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At least 199 records · Page 11

ASDTIC control and standardized interface circuits applied to buck, parallel and buck-boost dc to dc power converters

Versatile standardized pulse modulation nondissipatively regulated control signal processing circuits were applied to three most commonly used dc to dc power converter configurations: (1) the series switching buck-regulator, (2) the pulse modulated parallel inverter, and (3) the buck-boost converter. The unique control concept and the commonality of control functions for all switching regulators have resulted in improved static and dynamic performance and control circuit standardization. New power-circuit technology was also applied to enhance reliability and to achieve optimum weight and efficiency.

Schoenfeld, A. D.↗

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.↗

Frequency divider is free of spurious outputs

Frequency divider provides sixteen output states free of spurious pulses from four input circuits. The input is binary coded, and a change of one in the input only changes the number of output states by one.

Mc Dermond, D.↗

Electrocardiogram preprocessing unit.

Analog circuit for presenting fixed pulse output corresponding to each cardiac cycle of given electrocardiogram and highly unresponsive to noise interference

ELECTROCARDIOGRAM↗

Hybrid heart/breath-rate processor

Single hybrid circuit converts time between pulses from ECG signal conditioner of breath-rate signal conditioner to determine heart-rate of respiration-rate output of hand-held vital signs monitor.

Rinard, G. A.↗

An improved welding-arc starter

Simple circuit modification makes pulse-arc starters more reliable at low currents. Once arc is started, it is maintained at lower voltage level that in previous arrangement due to sufficient concentration of metallic vapor between electrode and working surface as result of improved conduction.

Taufer, T. J.↗

Specifying capacitors for performance and reliability in switching power supplies

The three most commonly used switching circuits are the full bridge converter, the half bridge converter, and the forward converter. All three circuits use the same pulse width concept for regulation with the major difference being how many transistors are used for power handling. The full bridge uses four transistors, the half bridge uses two, and the forward converter uses one. In practical design, forward converters are used at 300 watts and below, half bridges at 300 to 600 watts, and full bridges above 600 watts. Regulation is achieved by alternately saturating diagonal pairs of transistors in the full bridge, alternately saturating transistors in the half bridge, and simply pulse modulating one transistor in the forward converter.

Greenhalgh, F. E.↗

Converting Time Signals From BCD to IRIG-B

Coded representation of time signals--day, hour, minute, second--is changed from binary-coded decimal (BCD) to IRIG standard time-code format B by circuit that uses nine integrated circuits. Input to code-converter circuit is parallel BCD pulses on bus output is serial pulses of IRIG-B on single line.

Houston, J. B.↗

High-Voltage Square-Wave Generator

Fast switching circuit puts out rectangular pulses of order of kilovolt or greater at typical repetition frequencies as high as hundreds of kilohertz and with rise times as short as 50 ns. Designed around power metal oxide/semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET's). Optically isolated power MOSFET's in series rapidly switch output between high voltages V(sub 1) and V(sub 2). Used to supply power to pulsed laser or to modulate beam of charged particles in laboratory experiment or industrial process.

Bernius, Mark T.↗

A transportable 50 kA dual mode lightning simulator

A transportable lightning simulator was designed, built and tested, which is capable of delivering more than 50 kA to an 8 micro-H test object. The simulator was designed to be a versatile device in the lightning laboratory while meeting the requirements of MIL-STD-1757A for component E current waveforms. The system is capable of operating in either a ringing mode with a Q greater than 5 and a nominal frequency of 160 kHz, or a unipolar mode with no hardware configuration changes. The ringing mode is obtained by the LCR series circuit formed by the pulse generator and test object. The unipolar mode is obtained by closing an electrically triggered crowbar switch at peak current. The simulator exceeds the peak current requirement and rate of rise requirements for MIL-STD-1757A in both the ringing and unipolar modes. The pulse half width in the unipolar mode is in excess of 50 microsec and the action is in excess of 10(exp 5) A(exp 2)s. The design, component values, and test results are presented.

Salisbury, K.↗

Laser-Power Controller

New controller used in place of commercial controller. Provides precision and simplicity of digital settings, and all timing determined by digital circuits. Built-in circuit counts number of pulses in, and thereby provides control over, duration of each burst; duration set at precise value within wide range or each pulse set precisely. Controller easily adaptable to computer control: single switch used to select either manual or computer control. Another single-switch selection feature provides choice between counting of pulses in, and manual timing of, bursts.

Smith, William C.↗

A microprocessor based portable bolt tension monitor

A bolt tension monitor (BTM) which uses ultrasonics and a pulsed phase locked loop circuit to measure load-induced acoustic phase shifts which are independent of friction is described. The BTM makes it possible to measure the load in a bolt that was tightened at some time in the past. This capability to recertify a load after-the-fact will help to insure the integrity of a bolted joint.

Perey, D. F.↗

Scaling and Systems Considerations in Pulsed Inductive Thrusters

Performance scaling in pulsed inductive thrusters is discussed in the context of previous experimental studies and modeling results. Two processes, propellant ionization and acceleration, are interconnected where overall thruster performance and operation are concerned, but they are separated here to gain physical insight into each process and arrive at quantitative criteria that should be met to address or mitigate inherent inductive thruster difficulties. The effects of preionization in lowering the discharge energy requirements relative to a case where no preionization is employed, and in influencing the location of the initial current sheet, are described. The relevant performance scaling parameters for the acceleration stage are reviewed, emphasizing their physical importance and the numerical values required for efficient acceleration. The scaling parameters are then related to the design of the pulsed power train providing current to the acceleration stage. The impact of various choices in pulsed power train and circuit topology selection are reviewed, paying special attention to how these choices mitigate or exacerbate switching, lifetime, and power consumption issues.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗

Apparatus and method for measuring relative phase of signals in a multiple-echo system

An apparatus and method for measuring the relative phase of echo signals in a multiple-echo system. A signal generator generates an exciting tone burst and subsequent tone bursts delayed in phase from the exciting tone burst. The exciting tone burst is gated into a transducer coupled to the multiple-echo system. Each subsequent tone burst is converted into a series of pulses. Each pulse triggers a sample/hold circuit to sample each echo signal. The samples of the echo signal are averaged and then compared to a reference value. The signal generator is controlled to vary the subsequent tone burst phase delay to determine for each echo signal a subsequent tone burst phase delay that causes the average of the samples of the echo signal to be substantially equal to the reference value wherein the determined subsequent tone burst phase delay is the phase delay of the echo signal with respect to the exciting tone burst. The control circuit then determines the difference in phase delay between echo signals to determine the relative phase delay of the echo signals.

Froggatt, Mark E.↗

Synchronous clock stopper for microprocessor

A synchronous clock stopper circuit for inhibiting clock pulses to a microprocessor in response to a stop request signal, and for reinstating the clock pulses in response to a start request signal thereby to conserve power consumption of the microprocessor when used in an environment of limited power. The stopping and starting of the microprocessor is synchronized, by a phase tracker, with the occurrences of a predetermined phase in the instruction cycle of the microprocessor in which the I/O data and address lines of the microprocessor are of high impedance so that a shared memory connected to the I/O lines may be accessed by other peripheral devices. The starting and stopping occur when the microprocessor initiates and completes, respectively, an instruction, as well as before and after transferring data with a memory. Also, the phase tracker transmits phase information signals over a bus to other peripheral devices which signals identify the current operational phase of the microprocessor.

Kitchin, David A.↗

In situ health monitoring of piezoelectric sensors

An in situ health monitoring apparatus may include an exciter circuit that applies a pulse to a piezoelectric transducer and a data processing system that determines the piezoelectric transducer's dynamic response to the first pulse. The dynamic response can be used to evaluate the operating range, health, and as-mounted resonance frequency of the transducer, as well as the strength of a coupling between the transducer and a structure and the health of the structure.

Jensen, Scott L.↗