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This paper investigates the application of reset voltage feedback for reducing errors due to droop in the signal derived from a current transformer sensing unidirectional current pulses in switched-mode power converter applications. Droop is minimised by applying a correcting voltage in series with the transformer's output terminals during the current pulse. The magnitude of the correcting voltage is based on the transformer's reset voltage sensed during the power converter's previous switching cycles. A model of the scheme is presented and a circuit is implemented. Reductions in both peak and average current droop are demonstrated. Index Terms--Current transformer (CT), power converter, zero-flux CT.

This paper considers the operation and control of a brushless ac prototype embedded aircraft generator that has been designed for use as an alternative to the emergency run air turbine. To meet the wide operating speed requirements, the generator utilizes a hybrid rotor construction comprising permanent magnet and variable reluctance sections. The constant current source characteristics of the design are exploited to derive the phase information required by the ac vector controller, thus avoiding the use of a shaft-mounted rotor position sensor. The methodology behind the controller operation is presented together with test results taken from a prototype generator system, and this is contrast with the results taken from the conventionally controlled machine with resolver position feedback. Index Terms--Embedded aircraft generation, hybrid permanent-magnet (PM)/variable reluctance machines, power factor control, sensorless control.

One of the persistent challenges facing the development of morphing aerostructures is the need to have material and structural solutions which provide a compromise between the competing design drivers of low actuation energy and high stiffness under external loads. This work proposes a solution to this challenge in the form of a novel switchable stiffness structural concept based on the principle of granular jamming. In this article, the concept of using granular jamming for controlling stiffness is first introduced. Four-point bending tests are used to obtain the flexural rigidity and bending stiffness of three different granular materials under different levels of applied vacuum loading. Nonlinear finite element analysis simulations using experimentally derived nonlinear material properties show good agreement with experiment. A specific application of this concept is then proposed based on the Fish Bone Active Camber morphing airfoil. A unit cell of this concept is built, tested and analysed, followed by the first prototype of a complete switchable stiffness Fish Bone Active Camber morphing airfoil, which is experimentally shown to be able to achieve an increase in stiffness of up to 300% due to granular jamming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to maximize power density, the resonant frequency of an energy harvester should be equal to the source excitation frequency and the electrical damping set equal to the parasitic damping. These parameters should be adjustable during device operation because the excitation characteristics can change. This brief presents, for the first time, a power electronic interface that is capable of continual adjustment of the damping and the resonant frequency of an energy harvester by controlling real and reactive power exchange between the electrical and mechanical domains while storing the harvested energy in a battery. The advantages of this technique over previously proposed methods are the precise control over the tuning parameters of the electrical system and integrated rectification within the tuning interface. Experimental results verify the operation, and the prototype system presented can change the resonant frequency of the electromechanical system by \pm10% and increase the damping by 45%. As the input excitation frequency was swept away from the unmodified resonant frequency of the harvester, the use of the tuning mechanism was shown to increase real power generation by up to 25%. The prototype harvester is capable of generating 100 mW at an excitation frequency of 1.25 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]