KR20230137610A - Hybrid integrated test device for unmanned aerial vehicles and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hybrid integrated test device and test method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which includes a three-phase generator that generates electrical energy using the driving force of the engine, a three-phase rectifier that converts the electrical energy of the three-phase generator into direct current electrical energy, and direct current electrical energy. A testing device for a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle including a battery for charging, a throttle actuator that controls the speed of the engine according to the control of the control device unit, a monitoring unit that detects the operating state of the unmanned aerial vehicle engine and provides the information to the control unit; , and a power management unit disposed between the three-phase rectifier and the battery to convert the test mode under the control of the control unit.

Description

Hybrid integrated test device for unmanned aerial vehicles and method thereof}

The present invention relates to a hybrid integrated test device and method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, and more specifically, to an device and method for testing the performance of an engine hybrid generator for a small unmanned aerial vehicle according to operating conditions.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) (unmanned aerial vehicle/uninhabited aerial vehicle) have recently been used for military purposes and various civilian fields.

Types of unmanned aerial vehicles are divided into fixed wing type, which has flat wings on the left and right sides of the aircraft, like an airplane, and rotary wing, which has multiple rotors installed around the aircraft, like a helicopter. do.

A fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle has fixed wings in the shape of a regular airplane, obtains propulsion from the power of engines, props, etc., and can fly by generating lift through flat wings provided on the left and right. The rear of each wing is It is equipped with a control surface that can be rotated up and down by applying a tilt mechanism, allowing the aircraft's attitude to be controlled during flight.

A rotary wing-type unmanned aerial vehicle generates lift through a plurality of rotors (propellers) arranged around the aircraft and rotating, and can control flight by partially controlling the plurality of rotors (propellers).

Recent unmanned aerial vehicles use electric motors as propulsion engines, and to secure longer flight times, they combine a method of converting chemical energy into electrical energy to supply power and a method of converting solar energy into electrical energy. A method using a hybrid power source has been proposed.

An example of a power device for an unmanned aerial vehicle using a hybrid power source is Patent No. 10-1302078 (registered on August 26, 2013, active power control system and method for a hybrid power source).

The above registered patent describes a configuration that includes a battery that stores power output from solar cells and fuel cells and outputs it when necessary, and a power management module that controls the output of the battery.

The power management module describes a configuration that supplies power that meets the propulsion power requirement of the aircraft using the power of the fuel cell when the propulsion power requirement of the aircraft is greater than the power of the solar cell.

The above registered patent has the feature of providing propulsion power by selectively using the output power of solar cells and fuel cells, and enabling flight using battery power by charging the remaining power to the battery.

In addition, the SoC of the battery is always maintained at the minimum level, so when power from solar cells and fuel cells cannot be obtained, landing is performed using the remaining power in the battery.

However, the performance of the battery is greatly influenced by temperature changes, and in particular, in environments where the temperature is below the operating range, the performance of the battery deteriorates significantly, which may lead to a situation in which the unmanned aerial vehicle cannot return to the correct location due to deterioration of battery performance.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a test device and an appropriate test method that can test the battery's charging/discharging performance and operating mode according to operating conditions.

The purpose of the present invention, taking into account the above market demands, is to provide an apparatus and method that can test the charging and discharging performance of a battery while changing operating conditions.

The hybrid integrated test device for unmanned aerial vehicles according to one aspect of the present invention to solve the above technical problems includes a three-phase generator that generates electrical energy using the driving force of the engine, and converts the electrical energy of the three-phase generator into direct current electrical energy. A test device for a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle including a three-phase rectifier and a battery for charging direct current electrical energy, a throttle actuator that controls the speed of the engine under the control of a control unit, and a throttle actuator that detects the operating state of the unmanned aerial vehicle engine and It includes a monitoring unit provided as a control unit, and a power management unit disposed between the three-phase rectifier and the battery to change the test mode under the control of the control unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the power management unit includes a first direct current contactor that selectively supplies direct current electrical energy of the three-phase current machine to the electronic load, and a second direct current contactor that selectively supplies electrical energy of the battery to the electronic load. It may include a contactor and a third direct current contactor for charging the battery by selectively supplying direct current electric energy from the three-phase current generator to the battery.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the power management unit includes a first ammeter and a first voltmeter that respectively detect the current and voltage input from the three-phase current machine and provide them to the control device unit, and measure the current and voltage consumed by the electronic load. It may further include a second ammeter and a second voltmeter for detecting and providing the current and voltage to the control device, and a third ammeter and a third voltmeter for detecting the current and voltage charged in the battery and providing them to the control device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit sets a target power generation voltage, and when the power generation voltage is lower than the power generation voltage detected by the first voltage meter, controls the throttle actuator to accelerate the engine, and generate power. When the voltage is larger, the throttle actuator can be controlled to slow down the engine.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the target generated voltage and the detected generated voltage are the same, the control device compares the detection results of the second ammeter, second voltmeter, third ammeter, and third voltmeter with the reference range. The charging and discharging performance of the battery can be evaluated.

In addition, the hybrid integrated test method for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention is a testing method for an unmanned aerial vehicle using the test device, comprising the steps of setting a target generated voltage in the control unit and detecting the generated voltage of the three-phase rectifier. A step of controlling the engine to speed up or slow down so that the target power generation voltage and the power generation voltage are the same value, and when the target power generation voltage and the power generation voltage are the same, detecting the power consumption of the electronic load and the battery charging power to determine performance. It may include a step of evaluating.

The present invention has the effect of performing various performance evaluations of hybrid-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

In particular, it is effective in evaluating the charging and discharging performance of the battery while changing operating conditions.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a hybrid integrated test device for unmanned aerial vehicles according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram of a three-phase rectifier.
Figure 3 is an example diagram of a power management unit.
Figure 4 is a state table of the DC contactor of the power management unit in Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an example table of operation modes according to the state of the DC contactor.
Figure 6 is a flowchart of the hybrid integrated test method for an unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the configuration and effects of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various forms and various changes can be made. However, the description of this embodiment is provided to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the present invention of the scope of the invention. In the attached drawings, components are shown enlarged in size for convenience of explanation, and the proportions of each component may be exaggerated or reduced.

Terms such as 'first' and 'second' may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the above terms. The above terms may be used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, the 'first component' may be named 'the second component' without departing from the scope of the present invention, and similarly, the 'second component' may also be named 'the first component'. You can. Additionally, singular expressions include plural expressions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted as meanings commonly known to those skilled in the art.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a hybrid integrated test device for unmanned aerial vehicles according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the hybrid integrated test device 100 for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention includes a throttle actuator 120 that controls the opening amount of the throttle valve of the engine 210 of the hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle 200, and a throttle actuator 120. A throttle position sensor 121 that detects the position of the engine, a monitoring unit 130 that detects various performance elements of the engine 210, and a fuel sensor 140 that detects the amount of fuel consumed when the engine 210 is driven. , an RPM sensor 150 that detects the RPM of the three-phase generator 220, a torque sensor 160 that detects the torque of the three-phase generator 220, an electronic load 171 whose load amount can be adjusted, and a three-phase rectifier. A power management unit 170 that charges the power of the battery 230 to the battery 240 or tests the discharge power of the battery 240 according to the electronic load 171, a pressure sensor 111 that detects the current external pressure, and In addition to driving the temperature sensor 112 that detects the outside temperature and the throttle actuator 120, the charging and discharging performance evaluation factors of the battery 240 and the engine ( It includes a control device unit 110 that receives the performance evaluation elements of 210) and performs performance evaluation of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the hybrid integrated test device for an unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention configured as described above will be described in more detail.

First, the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 includes an engine 210, a three-phase generator 220 that converts the driving force of the engine 210 into electric power, and a three-phase rectifier 230 that converts the alternating current power of the three-phase generator 220 into direct current. and a battery 240 that charges the direct current power of the rectifier 230 or discharges power as needed.

The present invention includes a throttle actuator 120 to control the engine 210, and the driving degree of the throttle actuator 120 can be detected through the throttle position sensor 121.

Driving control of the throttle actuator 120 may be performed by the control device unit 110.

The control device unit 110 may be a computing device equipped with a digital input/output card, an analog-to-digital converter, and a digital-to-analog converter. The computing device may be a PC or laptop including an input means.

The analog-to-digital converter is used to input sensor signals into a computing device, and conversely, the digital-to-analog converter may be used to control external devices such as the throttle actuator 120.

The control unit 110 controls the operation of the throttle actuator 120 and detects performance evaluation factors of the engine 210 according to its driving state. At this time, performance evaluation factors are detected through the monitoring unit 130. However, the intake valve opening amount can be detected by the throttle position sensor 121.

The monitoring unit 130 detects the rotation speed, coolant temperature, engine temperature, and torque of the engine 210.

Additionally, the control unit 110 can detect the amount of fuel consumed by driving the engine 210 through the fuel sensor 140.

In this way, in the driving state of the engine 210, the control unit 110 collects engine speed, torque, coolant temperature, and engine temperature information according to the intake valve opening amount, and compares it with the reference range to determine the engine 210's Performance can be evaluated.

The output (P _E (W)) of the engine 210 can be expressed by Equation 1 below.

The control unit 110 may receive RPM and torque information of the three-phase generator 220 using the RPM sensor 150 and the torque sensor 160.

Additionally, the output of the three-phase generator 220 can be calculated using the current and voltage information detected by the three-phase rectifier 230.

Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram of a three-phase rectifier.

The three-phase rectifier 230 receives three-phase power (R, S, T) from the three-phase generator 220 and performs rectification, and may include an ammeter and a voltmeter for each phase.

At this time, the output (P _G (W)) of the three-phase generator 220 can be calculated using the 3-watt measurement method, which is shown in Equation 2 below.

The control unit 110 may compare the output of the three-phase generator 220 with a reference range to evaluate the performance of the three-phase generator.

Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of the power management unit 170 applied to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the power management unit 170 applied to the present invention includes an ammeter (I1) that detects the input current (I(1)) and input voltage (V(1)) at the input terminal that receives the output of the three-phase rectifier 230. ) and a voltmeter (V1), a first direct current contactor (DR1) that controls connection or disconnection of the electronic load 171, and a third direct current contactor (DR1) that connects or disconnects the charging current supplied to the battery 240 ( DR3), a second direct current contactor (DR2) that connects or blocks the discharge current of the battery 240, and a device that detects the current (I(2)) and voltage (V(2)) caused by the electronic load 171. It includes an ammeter (I2) and a voltmeter (V2), and an ammeter (I3) and a voltmeter (V(3)) that detect the terminal current (I(3)) and voltage (V(3)) of the battery 240. .

The control unit 110 calculates the rectified generated power (P _REC ) using the current and voltage detected by the ammeter (I1) and the voltmeter (V1) and compares it with the reference range to evaluate performance.

Generated power can be expressed in Equation 3 below.

In this configuration, the control unit 110 can vary the operating environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 by varying the contact states of the first to third direct current contactors DR1 to DR3 of the power management unit 170.

Specifically, when the battery 240 is charging, the third DC contactor (DR3) is in a contact state and the second DC contactor (DR2) is in a blocked state, and when discharging, on the contrary, the second DC contactor (DR2) is in a contact state. In this state, the third direct current contactor (DR3) is controlled to be blocked.

During discharging, the first direct current contactor DR1 is in contact, and the power of the battery 240 is consumed by the electronic load 171.

The operating state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can be controlled according to the states of these contactors, and a specific example is shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, a state in which the first to third direct current contactors (DR1 to DR3) are all blocked is the engine 210 starting state, indicating a no-load state.

Additionally, a state in which only the first direct current contactor (DR1) is contacted represents an engine power generation-load state.

That is, the engine 210 operates and the power generated through the three-phase generator 220 is rectified through the three-phase rectifier 230 and supplied to the electronic load 171. At this time, the battery 240 is not charged or discharged.

In addition, when only the third direct current contactor DR3 is contacted, the battery 240 is charged with power generated according to the operation of the engine.

Next, in a state in which only the second direct current contactor (DR2) is blocked, the power produced by the action of the engine 210 and the generator 220 is supplied to the electronic load 171 and the battery 240, and the load and charging Tests can be performed simultaneously.

When only the third direct current contactor DR3 is blocked, the power of the three-phase rectifier 230 and the discharge power of the battery 240 are supplied to the electronic load 171.

Power load and charge/discharge tests can be performed when all of the first to third direct current contactors (DR1 to DR3) are in contact, and finally, only the third direct current contactor (DR3) is blocked while the engine 210 is stopped. Therefore, a discharge test can be performed in which only the power of the battery 240 is supplied to the electronic load 171.

At this time, the test results are detected by ammeters and voltmeters and provided to the control device unit 110, and the control device unit 110 compares the detected values with normal ranges to perform performance evaluation according to each operating state. You can.

Figure 5 shows an example of a test mode that performs various tests including the engine and electronic load.

In other words, power generation test, battery charging test, battery discharge test, take-off test, cruise test, cruising charging test, cruising charging and discharging test, emergency landing, no-load voltage test, and partial load power test can be performed.

Figure 6 is a flowchart of the hybrid integrated test method for the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention performed in the control device unit 110.

Referring to FIG. 6, when power is supplied and the engine is ready to start, data monitoring begins (S61).

When the starter motor of the engine 210 operates (S62), it is checked whether the engine 210 is operating (S63), and the temperature of the engine 210 is detected in the engine idling state (S64) (S65).

If the engine temperature exceeds 80℃, the target power generation voltage, electronic load, and test mode are set (S66).

At this time, setting the test mode determines the status of the first to third direct current contactors (DR1 to DR3) described above.

Next, the speed of the engine is varied using the size relationship between the target generated voltage (Vs) set in the corresponding test mode and the actually detected generated voltage (Vd) (S67).

At this time, the engine speed can be adjusted using the throttle actuator 120.

If the target generated voltage (Vs) and the detected generated voltage (Vd) are the same, data from each sensor, ammeter, and voltmeter are acquired and stored, and performance is evaluated by comparison with the reference range (S68).

When the test is completed, a termination process (S69) is performed, in which the engine 210 is idled, the electronic load 171 is set to no load, maintained for a certain period of time, and the engine 210 is stopped. .

In this way, the present invention can check the power generation performance and battery charging and discharging performance according to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle's engine, and can evaluate performance in various operating environments by varying the unmanned aerial vehicle operating conditions according to the settings of the electronic load.

Although embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, they are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent scope of embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.

100: Hybrid integrated test device for unmanned aerial vehicles
110: Control device 120: Throttle actuator
121: Throttle position sensor 130: Monitoring unit
140: Fuel sensor 150: RPM sensor
160: Torque sensor 170: Power management unit
171:Electronic load

Claims (6)

A test device for a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a three-phase generator that generates electrical energy using the driving force of the engine, a three-phase rectifier that converts the electrical energy of the three-phase generator into direct current electrical energy, and a battery that charges direct current electrical energy,
A throttle actuator that controls the speed of the engine according to the control of the control unit;
a monitoring unit that detects the operating state of the engine and provides the information to the control unit; and
A test device including a power management unit disposed between the three-phase rectifier and the battery and converting a test mode under the control of the control unit. According to paragraph 1,
The power management department,
A first direct current contactor that selectively supplies direct current electrical energy from the three-phase current machine to the electronic load;
a second direct current contactor that selectively supplies electrical energy from the battery to the electronic load; and
A test device that includes a third direct current contactor that selectively supplies direct current electrical energy from a three-phase current generator to the battery to charge it. According to paragraph 2,
The power management department,
A first ammeter and a first voltmeter that respectively detect the current and voltage input from the three-phase current machine and provide the same to the control unit;
a second ammeter and a second voltmeter that detect the current and voltage consumed by the electronic load and provide the same to the control unit; and
A test device including a third ammeter and a third voltmeter that detects the current and voltage charged in the battery and provides them to the control device unit. According to paragraph 3,
The control unit,
Set the target power generation voltage,
When the generated voltage is lower than the generated voltage detected by the first voltmeter, the throttle actuator is controlled to accelerate the engine,
A test device that controls the throttle actuator to slow down the engine when the generated voltage is larger. According to clause 4,
The control unit,
When the target generated voltage and the detected generated voltage are the same,
A test device that evaluates the charge/discharge performance of the battery by comparing the detection results of the second ammeter, second voltmeter, third ammeter, and third voltmeter with the reference range. As a test method for an unmanned aerial vehicle using the test device of paragraph 3,
Setting a target power generation voltage in the control unit;
Detecting the generated voltage of the three-phase rectifier;
Controlling the speed of the engine to increase or decrease the speed so that the target power generation voltage and the power generation voltage are the same value;
A test method that includes the step of evaluating performance by detecting the power consumption of the electronic load and the battery charging power when the target power generation voltage and the power generation voltage are the same.