Transmitter power efficiency of broadband CW electromagnetic induction sensors
Waymond R. Scott · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2013
Broadband, continuous-wave, electromagnetic induction sensors have been shown to perform well, but they usually use power inefficiently because of the power wasted in the linear amplifier used to drive the coils. Generally, much more power is dissipated in the power amplifier than in the coil in these systems. Methods for reducing this power are investigated using both linear and switched-mode amplifiers. Significant reductions in power dissipated by the linear amplifier are achieved by optimizing the signal used to drive the coil. Much greater reductions are achieved with the switched-mode amplifier using an optimized signal that has most of its energy in the desired frequencies for the sensor. Both of these techniques are shown to perform well in a prototype system.