Customer’s challenge
Drones in agriculture are uniquely challenged to carry heavy payloads for longer spraying times while flying in varying conditions. They must cover large areas reliably and safely for an industry that demands high productivity. These drones are equipped with GPS, pumps, radar sensors, vision systems, and fail-safe systems that have different voltage and power levels. The key goals were:
- Significantly reduce power supply weight and maximize space on-board
for payload - Extend flight time for more productivity
- Handle a wide range of input voltages
The Vicor solution
Vicor change to high-performance power modules are compact and lightweight, allowing the drone to carry the accessories needed to do its job such as pumps or sensors. At the same time, the high efficiency allows both increased flight time and a simplified thermal management that requires less space on board.
Key benefits
Key benefits
Higher efficiency to extend flight times and range of operation
Power modules support a variety of input voltages for PoL devices
Advanced packaging and topologies
Power delivery network
The Vicor DCM™ power module is an isolated, highly efficient, regulated DC-DC converter utilizing a high-frequency Zero-Voltage Switching (ZVS) topology, operating from an unregulated, wide range input to generate an isolated output. Modular DCM converters and downstream Vicor ZVS Buck and Buck-Boost products support efficient power distribution, providing superior power system performance and connectivity from a variety of unregulated power sources to the point-of-load.
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 7.21mm
Inputs: 12V (8 – 18V), 24V (8 – 42V), 48V (30 – 60V)
Output: 2.2 – 16V
Current: Up to 22A
Peak efficiency: Up to 98%
As small as 10.0 x 10.0 x 2.56mm