
Building Better UAVs using Modular Power
Inspection UAVs ensure infrastructure is sound, safe, and running smoothly. UAVs need to be compact and lightweight to be maneuverable to access hard-to-reach spaces, and they need long battery life to inspect vast terrain and to extend mission time. They also need to minimize size and weight in order to maximize their sensor payload to perform the actual inspection. To succeed in their mission, they must also operate reliably in harsh environments. In some applications, they need to withstand electrical interference from power lines and other high-energy sources. Achieving inspection mission objectives, therefore, requires UAVs to have a high-efficiency, high-density power delivery network that doesn’t add unnecessary size and weight to the UAV.
Power dense Vicor DCM DC-DC converter 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 the load to be powered by full range of the battery, providing a reserve for safe landing and recovery. The small size allows for the use of a smaller magnetic shield, thereby reducing that weight in addition to the weight savings of the power dense Vicor modules.
Input: 9 – 420V
Output: 3.3, 5, 12, 13.8, 15, 24, 28, 36, 48V
Power: Up to 1300W
Efficiency: Up to 96%
As small as 24.8 x 22.8 x 7.2mm
Inputs: 12V (8 – 18V), 24V (8 – 36V), 48V (30 – 60V)
Output: 1 – 16V
Power: Up to 22A
Peak efficiency: Up to 98%
As small as 10.0 x 10.0 x 2.5mm
Input: 8 – 60V
Output: 10 – 54V
Power: Up to 150W continuous
Efficiency: Over 98%
10.5 x 14.5 x 3.05mm
Building Better UAVs using Modular Power
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