If you would like to see more information on this case study, click here!
You can request this case study and a WCDE staff member will get back to you.
PV Labs is a world leader in image processing applications ranging from feature detection and analysis to airborne camera mount stabilization. The company, located in Hamilton, Ontario, developed a new airborne camera stabilization platform (the eclipse) for the entertainment industry. This platform is mounted to a helicopter for capturing aerial footage at various altitudes in many different climates around the world. There are many subsystems which require careful design, including the power supply for the stabilization motors. The eclipse receives high voltage (approximately 36 V) electrical power from the helicopter for use in its various subsystems. The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) utilizes a power supply to convert this high voltage DC power to two (2) low voltage (<30 V) DC outputs which power the IMU components. After testing the prototype design, PV Labs discovered that the IMU’s power supply did not provide the maximum amount of current that its circuitry requires, specifically with regards to the so called inrush current upon startup. As a means of correcting the initial design, PV Labs needed a revised design that was highly efficient and compact.
The teaching objective of this case is to illustrate circuit design, the effective use of circuit analysis and simulation for developing the design of a power supply. The case will give students the opportunity to evaluate commercially available components with regards to their impact on the efficiency of the design.
If you would like to see more information on this case study, click here!
You can request this case study and a WCDE staff member will get back to you.
Contact Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering
Steve Lambert
Tel: (519) 888-4728
Email: steve@uwaterloo.ca
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.