MICRO HYBRID GENERATOR SYSTEM DRONE

• US 20180009529A1
• Filed: 09/01/2017
• Published: 01/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Istari Digital Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Top Flight Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Phan, Long N., Sarma, Sanjay Emani, Wojcik, Cody Miles, Davis, Eli M., Sena, Benjamin Arthur, Lemus, Julian
• Granted Patent: US 10,035,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/001 Vibration damping devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/02 Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants fuselages specially adapted for mounting power plants B64C1/16; wings specially adapted for power plants B64C3/32
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/026 comprising different types of power plants, e.g. combination of a piston engine and a gas-turbine Hybrid electric aircraft B64D27/33
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 33/08 of power plant cooling systems cooling of internal-combustion engines per se F01P; cooling of gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants per se F02C, F02K
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 3/02 with means for supplying electricity to aircraft during flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/16 with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/30 Supply or distribution of electrical power
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 : Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising at least one rotor motor. The rotor motor is powered by a micro hybrid generation system. The micro hybrid generator system comprises a rechargeable battery configured to provide power to the at least one rotor motor, a small engine configured to generate mechanical power, a generator motor coupled to the small engine and configured to generate AC power using the mechanical power generated by the small engine, a bridge rectifier configured to convert the AC power generated by the generator motor to DC power and provide the DC power to either or both the rechargeable battery and the at least one rotor motor, and an electronic control unit configured to control a throttle of the small engine based, at least in part, on a power demand of at least one load, the at least one load including the at least one rotor motor.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

a propeller;

a rotor motor to drive rotation of the propeller;

a hybrid energy generation system comprising

a rechargeable battery configured to provide electrical energy to the rotor motor,

an engine configured to generate mechanical energy,

a generator configured to convert the mechanical energy generated by the engine into electrical energy, and

a heat transfer system disposed between the engine and the generator and configured to transfer heat away from the hybrid energy generation system; and

a control unit configured to control a throttle of the engine such that a first portion of the electrical energy produced by the generator is provided to the rechargeable battery and a second portion of the electric energy produced by the generator is provided to drive the rotor motor based on an energy demand of the rotor motor.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the heat transfer system comprises a fan.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a coupling device that directly couples a rotor of the engine to the generator, wherein the coupling device includes the heat transfer system.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein the coupling device comprises a flexible coupling device.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 5, wherein the coupling device comprises a polyurethane coupling device.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the electric energy output of the hybrid energy generation system is configured to provide at least two hours of flight time for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a power distribution system configured to distribute electrical direct current from both the rechargeable battery and the generator to the rotor motor.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to control the throttle of the engine based on a value of the electrical energy provided to the rotor motor by the rechargeable battery.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a single engine corresponding to the engine.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the generator is configured to convert the mechanical energy generated by the engine into electrical alternating current.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 11, wherein the hybrid energy generation system comprises a rectifier configured to convert the electrical alternating current into electrical direct current.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein the electrical direct current is provided to one or more of the rechargeable battery and the rotor motor.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a cooling component disposed on one or more of the engine or the generator, the cooling component being configured to cause dissipation of heat from the hybrid energy generation system.

15. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 14, wherein multiple fins are formed on a surface of the cooling component, the fins configured to cause dissipation of heat from the hybrid energy generations system.

16. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, further comprising an energy absorbing connector, wherein the hybrid energy generation system is connected to a frame of the unmanned aerial vehicle through the energy absorbing connector.

17. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the hybrid energy generation system is attached to a frame of the unmanned aerial vehicle through a vibration damping system.

18. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the engine includes a fly wheel, the fly wheel being configured with a sensor that generates a voltage based on a spinning speed of the fly wheel.

19. A method comprising:

operating a hybrid energy generation system to provide electrical energy to a rotor motor configured to drive rotation of a propeller of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising;

generating mechanical energy in an engine of the hybrid energy generation system;

in a generator of the hybrid energy generation system, converting the mechanical energy generated by the engine into electrical energy;

providing at least some of the electrical energy produced by the generator to a rechargeable battery of the hybrid energy generation system;

providing electrical energy to the rotor motor, including one or more of (i) providing at least some of the electrical energy produced by the generator to the rotor motor and (ii) providing electrical energy to the rotor motor from the rechargeable battery; and

cooling the hybrid energy generation system by a heat transfer system disposed between the engine and the generator and configured to transfer heat away from the hybrid energy generation system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the heat transfer system comprises a fan.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the heat transfer system is formed on a coupling device that directly couples a rotor of the engine to the generator.

22. The method of claim 19, comprising distributing electrical direct current from both the rechargeable battery and the generator to the rotor motor.

23. The method of claim 19, comprising controlling a throttle of the engine based on a value of the electrical energy provided to the rotor motor by the rechargeable battery.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein converting the mechanical energy generated by the engine into electrical energy comprises converting the mechanical energy into electrical alternating current.

25. The method of claim 24, comprising converting the electrical alternating current into electrical direct current in a rectifier.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising providing the electrical direct current from the rectifier to one or more of the rechargeable battery and the rotor motor.