Helicopter Display Upgrade Squeezed Space and Increased Number of Voltages
Upgrading displays in helicopters from large, bulky CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes) to LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays) significantly disrupted the power supplies for this application Helicopters generally provide a single supply voltage of 28 V. The new LCD designs needed a complex mixture of voltages and control frequencies to generate the display and provide illumination through a fluorescent or LED (Light Emitting Diode) backlight. As customers demand the integration of compute functions into the monitors, the ability to support a complex mixture of output voltages will become even more important.
Vicor converters are designed to be user-customized. Almost any combination of input and output voltage and power is available on each module. This reduced the need to mix and match multiple off-the-shelf modules within the system; it also helped to save space.
Customization was made easy by using the Vicor PowerBench™ on-line tool suite, which enabled the design of customized bricks to their exact specifications in minutes. The system enabled design engineers to specify and check the configuration of its Maxi, Mini, Micro DC-DC converters. A Vicor distributor with extensive design-in capabilities used PowerBench to come up with tuned designs for this customer's latest generation of products.
Further space savings were possible through the DC-DC converters’ use of high frequency zero-current switching and zero-voltage switching, These techniques, coupled with advanced power semiconductor packaging, provide high density with low temperature gradients. These designs tripled power density compared with previous DC-DC converters, vital for the designs in the space-constrained aerospace sector.
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