Squad Power Network

What Is It?

The Squad Power Network represents a concept that would exploit a wearable common electric power distribution system for each member of the squad so that electrical energy can be transferred between any source and any electrically powered device, or possibly transferred from one device to another.

 

How Does It Work?

There are multiple concepts under investigation, but they all share two basic goals: minimize or eliminate the number of incompatible battery types required to operate a full complement of electrically powered devices, and facilitate optimal utilization of batteries or power conversion devices to maximize the number of watt-hours available per kilogram of weight carried.

 

What Will It Accomplish?

The objectives are to:

  • Minimize the number of incompatible battery types (and incompatible spares) required by small combat units.
  • Provide a common system architecture that can continually evolve and improve while still maintaining legacy system compatibility.
  • Permit a small combat unit to optimize all of its available electric energy.
  • Enable use of advanced alternative power source technologies that provide high specific energy but relatively low specific power.

 

 

The portability of sophisticated electronic devices for sensing, communicating, information processing, navigation and guidance has provided capabilities to individual combatants or small combat units that were previously the exclusive domain of large combat units or national assets. As a consequence, optimizing the aggregate assembly of devices and power sources at the individual or small unit level will soon require systems approaches analogous to those used for the development of complex vehicles or platforms. The Office of Naval Research Squad Power Network program is investigating power source and load confi gurations for individuals and small combat units.

Over the past several years a capability developed at the University of South Carolina to model complex power systems for vehicles, ships and aerospace applications has been used to investigate power source and load confi gurations for individuals and small combat units. Modeling of equipment that a squad or individual is likely to carry in the future has shown that alternative system configurations for powering can offer both weight savings and logistic simplification by eliminating battery incompatibility. Perhaps even more signifi cant is the enhanced fl exibility for individuals or squads to effectively utilize the full range of their energy resources without the impediment of source incompatibility.

A comprehensive systems approach for individual and squad electric power will provide:

  • Enhanced flexibility in utilization of squad electric energy sources
  • Weight savings
  • Compatibility between new and legacy technologies for both power sources and power consuming devices.

 

 

Research Opportunities:

  • High specific energy electrochemical capacitors to function as short-term energy storage and/or as buffers between rate limited power sources and high power, shortduty-cycle devices.
  • Intelligent small-scale voltage conversion and power distribution networks capable of redistributing or sharing distributed energy to meet the peak momentary demands of individual devices connected to the network.
  • Robust energy-coupling approaches (direct or inductive) that facilitate ease of momentarily disconnecting devices from the wearable network as may be required for short term use.

 

Clifford Anderson
(703) 696-4485
cliff.anderson@navy.mil

 

* Some pages on this website provide links which require Adobe Reader to view.