/Blending System is for an identical second system for an identical second dome upon its completion.

17.2 The Option for a third Alignment/Blending system is for an up to 20 channel front projected dome. The projector placements and possibly the projectors will be different than those listed for the first two Alignment/Blending Systems.