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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6

Development of a Novel Wireless Electric Power Transfer System for Space Applications

This paper will introduce a new implementation for wireless electric power transfer systems: space applications. Due to the risks that constitute the use of electrical connector for some space missions/applications, a simple wireless power system design approach will be evaluated as an alternative for the use of electrical connectors. This approach takes into consideration the overall system performance by designing the magnetic resonance elements and by verifying the overall system electrical behavior. System characterization is accomplished by executing circuit and analytical simulations using Matlab(TradeMark) and LTSpiceIV(TradeMark) software packages. The design methodology was validated by two different experiments: frequency consideration (design of three magnetic elements) and a small scale proof-ofconcept prototype. Experiment results shows successful wireless power transfer for all the cases studied. The proof-of-concept prototype provided approx.4 W of wireless power to the load (light bulb) at a separation of 3 cm from the source. In addition. a resonant circuit was designed and installed to the battery terminals of a handheld radio without batteries, making it tum on at a separation of approx.5 cm or less from the source. It was also demonstrated by prototype experimentation that multiple loads can be powered wirelessly at the same time with a single electric power source.

VazquezRamos, Gabriel↗

Embedded Acoustic Sensor Array for Engine Fan Noise Source Diagnostic Test: Feasibility of Noise Telemetry via Wireless Smart Sensors

Aircraft engines have evolved into a highly complex system to meet ever-increasing demands. The evolution of engine technologies has primarily been driven by fuel efficiency, reliability, as well as engine noise concerns. One of the sources of engine noise is pressure fluctuations that are induced on the stator vanes. These local pressure fluctuations, once produced, propagate and coalesce with the pressure waves originating elsewhere on the stator to form a spinning pressure pattern. Depending on the duct geometry, air flow, and frequency of fluctuations, these spinning pressure patterns are self-sustaining and result in noise which eventually radiate to the far-field from engine. To investigate the nature of vane pressure fluctuations and the resulting engine noise, unsteady pressure signatures from an array of embedded acoustic sensors are recorded as a part of vane noise source diagnostics. Output time signatures from these sensors are routed to a control and data processing station adding complexity to the system and cable loss to the measured signal. "Smart" wireless sensors have data processing capability at the sensor locations which further increases the potential of wireless sensors. Smart sensors can process measured data locally and transmit only the important information through wireless communication. The aim of this wireless noise telemetry task was to demonstrate a single acoustic sensor wireless link for unsteady pressure measurement, and thus, establish the feasibility of distributed smart sensors scheme for aircraft engine vane surface unsteady pressure data transmission and characterization.

Zaman, Afroz↗

Wireless Self-Acquistion of 12-Lead ECG via Android Smart Phone

Researchers at NASA s Johnson Space Center and at Orbital Research, Inc. (a NASA SBIR grant recipient) have recently developed a dry-electrode harness that allows for self-acquisition of resting 12-lead ECGs by minimally trained laypersons. When used in conjunction with commercial wireless (e.g., Bluetooth(TM) or 802.11-enabled) 12-lead ECG devices and custom smart phone-based software, the collected 12-lead ECG data can also immediately be forwarded from any geographic location within cellular range to the user s physician(s) of choice. The system can also be used to immediately forward to central receiving stations 12-lead ECG data collected during space flight or during activities in any remote terrestrial location supported by an internet or cellular phone infrastructure. The main novel aspects of the system are first, the dry-electrode 12-lead ECG harness itself, and second, an accompanying Android(TM) smart phone-based wireless 12-lead ECG capability. The ECG harness nominally employs dry electrodes manufactured by Orbital Research, Inc, recently cleared through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, other dry electrodes that are not yet FDA cleared, for example those recently developed by Nanosonic, Inc as part of another NASA SBIR grant, can also be used. The various advantageous features of the harness include: 1) laypersons can be quickly instructed on its correct use, remotely if necessary; 2) all tangled "leadwire spaghetti" is eliminated, as is the common clinical problem of "leadwire reversal"; 3) all adhesives and disposables are also eliminated, the harness being fully reusable; if multiple individuals intend to use use the same harness, then standard antimicrobial wipes can be employed to sterilize the dry electrodes (and harness surface if needed) between users; 5) padded cushions at the lateral sides of the torso function to press the left arm (LA) and right arm (RA) dry electrodes mounted on the cushions against sideward or downward-rested arms of the subject; 6) sufficient distal placement of the arm electrodes achieves good electrode abutment to the arms without the need for adhesives, straps, bands, bracelets, or gloves; 7) padding over the sternum avoids "tenting" in the V1 through V3 (and, when present, the V3R) electrode positions; 8) easy-to-don, one-piece design with an adjustable, front-side single point of connection and an adjustable shoulder strap; and 9) Lund or "modified Lund" placement of the dry electrodes, the results of which more effectively reproduce results from "standard" 12-lead ECG placements than do results from Mason-Likar placements. The main limitation of the harness is that "one size does not fit all", meaning that an appropriately sized harness (small, medium, large, etc) must be chosen on the basis of an individual's size. To facilitate the use of the harness with inexpensive, commodity-grade cell phones and tablet devices, 12-lead ECG software is also being developed to accompany the harness for wireless use with Android. For this part of the project, NASA has teamed with TopCoder, Inc and the Harvard-affiliated NASA Tournament Lab in sponsoring java-based software programming contests through TopCoder. While ECG signals from the harness can already be wirelessly received and thoroughly processed (locally or remotely) by commercial-grade conventional (as well as advanced) 12-lead ECG software running on Microsoft Windows(TM), the Android-based software, once completed, will "cast a wider net" by allowing for a greater percentage of cell phone owners to participate in inexpensive, store-and-forward recordings of 12-lead ECGs worldwide, including for example Android cell phone users in many remote, third-world locations. At the time of writing, the Android 12-lead ECG software platform consists of a basic but expanding graphical user interface and accompanying software that: 1) wirelessly receives the 12-lead ECG data stream from a Bluetooth-based, FDA-cleared 12-leaCG device attached to the harness; 2) locally stores the same data in binary format to the SD card on the Android cell phone; and 3) makes the data stream in available in real time, for now to TopCoder's java programming contestants.

Schlegel, Todd T.↗

High Temperature Wireless Communication And Electronics For Harsh Environment Applications

In order for future aerospace propulsion systems to meet the increasing requirements for decreased maintenance, improved capability, and increased safety, the inclusion of intelligence into the propulsion system design and operation becomes necessary. These propulsion systems will have to incorporate technology that will monitor propulsion component conditions, analyze the incoming data, and modify operating parameters to optimize propulsion system operations. This implies the development of sensors, actuators, and electronics, with associated packaging, that will be able to operate under the harsh environments present in an engine. However, given the harsh environments inherent in propulsion systems, the development of engine-compatible electronics and sensors is not straightforward. The ability of a sensor system to operate in a given environment often depends as much on the technologies supporting the sensor element as the element itself. If the supporting technology cannot handle the application, then no matter how good the sensor is itself, the sensor system will fail. An example is high temperature environments where supporting technologies are often not capable of operation in engine conditions. Further, for every sensor going into an engine environment, i.e., for every new piece of hardware that improves the in-situ intelligence of the components, communication wires almost always must follow. The communication wires may be within or between parts, or from the engine to the controller. As more hardware is added, more wires, weight, complexity, and potential for unreliability is also introduced. Thus, wireless communication combined with in-situ processing of data would significantly improve the ability to include sensors into high temperature systems and thus lead toward more intelligent engine systems. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is presently leading the development of electronics, communication systems, and sensors capable of prolonged stable operation in harsh 500C environments. This has included world record operation of SiC-based transistor technology (including packaging) that has demonstrated continuous electrical operation at 500C for over 2000 hours. Based on SiC electronics, development of high temperature wireless communication has been on-going. This work has concentrated on maturing the SiC electronic devices for communication purposes as well as the passive components such as resistors and capacitors needed to enable a high temperature wireless system. The objective is to eliminate wires associated with high temperature sensors which add weight to a vehicle and can be a cause of sensor unreliability. This paper discusses the development of SiC based electronics and wireless communications technology for harsh environment applications such as propulsion health management systems and in Venus missions. A brief overview of the future directions in sensor technology is given including maturing of near-room temperature "Lick and Stick" leak sensor technology for possible implementation in the Crew Launch Vehicle program. Then an overview of high temperature electronics and the development of high temperature communication systems is presented. The maturity of related technologies such as sensor and packaging will also be discussed. It is concluded that a significant component of efforts to improve the intelligence of harsh environment operating systems is the development and implementation of high temperature wireless technology

Hunter, G. W.↗

A Brief Review of the Need for Robust Smart Wireless Sensor Systems for Future Propulsion Systems, Distributed Engine Controls, and Propulsion Health Management

Smart Sensor Systems with wireless capability operational in high temperature, harsh environments are a significant component in enabling future propulsion systems to meet a range of increasingly demanding requirements. These propulsion systems must incorporate technology that will monitor engine component conditions, analyze the incoming data, and modify operating parameters to optimize propulsion system operations. This paper discusses the motivation towards the development of high temperature, smart wireless sensor systems that include sensors, electronics, wireless communication, and power. The challenges associated with the use of traditional wired sensor systems will be reviewed and potential advantages of Smart Sensor Systems will be discussed. A brief review of potential applications for wireless smart sensor networks and their potential impact on propulsion system operation, with emphasis on Distributed Engine Control and Propulsion Health Management, will be given. A specific example related to the development of high temperature Smart Sensor Systems based on silicon carbide electronics will be discussed. It is concluded that the development of a range of robust smart wireless sensor systems are a foundation for future development of intelligent propulsion systems with enhanced capabilities.

Hunter, Gary W.↗

Wireless Technology Use Case Requirement Analysis for Future Space Applications

This report presents various use case scenarios for wireless technology -including radio frequency (RF), optical, and acoustic- and studies requirements and boundary conditions in each scenario. The results of this study can be used to prioritize technology evaluation and development and in the long run help in development of a roadmap for future use of wireless technology. The presented scenarios cover the following application areas: (i) Space Vehicles (manned/unmanned), (ii) Satellites and Payloads, (iii) Surface Explorations, (iv) Ground Systems, and (v) Habitats. The requirement analysis covers two parallel set of conditions. The first set includes the environmental conditions such as temperature, radiation, noise/interference, wireless channel characteristics and accessibility. The second set of requirements are dictated by the application and may include parameters such as latency, throughput (effective data rate), error tolerance, and reliability. This report provides a comprehensive overview of all requirements from both perspectives and details their effects on wireless system reliability and network design. Application area examples are based on 2015 NASA Technology roadmap with specific focus on technology areas: TA 2.4, 3.3, 5.2, 5.5, 6.4, 7.4, and 10.4 sections that might benefit from wireless technology.

Abedi, Ali↗

Advanced Wireless Sensor Nodes - MSFC

NASA field center Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL), has invested in advanced wireless sensor technology development. Developments for a wireless microcontroller back-end were primarily focused on the commercial Synapse Wireless family of devices. These devices have many useful features for NASA applications, good characteristics and the ability to be programmed Over-The-Air (OTA). The effort has focused on two widely used sensor types, mechanical strain gauges and thermal sensors. Mechanical strain gauges are used extensively in NASA structural testing and even on vehicle instrumentation systems. Additionally, thermal monitoring with many types of sensors is extensively used. These thermal sensors include thermocouples of all types, resistive temperature devices (RTDs), diodes and other thermal sensor types. The wireless thermal board will accommodate all of these types of sensor inputs to an analog front end. The analog front end on each of the sensors interfaces to the Synapse wireless microcontroller, based on the Atmel Atmega128 device. Once the analog sensor output data is digitized by the onboard analog to digital converter (A/D), the data is available for analysis, computation or transmission. Various hardware features allow custom embedded software to manage battery power to enhance battery life. This technology development fits nicely into using numerous additional sensor front ends, including some of the low-cost printed circuit board capacitive moisture content sensors currently being developed at Auburn University.

Varnavas, Kosta↗

Elastomeric Sensing of Pressure with Liquid Metal and Wireless Inductive Coupling

This project describes resistance-based soft sensors filled with liquid metal, which permit measurements of large strains (0 percent to 110 percent), associated with small forces of less than 30 Newtons. This work also demonstrates a methodology for wireless transfer of these strain measurements without connected electrodes. These sensors allow intermittent detection of pressure on soft membranes with low force. Adapting these sensors for passive wireless pressure sensing will eliminate the need for embedded batteries, and will allow the sensors to transmit pressure data through non-conductive materials including glass and acrylic. The absence of batteries allows us to embed these sensors into materials for long-term use because the sensors only use passive analog circuit elements. We found the oxidation of the liquid metal (eutectic gallium indium) plays a role in the repeatability of the soft sensors. We investigated how the oxidation layer affected the behavior of the sensor by encapsulating materials (silicone, fluorosilicone, and PVC) with varied permeabilities to oxygen. We measured the effects of mechanical loading on the oxidation layer and the effects of wireless inductive coupling on the oxidation layer. We concluded our research by investigating the effects of embedding self-resonant circuits into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Efforts to design engineered systems with soft materials are a growing field with progress in soft robotics, epidermal electronics, and wearable electronics. In the field of soft robotics, PDMS-based grippers are capable of picking up delicate objects because their form-fitting properties allow them to conform to the shape of objects more easily than conventional robotic grippers. Epidermal devices also use PDMS as a substrate to hold electronic components such as radios, sensors, and power supply circuits. Additionally, PDMS-based soft sensors can monitor human motion with liquid metal embedded within micro-channels. Passive wireless sensors have applications in structural health monitoring and medical health monitoring. Doctors can take wireless blood pressure measurements inside arteries to monitor the progression of heart disease. Glaucoma patients can use this technology to monitor the pressure in their eyes to track the progression of the disease.

Dick, Jacob↗

Exploration of Backscatter Methods for Wireless Avionics

This report describes and characterizes the low-power Jeeva Passive Radio systems, including Wanscatter (passive Chirp Spread Spectrum) and Passive Wi-Fi, with respect to their applicability to wireless avionics. The Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) objectives document, ITU-R M.2197, describes a number of applications of wireless avionics, and lists requirements specifications for each. Additionally, it describes models for compartments and areas of aircraft or vehicles in which wireless avionics would be applied. This exploratory study attempts to map Jeeva's Passive Radio technology to those scenarios outlined in the ITU-R M.2197 operational objectives document, and determine the areas and applications for which it is most suitable. Jeeva Passive Radio operates differently than conventional radios. In a conventional radio, a sensor-connected radio node must actively emit a signal in order to communicate. In a Jeeva Passive Radio system, that node instead simply reflects radio frequency energy which is emitted by another nearby device (called the Companion), which can be "plugged in" or otherwise has access to more power. Using reflections, a data packet can be generated and interpreted by a standard receiver. This method of communication inherently uses less energy, resulting in the potential for far lower power consumption and thus far longer battery life. Overall, 68.4% of use cases described by the ITU-R M.2197 operational objectives document were found to be addressable by Jeeva's Passive Radio systems (26 addressable of 38 total), with 26 of those best addressable by Wanscatter and three found to be best addressable with passive Wi-Fi. See Section 4.2 for a detailed breakdown of application suitability. The most fitting types of applications were in the LI (Low-rate Indoors) and LO (Low-rate Outdoors) categories, where lower rates were acceptable and thus Wanscatter could be applied and its much better uplink sensitivity leveraged. Jeeva has identified the Wanscatter (Chirp Spread Spectrum) system as likely holding the most promise for applications such as those outlined in the ITU-R M.2197 operational objectives document. We recommend that Wanscatter be a technology considered for adoption in wireless avionics.

Backscatter↗

Efficient near-field wireless energy transfer using adiabatic system variations

Disclosed is a method for transferring energy wirelessly including transferring energy wirelessly from a first resonator structure to an intermediate resonator structure, wherein the coupling rate between the first resonator structure and the intermediate resonator structure is .kappa..sub.1B, transferring energy wirelessly from the intermediate resonator structure to a second resonator structure, wherein the coupling rate between the intermediate resonator structure and the second resonator structure is .kappa..sub.B2, and during the wireless energy transfers, adjusting at least one of the coupling rates .kappa..sub.1B and .kappa..sub.B2 to reduce energy accumulation in the intermediate resonator structure and improve wireless energy transfer from the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure through the intermediate resonator structure.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Capacitive wireless power transfer circuit and related techniques

Capacitive wireless power transfer systems are provided. In one embodiment, for example, the system comprises two pair of coupled conducting plates; a first matching network coupled to the first pair of conducting plates; and a second matching network coupled to the second pair of conducting plates. At least one of the first and second matching networks comprises an inductor having inductance value selected based on at least one parasitic capacitance value of the capacitive wireless power transfer system. In another embodiment, a method of designing a capacitive wireless power transfer system is provided comprising determining a parasitic capacitance value of a capacitive wireless power transfer system and determining an inductance value of an inductor of at least one of the first and second matching network having a value selected based on at least one parasitic capacitance value of the capacitive wireless power transfer system.

Afridi, Khurram K.↗

Life cycle assessment and tempo-spatial optimization of deploying dynamic wireless charging technology for electric cars

Dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT), or dynamic wireless charging technology, enables charging-while-driving and offers opportunities for eliminating range anxiety, stimulating market penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), and enhancing the sustainability performance of electrified transportation. However, the deployment of wireless charging lanes on highways and urban road networks can be costly and resource-intensive. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted here to compare the sustainability performance of DWPT applied in a network of highways and urban roads for charging electric passenger cars. The assessment compares DWPT to stationary wireless charging and to conventional plug-in charging using a case study of Washtenaw County in Michigan, USA over 20 years. The LCA is based on three key sustainability metrics: costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and energy burdens, encompassing not only the use-phase burdens from electricity and fuel, but also the upfront deployment burdens of DWPT infrastructure. A genetic algorithm is applied to optimize the rollout of DWPT infrastructure both spatially and temporally in order to minimize life cycle costs, GHG, and energy burdens: (1) spatial optimization selects road segments to deploy DWPT considering traffic volume, speed, and pavement remaining service life (RSL); (2) temporal optimization determines in which year to deploy DWPT on a particular road segment considering EV market share growth as a function of DWPT coverage rate, future DWPT cost reduction, and charging efficiency improvement. Results indicate that optimal deployment of DWPT electrifying up to about 3% of total roadway lane-miles reduces life cycle GHG emissions and energy by up to 9.0% and 6.8%, respectively, and enables downsizing of the EV battery capacity by up to 48%, compared to the non-DWPT scenarios. Roadside solar panels and storage batteries are essential to significantly reduce life cycle energy and GHG burdens but bring additional costs. Breakeven analysis indicates a breakeven year for solar charging benefits to pay back the DWPT infrastructure burdens can be less than 20 years for GHG and energy burdens but longer than 20 years for costs. A monetization of carbon emissions of at least $250 per metric tonne of CO 2 is required to shift the optimal “pro-cost” deployment to the optimal “pro-GHG” deployment. A roadway segment with volume greater than about 26,000 vehicle counts per day, speed slower than 55 miles per hour (1 mile ≈ 1.609 km), and pavement RSL shorter than 3 years should be given a high priority for early-stage DWPT deployment.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Wireless charging and shared autonomous battery electric vehicles (W+SABEV): synergies that accelerate sustainable mobility and greenhouse gas emission reduction

Emerging technologies play important roles in shaping future mobility systems and impacting sustainability performance of the transportation sector in major economies, such as the United States of America (USA) and China. This study applies a life cycle framework to demonstrate and evaluate the synergies of the following four emerging transportation system technologies both qualitatively and quantitatively: (1) wireless charging; (2) shared mobility services; (3) autonomous driving; and (4) battery electric vehicles (BEV). The new concept of a wireless charging and shared autonomous battery electric vehicle (W+SABEV) system is introduced and modeled. First, an analytical framework is presented to assess the pros and cons of the W+SABEV system vs. a conventional plug-in charging BEV system, adhering to the principles of sustainable mobility and highlighting the impacts and dynamics of the disruptive technologies on the key parameters that define sustainable mobility. Second, a quantitative analysis presents the synergies of the four technologies by modeling a W+SABEV system and demonstrates that the combination of the four technologies can shorten the payback time of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission burdens for infrastructure and vehicles. Finally, compared to a plug-in charging BEV system, a W+SABEV system pays back the additional GHG emission burdens of wireless charging infrastructure deployment within 5 years if the wireless charging utility factor (ratio of en route charging time vs. trip time) is above 19%.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Challenges of future high power wireless power transfer for light-duty electric vehicles----technology and risk management

Wireless power transfer is a state-of-the-art technology with the advantage of convenience and flexibility, as well as the capability of enabling fully automated charging. With power transfer levels increasing beyond 100 kW, many technical and risk management challenges emerge. Here, instead of focusing on the progress review of wireless power transfer technology, this paper discusses the future challenges and risks for high power wireless charging for light-duty electric vehicles. Aiming at 200 kW or higher wireless power transfer, we discuss technology and risk management challenges in the area of electromagnetic safety, resonant frequency determination, and cybersecurity risks in detail. As potential solutions to overcome these challenges, the latest technologies with an emphasis on advanced shielding solutions and recent progress on SiC converters from both industrial and academic institutions are reviewed, and some perspectives and propositions are provided.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Concept Study of Robotic Camera-Based Foreign Object Detection for EV Wireless Charging

Wireless charging of an electric vehicle (EV) is an emerging charging technology promising convenient, autonomous, and highly efficient EV charging without requiring heavy gauge cables. However, due to the strong electromagnetic field created by this process that surrounds the wireless charger, the presence of foreign objects can detrimentally interact with it, thus affecting wireless power transfer (WPT) performance or leading to harmful and unwanted safety risks. This paper presents the results for a concept study on a robotic camera-based foreign object detection (FOD) system, as a supplement to the industry-existing overlapped FOD coil array method, for EV wireless charging. A Raspberry PI 4 control board and compatible Raspberry PI Camera Module 2 are used to implement camera-based object detection. The FOD program was developed using a state-of-the-art deep learning object detection model with the OpenCV and Pytorch library and is compatible with camera module hardware. A dry-run test with Raspberry PI and a camera module was conducted and the preliminary FOD function was verified. The feasibility assessment is also validated by comparing the performance of five existing state-of-the-art deep learning object detection models for vehicles, animals, persons, and metals subsets, respectively. Satisfactory performance on the benchmark datasets is observed by the tests, but further improvements are needed in future work when detecting small-sized metallic objects. A programable robotic car is also under development as ongoing work for carrying the Raspberry PI and camera module while moving for the maintenance process.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Wireless Interrogation of High Temperature Surface Acoustic Wave Dynamic Strain Sensor

Dynamic strain sensing is necessary for high-temperature harsh-environment applications, including powerplants, oil wells, aerospace, and metal manufacturing. Monitoring dynamic strain is important for structural health monitoring and condition-based maintenance in order to guarantee safety, increase process efficiency, and reduce operation and maintenance costs. Sensing in high-temperature (HT), harsh-environments (HE) comes with challenges including mounting and packaging, sensor stability, and data acquisition and processing. Wireless sensor operation at HT is desirable because it reduces the complexity of the sensor connection, increases reliability, and reduces costs. Surface acoustic wave resonators (SAWRs) are compact, can operate wirelessly and battery-free, and have been shown to operate above 1000°C, making them a potential option for HT HE dynamic strain sensing. This paper presents wirelessly interrogated SAWR dynamic strain sensors operating around 288.8MHz at room temperature and tested up to 400°C. The SAWRs were calibrated with a high-temperature wired commercial strain gauge. The sensors were mounted onto a tapered-type Inconel constant stress beam and the assembly was tested inside a box furnace. The SAWR sensitivity to dynamic strain excitation at 25°C, 100°C, and 400°C was .439 μV/με, 0.363μV/με, and .136 μV/με, respectively. Furthermore, the experimental outcomes verified that inductive coupled wirelessly interrogated SAWRs can be successfully used for dynamic strain sensing up to 400°C.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Multilevel Switched-Capacitor AC–DC Step-Down Rectifier for Wireless Charging With Reduced Conduction Loss and Harmonic Content

In this paper, a wireless charging architecture employing a multilevel switched-capacitor (MSC) AC-DC rectifier is investigated. The proposed MSC rectifier features a multilevel design which is scalable to accommodate different power ratings and load ranges. The topology showcases advantages for wireless power transfer (WPT) systems in terms of compactness, efficiency, impedance tunability, and harmonic attenuation. The single-stage active topology is capable of varying its low-distortion staircase input voltage to tune the wireless power transfer system for high system-wide efficiency. A 7-level, 20 W prototype is used to verify the WPT loading and loss analysis. The prototype operates at 150 kHz with up to 3:1 step-down conversion ratio to an output voltage of 5.0 V. The experimental peak DC-to-DC efficiency is 93.8% and the rectifier peak efficiency is 98.3%. As a result. the rectifier demonstrates low waveform distortion and high efficiency across many WPT loading conditions, solidifying its place as a strong candidate for wireless power applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

(abstract) Experimental Results From Internetworking Data Applications Over Various Wireless Networks Using a Single Flexible Error Control Protocol

This paper describes results from several wireless field trials in New Jersey, California, and Colorado, conducted jointly by researchers at Bellcore, JPL, and US West over the course of 1993 and 1994. During these trials, applications communicated over multiple wireless networks including satellite, low power PCS, high power cellular, packet data, and the wireline Public Switched Telecommunications Network (PSTN). Key goals included 1) designing data applications and an API suited to mobile users, 2) investigating internetworking issues, 3) characterizing wireless networks under various field conditions, and 4) comparing the performance of different protocol mechanisms over the diverse networks and applications. We describe experimental results for different protocol mechanisms and parameters, such as acknowledgment schemes and packet sizes. We show the need for powerful error control mechanisms such as selective acknowledgements and combining data from multiple transmissions. We highlight the possibility of a common protocol for all wireless networks, from micro-cellular PCS to satellite networks.

wireless networks field trials mobile users protoc↗