Web Page sponsor Merlin Power Systems Ltd.
For further information please contact: Merlin Power Systems, Unit 4 Cabot Business Village, Holyrood Close, Poole, Dorset BH17 7BA, United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 697979 Web: www.merlinpowersystems.com
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17 Jul 13. The U.S. Army is working on a flexible battery that soldiers can wear inside their armored vests. The Conformal Wearable Battery, or CWB, conforms to the body, which Army officials say is a significant upgrade to traditional batteries that are rectangular and bulky. The CWB provides more power, reduces the need for battery re-charging and spares, and serves as a single source of power for all worn electronic devices, said Christopher Hurley, an electronics engineer who leads the battery development projects team at Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, in a recent Army press release. Hurley said the Army’s standard batteries, the BA-2590 and BA-5590, were designed to be placed in battery boxes and large communication equipment and not to be worn by the soldier to power his electronics. The CWB, however, is made specifically to be worn within a tactical vest, said Steve Mapes, product director for Soldier Power at the Army’s Project Manager Soldier Warrior. Army engineers have developed six CWB prototypes since 2008. The goal has been to demonstrate a battery that is smaller, lighter, provides longer-lasting power and eliminates the need for a separate battery for each electronic device, Hurley said. The target is a battery that can last for 72 hours of continuous operation, but the release doesn’t say how much each battery weighs or costs. In addition to being too bulky, the Army’s conventional batteries can no longer handle the power demands for worn devices such as Nett Warrior, a handheld tool that provides situational awareness and mission command capabilities, Mapes said. These networked systems are always sending and receiving data, similar to leaving a cell phone on during a flight. They continuously search for a signal, which rapidly drains the battery. (Source: Open Source Information Report)
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Merlin Power Systems are leaders in the design and manufacture of advanced generation, management and monitoring of power systems on vehicles and marine platforms. Being fielded in UOR, Green and SOF fleets combined with 20 years of experience in critical use battery applications make Merlin the perfect partner for your vehicle, mobile or remote power system.
MOTS products include:
DataCell – The industry’s most accurate battery monitoring system provides volts, amps, amp hours, state of charge, state of health and time remaining. Being highly accurate DataCell information may be used for auto control of battery management, APU starting and load shedding. Data displayed on a variety of panels and/or direct C4i screen integration.
VBMS – Vehicle Battery Management System manages the entire primary power system on board. Remote battery switching, split charging, flat battery protection, control of import/export power, APU start/stop and load shedding. VBMS dramatically improves platform reliability, platform running costs (in replacement batteries and fuel savings by carefully managing engine run times & alternator output) and importantly allows confident extension of silent watch running times which dramatically improves tactical advantage over the enemy.
Python – The World’s first diesel reforming fuel cell. 1.2kW output, silent running, load following. Runs directly from diesel.
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