Multiple Vicor Power Solutions Help Preserve Aviation Security
After September 11, 2001, airport and airline security assumed a much higher level of attention with the airlines, the government, and the public. Within weeks, the Department of Homeland Security was forming. Before the year was out, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) was formed (later absorbed into Homeland Security), carry-on items were restricted, security on the aircraft was improved, ID checks were implemented, and programs for effective screening systems were underway to name a few.
Effective screening systems to detect threats are now on line that minimize passenger waiting times and avoid large and expensive solutions with increasingly better detection solutions on the way.
Our customer, a maker of explosive detection systems, offers systems that inspect all checked baggage for explosives. These systems are small, inexpensive, and satisfy the guidelines of their main customer, the TSA, including, for example, the California earthquake vibration specification test.
Various Vicor modules are used in a number of different scanning products. VIPAC AC-DC power systems, for example, power fans, and FlatPac configurable AC-DC power systems are used to power arrays and circuit cards. MegaPac, a family of user- and field-configurable power supplies, powers the tank of a number of scanners. Scanner power requirements are typically single phase, 200 to 240 Vac, 50/60 Hz, 20 to 30 Amps.
Vicor configurable power supplies were appealing for these applications because they are compact and reliable. Because each individual power supply is based on a standard, modular design, any model variation is quickly available, some even configurable in the field.
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