CEW Electrode Wound Filament Deployment and Ionization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) face challenges in efficiently delivering high-voltage stimuli to targets due to air gap ionization and filament deployment issues, affecting the consistency and accuracy of the electrical coupling and locomotion inhibition.
Innovation Solution
The CEW system employs a wire-tethered electrode with a wound filament that deploys upon launch, using a pyrotechnic-powered propulsion system and a flexible manifold to ensure consistent gas delivery, and a signal generator that produces pulses of current up to 50,000 volts to ionize air and establish a low-impedance path for electrical coupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wire-tethered electrode with wound filament is used, then filament deployment consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filament is pre-wound in a compact configuration within the electrode body before deployment. This preliminary preparation ensures that the filament is ready for immediate controlled deployment when needed, achieving consistent deployment without requiring complex deployment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The wound filament is nested within the electrode body structure, with the filament coil contained inside the electrode housing. This nesting approach compactly stores the filament while maintaining a simple external electrode structure, resolving the contradiction between deployment reliability and device complexity.
2Reliability
If high-voltage pulses up to 50,000 volts are used, then air gap ionization effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical stimulus is delivered as periodic pulses rather than continuous high voltage. The signal generator produces pulsed current at high voltage (up to 50,000 volts) only when needed for ionization, allowing the system to achieve reliable air gap ionization while consuming energy only during pulse delivery, not continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the voltage parameter dynamically, using high voltage (up to 50,000 volts) specifically for the ionization phase to bridge air gaps, then reducing to lower operating voltages for subsequent current delivery. This parameter modulation achieves effective ionization while minimizing overall energy consumption.
3Reliability
If a pyrotechnic-powered propulsion system is used, then launch reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pyrotechnic propulsion system replaces complex mechanical launch mechanisms with a chemical energy-based system. The pyrotechnic charge converts chemical energy to thermal and pressure energy, propelling the electrode forward reliably without requiring complex mechanical gears, springs, or motors.
Solution Approach 2:
The propulsion system utilizes rapid parameter changes in the pyrotechnic material, transitioning from solid chemical fuel to expanding hot gas in a controlled manner. This parameter transformation provides reliable thrust for electrode launch while maintaining a relatively simple device structure compared to mechanical alternatives.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables effective and consistent delivery of high-voltage stimuli to inhibit target locomotion by ensuring reliable air gap ionization and filament deployment, improving the accuracy and effectiveness of the CEW system.
Implementation Method 1
A voltage of at least a portion of a pulse may be of sufficient magnitude (e.g., 50,000 volts) to ionize air in a gap to establish a circuit to deliver the current of the pulse to a target
Implementation Method 2
A force for launching one or more electrodes from a deployment unit may include release of a rapidly expanding gas
Data Source
AI summary
A conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) impedes locomotion of a human target by providing a stimulus signal through the target via one or more electrodes. A propulsion system provides a force that launches the one or more electrodes toward the target to deliver the stimulus signal. The electrodes may be mechanically and electrically coupled to a deployment unit by a filament. An electrode may cooperate with a winding machine to wind the filament into a winding. The winding may be positioned inside the body of the electrode for deployment during launch.