Description
The objective of the activity is to develop, manufacture and test an on-off power switching front end for all platform units, consuming less than 1W when set in standby mode and capable to turn on the unit power converter with a command sent over the power bus.Targeted Improvements:- Reduction of 15% of the platform harness mass, of the AIT operations.- Reduction of the unit mass by 10% and of platform dissipation by 30%-50%.- Simplification of the harness layout by removing the turn-on point-to-point wires.Description: Most platform units have an input switch in the front end so that it is possible to disconnect the unit from the power bus. Thatswitch is commanded through a dedicated point-to-point command that requires a dedicated piece of harness. At platform level, all the switches dissipate power and there is a significant extra mass due to the additional harness. Overcoming those two issues will reduce the harness mass and reduce the power system dissipation. In terrestrial applications solutions exist to minimise the standby consumption to below 0.5 W. There is an ultra-low power front end system that is waiting for a turn-on command while the rest of the unit is off. Thus, the power consumption is very low. The system is able to receive a command that turns on the rest of the unit. The idea is to implement the same concept in a telecommunication platform. The activity will develop a front-end integrated circuit that is connected to the main power bus. This will be the only electronic circuit that is on. The system should have a very low power consumption and still be able to receive an on command. The concept uses the main power bus to send that command. In this way, thereis no specific harness needed only for that simple purpose. The circuit is then able to turn on the power converter and start the operation of the unit. It should be noted that this circuit will be used in all platform units. With this system, there is no need for an additional input switch because the power consumption is almost zero. A front end for all platform units, consuming less than1 W when set in standby mode and capable to turn on the unit power converter with a command sent over the power bus, will be designed,manufactured, and tested to demonstrate its performance. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_En…