Pulsed Tether Power Delivery for Aircraft Cable Fault Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for delivering electrical power to tethered aircraft face challenges such as cable damage, entanglement, and unreliable earth connections, which can lead to safety hazards and power disruptions, especially in mobile or remote setups where a direct earth connection is difficult to maintain.
Innovation Solution
A pulsed electrical power supply system is used, where power is transmitted in pulses and monitored at the aircraft, with a control unit on the ground adjusting power delivery based on feedback, allowing for automatic shutdown in case of discrepancies and eliminating the need for an earth connection, thus preventing hazards from electrical storms and ensuring safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrical power supply through cable is used, then continuous power delivery is achieved, but safety hazards increase due to cable damage and entanglement risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system transmits electrical power in periodic pulses rather than continuous flow. Each pulse is separated by intervals during which no power is transmitted, allowing the system to detect cable integrity between pulses and shut down completely if damage is detected, eliminating the hazard of continuous live cable exposure
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous power supply is segmented into discrete pulses with gaps between them. This segmentation allows the monitoring system to detect cable status during the gaps and independently control each pulse transmission, isolating potential hazards to individual pulses rather than continuous exposure
2Object-affected harmful factors
If earth connection is provided for safety, then electrical safety is improved, but reliability decreases due to unreliable earth connections in mobile setups
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the earth connection requirement entirely from the power delivery system. By using pulsed power with complete shutdown capability between pulses, the system achieves safety without needing a physical earth connection, removing the source of unreliability in mobile applications
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary between power transmission and safety requirements. Instead of relying on physical earth connections, the control system monitors cable integrity during pulse intervals and uses logical control to ensure safety, mediating between power delivery and hazard prevention
3Object-affected harmful factors
If pulsed power system is implemented, then safety is improved by eliminating earth connection needs, but power delivery efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic pulses with duty cycles optimized for the application. By concentrating power delivery into brief intervals and shutting down completely between pulses, the system maintains high instantaneous power transfer efficiency while accepting reduced average power delivery, trading continuous efficiency for safety and reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
A tethered aircraft or balloon (1) carrying a communications base station (4) for rapid deployment in emergency situations. Electrical power is delivered from a generator (9) on the ground using a pulsed electrical supply system (18, 19) in which each power pulse is delivered over a cable 10 and acknowledged (21), and pulses only continue to be delivered whilst such acknowledgements are received by the ground station. This reduces the risks associated with delivering electrical power over an aerial tether, and avoids the need for an earth (ground) connection, reducing the risk from lightning.