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At least 775 records · Page 43

A nonsaturating dc-to-dc parallel power converter

Device is conventional circuit modified with pair of diode rectifiers coupled to switching transistors via feedback winding. Transient-causing collector-current overlap between transistors is eliminated. Technique may be used with nonsaturating parallel-transistor converters operating from voltage source which remains fixed or varies over small range.

Lavigna, T.↗

Load Pulser Is Sparkless

Electronic load pulser uses silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) and timer to open and close circuit periodically. It replaces a motor-driven mechanical switch, which causes sparks and is unsafe in hazardous environments. Device should find applications in chemical petroleum, and transportation industries.

Washburn, F. D.↗

Spacecraft component heater control system

A heater control circuit is disclosed as being constructed in a single integrated circuit, with the integrated circuit conveniently mounted proximate to a spacecraft component requiring temperature control. Redundant heater controllers control power applied to strip heaters disposed to provide heat to a component responsive to sensed temperature from temperature sensors. Signals from these sensors are digitized and compared with a dead band temperature and set point temperature stored in memory to generate an error signal if the sensed temperature is outside the parameter stored in the memory. This error signal is utilized by a microprocessor to selectively instruct the heater controllers to apply power to the strip heaters. If necessary, the spacecraft central processor may access or interrogate the microprocessor in order to alter the set point temperature and dead band temperature range to obtain operational data relating to the operation of an integrated circuit for relaying to the ground control, or to switch off faulty components.

Bachtel, Frederick D.↗

Driver Circuit For High-Power MOSFET's

Driver circuit generates rapid-voltage-transition pulses needed to switch high-power metal oxide/semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) modules rapidly between full "on" and full "off". Rapid switching reduces time of overlap between appreciable current through and appreciable voltage across such modules, thereby increasing power efficiency.

Letzer, Kevin A.↗

Method and apparatus for producing a substrate with low secondary electron emissions

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for producing a highly-textured surface on a copper substrate with only extremely small amounts of texture-inducing seeding or masking material. The texture-inducing seeding material is delivered to the copper substrate electrically switching the seeding material in and out of a circuit loop.

Jensen, Kenneth A.↗

Method and Apparatus for Producing a Substrate with Low Secondary Electron Emissions

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for producing a highly-textured surface on a copper substrate with only extremely small amounts of texture-inducing seeding of masking material. The texture-inducing seeding material is delivered to the copper substrate electrically switching the seeding material in and out of a circuit loop.

Jensen, Kenneth A.↗

Substrate With Low Secondary Emissions

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for producing a highly -textured surface on a copper substrate -with only extremely small amounts of texture-inducing seeding or masking material. The texture-inducing seeding material is delivered to the copper substrate electrically switching the seeding material in and out of a circuit loop.

Jensen, Kenneth A.↗

AEA Cell-Bypass-Switch Activation: An Update

The objectives of this project included the following: (1) verify the performance of AEA cell bypass protection device (CBPD) under simulated EOS-Aqua/Aura flight hardware configuration; (2) assess the safety of the hardware under an inadvertent firing of CBPD switch, as well as the closing of CBPD; and (3) confirm that the mode of operation of CBPD switch is the formation of a continuous low impedance path (a homogeneous low melting point alloy). The nominal performance of AEA CBPD under flight operating conditions (vacuum except zero-G, and high impedance cell) has been demonstrated. There is no evidence of cell rupture or excessive heat production during or after CBPD switch activation under simulated high cell impedance (open-circuit cell failure mode). The formation of a continuous low impedance path (a homogeneous low melting point alloy) has been confirmed.

Keys, Denney↗

Conductance measurement circuit with wide dynamic range

A conductance measurement circuit to measure conductance of a solution under test with an output voltage proportional to conductance over a 5-decade range, i.e., 0.01 uS to 1000 uS or from 0.1 uS to 10,000 uS. An increase in conductance indicates growth, or multiplication, of the bacteria in the test solution. Two circuits are used each for an alternate half-cycle time periods of an alternate squarewave in order to cause alternate and opposite currents to be applied to the test solution. The output of one of the two circuits may be scaled for a different range optimum switching frequency dependent upon the solution conductance and to enable uninterrupted measurement over the complete 5-decade range. This circuitry provides two overlapping ranges of conductance which can be read simultaneously without discontinuity thereby eliminating range switching within the basic circuitry. A VCO is used to automatically change the operating frequency according to the particular value of the conductance being measured, and comparators indicate which range is valid and also facilitate computer-controlled data acquisition. A multiplexer may be used to monitor any number of solutions under test continuously.

Mount, Bruce E.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, December 2007

Topics include: Ka-Band TWT High-Efficiency Power Combiner for High-Rate Data Transmission; Reusable, Extensible High-Level Data-Distribution Concept; Processing Satellite Imagery To Detect Waste Tire Piles; Monitoring by Use of Clusters of Sensor-Data Vectors; Circuit and Method for Communication Over DC Power Line; Switched Band-Pass Filters for Adaptive Transceivers; Noncoherent DTTLs for Symbol Synchronization; High-Voltage Power Supply With Fast Rise and Fall Times; Waveguide Calibrator for Multi-Element Probe Calibration; Four-Way Ka-Band Power Combiner; Loss-of-Control-Inhibitor Systems for Aircraft; Improved Underwater Excitation-Emission Matrix Fluorometer; Metrology Camera System Using Two-Color Interferometry; Design and Fabrication of High-Efficiency CMOS/CCD Imagers; Foam Core Shielding for Spacecraft CHEM-Based Self-Deploying Planetary Storage Tanks Sequestration of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in a Polymer PPC750 Performance Monitor Application-Program-Installer Builder Using Visual Odometry to Estimate Position and Attitude Design and Data Management System Simple, Script-Based Science Processing Archive Automated Rocket Propulsion Test Management Online Remote Sensing Interface Fusing Image Data for Calculating Position of an Object Implementation of a Point Algorithm for Real-Time Convex Optimization Handling Input and Output for COAMPS Modeling and Grid Generation of Iced Airfoils Automated Identification of Nucleotide Sequences Balloon Design Software Rocket Science 101 Interactive Educational Program Creep Forming of Carbon-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites Dog-Bone Horns for Piezoelectric Ultrasonic/Sonic Actuators Benchtop Detection of Proteins Recombinant Collagenlike Proteins Remote Sensing of Parasitic Nematodes in Plants Direct Coupling From WGM Resonator Disks to Photodetectors Using Digital Radiography To Image Liquid Nitrogen in Voids Multiple-Parameter, Low-False-Alarm Fire-Detection Systems Mosaic-Detector-Based Fluorescence Spectral Imager Plasmoid Thruster for High Specific-Impulse Propulsion Analysis Method for Quantifying Vehicle Design Goals Improved Tracking of Targets by Cameras on a Mars Rover Sample Caching Subsystem Multistage Passive Cooler for Spaceborne Instruments GVIPS Models and Software Stowable Energy-Absorbing Rocker-Bogie Suspensions

Source record↗

Gm-C filter and multi-phase clock circuit

Described herein is a power-efficient Gm-C filter, wherein the Gm-C filter includes several operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs). In an example, at least two of the OTAs share a common bias current. Further, output of one of the OTAs is used to bias another one of the OTAs. Also described herein is a power-efficient clock generator circuit that is configured to output non-overlapping clock signals. The clock generator circuit includes a ring oscillator circuit, which includes several inverter stages. The clock generator circuit is well-suited for controlling operation of switches.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Characteristics of Monolithically Integrated InGaAs Active Pixel Imager Array

Switching and amplifying characteristics of a newly developed monolithic InGaAs Active Pixel Imager Array are presented. The sensor array is fabricated from InGaAs material epitaxially deposited on an InP substrate. It consists of an InGaAs photodiode connected to InP depletion-mode junction field effect transistors (JFETs) for low leakage, low power, and fast control of circuit signal amplifying, buffering, selection, and reset. This monolithically integrated active pixel sensor configuration eliminates the need for hybridization with silicon multiplexer. In addition, the configuration allows the sensor to be front illuminated, making it sensitive to visible as well as near infrared signal radiation. Adapting the existing 1.55 micrometer fiber optical communication technology, this integration will be an ideal system of optoelectronic integration for dual band (Visible/IR) applications near room temperature, for use in atmospheric gas sensing in space, and for target identification on earth. In this paper, two different types of small 4 x 1 test arrays will be described. The effectiveness of switching and amplifying circuits will be discussed in terms of circuit effectiveness (leakage, operating frequency, and temperature) in preparation for the second phase demonstration of integrated, two-dimensional monolithic InGaAs active pixel sensor arrays for applications in transportable shipboard surveillance, night vision, and emission spectroscopy.

Kim, Q.↗

Method and apparatus for pulse width modulation control of an AC induction motor

An inverter is connected between a source of DC power and a three-phase AC induction motor, and a micro-processor-based circuit controls the inverter using pulse width modulation techniques. In the disclosed method of pulse width modulation, both edges of each pulse of a carrier pulse train are equally modulated by a time proportional to sin .THETA., where .THETA. is the angular displacement of the pulse center at the motor stator frequency from a fixed reference point on the carrier waveform. The carrier waveform frequency is a multiple of the motor stator frequency. The modulated pulse train is then applied to each of the motor phase inputs with respective phase shifts of 120.degree. at the stator frequency. Switching control commands of electronic switches in the inverter are stored in a random access memory (RAM) and the locations of the RAM are successively read out in a cyclic manner, each bit of a given RAM location controlling a respective phase input of the motor. The DC power source preferably comprises rechargeable batteries and all but one of the electronic switches in the inverter can be disabled, the remaining electronic switch being part of a flyback DC-DC converter circuit for recharging the battery.

Geppert, Steven↗

Pulse width modulation inverter with battery charger

An inverter is connected between a source of DC power and a three-phase AC induction motor, and a microprocessor-based circuit controls the inverter using pulse width modulation techniques. In the disclosed method of pulse width modulation, both edges of each pulse of a carrier pulse train are equally modulated by a time proportional to sin .theta., where .theta. is the angular displacement of the pulse center at the motor stator frequency from a fixed reference point on the carrier waveform. The carrier waveform frequency is a multiple of the motor stator frequency. The modulated pulse train is then applied to each of the motor phase inputs with respective phase shifts of 120.degree. at the stator frequency. Switching control commands for electronic switches in the inverter are stored in a random access memory (RAM) and the locations of the RAM are successively read out in a cyclic manner, each bit of a given RAM location controlling a respective phase input of the motor. The DC power source preferably comprises rechargeable batteries and all but one of the electronic switches in the inverter can be disabled, the remaining electronic switch being part of a flyback DC-DC converter circuit for recharging the battery.

Slicker, James M.↗

Magnetic rotary switch

Innovation uses solid-state Hall-effect sensor to turn electrical circuit on or off. Though normally held off by a small bias magnet, Hall device turns on when strong actuating magnet comes into proximity. Drive magnet moves actuating magnet against restraint of detent magnet.

Sarkinen, J. K.↗

50-kW 1kV DC bus air-cooled inverter with 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs and 3D-printed novel power module packaging structure for grid applications

The traditional heatsink design technologies for forced air-cooling and power semiconductors with low junction temperatures have constrained the converters to be designed with massive heatsinks. The low power losses of WBG device technology and higher junction temperature operation over a wide operating range of power have not been fully utilized with liquid-cooled systems. The other major limitation has also been the traditional power module packaging “stack” approach with baseplate. This paper presents a novel power stage design which involves 1.7 kV silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, a heatsink design with Genetic Algorithm (GA) and built using 3D printing technology, and a novel integrated modular power module for high power density. The air-cooled module assembly has a SiC MOSFET phase leg module with split high-side and low-side switches and a gate driver with cross-talk and short circuit protection functions. The heatsink design was modeled using a co-simulation environment with finite element analysis software and GA in MATLAB and COMSOL. The proposed concepts were verified and validated through experiments at each stage of development. The power stage was evaluated at 800V, 900 V, and 1kV for 20 kHz switching frequency and 50-kW load. The experimental results show that the CEC efficiency is 98.4 %. In addition to the efficiency, a power density of 75 W/in 3 was also achieved.

Chinthavali, Madhu Sudhan↗

Design and Commission of Solid State Switch Driver in SLAC Subbooster Modulator

The LINAC sub-booster modulator is a pulsed power supply to provide a 30kV pulse to drive a klystron in SLAC LINAC. It has utilized vacuum tetrode as pulse switch for more than 60 years. With the vacuum tetrode availability becoming less and its cost surging, a natural choice is to use solid state switch in this pulsed power modulator. To commission solid state switch in LINAC sub-booster modulator, a driver board is designed to drive a BEHLKE HTS-LC2 series MOSFET based switches. The design concept and some concerns in design will be presented. The driver board is universal for all HTS-LC2 series switches because they share the same driver signals and connections. After the driver is commissioned, two AI systems are introduced to design one core part of the driver, the results are presented here. During the commission of the driver board in the LINAC sub-booster modulators, some problems happened and were addressed.

AI Circuit Design↗

Regulated dc-to-dc converter for voltage step-up or step-down with input-output isolation.

A dc-to-dc regulated-converter circuit employing duty-cycle control with variable on and variable off time has been presented. A unique feature of this converter is the method by which the bistable-comparator output controls the duty cycle of the power switching transistor through the action of the encoder. The utilization of minor-loop flux excursions of a saturable-core transformer in the encoder makes it feasible to extend the converter switching frequency considerably higher than would normally be possible. With this converter circuit, high and very-high frequency converter operations were explored.

Feng, S. Y. M.↗