UAV Market Trends and Power System Seminar 2025 Taipei, Taiwan
Power modules enable top performance and innovation for today’s advanced UAVs
Case study: Inspection UAVs
Lightweight power delivery networks enable maneuverable UAVs to inspect remote, wide operations
Customer’s challenge
Inspection UAVs ensure that infrastructure is sound, safe, and functional. These UAVs must be able to be easily maneuvered and nimbly access hard- to-reach spaces to inspect vast terrains. To succeed in their mission, they must also operate reliably in harsh environments and withstand electrical interference from power lines and other high-energy sources. The key goals were:
- Extend range and flight time
- Minimize size and weight
- Reliability to minimize chance of failure during flight
The Vicor solution
Vicor high-efficiency and high-performance power modules enable inspection UAVs to minimize size and weight to maximize the sensor payload required to perform the actual inspection. With enough power and high efficiency, they allow for an agile UAV with increased flight time, even in harsh environments.
Key benefits
Key benefits
High-power density to enable smaller form factor and lower weight
Minimal electromagnetic interference (EMI)
ZVS topology enables modules with up to 98% efficiency
Power delivery network
Power dense Vicor DCM™ DC-DC converters and ZVS Buck and Buck-Boost regulator modules are ideal for inspection UAVs. The compact DCM delivers enough power to the motors, while the Buck and Buck-Boost regulators operate with a wide input range to allow loads to be powered by the full range of the battery, providing a reserve for safe landing and recovery. The compact modules allow for the use of a smaller magnetic shield, thereby reducing that weight in addition to the weight savings of the Vicor modules.
Isolated regulated
Input: 9 – 420V
Output: 3.3, 5, 12, 13.8, 15, 24, 28, 36, 48V
Power: Up to 1300W
Peak efficiency: 96%
As small as 24.8 x 22.8 x 7.21mm
Non-isolated regulated
Inputs: 12V (8 – 18V), 24V (8 – 42V), 48V (30 – 60V)
Output: 2.2 – 16V
Current: Up to 22A
Peak efficiency: 98%
As small as 10.0 x 10.0 x 2.56mm
Non-isolated regulated
Input: 8 – 60V
Output: 10 – 54V
Power: Up to 150W continuous
Efficiency: Over 98%
10.5 x 14.5 x 3.05mm
Resources
Resources for the design engineer
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