Dynamically Optimized Team Performance

This Phase I SBIR proposed the development of technology that will lead to smaller, lighter and more efficient power amplifiers for driving the highly reactive loads presented by active sonar transducers. Compared to other amplifier components, existingdesigns employ physically large, high weight magnetic components in the amplifier-transducer coupling interface. Proposed research will focus on two new and innovative circuit topologies that accomplish the required transducer image impedancetransformation by novel means. The approaches have the potential to realize substantial amplifier size and weight reduction while maintaining high overall efficiency when driven by state-of-art Class D power modules. The final part of the investigationwill consider a fusion of the two approaches that may have advantage, especially for low frequency applications where magnetic components greatly increase size and weight of the amplifier. Phase I option will involve the design and fabrication ofprototype power amplifier circuitry to test the analysis developed in Phase I and verify the operation of each circuit approach.The proposed research provides an important means of reducing overall weight and size in power amplifiers used in active sonarsystems. Results will apply to the immediate market for the space/weight/efficiency optimized power amplifiers aboard Navy surface, submarine and airborne ASW platforms; and autonomous acoustic source systems such for acoustic tomography, active Navysonobuoys, acoustic countermeasures, LELFAS and ADLFP. Other applications for the resulting technology will be in spacecraft and aircraft systems, where the benefits of space/weight efficient products are obvious. Additional applications include powerdistribution and power amplifier systems, control actuator driver circuits and high power modulators for communications