On-board Power Supply Research Articles

Solar-Hydrogen system of additional power supply and digital control system for on-board power supply system

Even for short space flights, such as manned flights to the Moon back in the 60s, it became extremely obvious that electric batteries are completely unsuitable because of their huge mass needed to store the required supply of onboard energy. Therefore, already in the 60s of the last century, the USA and the USSR took the path of using a hydrogen storage system using hydrogen fuel cells.Solar-hydrogen energy systems for spacecraft reliably provide energy for carrying out various kinds of unscheduled work on board and for eliminating emergency situations. Surplus energy is constantly accumulated on board in the form of the chemical energy of cryogenic hydrogen. The article presents too the result of the development of a solar-hydrogen power supply system for spacecraft, the onboard network of which provides slow and fast processes. This paper delves into designing digital control systems for power conditioning devices on the example of charging-discharging device based on a boost DC-DC converter. The device was implemented to condition a storage battery by properly charging and discharging it. A technique for constructing a small signal model of the converter has been developed. This involves constructing a block diagram using the discontinuous switching functions and analog models of electrical circuit components. The transfer functions of the analog controllers for the two-loop subordinate control system were derived. Then the procedure of a bilinear z-transform to the given transfer functions was applied. As a result, the discrete transfer functions of the digital controllers were obtained. Realization both analog and digital controllers in Matlab Simulink confirmed their identical behavior and stability within the power converter. Experimental studies of the static and dynamic waveforms of the digital control system showed controllability and stability of the charging-discharging device for the storage battery in typical operating modes. Thus, the method of synthesizing digital control systems for energy converters is proved valid and applicable for designing new power conditioning devices within modern power supplies.

Lithium Battery‐Powered Extreme Environments Exploring: Principle, Progress, and Perspective

AbstractLithium batteries, holding great potential in future deep‐space and deep‐sea exploration, have extensively utilized in probes for extreme environments. However, the complex and harsh external physical forces, including radiation field, ultrasonic field, gravity field, magnetic field, temperature field, and other extreme environments, in isolation or combination, demand severe requirements for unique onboard power supplies. Herein, the fundamental understanding of the service behavior of lithium batteries in external extreme physical fields is focused on. Specifically, based on the unique physicochemical principle originated from these external extreme forces, the underlying mechanisms of external physical fields affecting thermodynamic and kinetic processes of liquid phase mass transfer, interface formation and evolution, and electrochemical deposition are emphatically highlighted. Moreover, with equal attention paid to the enhancement and degradation caused by extreme physical fields, recent progress in the service behavior of lithium batteries is thoroughly analyzed. Furthermore, strategies are scrutinized for mitigating the negative impacts of external physical fields and provide an overview of the comprehensive impacts of external muti‐physical fields. Finally, the potential challenges and future outlook of developing special power sources for deep space and deep sea exploration are proposed. This review provides fundamental guidance for the future of battery‐powered extreme environments exploration.

Intelligent Light Emitting Diode Flashing Supplementary Lighting Control Design and Its Big Data Illumination Analysis

Considering the inherent advantages of the Light Emitting Diode (LED) in the field of illumination, this work designs an intelligent supplementary lighting system using LED as the light source. Combining microcontroller and electronic circuit theory, the circuit is built with the microcontroller PIC16F873 as the core control chip. The system utilizes an external 220 V AC-20 V DC conversion power supply, hence operating on a 20 V DC power source. The system consists of four hardware parts: the onboard power supply uses TI-produced TPS54331 as the control chip to achieve voltage conversion; the external signals (flashing and burst flashing signals) are isolated from the microcontroller through an optocoupler circuit; the PWM pulses output from the microcontroller’s RC1/CCP2 pins drive the corresponding switching tubes to achieve the flashing function; the flashing synchronization signal is output externally after optocoupler isolation, and its synchronous output with the flashing signal is achieved through an optocoupler after LED conduction; the circuit is established using TI-produced differential bus transceiver SN65LBC184D to convert the external 485 differential signal to the level signal required by the microcontroller. In the experiment, after completing the hardware design, connecting the LED panel, and debugging the test program, it is found that the designed lighting system has a good supplementary lighting effect. According to the PWM output waveform, the flashing effect meets the design expectations. The Hadoop big data computing platform is introduced. Simulation testing reveals that under no backlight conditions, the system achieves an illumination intensity of around 20 klx at a distance of about 10 meters. With backlight conditions, the system maintains an illumination intensity of around 1.5 klx at a distance of about 10 meters. Further calculations are performed to analyze the variation in foot traffic within the test area’s illumination over 24 hours. The total illumination intensity during different time intervals is compiled, confirming that the system can autonomously adjust the illumination intensity of the area based on changes in foot traffic.

Calculation of the parameters of an axial flux motor as an actuator of automotive systems

Problem. Axial flux electric motors offer several significant advantages compared to electric motors of traditional design. Currently, scientific periodicals contain numerous publications regarding the development and use of axial flux electric motors with printed windings across various fields. These include applications such as HDD-drives in computer technology, fans and pumps of various capacities, propulsion systems for bicycles and motorcycles, including in-wheel motors, manipulator drives for machine tools and industrial robots, and even within space technologies. Research confirms the high efficiency and size-to-weight ratios of axial flux motors when modern technologies are employed. However, there is little information available regarding the application of such motors in automotive electromechanical equipment. A distinctive feature of automotive electrical systems is their predominantly 12 V onboard power supply, along with high demands on size-to-weight ratios and reliability in conditions of elevated vibrations and wide temperature ranges. In this context, the development of an axial flux motor for automotive applications becomes relevant, particularly as an actuating mechanism for auxiliary systems such as window lifters, windshield wipers, air conditioning, and cooling fans, etc. Goal. The goal of the article is to determine the feasibility of using an axial flux electric motor as an actuator for automotive auxiliary systems by comparing its calculated parameters with the parameters of motors of traditional design using modern technologies and materials. Methodology. The methods and algorithms used for the calculation of electric machines take into account the characteristics and physical processes specific to axial flux machines with printed windings and permanent magnet arrays. Results. A comparison of the obtained characteristics of the designed motor with the characteristics of a modern prototype of traditional design was conducted. Based on the comparison, it was determined that the designed motor has better size-to-weight ratios while maintaining energy performance. Consequently, a conclusion was drawn about the feasibility of using electric motors with axial flux as actuators for automotive auxiliary systems. Originality. The prototype of the designed motor is considered to be a 250 W DC motor with a supply voltage of 12 V. The imposed constraint on the external diameter of the designed motor is set to 100 mm. Practical value. At the same output power and nearly identical torque, the calculated motor exhibits higher size-to-weight ratios. The weight of the calculated motor is 46% of the weight of the prototype. With an external diameter 54% larger than the prototype, the axial length of the calculated motor is 73% smaller. The mass of the calculated motor is 2.34 times smaller than the mass of the prototype.

Анализ электромагнитных процессов блока возбуждения трехкаскадного стартер-генератора для авиационной энергосистемы

This article discusses the excitation system of a three-stage synchronous generator for aviation use in two distinctive modes of operation: as an electric power generator for an on-board power supply system and an electric starter for gas turbine engines of the aircraft. The article presents the calculation of the starter and generator operating modes of the excitation system. The basic design relations for the semiconductor converter circuit have been obtained and confirmed by simulation modeling in the PowerSIM environment. The problem of synthesizing an automatic control system for the TSG excitation unit operating as part of an on-board power supply system using a method for calculating the parameters of regulators based on the motion separation method has been solved. A two-circuit control system has been created for the generator mode of operation, including PI and PID regulators with output voltage regulation of the main generating stage. To control the excitation unit in the electric star¬ter mode of operation, a single-circuit control system for the current of the excitation winding with the addition of a resonant component has been designed. The evaluation of the efficiency of the designed control systems was carried out on the basis of simulation modeling using PowerSIM and MATLAB/Simulink application software packages for a generator feeding a three-phase AC network in accordance with the requirements of GOST R 54073-2017.The results of mathematical modeling formed the basis for the design of an experimental sample of the power unit in a hybrid integrated design for the TSG voltage regulation system.

Study of hybrid energy storage system with energy management for electric vehicle applications

This paper conducts an in-depth study on the on-board energy storage system for electric vehicles. We analyze the advantages and disadvantages of domestic and foreign energy storage systems including battery, flywheel, superconductor and supercapacitor. We propose a hybrid energy storage system composed of battery and supercapacitor as the on-board power supply system. It adopts a two-phase staggered parallel bidirectional DC-DC converter as the main control circuit of the storage system. And we adopt the power outer loop and current inner loop control strategy. Then the rate limiter prevents the sudden change of battery power and realizes that the instantaneous power is provided by the supercapacitor individually. The purpose is to extend the battery life and achieve the purpose of reasonable and efficient utilization of energy. Finally, the simulation verification is carried out by Matlab/Simulink. And the results show that the energy management strategy is more efficient for both power and energy management, which meets the design expectation and achieves better experimental results.

An Untethered Tripodal Miniature Piezoelectric Robot With Strong Load Capacity Inspired by Land Motion of Seals

Wireless motion and large capacity are two important characteristics for practical applications of the miniature robots, and become more challenging as the decrease of the robot size. Here, we proposed a tripodal miniature piezoelectric robot (TMPR) with size of 31 × 44 × 20 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup> and weight of 9.8 g. The prominent features were the square section piezo-leg arranged at a 45° angle and the supporting structure with a passive wheel. The former made the robot achieve bidirectional motions by only one signal; and the latter, inspired by land motion of seals, helped the robot increase the load capacity. Then, a small onboard power supply was developed, and the TMPR achieved wireless motions with maximum velocities of 146.0 mm/s (forward) and 93.1 mm/s (backward). In the wireless motion, the tested maximum load was 331.6 g, the load-to-weight ratio exceeded 33.8, and the cost of transport in the bidirectional motions were only 1.33 and 1.56, respectively; besides, the endurance time was more than 120 min powered by a 400 mAh battery. Moreover, the robot could operate in sloping or shaking pipelines, and collect information by equipping carrying a small camera, which exhibited much potential in application of small pipeline detection.

Energy balance of a wheeled vehicle with an electromechanical transmission

For modern urban infrastructure, the use of trackless electric vehicles for transporting goods and passengers is relevant. The environmental aspect also plays an important role - the absence of exhaust gas emissions and the redistribution of environmental load between the regions of operation and production and disposal of vehicles and electrical energy. However, in many cases, laying wire lines is difficult, and in large cities, due to large traffic flows, the maneuverability of machines connected to the overhead wire is significantly limited. To ensure the energy autonomy of a transport vehicle for at least a working day, the installation of heavy and expensive batteries that take up large volumes is required. The purpose of the study is to reduce the capacity requirement of the on-board power supply by using the principle of palliative charging. The article discusses the concepts that provide such an approach. The main task is to build an energy balance for a vehicle with an electromechanical transmission used for passenger transportation in an urban environment. The assumptions necessary for constructing the methodology are given. When compiling the driving cycle, the requirements of the standard for organizing transportation by electric vehicles are used.

Comprehensive Study of Failure Mechanisms of Field-Aged Automotive Lead Batteries

Modern vehicles have increasing safety requirements and a need for reliable low-voltage power supply in their on-board power supply systems. Understanding the causes and probabilities of failures in a 12 V power supply is crucial. Field analyses of aged and failed 12 V lead batteries can provide valuable insights regarding this topic. In a previous study, non-invasive electrical testing was used to objectively determine the reasons for failure and the lifetime of individual batteries. By identifying all of the potential failure mechanisms, the Latin hypercube sampling method was found to effectively reduce the required sample size. To ensure sufficient confidence in validating diagnostic algorithms and calculating time-dependent failure rates, all identified aging phenomena must be considered. This study presents a probability distribution of the failure mechanisms that occur in the field, as well as provides insights into potential opportunities, but it also challenges diagnostic approaches for current and future vehicles.

THE COMPOSITION OF THE PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR LOCAL MULTI-CIRCUIT COOLING ON AUTO TRACTOR DIESEL PARTS JUSTIFICATION

A series of motor bench and non-motorized experiments conducted at the Department of Engines and Hybrid Power Plants of NTU "KhPI" showed the high efficiency of local air cooling of heat-stressed parts of internal combustion engines, in particular, parts of the exhaust valve assembly of the gas distribution mechanism in an automated mode. However, in the tests carried out, a stationary air compressor powered by a ~220 V mains was used with air accumulation in a large-capacity cylinder. The implementation of a local cooling system on power plants, mainly powerful trucks, requires the inclusion in the automatic control system of autonomous cooling, a pneumatic compressor installed on the vehicle with an electric drive, powered by the on-board power supply and accumulating air in a receiver with compact dimensions.&#x0D; A review of design solutions and analysis of the component composition of pneumatic systems of autotractor vehicles was carried out. The requirements for the quality and safety of pneumatic systems of vehicles and their elements are considered. The technical characteristics of air compressors are presented. The scheme of the pneumatic system of local multi-circuit cooling on autotractor diesel parts has been chosen. On the example of the selected air compressor with an electric drive Maximum Performance 24V from ARB (Australia), estimates were made of the operating time up to a working pressure in the receiver of 10 bar. The electrical load on the 24 V on-board network of the vehicle was determined in the form of an average current consumption per filling cycle. The maximum current consumption by the compressor is determined, the current consumption per hour is estimated under the condition of a proportional alternation of the cycles of filling the receiver and emptying it.

Technology transfer from fuel processing for fuel cells to fuel synthesis from hydrogen and carbon dioxide

Improving the energy efficiency of existing technologies such as the on-board power supply of trucks, ships, and aircraft is an important endeavor for reducing primary energy consumption. The approach consists of using fuel cell technology in conjunction with hydrogen production from liquid fuels. However, the energy transition, with the goal of complete climate-neutrality, requires technological changes in the use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy via electrolysis. Synthetic fuels are an important building block for drive systems that will continue to require liquid energy carriers in the future due to their range. This study addresses the question of whether technical devices that were developed for the generation of hydrogen from liquid fuels for fuel cells to generate electricity are now suitable for the reverse process chain or can play an important role in it. The new process chain produces hydrogen from sustainable electricity, combining it with carbon dioxide, to create a synthetic liquid fuel.

An H-shaped coupler energy harvester for application in heavy railways

The lack of onboard power supply for the sensors used for freight trailer safety monitoring. This paper proposes an H-shaped coupler energy harvester (HC-EH) for applications in heavy railways. The HC-EH is mainly divided into three modules: vibration input, motion conversion and energy conversion. When the train is in normal form, the adjacent couplers have relative motion used to excite the HC-EH through the vibration input module. Then the bidirectional reciprocations are converted into unidirectional rotations by the motion conversion module. The damage to the mechanical structure caused by the huge impact force between the couplings on the heavy railway is solved by the H-type structure with a parallel distribution of input and transmission utilized by the HC-EH. A generator converts kinetic energy into electricity stored in supercapacitors in the energy conversion module and provides power for the railway onboard monitoring sensor network. The system dynamics, performance and mechanical properties of full-scale prototypes were studied using mechanical testing and sensing fixtures. In the bench test, the peak and average output power were 9.67 W, and 5.14 W, respectively, and the peak efficiency was 56.49%. Finally, the practical applications of the proposed HC-EH in Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway are studied.

Wireless in vivo recording of cortical activity by an ion-sensitive field effect transistor

Wireless brain technologies are empowering basic neuroscience and clinical neurology by offering new platforms that minimize invasiveness and refine possibilities during electrophysiological recording and stimulation. Despite their advantages, most systems require on-board power supply and sizeable transmission circuitry, enforcing a lower bound for miniaturization. Designing new minimalistic architectures that can efficiently sense neurophysiological events will open the door to standalone microscale sensors and minimally invasive delivery of multiple sensors. Here we present a circuit for sensing ionic fluctuations in the brain by an ion-sensitive field effect transistor that detunes a single radiofrequency resonator in parallel. We establish sensitivity of the sensor by electromagnetic analysis and quantify response to ionic fluctuations in vitro. We validate this new architecture in vivo during hindpaw stimulation in rodents and verify correlation with local field potential recordings. This new approach can be implemented as an integrated circuit for wireless in situ recording of brain electrophysiology.

&lt;b&gt;Development of Inverter-less Excitation Method for a Linear Rail Brake&lt;/b&gt;

Studies have been carried out on rail brakes applying linear induction motor technology. This brake is capable of generating braking force without contact. In addition to the aspect of non-contact brakes, no onboard power supply for energizing this brake is required by using dynamic braking. This dynamic braking is performed with an excitation inverter, however there is a need to have a method which does not use an excitation inverter to reduce cost. Therefore, the authors devised an inverter-less excitation method using the self-excitation phenomenon of induction generators and tested it on a track-wheel testing machine. It was clarified that the method devised is useful as a low-cost excitation system.

Decentralized Control of DC–DC Converters for Redundant Onboard Power Supply Based on Artificial Swarm Intelligence Approaches

Decentralized Control of DC–DC Converters for Redundant Onboard Power Supply Based on Artificial Swarm Intelligence Approaches

Flight Demonstration of Net Electric Charge Control of Aircraft Using Corona Discharge

This article reports on a flight experiment demonstrating the ability to control the net electrical charge of a small unmanned aircraft using ion emission from a corona discharge. The charging mechanism is based on the advection of ions produced by the corona discharge, leaving charge of the opposite polarity on the aircraft. An onboard high voltage power supply of up to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pm$</tex-math></inline-formula> 15 kV was remotely operated to control the level of charging. The high voltage terminal of the power supply was connected to two thin corona wires placed above the aft surface of the wing in the spanwise direction, whereas the low voltage terminal was connected to the conductive airframe. Using this strategy, electric potentials of up to −30 and +23 kV relative to the environment were acquired by the aircraft, using positive and negative corona discharges, respectively. The study addresses the dependencies with power supply bias and wind speed. Possible applications of net charge control include risk reduction of aircraft-triggered lightning strikes, as explored by the authors in prior work, as well as a means of compensating for precipitation static and other sources of charging.

Speed/Torque Ripple Reduction of High-Speed Permanent Magnet Starters/Generators With Low Inductance for More Electric Aircraft Applications

With the electrification trend of future aircraft, high-speed permanent magnet starters/generators (PMSs/Gs) will potentially be widely used in onboard generation systems due to their high power density and high efficiency. However, the per-unit reactance of such high-speed machines is normally designed to be very low due to limited onboard power supply voltage and large electrical power demand, which can result in large current ripples in the machine and thus large torque ripples especially when the machine is fed with a semiconductor-based inverter of a lower switching frequency. The torque ripples may further lead to speed oscillation and generate severe vibrations and noises that are harmful to the mechanical system and human beings around. In this article, a speed/torque ripple reduction method for high-speed PMS/Gs with a low inductance is proposed to improve their performance within a wide speed range. An active damping technique is applied to the speed loop to increase the anti-disturbance capability and generate a smoother reference for the current loop, whereas an adaptive output voltage saturation limit is utilized for the current loop to limit the peak value of current to prevent overcurrent and torque spikes. The parameter tuning criteria are derived through a thorough analysis. Finally, the proposed method is validated on a high-speed PMS/G with an inductance of 99 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{H}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> . The results show that the speed ripples and torque ripples are reduced by over 50% within a speed range of 2–14 krpm.

Real-Time Object Detection and Recognition Using Fixed-Wing LALE VTOL UAV

This research aimed to identify objects from a real-time video (30 Hz) stream transmitted from a low-altitude long-endurance (LALE) fixed-wing hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for asset monitoring. Illumination, rotation, and scale variations complicate the video frames created by UAVs’ optical payload, requiring preprocessing. Detection, identification, and classification of different objects (or targets) from a real-time video feed require fast and reliable detection algorithms, models, and computation. The weight restrictions and the onboard power supply only allowed for a Raspberry Pi onboard the UAV, thereby seriously limiting computational power. Image frames were created from the video data after enhancing its quality using image processing algorithms. Then, anchor-based object detection algorithms were applied to the processed and enhanced image frames. The Raspberry Pi at airspeeds of 16–18 m/s requires fast object detection algorithms having minimal computational overhead. A supervised learning technique using a supporting library further augmented the real-time detection at the ground control station (GCS). Four scenarios trained the candidate algorithms, namely: 1) helipad; 2) green area; 3) burned area; and 4) under construction area. The single-shot multibox detector (SSD) aided the supervised learning process during trials utilizing the labeled image datasets. The comparison of detection and identification performance of the SSD with ResNet-50 and ResNet-101 backbones with other methods, such as Faster-RCNN with four backbone architectures, namely: 1) ResNet-101; 2) ResNet-50; 3) deformable ResNet; and 4) FPN in four detection scenarios indicated better precision and reduced detection delays.

Recent Advances in the Application of Piezoelectric Materials in Microrobotic Systems.

Recent advances in precision manufacturing technology and a thorough understanding of the properties of piezoelectric materials have made it possible for researchers to develop innovative microrobotic systems, which draw more attention to the challenges of utilizing microrobots in areas that are inaccessible to ordinary robots. This review paper provides an overview of the recent advances in the application of piezoelectric materials in microrobots. The challenges of microrobots in the direction of autonomy are categorized into four sections: mechanisms, power, sensing, and control. In each section, innovative research ideas are presented to inspire researchers in their prospective microrobot designs according to specific applications. Novel mechanisms for the mobility of piezoelectric microrobots are reviewed and described. Additionally, as the piezoelectric micro-actuators require high-voltage electronics and onboard power supplies, we review ways of energy harvesting technology and lightweight micro-sensing mechanisms that contain piezoelectric devices to provide feedback, facilitating the use of control strategies to achieve the autonomous untethered movement of microrobots.

Influence of space vehicle remote power supply on thermal regimes of solar batteries

The issues of ensuring the functioning of an additional energy-receiving channel for the onboard power supply system of a low-orbit spacecraft are considered. To compensate for the shortage of electricity on board the spacecraft, various options for remote power supply from the system of space power stations transmitting energy to the solar battery by laser radiation during periods of its forced inactivity are possible. Long shadow-sunlight periods of time are a distinctive feature of functioning of low-orbit spacecraft. During these periods the solar battery is idle, and, in addition, even in the daylight portion of the spacecraft's orbit, the energy output from the spacecraft may be reduced to almost zero during the operation of some special systems that require special modes of spacecraft orientation. Reception of energy from a CES with energy flux density higher than that of the solar flux may lead to overheating of the solar battery panel of conventional design, a decrease in its efficiency and even to its failure. Therefore, the analysis of thermal modes of reception and conversion of laser radiation energy which affect the energy efficiency of the solar battery is an important aspect of remote power supply. Relationships of a mathematical model for estimating the available power supply from the solar battery operating in the mode of optimizing control of its power are proposed. The results of approbation of the model for maintaining the safe thermal mode of the solar battery panels during remote power supply of the spacecraft are presented.