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Patented power management and thermal management architecture allows massive computing in a DC-powered environment
APlus Mobile, Inc. has added the B20 Extreme and Q40 Quad to its family of hardened, low energy, mobile PCs. Utilizing an Intel® Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Quad processors and Intel chipsets, the B20 Extreme and Q40 Quad successfully accommodate the massive computing demand required for use in autonomous vehicles, robots, vision systems, sensor networks and real-time surveillance and reconnaissance applications.
APlus Mobile’s newly granted patent, “Ruggedized computers and aspects thereof” (US Patent 7,773,375), successfully meets two challenges that continue to face today’s mobile computing industry: power stability and thermal management for mobile platforms.
The first challenge is presented by the DC battery powered environment. While it is the main power source for most vehicles, the battery also powers all other devices in the vehicle, including computers, radios and sensors. These devices contribute to power regulation issues due to the dynamic demands placed on the battery. One often sees large power adapters or converters installed next to a computer and other sensitive components in a vehicle, taking up valuable space and adding cost. APlus Mobile’s patented power control module eliminates the necessity of any additional power infrastructure. It internally conditions and manages DC power to provide a stable computer platform for the sensors and other peripherals.
The other challenge lies in managing heat from high end processors in an environmentally sealed chassis. The processors must keep cool enough to remain continuously operational, including extended full throttle events, without the use of a vented fan. Mobile computing in the commercial and defense industries is almost always accompanied by contaminants such as dust, water, and/or salt fog. If a computer has a vent or any exposed opening, it will ingest these contaminants, making for a very short computer life. APlus Mobile’s patent includes thermal management architecture for housing extreme and quad core processors, along with other computer components, in a sealed, ruggedized chassis, eliminating the probability of contamination.
“The B20 and Q40 platforms represent a significant, technical achievement in the hardened computer arena”, says Tim Faucett, founder and VP of Product Development. “Cost and scalability have been positively addressed and we are excited about our possibilities in the commercialization of high performance computing systems, including true server architectures, for today’s demanding mobile environment.”
About APlus Mobile, Inc.
APlus Mobile, Inc. (aplusmobile.com), founded in 2004, is a privately held OEM/ODM that designs, develops and manufactures DC powered, open architecture, x86 computer hardware solutions. Its products are currently in the waste management, military, robotics and oil exploration industries. One of its models, the A20, was on two autonomous vehicles that participated in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. Its latest product, the Q40 Quad, performed on a team’s UGV in the Robotics Rodeo, held at Fort Benning, GA, October 12-15, 2010. APlus Mobile’s casings, PCBs and PCA assemblies are manufactured in the USA by APlus Mobile or its subcontractors.
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