shiv sastry wrote:
On Monday 18 Jun 2007 7:39 am, Bruce Metcalf wrote:
At work we use inductive coupling to power several dozen wireless
vehicles. These aren't small, as some are moving theaters that
carry 120 people, and our newest installation is a small fleet of
electric submarines.
Could you explain this in a little more detail please?
Power is transferred to moving vehicles using inductive coupling. A coil
with a C-shaped core is mounted to the floor, wall, or dock. A matching
coil is attached to the vehicle. The secondary coil is tuned (with
capacitors) to the frequency of the power signal, and rectifiers are
used to charge batteries.
Accurate alignment isn't required, nor is contact. Both obviously impact
efficiency, but in our installations that's not the major concern. Our
applications operates with perhaps 1-2 centimeters of clearance between
the pole pieces. I'm not certain what the clearance is on the
submarines, but assume it's about the same.
The reason we use this system rather than a straight battery system that
plugs in to recharge is the long operating times desired. We will
occasionally operate these vehicles continuously for 48 hours at a
stretch, and that volume of batteries is impractical. With all but the
submarines being indoors, IC power was never considered.
More detail on request -- I'm full of this stuff.
Bruce
