Ultracompact power drive electronics for firepower-advanced warheads and miniaturized munitions
Ross W. Bird, Gareth J. Knowles, William C. Knoll · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2004
One of the greatest challenges to practical implementation of smart structures to defense and aerospace systems is the heavy cost of the power electronics and control. Examples of such devices include those driven by piezoelectric, electrostrictive, or magnetostrictive transducers. Typically, the power + control for such device mechanisms are many times the size and cost of the activation mechanism itself. In many cases, this reduces to impractical the capability of implementing otherwise attractive smart structures solutions. QorTek has developed a completely new kind of power drive system suitable for many aerospace applications where weight and compactness are a premium. This patented new technology is referred to as Zero Net Charge (ZNC) power electronics. Conventional and regenerative Class D electronic topologies require large dc power supply filter capacitors in order to drive transducer-actuated systems. The invention eliminates the need for dc power supply filter capacitors in driving reactive loads thus greatly reducing the peak power handled by the dc power sections. The effective average power requirement to drive such a system becomes very low. The resulting ZNC drive system is extremely compact and low profile. Weighing only a few grams it can deliver drive voltages (V/m) several times in excess of conventional drives - enabling transductive devices to be driven in the higher strain, nonlinear region, which thereby reduces the size requirements of the actuator itself.