Fuel cells for drones

Abstract

A fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle comprises: at least one fuel cell stack, at least one electrical connection device, at least one ventilation device and at least one monitoring device, wherein the ventilation device provides airflow, the fuel cell stack converts the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy, the electrical connection device transmits the electrical energy generated by the fuel cell stack, so that the fuel cell provides electrical energy for the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the monitoring device monitors the working status of the fuel cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of fuel cells, and in particular to a fuel cell for a drone. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell is a power generation device that converts the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electrical energy. The principle of a fuel cell is an electrochemical device, and its composition is the same as that of a general battery. Its single cell consists of two positive and negative electrodes (the negative electrode is the fuel electrode and the positive electrode is the oxidant electrode) and an electrolyte. The difference is that the active substances of a general battery are stored inside the battery, thus limiting the battery capacity. The positive and negative electrodes of a fuel cell do not contain active substances themselves, but are only catalytic conversion elements. Therefore, a fuel cell is an energy conversion machine that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. When the battery is working, the fuel and oxidant are supplied from the outside to react. In principle, as long as the reactants are continuously input and the reaction products are continuously removed, the fuel cell can generate electricity continuously. Commonly used are hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. Hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell reaction principle This reaction is the reverse process of water electrolysis. The electrodes should be: negative electrode: H2+2OH-→2H2O+2e-; positive electrode: 1 / 2O2+H2O+2e-→2OH-; battery reaction: H2+1 / 2O2==H2O.

[0003] In addition, the fuel cell itself alone cannot work, and it must have a set of corresponding auxiliary systems, including reactant supply system, heat removal system, drainage system, electrical performance control system and safety devices.

[0004] A fuel cell is usually composed of an electrolyte plate that forms an ion conductor, a fuel electrode (anode) and an air electrode (cathode) arranged on both sides, and gas flow paths on both sides. The function of the gas flow path is to allow fuel gas and air (oxidant gas) to pass through the flow path. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for a drone, which can convert the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy, thereby providing electrical energy for the drone.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the fuel cell includes at least one monitoring device, which can monitor the working state of the fuel cell and has telemetry, telesignaling and remote control functions.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can maintain various parameters of the fuel cell within a set range that allows normal operation without human intervention.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the fuel cell includes at least one air processing unit, and the air processing unit measures, regulates, pressurizes and otherwise processes the air required by the fuel cell.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which provides cooling and heat dissipation functions to keep the inside of the fuel cell within a normal temperature range, and can also recover waste heat and heat related components in the system during startup when necessary.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which manages the water required or produced by the fuel cell in the process of converting the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can be used to store electrical energy, start the fuel cell to convert energy, and supplement the fuel cell to supply power to internal or external loads.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the electric energy generated by at least one fuel cell stack and at least one auxiliary energy storage device of the fuel cell matches the specified power demand.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle. In the event that the unmanned aerial vehicle loses communication with a ground control system, the fuel cell power generation system should still be able to continue to provide power to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can avoid affecting the normal operation of the fuel cell when the unmanned aerial vehicle encounters electromagnetic interference during flight.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can avoid damage to the fuel cell due to sharp edges and corners during installation and operation, and can also avoid possible personal injury.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can avoid the potential safety hazard caused by fuel leakage exceeding a normal range due to high vibration frequency.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, in which a single failure of a component protecting the fuel cell will not escalate into a dangerous situation, and the fault condition can be automatically determined by the parameters monitored by the monitoring device, or the monitored parameter data can be sent to a remote control terminal and safety protection operations can be performed according to instructions.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which, when a failure occurs, sends an alarm signal to the monitoring device and the remote control terminal in the form of sound, light, and electrical signals.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can automatically handle faults according to different alarm reasons to ensure the normal operation of the fuel cell.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, ensuring that the fuel cell itself or through the communication system of the unmanned aerial vehicle can communicate normally with the ground control system when the communication signal can be transmitted normally.

[0021] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for a drone, which can send warning information and warning reasons to a remote control terminal, and perform remote control processing by manually judging the fault type through the remote control terminal.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, and to perform noise reduction processing on the environment in which the fuel cell is located.

[0023] In order to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned invention purposes, the present invention provides a fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: at least one fuel cell stack; at least one air supply device and at least one monitoring device, wherein the air supply device provides airflow, and the fuel cell stack converts the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy; thereby, the fuel cell provides electrical energy for the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the monitoring device monitors the working status of the fuel cell.

[0024] In some embodiments, the fuel cell also includes at least one fuel storage and supply device, which provides fuel to the fuel cell through at least one fuel supply port, and the fuel supply port of the fuel storage and supply device is arranged at at least one air inlet of the fuel cell.

[0025] In some embodiments, the system further comprises at least one sensor unit, and the monitoring device monitors the working state of the fuel cell through data of each sensor of the sensor unit.

[0026] In some embodiments, it further includes at least one control unit, which receives the parameters of the fuel cell detected by the sensors of the sensor unit and can maintain the parameters of the fuel cell within a set range that can operate normally without manual intervention.

[0027] In some embodiments, the control unit further includes at least one actuator, at least one valve, at least one fuel supply switch, and at least one logic element connected to each other.

[0028] In some embodiments, it further includes at least one safety protection device, which protects the fuel cell from a single failure of a component and does not escalate into a dangerous situation. The safety protection device automatically determines the fault condition through the parameters monitored by the monitoring device, or sends the monitored parameter data to a remote control terminal and then performs a safety protection operation according to instructions.

[0029] In some embodiments, the safety protection device also includes at least one mechanical interlocking protection device, at least one tripping device, at least one electrical protection interlocking device and at least one alarm module. The mechanical interlocking protection device uses a mechanical interlocking protection structure to protect the fuel cell. The electrical protection interlocking device performs protective interlocking of the circuit when a fault occurs in the circuit of the fuel cell. The alarm module sends an alarm signal to the monitoring device or remote control terminal in the form of sound, light, and electrical signals when a fault occurs.

[0030] In some embodiments, at least one air processing unit is further included, wherein the air processing unit measures the air required by the fuel cell and adjusts the flow rate and air pressure of the air required by the fuel cell according to the monitoring status of the monitoring device.

[0031] In some embodiments, the system further comprises at least one thermal management device, which provides cooling and heat dissipation functions to keep the interior of the fuel cell within a normal temperature range.

[0032] In some embodiments, the system further comprises at least one water management device, which manages the water required or generated by the fuel cell in the process of converting the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy.

[0033] In some embodiments, at least one auxiliary energy storage device is further included, and the auxiliary energy storage device is used to store electrical energy, start the fuel cell to convert energy, and supplement the fuel cell to supply power to internal or external loads.

[0034] In some embodiments, at least one power regulating device is further included, and the power regulating device matches the electric energy generated by the battery stack and the auxiliary energy storage device with the preset power demand.

[0035] In some embodiments, at least one noise reduction device is further included, and the sensor unit also includes at least one noise sensor. The noise reduction device performs noise reduction processing on the environment in which the fuel cell is located according to the monitoring data of the monitoring device and the parameter data of the noise sensor. The noise reduction device controls the environmental noise of the fuel cell to a range below 75dB.

[0036] In some embodiments, the preset power overload rate of the fuel cell is 150%.

[0037] In some embodiments, the startup time of the fuel cell is less than 60 seconds.

[0038] In some embodiments, when the ambient temperature is greater than 0° C., the time it takes for the fuel cell to reach rated power is less than 1 minute.

[0039] In some embodiments, when the ambient temperature is between -5°C and 0°C, the time it takes for the fuel cell to reach rated power is less than 5 minutes.

[0040] In some embodiments, the electrical efficiency of the fuel cell is greater than 40% at rated output power.

[0041] In some embodiments, the shutdown time of the fuel cell is less than 2 minutes.

[0042] In some embodiments, the fuel cell is started manually by a manual button, remotely by a remote controller, or automatically.

[0043] In some embodiments, the fuel concentration of the fuel cell is less than 50% LFL.

[0044] In some embodiments, the continuous time during which the fuel concentration after the fuel passes through the fuel stack is greater than 50% LFL is less than 5 seconds.

[0045] In some embodiments, when the fuel cell uses hydrogen as fuel, the amount of hydrogen leakage is less than 0.5% of the amount of hydrogen reaction at rated power. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a fuel cell for a drone according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 2 4 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 3 4 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 4 4 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Fig. 9 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Fig.10 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Fig.11 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Fig.12 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Fig.13 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Fig.14 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another modified implementation of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Fig.15 4 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of a fuel cell for a drone according to the above-mentioned variant embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The following description is used to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention. The preferred embodiments described below are only examples, and those skilled in the art can think of other obvious variations. The basic principles of the present invention defined in the following description can be applied to other embodiments, variations, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0062] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in the disclosure of the present invention, the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc. are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0063] It is to be understood that the term "one" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more", that is, in one embodiment, the number of an element may be one, while in another embodiment, the number of the element may be multiple, and the term "one" should not be understood as a limitation on the quantity.

[0064] Refer to the attached drawings Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a fuel cell for a drone based on a preferred embodiment of the present invention is explained. The fuel cell for a drone includes a fuel cell unit 10, an air supply device 20 and an air processing unit 30. The fuel cell unit 10 converts the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy, the air supply device 20 provides air to the fuel cell unit 10 by natural or mechanical methods, and the air processing unit 30 performs metering, regulation, pressurization and other processing on the air required by the fuel cell unit 10.

[0065] In various embodiments of the present invention, the fuel cell for the drone can be fueled by hydrogen to power, for example, a micro drone weighing less than 7 kg or a light drone weighing 7 to 116 kg. However, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the hydrogen fuel and the drone weight are only examples, and other reasonable implementations can be made in other embodiments, and the present invention is not limited thereto in this respect.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air supply device 20 is implemented as a mechanical air supply device, specifically, a fan 21 (or a blower). The fan 21 is electrically driven to rotate to circulate air, so that the fuel cell for the drone can convert the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy to power the drone. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the air supply device 20 is implemented as the fan 21 only as an example, and in other embodiments, it can also be other reasonable structures, and the present invention is not limited to this in this respect.

[0067] The fuel cell unit 10 includes a stack 11, an electrical connection device 12 and a monitoring device 13. The chemical energy of the gas fuel is converted into electrical energy through the reaction of the stack 11, and the electrical connection device 12 transmits the electrical energy generated by the stack 11. The monitoring device 13 monitors the process of the fuel cell unit 10 converting the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy. The monitoring device 13 monitors the input power and output power of the fuel cell.

[0068] In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the battery stack 11 includes a plurality of electrode assemblies 111 arranged in a stacked manner, and each of the electrode assemblies 111 forms a plurality of reaction channels 104. In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, hydrogen fuel is taken as an example, but the fuel of the fuel cell for the drone of the present invention is not limited to hydrogen and may also be other fuels.

[0069] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, in this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell for unmanned aerial vehicle further comprises a chamber 23, the chamber 23 having an air inlet 101 and an air outlet 102, and an air flow channel 103 is formed between the fan 21 and the stack 11. The air supply device 20 provides air flow of air and fuel from the air inlet 101 to the air outlet 102, that is, the fan 21 is driven by the connected fan motor to rotate, so that the fuel such as hydrogen provided by a fuel storage and supply unit 90 of the fuel cell for unmanned aerial vehicle and the air of the external environment enter the air flow channel 103 through the air inlet 101, and when passing through each of the reaction channels 104 of the stack 11, the stack 11 converts the chemical energy of the gas fuel flowing through each of the reaction channels 104 into electrical energy, and the mixed gas after the reaction is discharged to the external environment through the air outlet 102.

[0070] It is worth mentioning that Figure 3 As shown in D, the numerical range of the length of the airflow channel 103, that is, the numerical range of the distance between the fan 21 and the entrance of the reaction channel 104 of the fuel cell stack 11, is preferably 2 cm to 10 cm.

[0071] It is worth mentioning that due to the different types of the fan 21, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fan 21 is arranged on the side of the air inlet 101, and the fuel supply port of the fuel storage and supply device 90 is arranged on the side of the air outlet 102, and the air and fuel gas such as hydrogen are both drawn from the positive pressure condition. Figure 3 The air enters the air inlet 101, flows through the air flow channel 103, and then flows through each reaction channel 104 of the fuel cell stack 11. In other embodiments, a negative pressure fan is used, so that the air and fuel gas such as hydrogen are both blown from the fuel cell stack 11 under negative pressure. Figure 3 The air enters the air inlet 101 , flows through the air flow channel 103 , and then flows through the reaction channels 104 of the fuel cell stack 11 .

[0072] It is worth mentioning that Figures 13 to 15 In the embodiment of the present invention, the fan 21 is arranged on the side of the air outlet 102, the fuel supply port of the fuel storage and supply device 90 is arranged on the side of the air inlet 101, and the air of the external environment and the fuel gas such as hydrogen are taken in from Fig.15 The air enters the air inlet 101 and first flows through the reaction channels 104 of the fuel cell stack 11. After the fuel cell stack 11 converts chemical energy into electrical energy, the reacted gas, i.e., the exhaust gas, passes through the air flow channel 103 and the fan 21 and is finally discharged into the external environment.

[0073] It can be understood by those skilled in the art that in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supplied fuel is hydrogen as an example, and the reaction principle uses the reverse process of water electrolysis. The electrodes should be: negative electrode: H2+2OH-→2H2O+2e-; positive electrode: 1 / 2O2+H2O+2e-→2OH-; battery reaction: H2+1 / 2O2==H2O. Of course, the fuel cell for drones of the present invention can also use other fuels and corresponding electrochemical principles in other embodiments to convert chemical energy into electrical energy, so that the fuel cell can power the drone.

[0074] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the two types of fans 21 described above are merely examples, and other reasonable implementations are possible in other embodiments, and the present invention is not limited thereto in this regard.

[0075] Furthermore, if Figure 5As shown, the fuel cell for the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention further includes a sensor unit 40, and the sensor unit 40 includes a vibration sensor 41, a wind speed sensor 42, a wind direction sensor 43, a temperature sensor 44, a humidity sensor 45, a pressure sensor 46, a fuel concentration sensor 47, a flow meter 48 and a noise sensor 49. During the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the vibration sensor 41 detects the vibration parameters of the fuel cell to avoid the potential safety hazard caused by the fuel leakage exceeding the normal range due to the high vibration frequency; the wind speed sensor 42 detects the wind speed inside the fuel cell; the wind direction sensor 43 detects the direction of the wind inside the fuel cell; the temperature sensor 44 detects the temperature parameters inside the fuel cell; the humidity sensor 45 detects the humidity parameters inside the fuel cell; the pressure sensor 46 detects the fuel input of the fuel cell, and the fuel concentration sensor 47 detects the fuel concentration of the fuel cell; the flow meter 48 detects the fuel supply flow of the fuel storage and supply device 90 of the fuel cell; and the noise sensor 49 detects the noise of the environment in which the fuel cell is located. Preferably, the flow meter 48 is disposed in the gas pipeline before the fuel inlet. Preferably, the pressure sensor 46 is disposed between the fuel outlet and the fuel inlet of the fuel cell stack 11, namely, the reaction channel 104.

[0076] The fuel cell for the drone of the present invention also includes a thermal management device 50, which provides cooling and heat dissipation functions to keep the inside of the fuel cell within a normal temperature range, and can also recover waste heat and heat related components in the system during the startup process when necessary. Further, the thermal management device 50 includes a cooling device 51 and a heating device 52. According to the temperature detection parameters of the temperature sensor 44 and the preset normal working temperature range of the fuel cell, when the temperature is higher than the preset temperature range, the cooling device 51 can perform cooling operations and absorb waste heat, so that the normal working temperature of the fuel cell is within the preset range; when the temperature is lower than the preset temperature range, the heating device 52 performs heating operations, so that the normal working temperature of the fuel cell is within the preset range.

[0077] The fuel cell for the drone of the present invention further comprises a water management device 60, and the water management device 60 manages the water required or produced by the fuel cell in the process of converting the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy.

[0078] The fuel cell for the drone of the present invention also includes an auxiliary energy storage device 70, which can be used to store electrical energy, start the fuel cell to convert energy, and supplement the fuel cell to supply power to internal or external loads. For example, before the fuel cell stack 11 converts the fuel from chemical energy to electrical energy, the auxiliary energy storage device 70 supplies power to the fan motor of the fan 21, so that the fan 21 can be driven by the fan motor to rotate, thereby circulating air inside the fuel cell.

[0079] The fuel cell for a drone of the present invention further comprises a power regulating device 80, and the power regulating device 80 matches the electric energy generated by the fuel cell stack 11 and the auxiliary energy storage device 70 with the specified power demand.

[0080] The fuel cell for the UAV of the present invention further includes a control unit 81, and the control unit 81 further includes an actuator 811, a valve 812, a fuel supply switch 813 and a logic element 814. The control unit 81 receives the parameters of the fuel cell detected by the sensors of the sensor unit 40, and can maintain the parameters of the fuel cell within a set range that can work normally without manual intervention. When the control unit 81 of the fuel cell loses communication with the UAV and the ground control system, the fuel cell power generation system should still be able to continue to provide power to the UAV and execute the predetermined plan through the actuator 811.

[0081] It is worth mentioning that the fuel cell for the drone of the present invention also includes an electromagnetic interference elimination device 82, which eliminates electromagnetic interference in the environment where the fuel cell is located, so as to avoid affecting the normal operation of the fuel cell when the drone encounters electromagnetic interference during flight.

[0082] In the disclosure of the fuel cell for drone of the present invention, the drone is defined as an unmanned aerial vehicle controlled and managed by a remote control system, where the remote control system control and management includes remote control or autonomous flight; the duration from the moment the fuel cell receives the power-on command to the moment it starts to output power to the external load is defined as the start-up time of the fuel cell, and when it is manually turned on, it is the duration from the moment the power-on action is manually started to the moment it starts to output power to the external load; the duration from the moment the fuel cell receives the shutdown command to the moment the shutdown is completed is defined as the shutdown time, and when it is manually turned off, it is the duration from the moment the shutdown action is manually started to the moment the shutdown is completed; under the preset normal operating conditions of the fuel cell power generation system, the maximum continuous output power of the fuel cell is defined as the rated output power; under the preset normal operating conditions of the fuel cell, the range of the output voltage of the fuel cell from the start, operation, to shutdown is defined as the output voltage range; under the preset normal operating conditions of the fuel cell power generation system, the maximum continuous time that the output voltage of the fuel cell does not exceed the output voltage range when the fuel cell operates at the rated output power is defined as the continuous operation time.

[0083] The output voltage of the fuel cell power generation is maintained within the preset output voltage range of the fuel cell. The detection method can be specifically implemented as follows: start the fuel cell power generation system; gradually increase the load to the preset rated output power of the fuel cell; then increase the output power of the fuel cell to 150% of the preset rated output power of the fuel cell, and run for 2 minutes; adjust the output power of the fuel cell to the preset rated output power of the fuel cell, and run continuously for no less than the preset continuous running time; record the output voltage of the fuel cell once per second. The voltage range between the low value and the high value of the output voltage of the fuel cell during the entire process from startup to shutdown is the output voltage range of the fuel cell.

[0084] It is worth mentioning that the preset power overload rate is 150% and can last for 2 minutes to prevent the fuel cell from being overheated or overheated and affecting normal operation. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that other values ​​may be used in other embodiments, and this embodiment of the present invention is a preferred example, and the present invention is not limited thereto in this respect.

[0085] In addition, preferably, the operating environment conditions of the fuel cell are as follows: temperature: -5 to 40°C; humidity: <100%; altitude: 0 to 3000 meters, wind force ≤ level 4; the start-up time of the fuel cell is preferably <60s; when the ambient temperature is >0°C, the time for the fuel cell to reach the rated power is preferably <1min; when the ambient temperature is between -5°C and 0°C, the time for the fuel cell power generation system to reach the rated power is preferably <5min; at the rated output power of the fuel cell, its electrical efficiency is preferably >40%; the shutdown time of the fuel cell is preferably <2min; the fuel cell is started manually by a manual button, remotely controlled by a remote controller, or automatically; the continuous operation time of the fuel cell used on a fixed-wing UAV is preferably not less than 6 hours; the continuous operation time of the fuel cell used on a multi-rotor UAV is preferably not less than 3 hours.

[0086] It is worth mentioning that the exterior of the compartment 23 of the fuel cell is designed with arc-shaped rounded corners, which can not only avoid damage to the fuel cell itself due to sharp corners during installation and operation, but also avoid possible personal injury.

[0087] It is worth mentioning that a heat insulating layer is provided on the outer shell surface of the fuel cell, so as to avoid personal injury caused by contact with or proximity to high temperature components of the fuel cell power generation system.

[0088] It is worth mentioning that the fuel cell is also provided with a fastening mounting part to fasten the components of the fuel cell and the fuel cell can be fastened to the drone, thereby avoiding displacement or even falling off during take-off, flight and landing of the drone.

[0089] It is worth mentioning that the fuel cell also includes a safety protection device 83, which protects the single failure of the fuel cell components from escalating into a dangerous situation, and automatically determines the failure situation through the parameters monitored by the monitoring device 13 or sends the monitored parameter data to the remote control terminal and performs safety protection operations according to instructions. The safety protection device 83 also includes a mechanical interlocking protection device 831, a tripping device 832, an electrical protection interlocking device 833 and an alarm module 834. The mechanical interlocking protection device 831 uses a mechanical interlocking protection structure to protect the fuel cell. The electrical protection interlocking device 833 performs a protective interlocking of the circuit when a circuit failure occurs in the fuel cell. When a fault occurs, for example, when the system output exceeds the overload protection setting value, when it is detected that the hydrogen pressure at the outlet of the hydrogen storage tank is lower than the set minimum pressure, the hydrogen inlet pressure of the fuel cell module is lower than the set minimum pressure or higher than the set maximum pressure, when the output voltage exceeds the overvoltage protection setting value or is lower than the undervoltage protection setting value, when the fuel cell operating temperature exceeds the overtemperature protection setting value, when the fuel pressure is abnormal, the output is over / undervoltage, the fuel cell module output voltage is low, the ambient temperature is too high / too low, the fuel cell module temperature is too high, and the voltage of the auxiliary energy storage device is low, the alarm module 834 sends an alarm signal to the monitoring device 13, the control unit 81 and the remote control terminal in the form of sound, light and electrical signals.

[0090] The fuel cell further includes an interface unit 84 for data transmission, and the interface unit 84 includes a communication interface 841, a power interface 842, and a user interface 843. The specific implementations of the communication interface 841 include RS232 bus, RS485 bus, CAN bus, Ethernet, etc. However, these implementations are only for example, and the present invention is not limited thereto in this respect.

[0091] The fuel cell also includes an antenna 85 for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves. When transmitting, high-frequency current is converted into electromagnetic waves; when receiving, electromagnetic waves are converted into high-frequency current. The antenna 85 is implemented as an omnidirectional antenna, a directional antenna, and a smart antenna. The antenna 85 ensures that when the communication signal can be transmitted normally, the fuel cell itself or through the communication system of the drone should be able to communicate normally with the ground control system. Among them, the smart antenna uses digital signal processing technology, advanced beam switching technology and adaptive spatial digital processing technology to generate a spatial directional beam, so that the main beam of the antenna is aligned with the direction of arrival of the user signal, and the side lobe or null is aligned with the direction of arrival of the interference signal, so as to achieve the purpose of fully and efficiently utilizing the signal and deleting or suppressing the interference signal of the external environment in which the fuel cell is located. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific type of implementation of the antenna 85 described here is only used as an example, and the present invention is not limited to this aspect.

[0092] It is worth mentioning that after the warning module 834 issues an alarm, the control unit 81 of the fuel cell can automatically handle the fault according to the different reasons of the alarm to ensure the normal operation of the fuel cell. In addition, the alarm information and the alarm reason can be sent to the remote control terminal through the antenna 85, and the remote control terminal can manually determine the fault type and perform remote control processing.

[0093] It is worth mentioning that the fuel cell further includes a noise reduction device 86, which performs noise reduction processing on the environment in which the fuel cell is located. The noise sources of the environment in which the fuel cell is located include the fan 21, the fan motor of the fan 21, the engine of the drone, the engine motor, etc. Preferably, the noise of the environment in which the fuel cell is located is <75dB.

[0094] It is worth mentioning that, in addition to monitoring the power conversion of the fuel cell, the monitoring device 13 also transmits data with each sensor of the sensor unit 40, monitors the fuel concentration, and adjusts and controls the fuel concentration within a safe range through the control unit 81. Preferably, the fuel concentration in the cabin 23 is less than 50% LFL; preferably, the continuous time of the fuel concentration in the exhaust gas>50% LFL is less than 5s, and a sensor for detecting the fuel concentration in the exhaust gas, such as the hydrogen concentration, can be arranged at the air outlet 102.

[0095] Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogen leakage of the fuel cell is less than 0.5% of the hydrogen reaction amount at rated power.

[0096] It is worth mentioning that the monitoring device 13 has telemetry, telesignaling and remote control functions. It can effectively monitor the system output voltage, system output current, auxiliary energy storage device voltage, fuel cell output voltage, fuel cell output current, fuel bottle such as hydrogen bottle hydrogen pressure in the fuel storage and supply device 90, fuel cell inlet fuel such as hydrogen pressure, fuel cell temperature, ambient temperature; fuel cell overtemperature, system output over / undervoltage, system output overcurrent, fuel bottle such as hydrogen bottle hydrogen pressure low / high, fuel cell inlet fuel such as hydrogen pressure low / high, auxiliary energy storage device voltage low, ambient temperature low / high; and monitor the system startup and shutdown of the fuel cell. Of course, in other embodiments, there can be other monitoring functions as needed, and the present invention is not limited to this in this regard.

[0097] It is worth mentioning that the exhaust gas is directly discharged outside the drone. That is to say, the fuel discharge port of the fuel cell is preferably arranged in the air passage between the drone and the external environment. In other embodiments, it can also be discharged outside the drone together with the exhaust gas. Preferably, the fuel discharge port of the fuel cell is arranged at the air outlet 102. Preferably, the fuel discharge port and the discharge passage of the fuel cell are away from other electronic or electrical equipment and heat sources of the fuel cell.

[0098] It is worth mentioning that the outer surface of the fuel supply hose of the fuel cell and the corresponding pipeline is provided with a protective layer to prevent the hose from friction and twisting, and necessary insulation measures are taken to maintain an appropriate bending radius and a safe distance from harmful heat sources to prevent the pipeline from being subjected to heavy pressure from other materials and resonance.

[0099] It is worth mentioning that the circuit part of the fuel cell can be integrated on a circuit board 99, and the circuit board 91 can be arranged in a Figure 4 , Figures 6 to 12 That is, in different embodiments of the present invention, the circuit board 99 can be arranged at Figure 4 , Figures 6 to 8 On the different side walls of the cabin 23 shown, it is also possible to set Figures 9 to 12 On different side walls of the fuel cell stack 11. Of course, in other embodiments, the circuit board 99 can also be arranged at other positions of the fuel cell, and the present invention is not limited thereto in this respect.

[0100] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are only examples and do not limit the present invention. The purpose of the present invention has been fully and effectively achieved. The functional and structural principles of the present invention have been demonstrated and explained in the embodiments, and the embodiments of the present invention may be deformed or modified in any way without departing from the principles.

Claims

1. A fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: include: At least one battery stack; at least one air supply device, wherein the air supply device comprises a fan, and At least one monitoring device, wherein the air supply device further forms an air flow channel between the battery stack and the fan, wherein the air outlet of the fan faces the air flow channel, wherein the air flow channel of the air supply device is connected to the battery stack to provide air flow for the battery stack, and the monitoring device monitors the working state of the fuel cell, wherein the fuel discharge port of the fuel cell is arranged at the air outlet, so that the fuel exhaust gas and the air exhaust gas are mixed and discharged outside the drone, and the circuit board of the fuel cell is arranged on the side wall of the battery stack or the side wall of the fuel cell compartment, so that the fuel discharge port is far away from the circuit board, wherein the air first flows through the battery stack to participate in the reaction, and then is discharged through the air flow channel and the fan in sequence after the reaction, wherein the air flow channel is formed in the compartment, wherein the monitoring device is configured to monitor the fuel concentration of the compartment and the fuel concentration of the exhaust gas at the air outlet, so as to adjust and control the fuel concentration of the compartment to be less than 50% LFL through the control unit, and at the same time adjust and control the fuel concentration of the exhaust gas at the air outlet to be greater than 50% LFL for a continuous time of less than 5s; The output voltage of the fuel cell is maintained within a set output voltage range, wherein the set output voltage range is obtained by the following steps: starting the fuel cell; gradually increasing the load to the rated output power of the fuel cell; increasing the output power of the fuel cell to 150% of the rated output power and running for 2 minutes; Adjusting the output power of the fuel cell to the rated output power and continuously operating for a preset time; The output voltage of the fuel cell is recorded once per second, and a voltage range between a low value and a high value of the output voltage is used as the set output voltage range.

2. A fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the fuel cell further comprises at least one fuel storage and supply device, the fuel storage and supply device provides fuel to the fuel cell through at least one fuel supply port, and the fuel supply port of the fuel storage and supply device is arranged at at least one air inlet of the fuel cell.

3. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor unit, wherein the monitoring device monitors the working state of the fuel cell through data of each sensor of the sensor unit.

4. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as described in claim 3 further comprises at least one control unit, which receives the parameters of the fuel cell detected by each sensor of the sensor unit and can maintain the parameters of the fuel cell within a set range that can operate normally without human intervention.

5. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit further comprises at least one actuator, at least one valve, at least one fuel supply switch and at least one logic element connected to each other.

6. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1 further comprises at least one safety protection device, wherein the safety protection device protects a single failure of a component of the fuel cell from escalating into a dangerous situation, and automatically determines the failure situation through the parameters monitored by the monitoring device or performs safety protection operations according to instructions after the monitored parameter data is sent to the remote control terminal.

7. A fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the safety protection device further comprises at least one mechanical interlocking protection device, at least one tripping device, at least one electrical protection interlocking device and at least one alarm module, wherein the mechanical interlocking protection device adopts a mechanical interlocking protection structure to protect the fuel cell, the electrical protection interlocking device performs protective interlocking of the circuit when a circuit of the fuel cell fails, and the alarm module sends an alarm signal to the monitoring device or remote control terminal in the form of sound, light and electrical signals when a failure occurs.

8. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as described in claim 1 further comprises at least one air processing unit, wherein the air processing unit measures the air required by the fuel cell and adjusts the flow rate and air pressure of the air required by the fuel cell according to the monitoring conditions of the monitoring device.

9. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one thermal management device, wherein the thermal management device provides cooling and heat dissipation functions to keep the inside of the fuel cell within a normal temperature range.

10. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one water management device, wherein the water management device manages the water required or generated by the fuel cell in the process of converting the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy.

11. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one auxiliary energy storage device, the auxiliary energy storage device being used to store electrical energy, start the fuel cell to convert energy, and supplement the fuel cell to supply power to internal or external loads.

12. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 11, further comprising at least one power regulating device, wherein the power regulating device matches the electric energy generated by the fuel cell stack and the auxiliary energy storage device with a preset power demand.

13. A fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising at least one noise reduction device, wherein the sensor unit further comprises at least one noise sensor, and the noise reduction device performs noise reduction processing on the environment in which the fuel cell is located according to the monitoring data of the monitoring device and the parameter data of the noise sensor, and the noise reduction device controls the environmental noise of the fuel cell to a range below 75dB.

14. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the startup time of the fuel cell is less than 60 seconds.

15. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein when the ambient temperature is greater than 0°C, the time for the fuel cell to reach rated power is less than 1 minute.

16. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein when the ambient temperature is between -5°C and 0°C, the time for the fuel cell to reach rated power is less than 5 minutes.

17. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at a rated output power of the fuel cell, the electrical efficiency thereof is greater than 40%.

18. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the shutdown time of the fuel cell is less than 2 minutes.

19. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the fuel cell is started manually by a manual button, remotely by a remote controller, or automatically.

20. The fuel cell for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein when the fuel cell uses hydrogen as fuel, the hydrogen leakage is less than 0.5% of the hydrogen reaction amount at rated power.

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