Pulsed source for driving non-linear current dependent loads
| DWPI Title: High-inertia current source circuit for driving e.g. bridge wire detonator in e.g. explosive detonation system, has discharge switch connected between capacitor and inductive element, where inductive element causes current through load to linearly increase in responsive to saturating |
| Abstract: A pulsed current source comprises a power source, a discharge capacitor, and an inductive element. The discharge capacitor is selectively coupled to either of the power source or the inductive element. When coupled to the power source, the discharge capacitor is charged. The inductive element can be connected to a load. The load can have a current-dependent impedance. When the discharge capacitor is coupled to the inductive element, the discharge capacitor discharges through the inductive element and the load. The discharge capacitor and the inductive element are configured so that the current through the load exhibits a substantially linear rise in a linear operational region. The inductive element is configured to saturate during discharge of the capacitor through the load, so that the saturation of the inductive element causes the current through the load to continue to rise in a substantially linear fashion. |
| Use: High-inertia current source circuit for driving non-linear current dependent loads, such as a bridge wire detonator and a flash lamp in a detonation system (all claimed) e.g. an explosive detonation system and a laser system. |
| Advantage: The circuit configures the high-inertia current source to reach target peak current, or to discharge a threshold amount of charge through the load in a target period of time, and maintains the charging switch and the discharge switch to be open, so that the current is not discharged through the current-dependent load during charging of the capacitor, thus providing necessary timing certainty in applications by the current source due to the slowdown of current rise through a bridge wire detonator. |
| Novelty: The circuit (100) has a load i.e. current-dependent load (104) provided with impedance (L2, R2) that rises as amount of current (IRL) delivered to the load rises. An inductive element is connected in series with the load. A discharge switch (S2) is connected between a capacitor i.e. discharge capacitor (C1) and the inductive element. The capacitor discharges current that passes through the load in responsive to the discharge switch closing. The inductive element and the capacitor are configured, such that the current causes the inductive element to saturate. The inductive element causes the current through the load to linearly increase in responsive to saturating, where the load is a bridge wire detonator and a flash lamp, and the inductive element is selected as a strip line inductive element. |
| Filed: 2/9/2021 |
| Application Number: US17171294A |
| Tech ID: SD 14841.0 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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