Greater demand in a limited space

This manufacturer of inspection equipment was looking for ways of improving the integrity of pipeline surveys while reducing the associated downtime. Upgrades to the sensors, cameras and onboard processors, together with the use of higher torque drive motors to provide higher crawler speed, increased the onboard power required. Space and weight for the power supply upgrade was, however, limited. Key goals were:

• In-depth inspection requires more sensors, increased processing and higher power demands
• Minimizing pipeline downtime requires a faster crawler with more power for drive motors
• Maximizing crawler payload limits space available for the power supply

High density solution allowed for longer uptime

Onboard the crawler the 24V battery supply was regulated down to 12V for the drive motors, sensors and processor by a DCM DC-DC converter. The small size of the DCM converter, which provided 320W in a package of just 38.7 x 22.8 x 7.2mm, freed up space for the additional sensors.

• Power supply size reduced by a small footprint, low profile (7.2mm) and low weight converter
• Reduction in size of heatsink enabled by a high efficiency power converter with double-sided cooling
• Downtime reduced by reliable, robust, converters designed for use in harsh environments