Electrical/electronics working group summary

The electrical/electronics, technology area was considered. It was found that there are no foreseeable circuit or component problems to hinder the implementation of the flywheel energy storage concept. The definition of the major component or technology developments required to permit a technology ready date of 1987 was addressed. Recommendations: motor/generators, suspension electronics, power transfer, power conditioning and distribution, and modeling. An introduction to the area of system engineering is also included

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

The application of the analog signal to discrete time interval converter to the signal conditioner power supplies

The Analog Signal to Discrete Time Interval Converter microminiaturized module was utilized to control the signal conditioner power supplies. The multi-loop control provides outstanding static and dynamic performance characteristics, exceeding those generally associated with single-loop regulators. Eight converter boards, each containing three independent dc to dc converter, were built, tested, and delivered

ASDTIC: A feedback control innovation

The ASDTIC (Analog Signal to Discrete Time Interval Converter) control subsystem provides precise output control of high performance aerospace power supplies. The key to ASDTIC operation is that it stably controls output by sensing output energy change as well as output magnitude. The ASDTIC control subsystem and control module were developed to improve power supply performance during static and dynamic input voltage and output load variations, to reduce output voltage or current regulation due to component variations or aging, to maintain a stable feedback control with variations in the loop gain or loop time constants, and to standardize the feedback control subsystem for power conditioning equipment

Design, development, and fabrication of a electronic analog microminiaturized electronic analog signal to discrete time interval converter

The microminiaturization of an electronic analog signal to discrete time interval converter is presented. Discrete components and integrated circuits comprising the converter were assembled on a thin-film ceramic substrate containing nichrome resistors with gold interconnections. The finished assembly is enclosed in a flat package measuring 3.30 by 4.57 centimeters. The module can be used whenever conversion of analog to digital signals is required, in particular for the purpose of regulation by means of pulse modulation. In conjunction with a precision voltage reference, the module was applied to control the duty cycle of a switching regulator within a temperature range of -55 C to +125 C, and an input voltage range of 10V to 35V. The output-voltage variation was less than + or - 300 parts per million, i.e., less than + or - 3mV for a 10V output

Development of a multikilowatt ion thruster power processor

A feasibility study was made of the application of silicon-controlled, rectifier series, resonant inverter, power conditioning technology to electric propulsion power processing operating from a 200 to 400 Vdc solar array bus. A power system block diagram was generated to meet the electrical requirements of a 20 CM hollow cathode, mercury bombardment, ion engine. The SCR series resonant inverter was developed as a primary means of power switching and conversion, and the analog signal-to-discrete-time-interval converter control system was applied to achieve good regulation. A complete breadboard was designed, fabricated, and tested with a resistive load bank, and critical power processor areas relating to efficiency, weight, and part count were identified

Electric prototype power processor for a 30cm ion thruster

An electrical prototype power processor unit was designed, fabricated and tested with a 30 cm mercury ion engine for primary space propulsion. The power processor unit used the thyristor series resonant inverter as the basic power stage for the high power beam and discharge supplies. A transistorized series resonant inverter processed the remaining power for the low power outputs. The power processor included a digital interface unit to process all input commands and internal telemetry signals so that electric propulsion systems could be operated with a central computer system. The electrical prototype unit included design improvement in the power components such as thyristors, transistors, filters and resonant capacitors, and power transformers and inductors in order to reduce component weight, to minimize losses, and to control the component temperature rise. A design analysis for the electrical prototype is also presented on the component weight, losses, part count and reliability estimate. The electrical prototype was tested in a thermal vacuum environment. Integration tests were performed with a 30 cm ion engine and demonstrated operational compatibility. Electromagnetic interference data was also recorded on the design to provide information for spacecraft integration

Modeling and analysis of power processing systems: Feasibility investigation and formulation of a methodology

A review is given of future power processing systems planned for the next 20 years, and the state-of-the-art of power processing design modeling and analysis techniques used to optimize power processing systems. A methodology of modeling and analysis of power processing equipment and systems has been formulated to fulfill future tradeoff studies and optimization requirements. Computer techniques were applied to simulate power processor performance and to optimize the design of power processing equipment. A program plan to systematically develop and apply the tools for power processing systems modeling and analysis is presented so that meaningful results can be obtained each year to aid the power processing system engineer and power processing equipment circuit designers in their conceptual and detail design and analysis tasks

Semiconductor quantum dot - a quantum light source of multicolor photons with tunable statistics

We investigate the intensity correlation properties of single photons emitted from an optically excited single semiconductor quantum dot. The second order temporal coherence function of the photons emitted at various wavelengths is measured as a function of the excitation power. We show experimentally and theoretically, for the first time, that a quantum dot is not only a source of correlated non-classical monochromatic photons but is also a source of correlated non-classical \emph{multicolor} photons with tunable correlation properties. We found that the emitted photon statistics can be varied by the excitation rate from a sub-Poissonian one, where the photons are temporally antibunched, to super-Poissonian, where they are temporally bunched.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure