External power supply system for unmanned vehicles

Abstract

This invention provides an external power supply system for unmanned vehicles, comprising: an unmanned vehicle equipped with at least one sensing device for sensing the sensing values ​​of the unmanned vehicle; a power management system coupled to the unmanned vehicle and the sensing device; a main power supply device; and at least one external power supply system. Wherein, when the main power supply device is low on power, the power management system directs the external power supply system to supply power to the sensing device. This ensures that even when the main power supply device is depleted or interrupted for any reason, the sensing device can still operate continuously powered by the external power supply system. This avoids the inability to acquire sensing values ​​due to power outages and allows for direct switching of power when the main power supply device resumes operation. It also reduces the initialization startup time required for restarting after a power outage, thereby significantly improving endurance and startup efficiency. This invention can be applied to various unmanned vehicles requiring high-speed response or movement, enhancing their reaction speed, real-time sensing, and motion performance.

Description

External power supply system for unmanned vehicles Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an external power supply system for unmanned vehicles, specifically a sensing device that can continue to operate when the main power supply device is depleted or fails to provide power for any reason, and can continue to detect the sensor values ​​of the unmanned vehicle, thereby improving its operating endurance and startup efficiency, and can be applied to unmanned vehicles that require high-speed response or movement. Prior Technology

[0002] Note that with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, automatic control, and wireless communication technologies, the application scope of unmanned vehicles has expanded from early military reconnaissance to a wide range of civilian and commercial fields. Currently, various unmanned vehicles (such as drones, autonomous guided vehicles, or unmanned boats) can be seen performing tasks in logistics transportation, geographic environment monitoring, agricultural plant protection, infrastructure inspection, and disaster relief. To ensure the stability and safety of the vehicles during automated operation, they need to rely on diverse sensing systems to monitor the surrounding environment and their own status in real time. This makes unmanned vehicles highly dependent on electricity, and their endurance and the stability of power supply have become key indicators for measuring system performance.

[0003] However, existing unmanned vehicles still have significant deficiencies in their power supply systems. Although these vehicles are equipped with sensing devices (such as GPS positioning systems), their power is usually drawn directly from the main power source. When the main power supply is interrupted due to power depletion, voltage instability, or system malfunction, the relevant sensing devices will stop operating. Once the main power is restored or the battery is replaced, the sensing devices must be re-initialized and cold-started. The process of re-searching for satellites and calculating coordinates often takes more than a minute. For vehicles that move at high speeds or require high responsiveness, this initialization window is a significant defect. It may cause the vehicle to move hundreds of meters or even kilometers while the sensing signal is lost, resulting in positioning drift or path deviation, which will greatly reduce operational efficiency and even lead to the risk of collision and loss.

[0004] In view of this, the creator has specifically researched and improved the power supply of sensors for unmanned vehicles, hoping to improve the above-mentioned problems with a better creation. After a long period of research and development and continuous testing, this creation was finally born. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, this invention is designed to solve the aforementioned problems. To achieve the above objectives, we, the creators, provide an external power supply system for unmanned vehicles, comprising: an unmanned vehicle equipped with at least one sensing device for sensing at least one sensing value of the unmanned vehicle; a power management system correspondingly coupled to the unmanned vehicle and the sensing device; a main power supply device coupled to the power management system; and at least one external power supply system coupled to and providing power to the power management system; wherein the power management system, when the main power supply device is insufficient, causes the external power supply system to supply power to the sensing device.

[0006] The external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle described above further includes a charging device that is correspondingly coupled to the power management system and at least one of the external power supply systems, and the charging device is used to charge the external power supply system.

[0007] The external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle described above includes a solar panel as the charging device.

[0008] According to the external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle described above, the sensing device is a positioning device, and the sensing value is the coordinate position of the unmanned vehicle.

[0009] According to the external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle described above, the sensing device is a GPS (Global Positioning System), an inertial navigation system (INS), a radar positioning system, a radio navigation system, a visual positioning system, or a sonar positioning system.

[0010] The external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle described above is a primary battery, a rechargeable battery, or a supercapacitor.

[0011] The external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle described above is a lithium battery or a lead-acid battery.

[0012] The external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle described above refers to the unmanned vehicle as an aircraft, spacecraft, land-based mobile device, or sea-based navigation device.

[0013] Based on the above explanation and settings, it is evident that this creation possesses the following main advantages and effects, which are detailed below:

[0014] 1. This invention utilizes an external power supply system. When the main power supply of the unmanned vehicle is depleted or unstable, the power management system can immediately supply power to the sensing devices via the external power supply system. This ensures that the sensing devices can continue to operate normally without power interruption during the main power outage. In addition to avoiding the loss of sensing data acquisition, when the main power supply is restored, it also eliminates the lengthy time required for the sensing devices to be reinitialized and cold-started. This allows the vehicle to immediately resume positioning and sensing tasks, which not only greatly improves the endurance and startup efficiency of the unmanned vehicle, but also ensures real-time sensing performance and motion accuracy during high-speed movement, effectively reducing positioning drift and collision risks, and enhancing the overall safety and reliability of operation. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0015] The first image is a 3D view of the unmanned vehicle in this creation. Figure 2 is a structural diagram of this creation. Implementation

[0016] This invention relates to an external power supply system for unmanned vehicles. Its implementation methods, characteristics, and effects are described in detail below with several preferred and feasible embodiments and accompanying drawings, so as to enable you to gain a deeper understanding and acceptance of this invention.

[0017] First, please refer to Figures 1 and 2. This invention is an external power supply system for unmanned vehicles, which includes:

[0018] An unmanned vehicle 1 is equipped with at least one sensing device 11 for sensing at least one sensing value of the unmanned vehicle 1. In one embodiment, the sensing value can be provided to the back-end system of the unmanned vehicle 1 for calculation or recording to ensure the operating status of the unmanned vehicle 1. In other embodiments, it can also be a sensing value of the environment to facilitate the sensing of the surrounding environment. In this embodiment, the sensing device 11 is configured as a positioning device, and the sensing value is the coordinate position of the unmanned vehicle 1 to locate the position of the unmanned vehicle 1. Specifically, the sensing device 11 can be a GPS positioning system, an inertial navigation system (INS), a radar positioning system, a radio navigation system, a visual positioning system, or a sonar positioning system, but this is only an example and is not intended to be limiting.

[0019] A power management system 2 is correspondingly coupled to the unmanned vehicle 1 and the sensing device 11, for monitoring and allocating the power supply to the sensing device 11;

[0020] A main power supply device 3, coupled to the power management system 2, in one embodiment, serves as the primary power source for the unmanned vehicle 1 and the sensing device 11, and the system power supply.

[0021] At least one external power supply system 4 is coupled to and provides power to the power management system 2, and the external power supply system 4 can be used for backup or backup power supply;

[0022] Therefore, when the main power supply device 3 is insufficient, the power management system 2 causes the external power supply system 4 to supply power to the sensing device 11 accordingly; thus, even if the main power supply device 3 is interrupted due to power depletion or sudden failure, the sensing device 11 can still maintain operation with the continuous power supply from the external power supply system 4, avoiding interruption of sensing value acquisition due to power failure.

[0023] Since the sensing device 11 is a positioning device, it needs to initialize and re-search and calculate its positioning when the power is interrupted, which takes about one minute. However, with the design of this invention, when the main power supply device 3 loses power, the sensing device 11 can be powered by the power management system 2, allowing the external power supply system 4 to immediately provide power. When the main power supply device 3 restores power, the power management system 2 can directly switch the power source, thus eliminating the startup time for re-initialization of the sensing device 11 and the lengthy process of re-searching for satellites and calculating positioning. This allows the unmanned vehicle 1 to immediately connect to coordinate sensing, and the switching time required is reduced. The time required is only about 1 to 7 seconds. Therefore, by setting up an external power supply system 4, not only can the battery life of the sensing device 11 be greatly improved, but its startup efficiency can also be enhanced. This invention can be applied to various unmanned vehicles 1 that require high-speed response or movement, thereby improving their response speed, real-time sensing and motion performance. Therefore, the unmanned vehicle 1 of this invention can be configured as an aircraft, a land mobile device or a sea navigation device, so that the sensing device 11 can operate effectively regardless of high-speed operation in the air, on land or in water, so that the unmanned vehicle 1 can react and operate immediately based on the sensing value, thereby improving its operational efficiency.

[0024] Regarding the configuration of the external power supply system 4, it can be a primary battery, a rechargeable battery, or a supercapacitor. Specifically, the external power supply system 4 can be further selected from lithium batteries or lead-acid batteries. By using energy storage elements with different characteristics, it can provide stable and reliable emergency power to ensure its continuity during operation.

[0025] In other embodiments, the present invention may further provide a charging device 5, which is correspondingly coupled to the power management system 2 and at least one of the external power supply systems 4. The charging device 5 is used to charge the external power supply system 4. In this way, the charging device 5 can charge the external power supply system 4 at any time, or when the main power supply device 3 is supplying power, so that it can maintain sufficient power to switch and effectively supply power to the sensing device 11 at any time.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the charging device 5 can be a solar panel, which converts light energy into electrical energy. It can continuously charge the external power supply system 4 when the unmanned vehicle 1 is performing tasks in a light environment or when it is idle, thereby greatly improving the overall system's power endurance to meet the needs of long-distance or long-term detection tasks.

[0027] In summary, this invention, through the power management system 2, regulates the main and external power supplies to ensure that the sensing device 11 can continue to operate when the main power is lost. This not only greatly improves its endurance and startup efficiency, but also makes this invention applicable to various unmanned vehicles 1 that require high-speed response or movement, thereby enhancing the applicability of this invention.

[0028] In summary, the technical means disclosed in this work are not only unprecedented, but also achieve the intended purpose and effect. Therefore, it possesses both novelty and progressiveness, and is indeed a novel patent as defined by the Patent Law. In terms of its overall structure, it has met the statutory requirements of the Patent Law. Therefore, a novel patent application is filed in accordance with the law.

[0029] However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of this invention and should not be used to limit the scope of this invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the specification of this invention should still fall within the scope of the patent application of this invention.

[0030] 1: Unmanned vehicles 11: Sensing Device 2: Power Management System 3: Main power supply device 4: External power supply system 5: Charging device

Claims

1. An external power supply system for an unmanned vehicle, comprising: an unmanned vehicle having at least one sensing device for sensing at least one sensing value of the unmanned vehicle; a power management system coupled to the unmanned vehicle and the sensing device; a main power supply device coupled to the power management system; and at least one external power supply system coupled to and providing power to the power management system; wherein the power management system, when the main power supply device has insufficient power, causes the external power supply system to supply power to the sensing device.

2. The external power supply system for the unmanned vehicle as described in claim 1 further includes a charging device that is correspondingly coupled to the power management system and at least one of the external power supply systems, the charging device being used to correspondingly charge the external power supply system.

3. The external power supply system for unmanned vehicles as described in claim 2, wherein, The charging device is a solar panel.

4. An external power supply system for unmanned vehicles as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The sensing device is a positioning device, and the sensing value is the coordinate position of the unmanned vehicle.

5. An external power supply system for unmanned vehicles as described in claim 4, wherein, The sensing device is a GPS (Global Positioning System), an inertial navigation system (INS), a radar positioning system, a radio navigation system, a visual positioning system, or a sonar positioning system.

6. An external power supply system for unmanned vehicles as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The external power supply system is a primary battery, a rechargeable battery, or a supercapacitor.

7. An external power supply system for unmanned vehicles as described in claim 6, wherein, The external power supply system is either a lithium battery or a lead-acid battery.

8. An external power supply system for unmanned vehicles as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The unmanned vehicle can be an aircraft, a land-based mobile device, or a sea-based navigation device.

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