Micro hybrid generator system drone

• US 9,751,625 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2016
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US15/202,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20160311544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 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. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a rotor motor mounted on the frame and configured to drive rotation of a propeller of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

a hybrid energy generation system configured to provide electrical energy to the rotor motor, the 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, the electrical energy being provided to at least one of the rotor motor and the rechargeable battery,

a coupling device to directly couple a rotor of the engine to the generator, the coupling device including a flexible coupling and a fan, the fan oriented to provide air flow to one or more of the engine and the generator;

a control unit configured to control a throttle of the engine based on an electrical energy demand of the rotor motor; and

a cooling component disposed on one or more of the engine and the generator, wherein multiple fins are formed on the surface of the cooling component, the fins configured to cause dissipation of heat from the hybrid energy generations system; and

an energy absorbing connector, wherein the hybrid power generation system is connected to the frame through the energy absorbing connector.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the generator is configured to convert the mechanical energy generated by the engine into an electrical alternating current.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the hybrid energy generation system comprises a rectifier configured to convert the electrical alternating electrical current generated by the generator into an electrical direct current.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the rectifier is configured to provide the electrical direct current to one or more of the rechargeable battery and the rotor motor.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, comprising a speed control configured to control an amount of electrical energy provided to the rotor motor.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the engine is directly coupled to the generator through a polyurethane coupling.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the polyurethane coupling has a tensile strength of between 20 MPa and 62 MPa.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the engine includes a flywheel.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, comprising a sensor configured to measure a spinning speed of the flywheel.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery is configured to provide electrical energy to the rotor motor when the engine and the generator are inactive.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the energy absorbing connector comprises a rubber damper.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the hybrid energy generation system is configured to generate at least 10 kW of electrical power.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the hybrid energy generation system is configured to generate at least 1.8 kW of electrical power.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hybrid energy generation system comprises an energy distributor configured to control distribution of the electrical energy from the generator to one or more of the rotor motor and the rechargeable battery.

15. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the engine is configured to operate at 10,000 revolutions per minute.

16. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the energy absorbing connector comprises a compression damper and a torsional damper.

17. 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 electrical energy generation system;

in a generator of the hybrid energy generation system, converting the mechanical energy 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; and

one or more of (i) providing at least some of the electrical energy produced by the generator to the rotor motor of the hybrid energy generation system and (ii) providing electrical energy from the rechargeable battery of the hybrid energy generation system to the rotor motor, wherein a rotor of the engine is directly coupled to the generator by a coupling device, the coupling device including a flexible coupling and a fan, the fan oriented to provide air flow to one or more of the engine and the generator;

controlling a throttle of the engine based on an electrical energy demand of the rotor motor; and

cooling the hybrid generator system using a cooling component disposed on one or more of the engine and the generator, wherein multiple fins are formed on the surface of the cooling component, the fins configured to cause dissipation of heat from the hybrid energy generation system,

wherein the hybrid energy generation system is connected to a frame of the unmanned aerial vehicle through an energy absorbing connector.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein converting the mechanical energy into electrical power comprises converting the mechanical energy into electrical alternating current.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising converting the electrical alternating current into electrical direct current by a rectifier of the hybrid energy generation system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein providing at least some of the electrical energy produced by the generator to a rechargeable battery comprises providing at least some of the electrical direct current to the rechargeable battery.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein providing at least some of the electrical energy produced by the generator to the rotor motor comprises providing at least some of the electrical direct current to the rotor motor.

22. The method of claim 17, comprising controlling a throttle of the engine based on a spinning speed of a flywheel coupled to the engine.

23. The method of claim 17, comprising controlling an amount of energy provided to the rotor motor.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising providing electrical energy from the rechargeable battery to the rotor motor when the engine and the generator are inactive.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein converting the mechanical energy into electrical energy comprises generating at least 10 kW of electrical power.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein converting the mechanical energy into electrical energy comprises generating at least 1.8 kW of electrical power.

27. The method of claim 17, comprising controlling distribution of the electrical energy from the generator to one or more of the rotor motor and the rechargeable battery.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein generating mechanical energy in the engine comprises operating the engine at 10,000 revolutions per minute.