Unmanned aerial vehicle power management and information monitoring system

Abstract

The invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle power management and information monitoring system, and the system comprises a power management and information monitoring device which is connected among an unmanned aerial vehicle power supply, an unmanned aerial vehicle flight controller, and an unmanned aerial vehicle load set. Wherein the power management and information monitoring equipment is internally integrated with a unified power management module used for receiving electric energy of an unmanned aerial vehicle power supply and providing one or more transformed stable power supplies for an unmanned aerial vehicle load set; and the information and control concentrator module is used as an information and control relay among the unmanned aerial vehicle flight control, the unmanned aerial vehicle load set and the sensor. The invention aims to help to solve the problems of complex flight control interface and overweight operation burden caused by direct data and control interaction between numerous airborne equipment and a flight controller, and low system integration degree and insufficient reliability caused by decentralized management of a power supply in an existing unmanned aerial vehicle system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle communication control, and in particular to a power management and information monitoring system for unmanned aerial vehicles. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, drone technology has developed rapidly, expanding its applications from consumer aerial photography to industrial inspection, agricultural plant protection, logistics and transportation, and even military applications. To meet increasingly complex mission requirements, drones are continuously evolving toward heavier payloads, longer endurance, and multi-functional payloads. This development trend places higher demands on the reliability and efficiency of drone onboard system architecture, particularly the power supply system, communication links, and control logic.

[0003] Traditional drone system architectures, especially for large and medium-sized drones with complex functions, feature a diverse array of onboard equipment, including engines, generators, various mission payloads (such as high-definition cameras and lidar), navigation modules (GPS, IMU), data links, and numerous servo motors. Typically, these devices independently communicate data and exchange commands with the drone's core controller, the flight controller (FC). This direct, point-to-point, star-like topology has exposed a series of technical bottlenecks in practice. First, the FC is overburdened. Not only does the FC have to run core flight attitude control and navigation algorithms, it also requires significant hardware and software resources to manage connections with numerous peripherals. This requires the FC to reserve numerous physical interfaces for various electrical standards (such as UART, CAN, I2C, and PWM) and communication protocols, resulting in complex and costly hardware design. Furthermore, processing heterogeneous data streams from numerous devices places a significant computational burden on the FC's CPU, impacting the real-time and stability of its core flight missions. Second, power management solutions are fragmented and lack scalability. Small drones typically rely on a single battery pack, making them difficult to meet the demands of long-duration, high-power missions. Larger drones, on the other hand, have varying requirements for supply voltage and current stability (for example, servos require 8V, communications equipment may require 12V, and payloads may require 24V or higher). To meet these diverse demands, existing solutions often utilize multiple independent DC-DC power conversion modules distributed throughout the aircraft. This approach not only complicates the overall power supply wiring, increasing wiring complexity and system weight, but also easily leads to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues, such as crosstalk between power lines, which can affect the accuracy of sensitive sensors like GPS. Furthermore, these decentralized power modules are difficult to monitor and manage uniformly, making accurate real-time statistics and intelligent allocation of overall power consumption impossible.

[0004] Third, the system's integration is low, resulting in insufficient reliability and safety. The dispersed connections between various devices complicate the overall wiring and the large number of connectors. This not only increases the difficulty of assembly and troubleshooting, but also becomes a weak link in system reliability. Loose connectors or worn wiring are common sources of failure. Furthermore, without effective isolation measures, electrical connections between different devices can easily create ground loops due to ground potential differences, introducing noise interference and degrading signal quality. Even more seriously, if an electrical fault such as a short circuit occurs in a load device, the fault can be transmitted to the flight control system or other critical equipment through shared power or signal lines, triggering a chain reaction and posing a serious threat to the safety of the entire drone.

[0005] Therefore, when dealing with the complexity of large-scale, multi-functional UAV systems, existing technologies generally have problems such as heavy flight control burden, chaotic power management, low system integration and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to help solve the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention provides a UAV power management and information monitoring system, which aims to help solve the problems in existing UAV systems, such as complex flight control interfaces and heavy computing burdens caused by direct data and control interactions between numerous onboard devices and the flight controller, as well as low system integration and insufficient reliability caused by decentralized power management.

[0007] The present invention discloses a UAV power management and information monitoring system, comprising:

[0008] Power management and information monitoring equipment, which is connected between the drone power supply, drone flight control and drone payload collection;

[0009] The internal integration of the power management and information monitoring equipment includes:

[0010] a unified power management module, configured to receive power from the UAV power supply and provide one or more transformed stable power supplies to the UAV load set;

[0011] An information and control hub module, used to relay information and control between the UAV flight control and the UAV payload set and sensors;

[0012] Wherein, the information and control hub module is configured as follows:

[0013] Collecting device status information related to the drone payload set and sensors, and integrating and packaging the device status information and sending it to the drone flight control; and,

[0014] Receive control instructions from the UAV flight control, and generate corresponding control signals based on the control instructions to control the actuators in the UAV payload set.

[0015] Specifically, the core of the present invention's technical solution lies in the installation of a power management and information monitoring device. This device, in terms of physical connections and functional division, serves as a central hub between the drone's power supply, the drone's flight control system, and the drone's payload collection. Internally, the power management and information monitoring device integrates two core functional modules: a unified power management module and an information and control hub module. In specific operation, the unified power management module first connects to the drone's power supply and receives electrical energy from a primary energy source such as a power generation system or battery. The module then performs necessary voltage conversion, filtering, and voltage stabilization on the received energy, generating stable DC power at one or more different voltage levels. This power is then distributed to various power-consuming devices in the drone's payload collection, such as mission payloads, servos, and image transmission systems, to meet their respective power supply requirements. Meanwhile, the information and control hub module acts as an information and control relay between the drone's flight control system and underlying devices. Through its multiple integrated interfaces, it actively collects operating status information from each device in the drone's payload collection, as well as monitoring data from various sensors throughout the drone, such as voltage, current, and temperature. These raw data, coming from different sources and in various formats, are uniformly integrated and packaged within the module to form standardized data frames, which are then sent to the drone's flight control system via a centralized communication link. On the other hand, the module receives high-level control commands from the drone's flight control system, such as controlling the movement of the gimbal or turning a device on or off. The processor within the module is responsible for parsing these commands and converting them into low-level control signals that can be recognized by specific actuators, such as PWM signals or high and low-level signals. These signals are then output through the corresponding control interface to drive the actuators in the drone's payload collection to complete the specified action. Through this structure, the distribution and management of power, as well as the uploading of information and the issuance of commands, are all centrally coordinated by the central device, forming an orderly and efficient closed-loop working loop.

[0016] According to the present invention, a drone power management and information monitoring system comprises a unified power management module comprising multiple isolated power modules. Each isolated power module is configured as a DC-DC converter with input and output electrical isolation, and is used to convert the voltage from the drone power supply into output voltages of different voltage levels to power individual drone loads in the drone load set. Specifically, in this technical solution, the unified power management module is internally provided with multiple isolated power modules connected in parallel. These isolated power modules are each DC-DC converters with input and output electrical isolation, for example, by physically isolating the input and output ground lines through a built-in transformer or optocoupler. Each isolated power module is responsible for converting the unified input voltage from the drone power supply into an output voltage of a specific voltage level, such as 28V, 24V, 12V, or 8V. These output voltages of different voltage levels correspond to supplying specific load devices in the drone load set with different operating voltage requirements. By using multiple electrically isolated power modules for power supply, when a serious electrical fault such as a short circuit occurs on a load on a power branch, the electrical isolation prevents the fault from being transmitted to other power branches through the power ground wire, thus limiting the fault to a local area and avoiding a chain reaction that affects the entire system, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the entire power supply system. At the same time, this multi-channel independent output design also effectively suppresses the electromagnetic noise generated by different load devices from interfering with each other through the power lines, ensuring the purity of each power supply.

[0017] According to the present invention, a drone power management and information monitoring system comprises a pre-filter circuit connected to the input of each isolated power module and a post-filter circuit connected to the output. Specifically, in this technical solution, to further improve power supply quality, each isolated power module is also connected to a pre-filter circuit at its input and a post-filter circuit at its output. The pre-filter circuit, typically composed of components such as inductors and capacitors, is used to filter out noise and spikes from the drone's power supply, providing a more stable input voltage for the isolated power module. After the isolated power module completes voltage conversion, its output voltage may still contain some high-frequency switching ripple. The post-filter circuit is responsible for further filtering and smoothing this ripple. This dual input and output filtering design ensures that the DC power ultimately delivered to each drone load has a low ripple factor and good stability. This is particularly important for precision equipment sensitive to power quality, such as GPS and high-precision sensors, ensuring proper and accurate operation.

[0018] According to the present invention, a drone power management and information monitoring system comprises an initiating power supply and a backup battery. The unified power management module also includes a backup battery interface circuit, which includes an ideal diode controller and a MOSFET controlled by the ideal diode controller. The ideal diode controller and MOSFET are connected in series to the backup battery's power supply path. The ideal diode controller is configured to control the MOSFET to turn off when it detects that the voltage of the initiating power supply is higher than the voltage of the backup battery, and to control the MOSFET to turn on when it detects that the voltage of the initiating power supply is higher than the voltage of the backup battery. Specifically, in this technical solution, the drone power supply comprises an initiating power supply as a regular power source and a backup battery as an emergency backup. The unified power management module also includes a backup battery interface circuit, the core structure of which is a series combination of an ideal diode controller and a MOSFET controlled by the ideal diode controller, which is connected in series to the backup battery's power supply path. The ideal diode controller monitors and compares the voltages of the initiating power supply and the backup battery in real time. Under normal operating conditions, when the initiating power supply is operating normally and its voltage is higher than the backup battery voltage, the controller outputs a signal to keep the MOSFET in an off state, thereby terminating the backup battery's discharge circuit. This design not only avoids unnecessary power loss from the backup battery in non-emergency situations, but also effectively prevents the Qiqi Power Supply from improperly reverse charging or floating charging the backup battery, thereby protecting the health and service life of the backup battery. Once the Qiqi Power Supply fails due to a fault or the voltage drops below the backup battery voltage, the controller can immediately detect the change in voltage difference and quickly drive the MOSFET tube to conduct, allowing the backup battery's power to seamlessly connect to the power bus. This automatic switching mechanism based on voltage comparison ensures that core equipment can receive uninterrupted power supply at the critical moment of Qiqi Power Supply failure, effectively improving the drone's survivability and mission execution reliability in complex environments.

[0019] According to a drone power management and information monitoring system of the present invention, the power management and information monitoring device further includes a power supply control module; the power supply control module is connected between the single-chip microcomputer in the information and control hub module and the input end of one of the isolated power supply modules, and is used to control the input of the isolated power supply module on and off according to the control signal sent by the single-chip microcomputer. Specifically, in this technical solution, in order to realize the intelligent management of specific critical loads, a power supply control module is further provided in the power management and information monitoring device. The power supply control module is located between the single-chip microcomputer in the information and control hub module and the input end of an isolated power supply module specifically for powering the payload device in terms of circuit connection. The single-chip microcomputer, as the core controller of the device, can accurately control the input power of the isolated power supply module specifically for powering the payload device through the power supply control module according to the preset power management mechanism, the instructions of the drone flight control or the system status monitored in real time. This design brings significant technical advantages:

[0020] Advantage 1: Mission-oriented energy management: This system enables independent power control for core payloads. For example, unneeded payloads can be shut down during specific mission phases (e.g., takeoff or cruise), and powered only during specific missions (e.g., reconnaissance or mapping). This significantly optimizes the overall energy consumption profile and effectively extends the drone's flight time.

[0021] Advantage 2: Fault isolation of critical loads: This provides effective fault protection. When the MCU detects a serious electrical fault, such as a short circuit or overcurrent, in a payload branch circuit through current monitoring or other means, it immediately and proactively cuts off power to that branch circuit through the power control module, isolating the fault to that branch circuit. This prevents damage to a single load from affecting the stability of the entire main power busbar, thus ensuring the flight safety of the drone's core system.

[0022] Therefore, by adding this power supply control link for a specific load, the present invention provides a more reliable hardware foundation for achieving a higher level of refined power consumption management and targeted fault isolation functions.

[0023] According to the present invention, a drone power management and information monitoring system includes an information and control hub module that includes an information acquisition interface. The information acquisition interface includes multiple signal inputs, a decoder, and a single-chip microcomputer. The single-chip microcomputer's I / O port is connected to the decoder's select control terminal via an optocoupler isolator. A pre-stage signal processing circuit, a linear signal isolator, and a post-stage processing circuit are connected in series between the decoder's output and the single-chip microcomputer's A / D acquisition interface. Specifically, in this technical solution, the information and control hub module includes an information acquisition interface that includes multiple signal inputs for connecting to external sensors, a decoder that serves as a signal selection channel, and the single-chip microcomputer as the core processing unit. The connection is as follows: the single-chip microcomputer's I / O port is connected to the decoder's select control terminal via an optocoupler isolator, while the decoder's single output is connected to the single A / D acquisition interface of the single-chip microcomputer via a common signal path. This common signal path also includes a pre-stage signal processing circuit, a linear signal isolator, and a post-stage processing circuit. During operation, the microcontroller outputs a digital selection signal through its I / O port. This signal, after optical coupling isolation, controls the decoder to select one of multiple input signals. The selected analog signal then passes through pre- and post-processing circuits and a linear signal isolator before entering the A / D interface for sampling. This multiplexing design enables time-sharing acquisition of multiple sensor signals using only a single A / D sampling channel, significantly conserving microcontroller hardware resources and reducing costs. Furthermore, this structure provides dual electrical isolation: the optical coupler isolates the microcontroller's digital control ground from the external decoder and sensor grounds, while the linear signal isolator isolates the analog signal path from the microcontroller's analog ground. This comprehensive isolation effectively prevents external electrical noise or high-voltage surges from damaging the microcontroller through the acquisition channels, ensuring the safety of the core controller.

[0024] According to the present invention, a drone power management and information monitoring system comprises multiple signal input terminals configured to receive voltage, current, or resistance signals from various sensors on the drone. The pre-stage signal processing circuit is configured to amplify and filter the signals selected by the decoder. The linear signal isolator is used to achieve isolated signal amplitude transmission. The post-stage processing circuit processes the isolated and transmitted signals to match the input requirements of the A / D acquisition interface of the microcontroller. Specifically, in this technical solution, the multiple signal input terminals are configured to accommodate different signal types, such as voltage, current, or resistance, from various drone sensors. When the decoder selects a signal, the pre-stage signal processing circuit first performs necessary conditioning, such as amplifying the signal to match the dynamic range of subsequent circuits or filtering to remove noise from the original signal. Subsequently, the linear signal isolator ensures linear and distortion-free transmission of the analog signal amplitude information while achieving electrical isolation between the pre- and post-stage circuits. Finally, the isolated and transmitted signal enters the post-processing circuit, which is responsible for final signal adjustments, such as level clamping or impedance matching, to ensure that it fully meets the input voltage range and electrical characteristics requirements of the microcontroller's A / D acquisition interface. This complete and clearly defined signal processing process helps ensure that every channel of information collected from the sensor to the microcontroller is highly accurate and reliable, providing an accurate data foundation for flight control decision-making.

[0025] According to the present invention, a drone power management and information monitoring system comprises an information and control hub module comprising a communication interface; an electrical isolation device and a bus transceiver are sequentially arranged on the communication circuit of the communication interface; a communication controller pin of a microcontroller within the information and control hub module is connected to the input side of the electrical isolation device, and the output side of the electrical isolation device is connected to the bus transceiver, which is then connected to an external communication bus. Specifically, in this technical solution, the electrical isolation device and the bus transceiver are sequentially arranged on the communication circuit of the communication interface. The connection relationship is as follows: a communication controller pin (such as a UART or CAN pin) of the microcontroller within the information and control hub module is connected to the input side of the electrical isolation device, and the output side of the isolation device is then connected to a bus transceiver (such as a MAX232, MAX485, etc.), which is ultimately connected to the external communication bus via the bus transceiver. This structure physically isolates the microcontroller's main control ground from the communication bus ground through the electrical isolation device. This design effectively avoids ground loop interference caused by inconsistent ground potentials between devices, significantly enhancing the communication link's immunity to electromagnetic interference. The bus transceiver converts the microcontroller's output logic levels into differential or single-ended signals that comply with the corresponding bus standards (such as RS232, RS422, and CAN), while providing sufficient drive capability. This solution ensures stable and complete data transmission in the complex electromagnetic environment of drones.

[0026] According to the unmanned aerial vehicle power management and information monitoring system, the information and control hub module comprises a control interface; an electrical isolation device is arranged on a control signal output circuit of the control interface; the electrical isolation device is arranged between a control signal output pin of a single-chip microcomputer in the information and control hub module and a driving circuit for driving the actuator; and the single-chip microcomputer can output control signals including a PWM control signal, an analog signal of D / A output, and an IO port high-low level switch control signal. Specifically, in the technical scheme, the electrical isolation device is arranged on the control signal output circuit of the control interface, and is arranged between the control signal output pin of the single-chip microcomputer in the information and control hub module and the driving circuit for driving the actuator. In addition, the interface is designed to be capable of outputting various types of control signals, including a PWM control signal for servo steering engine or motor speed regulation, an analog signal of D / A output for high-precision analog quantity control, and an IO port high-low level switch control signal for simple switch control. When the single-chip microcomputer sends out a control signal, the signal is first transmitted through the electrical isolation device (such as an optical coupler), and the isolated signal drives the external actuator. This design completely isolates the core control circuit of the single-chip microcomputer from the high-power actuator driving circuit in terms of electricity, which can effectively prevent the single-chip microcomputer from being damaged by strong reverse current or high-voltage pulse through the control line due to short circuit, overcurrent and other faults of the actuator. At the same time, supporting multiple types of control signals makes the interface have good universality and expansibility, and can adapt to various actuators on the unmanned aerial vehicle to meet diversified control requirements.

[0027] According to the unmanned aerial vehicle power management and information monitoring system, the single-chip microcomputer in the information and control hub module is further configured to: perform a dynamic power consumption allocation mechanism, selectively controls power on and power off of a specific load in the set of loads of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to task phase information received from the flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle and based on an estimation result of the state of charge of the power supply of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and perform a load health state monitoring mechanism, establishes a current characteristic baseline in a normal working state for at least one load in the set of loads of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and monitors the actual working current of the load in real time during operation, compares the actual working current with the current characteristic baseline to determine whether the load has a hard fault or a soft fault of performance degradation, and generates fault alarm information or performs fault isolation operation based on the determination result.

[0028] As can be understood, this solution, by implementing a dynamic power allocation mechanism and load health monitoring within the microcontroller of the information and control hub module, enables refined energy management, significantly extending the drone's effective flight endurance. This shifts from passive power supply to active energy scheduling. Traditional power management units simply passively power all connected loads. The dynamic power allocation mechanism in this solution enables the power management and information monitoring equipment to proactively and intelligently power non-core loads (especially high-power payloads) independently based on the drone's actual mission phase (e.g., cruise, operation) and real-time available power. This fundamentally avoids energy waste during non-essential periods, prioritizing limited power for core flight and critical missions. This directly extends the drone's overall flight endurance or allows for longer periods of high-power operation with the same flight endurance. Furthermore, it improves the accuracy of flight control decisions. By accurately estimating the battery's state of charge (SoC), this system not only enables internal energy scheduling but also reports more reliable available power data and remaining flight endurance estimates to the drone's flight control. This provides high-quality data support for the flight control system to execute advanced mission planning and autonomous return-to-home decisions, enhancing the intelligence and safety of drone flight. Furthermore, it improves system reliability and safety, enables predictive maintenance, and implements active fault isolation to prevent cascading failures. In traditional architectures, a severe electrical fault such as a short circuit in a single load can instantly bring down the entire power bus, causing a power loss to critical equipment like the flight control system, resulting in catastrophic consequences. The load health monitoring mechanism in this solution, through real-time current comparison, can identify hard faults within microseconds and immediately initiate fault isolation (such as shutting off the load power supply). This active isolation mechanism effectively confines the fault to a single branch, ensuring the normal operation of the main power bus and other critical equipment, significantly improving drone flight safety at the system level. It also enables a shift from post-fault repair to predictive maintenance. For performance degradation (soft faults) caused by component aging, mechanical wear, and other factors, characterized by persistent, subtle anomalies in power consumption, which are difficult to detect with traditional methods, this solution can proactively identify these signs of performance degradation by continuously comparing current characteristics with a baseline. Instead of immediately interrupting equipment operations, it generates warnings or maintenance recommendations. This allows operators to intervene proactively and perform repairs or replacements before equipment fails, achieving predictive maintenance. This not only avoids the risks associated with sudden equipment failure during a mission but also significantly reduces unplanned downtime and overall lifecycle maintenance costs.

[0029] The technical effects of the unmanned aerial vehicle power management and information monitoring system of the application include: first, by introducing the power management and information monitoring device as an intermediate management layer between the flight control and the bottom layer load, the complex power distribution, multi-source heterogeneous information collection, bottom layer driving signal generation and other tasks are separated from the flight control. The flight control no longer needs to design a large number of interfaces of different physical types and protocols to directly connect each peripheral, and only needs to interact with the central device through a few standardized communication interfaces. This change in architecture directly simplifies the hardware design of the flight control and reduces the complexity of its software, so that the operation resources can be released from the tedious I / O management and data analysis tasks, so as to be more focused on the key algorithms such as core flight attitude calculation, navigation planning and high-level task decision, which has a positive effect on improving the flight stability and autonomy level of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Secondly, the scheme integrates the functions of the original dispersed power conversion module, sensor hub, interface converter and the like in a single device, changing the complex star-shaped connection topology between each device and the flight control in the traditional unmanned aerial vehicle system. This centralized design greatly simplifies the wiring of the whole machine, reduces the number, weight and potential failure points introduced by too many connectors, improves the integration level and modularization level of the system, and also provides convenience for subsequent maintenance, upgrade and function expansion. Finally, the architecture establishes a functional barrier between the flight control and the numerous loads, and the electrical failure or data anomaly on the load side can be preliminarily processed or isolated by the central device, reducing the risk of directly impacting and affecting the core flight control system, thereby improving the operation reliability and safety of the whole machine at the system level. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the application or prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle power management and information monitoring system of the application;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the function module of the unmanned aerial vehicle power management and information monitoring device of the application;

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the standby battery interface design of the application;

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the power supply design of the application;

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the information collection interface design of the application;

[0036] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the communication interface design of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the control interface design of the present invention.

[0038] Reference numerals:

[0039] 100. UAV power supply, 101. Generator, 102. Inspiration power supply, 103. 7S battery;

[0040] 200. Power management and information monitoring equipment, 201. Ideal diode controller, 202. Fuse, 203. Isolated 28V power module, 204. Power supply control module, 205. Isolated 24V power module, 206. Isolated 12V power module, 207. Isolated 8V power module, 208. Microcontroller, 209. Sensor;

[0041] 300, UAV flight control;

[0042] 400, UAV payload collection, 401, payload equipment, 402, 28V load, 403, 28V load, 404, 24V load, 405, 24V load, 406, 24V load, 407, 12V load, 408, 12V load, 409, 12V load, 410, 8V load;

[0043] 501, information collection interface, 502, communication interface, 503, control interface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly and completely understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] like Figure 1As shown, this embodiment provides a UAV power management and information monitoring system. This figure is a schematic diagram of the overall architecture of the UAV power management and information monitoring system provided by one embodiment of the present invention. This system aims to address technical issues in existing UAV systems, such as complex interfaces, heavy computational burdens, low system integration, and insufficient reliability, caused by the flight controller's need to directly interact with numerous onboard devices for power supply, communication, and control. As shown in the figure, this system includes a core power management and information monitoring device 200, which serves as a central hub in the UAV system, both physically and functionally. Specifically, the power management and information monitoring device 200 is connected between the UAV power supply 100, the UAV flight controller 300, and the UAV payload assembly 400. In the system architecture proposed by the present invention, the power management and information monitoring device 200 serves as an energy and information hub, responsible for receiving power from the UAV power supply 100, and uniformly managing and distributing the electrical energy, providing stable and reliable power to various devices in the UAV payload assembly 400. At the same time, device 200 serves as the intermediate management layer between the drone flight controller 300 and the underlying devices. It is responsible for centrally collecting status information about the device itself and the drone payload, integrating and packaging this information, and sending it to the drone flight controller 300 via a standardized communication interface. Conversely, it also receives high-level control instructions from the drone flight controller 300, parses them, and generates specific control signals to drive the corresponding actuators in the drone payload 400. This centralized management architecture removes the complex underlying device management tasks from the drone flight controller 300, effectively simplifying the software and hardware design burden of the flight controller 300, allowing it to focus more on core flight control algorithms, thereby improving the overall performance and intelligence of the drone.

[0046] In order to realize the above functions, the power management and information monitoring device 200 has a highly integrated unified power management module and an information and control hub module. Figures 2 to 7 The specific structure and working principles of these two core modules are explained in depth.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, the unified power management module of the device 200 is responsible for providing stable, reliable and diversified power supply for the drone payload set 400.

[0048] To ensure the flight safety of the UAV in extreme situations such as power failure, the module is designed with power redundancy. In this embodiment, the UAV power supply 100 includes a power supply 102 powered by a generator 101 as the main power supply, and a 7S battery 103 as the backup power supply. Figure 3 , the figure is the design principle diagram of the backup battery interface circuit, which corresponds to Figure 2The ideal diode controller 201 and its peripheral circuits are shown in Figure 2. The drone's main power source (e.g., the triggering power source 102) and the backup battery 103 serve as the power input for the device 200. The core of the backup battery interface circuit is an ideal diode controller 201 (e.g., an LTC4359 chip) and a MOSFET controlled by it. The ideal diode controller 201 monitors and compares the voltages of the triggering power source 102 and the backup battery 103 in real time. When the triggering power source 102 is operating normally and its voltage is higher than that of the backup battery 103, the ideal diode controller 201 controls the MOSFET to remain off, effectively preventing unnecessary discharge of the backup battery 103 and reverse charging by the triggering power source. If the triggering power source 102 fails or its voltage drops below that of the backup battery 103, the ideal diode controller 201 instantly controls the MOSFET to turn on, seamlessly connecting the power from the backup battery 103 to the main power bus, ensuring the continued operation of the core equipment.

[0049] After power redundancy, the total current on the main power bus is monitored in real time by a sensor 209. This monitoring signal is sent to a single-chip microcomputer 208 for bus current acquisition. Subsequently, after overcurrent protection is provided by a fuse 202, the power from the main power bus is distributed to multiple subsequent parallel power supply branches to output various voltage levels. The specific connection relationship is as follows:

[0050] 1. Controllable isolated 28V power supply branch: The main power bus is connected to the input of a power supply control module 204, whose on / off is controlled by a single-chip microcomputer 208. Its output is connected to the input of an isolated 28V power supply module 203, whose output (labeled 28V1) is specifically used to power the load device 401.

[0051] 2. Non-isolated 28V power supply branch: A branch (marked as 28V2) is directly separated from the main power supply bus to directly power two 28V loads (402 and 403).

[0052] 3. Multiple isolated power supply branches: The main power supply bus is directly connected to the input ends of the isolated 24V power module 205, the isolated 12V power module 206 and the isolated 8V power module 207. These modules convert the bus voltage and supply power to the corresponding 24V loads (404, 405, 406), 12V loads (407, 408, 409) and 8V load 410.

[0053] Preferably, in order to improve the power supply quality of each output, such as combining Figure 4As shown, the input end of each isolated power supply module (203, 205, 206, 207) can be connected to a pre-stage filter circuit, and the output end can also be connected to a post-stage filter circuit to filter out noise and suppress ripple, thereby providing high-quality DC power for various precision load devices.

[0054] The information and control hub module of the power management and information monitoring device 200, centered around a single-chip microcomputer (MCU) 208, is responsible for the aggregation and distribution of all information and control flows. To achieve highly intelligent management and ensure reliability, the functional programs embedded within MCU 208, in addition to performing basic information collection and command forwarding, are further configured to perform refined energy management and load status monitoring. This module includes a series of functional interfaces, the specific design and collaborative working methods of which are as follows.

[0055] See also Figure 5 Combined with Figure 2 As shown in the figure, a specific design principle of the information collection interface 501 is shown. This interface is used to implement Figure 2 As shown in the figure, sensor 209 provides functions such as bus current and voltage acquisition. To save hardware costs and ensure electrical safety, information acquisition interface 501 employs a multiplexing and isolation design. Multiple sensor signals (input 1, input 2, etc.) are input to a decoder (i.e., an analog multiplexer). Microcontroller 208 (CPU) outputs a selection signal via an optocoupler isolator, controlling the decoder to select only one signal at a time. The selected signal then passes through processing circuits such as a signal isolator before being fed into the same A / D acquisition interface of microcontroller 208 for digitization. This design enables time-sharing sampling of multiple signals while ensuring electrical isolation between the main control circuit and the front-end analog signals.

[0056] See also Figure 6 Combined with Figure 2 Figure 5 shows the design schematic of communication interface 502. This interface enables data exchange between microcontroller 208 and drone flight controller 300. To ensure reliable communication, the communication circuit utilizes an electrically isolated design. The communication pins of microcontroller 208 (CPU's 232 / 422 / CAN interface) are first connected to the input side of an electrically isolated chip. The output side of this chip is then connected to the corresponding bus master chip (i.e., transceiver), and ultimately to the external communication bus. This architecture physically separates the main control ground from the external communication bus ground, effectively preventing ground loop interference and significantly enhancing the communication link's anti-interference capability.

[0057] See also Figure 7 Combined with Figure 2As shown in Figure 5, the design schematic of the control interface 503 is shown. This interface is used by the microcontroller 208 to output control signals to actuators such as the load device 401. To protect the main control circuit, the control signal output circuit also uses electrical isolation. The control signal output pins of the microcontroller 208 (CPU's PWM / DA / IO control interface) are first connected to an electrical isolation circuit (such as an optocoupler), and its output is then connected to the subsequent control signal processing circuit (i.e., the drive circuit), ultimately driving the actuator. The microcontroller 208 can generate PWM control signals, analog signals output by the D / A output, and high and low level switch control signals of the IO port. These signals safely drive the load through isolation devices, ensuring that even a serious electrical fault on the actuator side will not damage the core main control circuit.

[0058] To further enhance the central management function of the system, the microcontroller 208 also performs the following energy optimization and load monitoring functions through the information collected by the above interfaces:

[0059] 1. Implement energy scheduling logic based on task status: The single chip computer 208 continuously obtains the total current of the main power supply bus flowing through the sensor 209 through the information acquisition interface 501 and the voltage of the drone power supply 100 To accurately determine the current available power state of the drone power supply 100, the microcontroller 208 calculates the battery state of charge by integrating the collected current over time. , and its specific calculation method is:

[0060]

[0061] in, is the initial state of charge, is the rated capacity of the power supply, and the integral term is obtained by sampling the current value at high frequency and accumulating it in the discrete system of the single chip microcomputer. To correct the cumulative error that may be caused by long-term integration, the single chip microcomputer 208 also uses the real-time voltage Compare to the pre-stored battery open circuit voltage - Characteristic curve, when the drone load is light The calculation results are calibrated.

[0062] To provide a basis for energy scheduling logic, the microcontroller 208 calculates an estimated remaining operation time based on the current state of charge and recent average power consumption. :

[0063]

[0064] in, is the set safety power threshold, The total current in the near future The average operating current is calculated by sliding average to smooth the impact of instantaneous current fluctuations on the results.

[0065] The available power state calculated based on the above formula and the estimated remaining time for the job , and combined with the current mission phase identifier (e.g., takeoff, cruise, operation, return) received from the UAV flight control 300 via the communication interface 502, this logic is not a simple judgment, but is based on a task-load priority "mapping table" stored in the non-volatile memory inside the microcontroller and an energy state decision matrix. The specific workflow of this scheduling logic is as follows: First, the microcontroller 208 continuously obtains the energy state ( Real-time value), time margin ( The system then searches the "task-load priority" mapping table based on the current task status to determine the necessity level of each load at the current stage (such as "high" or "low"). Finally, the load priority found is matched with the current energy status and input into the energy status decision matrix to determine the power supply or power off operation to be performed. For example, the decision matrix stipulates that if a load priority is "high", it will keep powering on regardless of the energy status; if the priority is "low" and If the energy consumption is lower than the preset energy-saving threshold, the power supply will be shut down.

[0066] To more clearly illustrate the execution process of the energy scheduling logic, a specific working scenario example is provided below. Assume that the rated capacity of the drone power supply 100 is 10Ah and the preset energy saving threshold is SoC=40%. When the drone takes off with full power and enters the "cruise" mission phase, the initial The MCU queries the mapping table and finds that the priority of the payload device 401 (assuming it is a camera) is "low" in the "cruise" phase. According to the decision matrix (priority "low" but SoC is above the threshold), the MCU decides to keep the camera powered. After a period of flight, when the MCU calculates the current integration, When it drops to 39% and falls below the 40% energy saving threshold for the first time, it executes the decision process again. Since the mission is still "cruise", the camera priority is still "low", but the " "below the energy-saving threshold", so the single-chip microcomputer immediately sends a shutdown instruction to the power supply control module 204 through the control interface 503, so that the camera is powered off, and the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the energy-saving cruise mode. Subsequently, when the unmanned aerial vehicle reaches the destination and the flight control issues a new task phase identifier "operation", the single-chip microcomputer queries that the priority of the camera in the "operation" phase becomes "high", and according to the rules in the decision matrix for "high" priority loads, immediately issues a turn-on instruction to restore power supply to the camera to execute the task. Through such a set of interlocking scheduling processes based on clear rules, the system converts the abstract "energy management" into specific and executable machine operations, realizes fine and automatic control of the energy distribution of the whole machine, and thus maximizes the effective operation time of the unmanned aerial vehicle under the premise of ensuring the core task.

[0067] 2. Real-time monitoring and fault response mechanism for load working state: In order to improve the system's perception of load health, preferably, a current sensor is added at the output of each isolated power supply module (203, 205, 206, 207), and the monitoring data is also collected to the single-chip microcomputer 208 through the information acquisition interface 501. In the system initialization stage, the single-chip microcomputer 208 records the current range of each load in the normal working mode, and stores this range as a reference baseline in the internal memory. During the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the single-chip microcomputer 208 collects the actual working current of each load in real time, and compares it with the corresponding reference baseline.

[0068] If the actual current of a certain load is monitored to be far above the upper limit of its reference baseline, the single-chip microcomputer 208 determines that the load has a short circuit or a serious overcurrent hard fault. For a controllable power supply branch (such as the branch where the load device 401 is located), the single-chip microcomputer 208 will immediately perform fault isolation operation, i.e. cutting off the power supply through the power supply control module 204, and at the same time reporting alarm information containing the fault location and type to the unmanned aerial vehicle flight control 300.

[0069] If the actual current of a certain load is monitored to be continuously and slightly deviated from its reference baseline (for example, the power consumption is continuously and abnormally high), the single-chip microcomputer 208 determines that there is a soft fault symptom of performance degradation or abnormal work. At this time, it does not immediately cut off the power supply, but generates a maintenance suggestion information and sends it to the unmanned aerial vehicle flight control 300 through the communication interface 502. This mechanism enables ground personnel to obtain a prompt before the fault worsens, facilitating targeted maintenance after the task, thereby improving the overall reliability of the system.

[0070] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A UAV power management and information monitoring system, characterized in that: include: A power management and information monitoring device (200), the power management and information monitoring device (200) being connected between the drone power supply (100), the drone flight control (300), and the drone load collection (400); The power management and information monitoring device (200) is internally integrated with: a unified power management module, configured to receive power from the drone power supply (100) and provide one or more transformed stable power supplies to the drone load set (400); An information and control hub module, used to serve as an information and control relay between the UAV flight control (300) and the UAV payload set (400) and sensors; Wherein, the information and control hub module is configured as follows: Collecting device status information related to the drone payload set (400) and sensors, and integrating and packaging the device status information and sending it to the drone flight control (300); and, Receive control instructions from the UAV flight control (300), and generate corresponding control signals based on the control instructions to control the actuators in the UAV payload set (400).

2. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unified power management module includes a plurality of isolated power modules, each of which is configured as a DC-DC converter having an input-side and an output-side electrical isolation function, and is used to convert the voltage from the drone power supply (100) into output voltages of different voltage levels, so as to respectively power each drone load in the drone load set (400).

3. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The input end of each of the isolated power supply modules is connected to a front-stage filter circuit, and the output end is connected to a rear-stage filter circuit.

4. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drone power supply (100) includes an inspiration power supply (102) and a backup battery (103); The unified power management module further comprises a backup battery interface circuit, wherein the backup battery interface circuit is provided with an ideal diode controller (201) and a MOSFET tube controlled by the ideal diode controller (201), and the ideal diode controller (201) and the MOSFET tube are connected in series on the power supply path of the backup battery (103); The ideal diode controller (201) is configured to: when it is detected that the voltage of the inspiration power supply (102) is higher than the voltage of the backup battery (103), control the MOSFET tube to be turned off; otherwise, control the MOSFET tube to be turned on.

5. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power management and information monitoring device (200) further includes a power supply control module (204); The power supply control module (204) is connected between the single-chip microcomputer (208) in the information and control hub module and the input end of one of the isolated power supply modules, and is used to control the input of the isolated power supply module on and off according to a control signal sent by the single-chip microcomputer (208).

6. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The information and control hub module includes an information acquisition interface (501); the information acquisition interface (501) includes a plurality of signal input terminals, a decoder and a single chip microcomputer (208); The I / O port of the single chip computer (208) is connected to the selection control terminal of the decoder via an optical coupler isolator; Between the output end of the decoder and the A / D acquisition interface of the single chip computer (208), a front-stage signal processing circuit, a linear signal isolator and a back-stage processing circuit are sequentially connected in series.

7. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The plurality of signal input terminals are configured to: receive voltage, current or resistance signals from various sensors on the drone; The pre-stage signal processing circuit is configured to amplify and filter the signal selected by the decoder; Realize isolated transmission of signal amplitude through the linear signal isolator; The isolated transmitted signal is processed by the post-processing circuit to match the input requirements of the A / D acquisition interface of the single chip computer (208).

8. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The information and control hub module includes a communication interface (502); The communication circuit of the communication interface (502) is provided with an electrical isolation device and a bus transceiver in sequence; The communication controller pin of the single chip microcomputer (208) in the information and control hub module is connected to the input side of the electrical isolation device, the output side of the electrical isolation device is connected to the bus transceiver, and the bus transceiver is further connected to the external communication bus.

9. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The information and control hub module includes a control interface (503); An electrical isolation device is provided on the control signal output circuit of the control interface (503); The electrical isolation device is arranged between a control signal output pin of a single-chip microcomputer (208) in the information and control hub module and a drive circuit for driving the actuator; wherein the single-chip microcomputer (208) is capable of outputting control signals including PWM control signals, analog signals output by D / A, and high and low level switch control signals of IO ports.

10. The UAV power management and information monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single chip microcomputer (208) in the information and control hub module is further configured as: executing a dynamic power consumption allocation mechanism to selectively control power on and off of specific loads in the drone load set (400) based on mission phase information received from the drone flight control (300) and an estimation result of the charge state of the drone power supply (100); as well as, A load health status monitoring mechanism is executed to establish a current characteristic baseline under normal working conditions for at least one load in the UAV load set (400), and to monitor the actual working current of the load in real time during operation, and to compare the actual working current with the current characteristic baseline to determine whether the load has a hard fault or a soft fault with performance degradation, and to generate fault alarm information or perform a fault isolation operation based on the determination result.

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