A hydrogen fuel control system for a drone
By constructing a closed-loop hydrogen fuel control system and a multi-dimensional sensing network, the water and heat management problem of UAV fuel cell system under dynamic operating conditions was solved, the hydrogen utilization rate was improved and the system was stabilized, preventing water flooding and membrane drying, and adapting to the dynamic flight requirements of UAVs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 浙江比洛德新能源有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-16
AI Technical Summary
Existing UAV fuel cell systems suffer from inefficiency and unreliability in hydrogen supply and hydrothermal management. In particular, they cannot improve hydrogen utilization and dynamically adjust the internal hydrothermal state of the fuel cell stack under dynamic flight conditions, leading to problems such as voltage drop, flooding, or membrane drying.
A closed-loop hydrogen fuel control system was designed, comprising a hydrogen cylinder, a pressure reducing valve, a hydrogen inlet valve, a first pressure sensor, a fuel cell stack, a gas-liquid separator, a dual-variable peristaltic pump, a second pressure sensor, a drain valve, a temperature sensor, a current sensor, and a controller. The system achieves precise regulation of hydrogen circulation flow rate and scouring intensity through a multi-dimensional sensing network and an intelligent controller. Combined with the design of an annular pump chamber and flexible pump tube, the system ensures the complete sealing and stability of hydrogen delivery.
It significantly improves hydrogen utilization, effectively prevents flooding and membrane drying, ensures efficient, stable and long-life operation of the system, can adapt to the dynamic flight conditions of UAVs, and realizes refined and dynamic response of hydrothermal management.
Smart Images

Figure CN122224879A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and specifically relates to a hydrogen fuel control system for UAVs. Background Technology
[0002] In the pursuit of long endurance and high payload capacity in drone technology development, hydrogen fuel cells, with their significantly higher energy density than traditional lithium batteries, have become a highly promising solution. However, integrating fuel cell systems into unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms, which are subject to strict constraints in terms of space, weight, and power consumption, presents a series of severe challenges, especially in terms of hydrogen supply and hydrothermal management. Traditional hydrogen supply systems often employ dead-end or simple open-loop modes, resulting in low hydrogen utilization and an inability to effectively manage the water generated during the reaction. While closed-loop systems can improve hydrogen utilization, their core hydrogen circulation components, such as ejectors or constant-speed circulation pumps, are difficult to adapt to the rapidly changing flight conditions of UAVs. Ejectors are inefficient under low loads, and constant-speed pumps cannot be finely adjusted according to the actual reaction intensity and hydrothermal conditions, easily leading to two extreme problems: Under heavy or variable loads, the water generated during the reaction cannot be discharged in time, accumulating in the anode channels and porous electrodes of the fuel cell stack, causing flooding, hindering hydrogen transport, and resulting in a sudden voltage drop and performance degradation; Under light loads, excessive gas circulation may remove too much water, causing the proton exchange membrane to dry out, which also damages battery performance and lifespan. Current technologies lack an intelligent control mechanism capable of real-time sensing of the internal hydrothermal state of the fuel cell stack and, based on this, rapidly and precisely adjusting the flow rate and fluid momentum of the hydrogen circulation with two degrees of freedom. This has become a key bottleneck restricting the efficiency and reliability of hydrogen fuel cells in dynamic application scenarios. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a compact, efficient, and intelligent hydrogen fuel control system specifically for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to achieve efficient hydrogen utilization and a dynamic optimal balance between the internal hydrothermal environment of the fuel cell stack. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems in the background art and provide a hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles.
[0004] The above-mentioned technical objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution:
[0005] A hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles includes a hydrogen cylinder, a pressure reducing valve, a hydrogen inlet valve, a first pressure sensor, a fuel cell stack, a gas-liquid separator, a dual-variable peristaltic pump, a second pressure sensor, and a controller.
[0006] The outlet of the hydrogen cylinder is sequentially connected to the pressure reducing valve, the hydrogen inlet valve, and the first pressure sensor via pipelines. The outlet of the first pressure sensor is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack via a pipeline. The hydrogen outlet of the fuel cell stack is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator via a pipeline. The gas outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the inlet of the dual-variable peristaltic pump via a pipeline. The outlet of the dual-variable peristaltic pump is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack via a circulation pipeline. The second pressure sensor is installed on the gas-liquid separator. The controller is electrically connected to the hydrogen inlet valve, the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, and the dual-variable peristaltic pump. The controller also includes a drain valve connected to the liquid outlet of the gas-liquid separator and electrically connected to the controller. A temperature sensor is installed on the fuel cell stack and electrically connected to the controller. The controller also includes a current sensor installed in the power output circuit of the fuel cell stack and electrically connected to the controller.
[0007] This invention constructs a closed-loop hydrogen fuel control system comprising a hydrogen cylinder, a pressure reducing valve, a hydrogen inlet valve, a first pressure sensor, a fuel cell stack, a vapor-water separator, a dual-variable peristaltic pump, a second pressure sensor, a drain valve, a temperature sensor, a current sensor, and a controller. Firstly, it achieves active recycling of unreacted hydrogen from a hardware architecture perspective. Secondly, by configuring a multi-dimensional sensing network composed of dual pressure sensors, a temperature sensor, and a current sensor, the system can accurately monitor key parameters such as hydrogen circulation pressure, stack temperature, and load current. Thirdly, relying on the controller's intelligent program, the system can comprehensively analyze load changes and hydrothermal conditions, achieving coordinated and precise control of the dual-variable peristaltic pump's speed and compression degree. Ultimately, this system not only significantly improves hydrogen utilization but also dynamically adjusts the hydrogen circulation flow rate and flushing intensity according to real-time operating conditions, effectively preventing flooding and membrane drying. This comprehensively solves the hydrothermal management challenges of UAV fuel cell systems under dynamic operating conditions, ensuring efficient, stable, and long-life operation of the system.
[0008] Furthermore, the dual-variable peristaltic pump includes a pump casing, a drive motor, a fixed plate, an adjusting plate, and a squeezing actuator. The pump casing forms an annular pump cavity, and the pump casing has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet communicating with the annular pump cavity. The annular pump cavity is used to accommodate a flexible pump tube. The drive motor is fixed to the pump casing, and its output shaft is drivenly connected to the fixed plate. The squeezing actuator includes at least three sliders distributed circumferentially along the fixed plate and squeezing rollers at the ends of each slider. Each slider can slide radially along the fixed plate, and the squeezing rollers at its ends are used to squeeze the flexible pump tube. The adjusting plate is coaxially arranged with the fixed plate and can rotate independently relative to the fixed plate. The adjusting plate is provided with a curved guide groove, and each slider is provided with a guide member that slides with the curved guide groove.
[0009] This invention achieves a fully sealed and zero-leakage hydrogen delivery process through the combination of an annular pump chamber and a flexible pump tube, fundamentally ensuring system safety. Furthermore, the structural design of a drive motor rotating a fixed plate provides a stable basic driving force for hydrogen circulation. On top of this, an innovative addition of an independently controllable adjusting plate and its curved guide groove allows the slider and extrusion roller in the extrusion actuator to generate precise radial displacement as the adjusting plate rotates. This decouples the single motor kinetic energy into two independent variables: independently controllable rotational speed and extrusion degree. Ultimately, this enables the pump body not only to adjust the circulation flow rate according to operating conditions but also to actively control the pulsation intensity and scouring force of fluid delivery. This provides a key actuator foundation for the system's refined hydrothermal management and dynamic response, achieving a functional leap from simply being able to circulate to how to circulate efficiently and intelligently.
[0010] Preferably, the fixed plate has a radially extending groove corresponding to each slider, the slider is slidably disposed in the groove, and a baffle is provided above the groove to prevent the slider from falling out.
[0011] This invention, through the structure of radial grooves and baffles, firstly provides precise and stable mechanical guidance for the radial movement of the slider, ensuring the synchronization and trajectory consistency of multiple extrusion rollers during the adjustment process. Furthermore, the limiting effect of the radial grooves constrains the slider's potentially complex motion into a single linear motion, greatly simplifying control complexity and improving mechanism reliability. Simultaneously, the baffle above structurally eliminates the risk of the slider accidentally dislodging under high-speed rotation or high-load impact, providing crucial mechanical protection for the long-term stable operation of the entire extrusion actuator. This ensures that the extrusion degree adjustment function of the dual-variable peristaltic pump is accurately, stably, and persistently realized, improving the overall pump durability and control precision.
[0012] Preferably, a drive motor is provided at the top center of the adjustment disc, the pump housing includes a separable bottom shell and a top cover, the drive motor is fixed on the top cover, and the drive motor is located at the bottom of the bottom shell.
[0013] This invention achieves physical isolation and spatial optimization of the main drive function and adjustment function by independently setting the drive motor of the adjustment disc at the top and the main drive motor at the bottom, while adopting a separable bottom shell and top cover structure. This makes the power layout more compact and facilitates heat dissipation. Furthermore, the separate structure of the two motors decouples the power output and mechanical adjustment in space, effectively avoiding mechanical interference and vibration transmission between the two sets of motion mechanisms, and improving the independence, stability and control accuracy of their respective operation. On this basis, the separable shell design not only greatly simplifies the assembly and maintenance process of the pump body, but also facilitates direct inspection or replacement of the core fixed plate, adjustment disc and slider assembly, significantly improving the maintainability and service life of the system.
[0014] Furthermore, the controller acquires the gas supply pressure, circulation pressure, stack temperature, and load current detected by the first pressure sensor, second pressure sensor, temperature sensor, and current sensor in real time through its program logic. Based on the rate of change of the load current, it determines whether the fuel cell stack is in a rapid loading state. Based on the correlation between the rate of change of the circulation pressure and the rate of change of the stack temperature, it determines whether there is a risk of flooding on the anode side. Based on the above judgment results, it selects the corresponding preset control mode and generates control commands to coordinately adjust the speed and squeezing degree of the dual-variable peristaltic pump.
[0015] When the controller determines that it is in a rapid loading state, it controls the rotation speed and the degree of compression of the dual variable peristaltic pump to increase synchronously, wherein the response speed of the degree of compression is faster than the response speed of the rotation speed. When it determines that there is a risk of flooding, it controls the dual variable peristaltic pump to adjust mainly by increasing the degree of compression.
[0016] If the controller determines that there is a risk of flooding and the circulating pressure continues to rise and exceeds the safety threshold, it will determine that the flooding is severe and control the dual-variable peristaltic pump to operate at the maximum squeezing level. It can also optionally control the drain valve to open frequently for short periods of time to drain water.
[0017] This invention's controller achieves real-time fusion processing of multi-sensor data, first establishing a precise perception capability of fuel cell stack load changes and hydrothermal status. Based on this perception, the system can identify rapid loading conditions in advance according to the load current change rate, and through a coordinated control strategy that makes the compression degree response faster than the speed response, it preemptively enhances the flushing force of hydrogen circulation to prevent flooding, achieving a control leap from passive response to active prevention. Regarding flooding risks, the controller further performs intelligent diagnosis by correlating the changing trends of circulation pressure and temperature, and prioritizes increasing the compression degree to specifically enhance the flow channel unblocking capacity. When the diagnosis escalates to severe flooding, the system can autonomously switch to an emergency handling mode centered on maximum compression degree operation and linked with a high-frequency drain valve, forming a powerful water removal mechanism. Ultimately, this series of hierarchical and linked intelligent control logics enables the system not only to adapt to the dynamic flight conditions of UAVs, but also to achieve full-cycle closed-loop management of the core challenge of hydrothermal management, from risk warning and hierarchical handling to emergency recovery, significantly improving the adaptability, operating efficiency, and reliability of the entire hydrogen fuel control system.
[0018] In summary, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:
[0019] 1. This invention constructs a closed-loop hydrogen fuel control system comprising a hydrogen cylinder, a pressure reducing valve, a hydrogen inlet valve, a first pressure sensor, a fuel cell stack, a vapor-water separator, a dual-variable peristaltic pump, a second pressure sensor, a drain valve, a temperature sensor, a current sensor, and a controller. Firstly, it achieves active recycling of unreacted hydrogen from a hardware architecture perspective. Secondly, by configuring a multi-dimensional sensing network composed of dual pressure sensors, a temperature sensor, and a current sensor, the system can accurately monitor key parameters such as hydrogen circulation pressure, stack temperature, and load current. Thirdly, relying on the controller's intelligent program, the system can comprehensively analyze load changes and hydrothermal conditions, achieving coordinated and precise control of the dual-variable peristaltic pump's speed and compression degree. Ultimately, this system not only significantly improves hydrogen utilization but also dynamically adjusts the hydrogen circulation flow rate and scouring intensity according to real-time operating conditions, effectively preventing flooding and membrane drying. This comprehensively solves the hydrothermal management challenges of UAV fuel cell systems under dynamic operating conditions, ensuring efficient, stable, and long-life operation of the system.
[0020] 2. This invention achieves a fully sealed and zero-leakage hydrogen delivery process through the combination of an annular pump chamber and flexible pump pipe, fundamentally ensuring system safety. Furthermore, the structural design of driving the fixed plate to rotate via a drive motor provides a stable basic driving force for hydrogen circulation. On top of this, the innovative addition of an independently controllable adjusting plate and its curved guide groove allows the slider and extrusion roller in the extrusion actuator to generate precise radial displacement as the adjusting plate rotates. This decouples the single motor kinetic energy into two independent variables: independently controllable rotational speed and extrusion degree. Ultimately, this enables the pump body not only to adjust the circulation flow rate according to working conditions but also to actively control the pulsation intensity and scouring force of fluid delivery. This provides a key actuator foundation for the system's refined hydrothermal management and dynamic response, achieving a functional leap from simply being able to circulate to how to circulate efficiently and intelligently.
[0021] 3. The controller of this invention achieves real-time fusion processing of multi-sensor data, first establishing a precise perception capability of fuel cell stack load changes and hydrothermal status. Based on this perception, the system can identify rapid loading conditions in advance according to the load current change rate, and through a coordinated control strategy that makes the compression degree response faster than the speed response, it preemptively enhances the flushing force of hydrogen circulation to prevent flooding, achieving a control leap from passive response to active prevention. In response to the risk of flooding, the controller further performs intelligent diagnosis by correlating the changing trends of circulation pressure and temperature, and prioritizes increasing the compression degree to specifically enhance the flow channel unblocking capacity. When the diagnosis escalates to severe flooding, the system can autonomously switch to an emergency handling mode centered on maximum compression degree operation and linked with a high-frequency drain valve, forming a powerful water removal mechanism. Ultimately, this series of hierarchical and linked intelligent control logics enables the system not only to adapt to the dynamic flight conditions of UAVs, but also to achieve full-cycle closed-loop management of the core challenge of hydrothermal management, from risk warning, hierarchical handling to emergency recovery, significantly improving the adaptability, operating efficiency and reliability of the entire hydrogen fuel control system. Attached Figure Description
[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware connection of the hydrogen fuel control system for the UAV of the present invention;
[0023] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the controller of the present invention;
[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the process of this invention;
[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the drone of the present invention;
[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the dual-variable peristaltic pump of the present invention;
[0027] Figure 6 This is an internal schematic diagram of the dual-variable peristaltic pump of the present invention;
[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the regulating disc of the dual-variable peristaltic pump of the present invention;
[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the stationary disc of the dual-variable peristaltic pump of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0030] The following specific embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art can make modifications to these embodiments without contributing any inventive step, but such modifications are protected by patent law as long as they fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.
[0031] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
[0032] Example
[0033] like Figures 1-2 As shown, a hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles includes a hydrogen cylinder 1, a pressure reducing valve 2, a hydrogen inlet valve 3, a first pressure sensor 4, a fuel cell stack 5, a gas-water separator 6, a dual-variable peristaltic pump 7, a second pressure sensor 8, and a controller 9.
[0034] The outlet of hydrogen cylinder 1 is connected in sequence to pressure reducing valve 2, hydrogen inlet valve 3, and first pressure sensor 4 via pipelines. The outlet of first pressure sensor 4 is connected to hydrogen inlet of fuel cell stack 5 via pipelines. The hydrogen outlet of fuel cell stack 5 is connected to inlet of gas-liquid separator 6 via pipelines. The gas outlet of gas-liquid separator 6 is connected to inlet of dual variable peristaltic pump 7 via pipelines. The outlet of dual variable peristaltic pump 7 is connected to hydrogen inlet of fuel cell stack 5 via circulation pipelines. Second pressure sensor 8 is installed on gas-liquid separator 6. Controller 9 is electrically connected to hydrogen inlet valve 3, first pressure sensor 4, second pressure sensor 8, and dual variable peristaltic pump 7. It also includes drain valve 90, which is connected to liquid outlet of gas-liquid separator 6 and electrically connected to controller 9. Temperature sensor 50 is installed on fuel cell stack 5 and electrically connected to controller 9. It also includes current sensor 51, which is installed in the power output circuit of fuel cell stack 5 and electrically connected to controller 9.
[0035] like Figures 4-8As shown, the dual-variable peristaltic pump 7 includes a pump housing 71, a drive motor 72, a fixed plate 73, an adjusting plate 74, and a compression actuation assembly 75. The pump housing 71 forms an annular pump chamber 711. The pump housing 71 has a fluid inlet 712 and a fluid outlet 713 communicating with the annular pump chamber 711. The annular pump chamber 711 is used to accommodate a flexible pump tube. The drive motor 72 is fixed to the pump housing, and its output shaft is drivenly connected to the fixed plate 73. The compression actuation assembly 75 includes at least three sliders 731 distributed circumferentially along the fixed plate 73 and compression rollers 732 located at the ends of each slider 731. Each slider 731 can slide radially along the fixed plate 73, and the compression rollers 732 at its ends are used for compression. The flexible pump tube has an adjusting disc 74 coaxially arranged with a fixed disc 73 and can rotate independently relative to the fixed disc 73. The adjusting disc 74 is provided with a curved guide groove 741, and each slider 731 is provided with a guide member 733 that slides with the curved guide groove 741. The fixed disc 73 is provided with a radially extending slide groove 730 corresponding to each slider 731. The slider 731 is slidably disposed in the slide groove 730. A baffle 734 is provided above the slide groove 730 to prevent the slider from falling out. A drive motor 742 is provided at the top center of the adjusting disc 74. The pump housing 71 includes a separable bottom housing 711 and a top cover 712. The drive motor 742 is fixed on the top cover 712 and is located at the bottom of the bottom housing 711.
[0036] like Figure 3 As shown, the controller 9 acquires the gas supply pressure, circulation pressure, stack temperature, and load current detected by the first pressure sensor 4, the second pressure sensor 8, the temperature sensor 50, and the current sensor 51 in real time through its program logic. Based on the rate of change of the load current, it determines whether the fuel cell stack 5 is in a rapid loading state. Based on the correlation between the rate of change of circulation pressure and the rate of change of stack temperature, it determines whether there is a risk of flooding on the anode side. Based on the above judgment results, it selects the corresponding preset control mode and generates control commands to coordinately adjust the speed and squeezing degree of the dual variable peristaltic pump 7. When the controller 9 determines that it is in a rapid loading state, it controls the speed and squeezing degree of the dual variable peristaltic pump 7 to increase synchronously, with the response speed of the squeezing degree being faster than that of the speed. When it determines that there is a risk of flooding, it controls the dual variable peristaltic pump to adjust mainly by increasing the squeezing degree. After determining that there is a risk of flooding, if the circulation pressure continues to rise and exceeds the safety threshold, the controller 9 determines that it is a serious flood and controls the dual variable peristaltic pump 7 to operate at the maximum squeezing degree. It can also optionally control the drain valve 90 to drain water by opening it frequently for short periods of time.
[0037] Key Step Algorithm
[0038] Data collection:
[0039] Gas supply pressure: Pin
[0040] Circulating pressure: P loop
[0041] Stack temperature: T stack
[0042] Output current: I stack
[0043] 1. Calculation of state characteristic quantities
[0044] (1) Load characteristics:
[0045]
[0046] (2) Characteristics of water management:
[0047]
[0048] (3) Thermal management characteristics:
[0049] (4)
[0050] State determination algorithm
[0051] Flooding Judgment Rules:
[0052]
[0053] Load status assessment:
[0054]
[0055] Bivariate control algorithm
[0056] (1) Basic control law:
[0057]
[0058] (2) Operating condition-specific control:
[0059] Fast loading mode ( > ):
[0060]
[0061] Flooding handling mode:
[0062]
[0063] Low load mode (L<0.2):
[0064]
[0065] Decoupling Allocation Algorithm
[0066] Traffic demand calculation:
[0067]
[0068] Bivariate assignment rule:
[0069]
[0070] Security monitoring algorithm
[0071] Fault detection:
[0072]
[0073] Response strategy:
[0074] Single fault: adaptive parameter adjustment
[0075] Multiple faults: Switch to safe mode
[0076] Serious malfunction: Emergency shutdown
[0077] Base speed: n0
[0078] Basic extrusion: s0
[0079] Speed gain: K n
[0080] Squeeze gain: K s
[0081] Flooding threshold: ΔP th
[0082] Loading threshold:
[0083] Gas supply pressure: Pin
[0084] Circulating pressure: P loop
[0085] Stack temperature: T stack
[0086] Output current: I stack
[0087] This invention's control algorithm achieves accurate judgment and adaptive control of fuel cell stack operating conditions through multi-sensor data fusion and real-time calculation. The algorithm first bases its calculations on real-time collected data of supply pressure (Pin) and circulation pressure (P...). loop ), stack temperature (T) stack ) and load current (I stack The system calculates three key state characteristics: load change rate, cyclic pressure change rate, and temperature change rate. The system then determines the operating condition based on preset thresholds: when... > thWhen it is determined to be in a fast loading state; when ˙> th and < At time th, it is determined that there is a risk of flooding; if P loop Continuously exceeding the safety threshold P safe Then it will escalate into severe flooding.
[0088] During the control execution phase, the algorithm adopts different control strategies based on the judgment results. The basic control law is:
[0089]
[0090] Where n is the peristaltic pump speed, s is the degree of compression, n0 and s0 are the base values, Kn and Ks are the gain coefficients, and ΔL is the load change.
[0091] Special adjustments are made for specific operating conditions:
[0092] In rapid loading mode, the rotation speed and the degree of compression increase exponentially in tandem:
[0093]
[0094] Set α s >α n This allows for a faster response in terms of compression, thereby enhancing the scouring force of the airflow in advance.
[0095] In the flooding treatment mode, the main focus is on increasing the degree of compression:
[0096]
[0097] It can also be linked to the high-frequency opening and closing of the drain valve.
[0098] In low-load mode (L<0.2), appropriately reduce the degree of compression to prevent the membrane from drying out:
[0099]
[0100] In addition, the system uses a decoupled allocation algorithm to rationally distribute the total flow demand Qreq to the rotational speed and compression level:
[0101]
[0102] To achieve optimal matching of flow rate and scouring intensity under different operating conditions.
[0103] During system operation, the controller collects real-time data on supply air pressure, circulation pressure, fuel cell stack temperature, and load current. It first calculates the load change rate, circulation pressure change rate, and temperature change rate as state characteristic quantities. Based on these characteristics, the controller can accurately determine whether the system is in a rapid loading state or whether there is a risk of flooding. For example, when the load current change rate exceeds a set threshold, it is determined to be rapid loading; when the circulation pressure rises abnormally and the temperature change is lower than expected, it is diagnosed as a risk of flooding. Based on the judgment results of different operating conditions, the controller uses corresponding control algorithms to generate adjustment commands for the dual-variable peristaltic pump. In rapid loading mode, the system simultaneously increases the pump speed and compression degree, and the response speed of the compression degree is faster. To prevent flooding, the system first enhances the airflow scouring force. If flooding is a risk, it increases the compression degree to improve the flow channel's unblocking capacity. In case of severe flooding, it switches to maximum compression and activates the drain valve for high-frequency, short-term drainage. Simultaneously, the controller uses a decoupling allocation algorithm to rationally distribute the total flow demand to the two variables of rotational speed and compression degree, maintaining their coordination and balance under various operating conditions. This enables dynamic and precise control of hydrogen circulation flow and scouring intensity, ensuring efficient and stable operation under different loads and hydrothermal conditions. Furthermore, the built-in safety monitoring mechanism adaptively adjusts or implements protective measures for abnormal states, comprehensively enhancing the intelligence, adaptability, and reliability of the entire hydrogen fuel control system.
[0104] Working principle: such as Figures 1-8 As shown, the working principle of the hydrogen fuel control system for UAVs of the present invention is based on the closed-loop management concept of supply, reaction, recovery, and control, aiming to maximize the utilization of hydrogen and achieve dynamic balance of the internal hydrothermal environment of the fuel cell stack. Its working process begins with the hydrogen supply and circulation process: high-pressure hydrogen flows out from hydrogen cylinder 1, is reduced to the working pressure required by fuel cell stack 5 by pressure reducing valve 2, and then the hydrogen inlet valve 3 is opened under the command of controller 9. After being monitored by the first pressure sensor 4, the hydrogen enters the anode of the fuel cell stack to participate in the electrochemical reaction; the unreacted hydrogen mixes with the water vapor generated by the reaction to form high-temperature and high-humidity anode tail gas, which is discharged from the fuel cell stack outlet and enters the gas-liquid separation and hydrogen recovery process. The anode tail gas achieves gas-liquid separation in the gas-liquid separator 6. The separated liquid water accumulates at the bottom and is discharged from the system as needed by the drain valve 90 controlled by controller 9. The relatively dry hydrogen after separation enters the dual variable peristaltic pump 7.
[0105] Under the command of controller 9, the pump pumps hydrogen back to the fuel cell inlet, mixes it with fresh hydrogen, and participates in the reaction again. Controller 9 dynamically adjusts the speed of the peristaltic pump to control the circulation flow rate by analyzing data from the first pressure sensor 4, the second pressure sensor 8, the temperature sensor 50, and the current sensor 51 in real time. Simultaneously, it adjusts the squeezing degree to control the airflow scouring force, thereby achieving active management of the hydrothermal environment inside the fuel cell stack. The working principle of the dual-variable peristaltic pump 7 includes two levels: basic pumping and advanced regulation. The drive motor 72 drives the stationary plate 73... The annular pump chamber 711 rotates, causing the extrusion rollers 732 to sequentially extrude the flexible pump tube, generating continuous hydrogen delivery. The pump speed determines the basic circulation flow rate. The independently driven regulating disc 74 drives all sliders 731 to slide synchronously in the radial groove 730 of the fixed disc 73 through the curved guide groove 741 on it, thereby changing the depth of the rollers extruding the pump tube. Increasing the degree of extrusion can increase the single discharge volume and enhance the airflow, while decreasing the degree of extrusion makes the airflow gentler. This decouples the traditional single flow control into two independent adjustable variables: flow rate and fluid momentum.
[0106] The intelligent decision-making and control principles of Controller 9 constitute the brain of the system, and its operation follows a closed loop of perception-judgment-decision-execution. Controller 9 continuously collects and processes four key signals: load current, circulating pressure, fuel cell stack temperature, and gas supply pressure. Through built-in algorithms, it performs fusion analysis to intelligently diagnose operating conditions: when the load current change rate exceeds the threshold, it is determined to be a rapid loading state, anticipating an increased risk of water production; when the circulating pressure change rate rises abnormally while the temperature change rate is lower than expected, it is determined with high confidence to be a flood risk, and if the pressure continues to exceed the standard, it is upgraded to severe flooding. Based on the diagnostic results, controller 9 executes a hierarchical collaborative control strategy: In rapid loading mode, the peristaltic pump's speed and squeezing intensity are increased exponentially, and the squeezing intensity response is set to be faster, so as to achieve proactive prevention by first enhancing the flushing force to prepare for dredging and then increasing the flow rate to meet the demand; in flood risk mode, increasing the squeezing intensity is the main means to enhance the local flushing force, and the drain valve 90 can be linked to drain water periodically; in severe flooding mode, the pulse flushing emergency program is activated, so that the pump's speed is periodically switched at the maximum squeezing intensity for powerful sludge removal, and the drain valve 90 also operates at high frequency in sync. Throughout the process, controller 9 also continuously performs adaptive adjustments and safety monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of the commands and protect the system safety.
[0107] The overall collaborative operation of the system can be illustrated by the example of a drone accelerating its ascent: when power demand surges, causing a sharp increase in the stack current, the controller 9 instantly determines to rapidly load and activates the prevention mode; the peristaltic pump's regulating motor 742 acts first, rapidly increasing the compression degree to generate a preparatory flushing airflow, and the main drive motor 72 then smoothly increases its speed to meet the increased circulation flow; thus, despite the surge in water production, the strong and pre-enhanced circulation airflow ensures that the anode flow channel remains unobstructed and the circulation pressure remains stable, thereby successfully preventing flooding and ensuring the efficient and stable output of the stack. In summary, the core working principle of this invention lies in recovering hydrogen through a sophisticated hardware system and, with the help of a highly intelligent controller 9, integrating information from multiple sensors to accurately diagnose the hydrothermal state of the stack. Furthermore, through the dual-variable coordinated and decoupled control of flow rate and flushing force, it achieves proactive full-cycle management of flooding risk prevention, accurate diagnosis, and effective removal, fundamentally solving the problems of slow response and crude hydrothermal management in traditional systems under dynamic operating conditions. This enables hydrogen fuel cells to stably and efficiently serve drone platforms that are extremely sensitive to changes in operating conditions.
Claims
1. A hydrogen fuel control system for a drone, characterized by, Includes hydrogen cylinder (1), pressure reducing valve (2), hydrogen inlet valve (3), first pressure sensor (4), fuel cell stack (5), gas-water separator (6), dual variable peristaltic pump (7), second pressure sensor (8), and controller (9); The outlet of the hydrogen cylinder (1) is connected in sequence to the pressure reducing valve (2), the hydrogen inlet valve (3), and the first pressure sensor (4) via pipelines. The outlet of the first pressure sensor (4) is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack (5) via pipelines. The hydrogen outlet of the fuel cell stack (5) is connected to the inlet of the gas-water separator (6) via pipelines. The gas outlet of the gas-water separator (6) is connected to the inlet of the dual variable peristaltic pump (7) via pipelines. The outlet of the dual variable peristaltic pump (7) is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the fuel cell stack (5) via a circulation pipeline. The second pressure sensor (8) is installed on the gas-water separator (6). The controller (9) is electrically connected to the hydrogen inlet valve (3), the first pressure sensor (4), the second pressure sensor (8), and the dual variable peristaltic pump (7) respectively.
2. The hydrogen fuel control system for a drone according to claim 1, wherein It also includes a drain valve (90) connected to the liquid outlet of the steam-water separator (6) and electrically connected to the controller (9).
3. The hydrogen fuel control system for a drone according to claim 1, wherein A temperature sensor (50) is installed on the fuel cell stack (5), and the temperature sensor (50) is electrically connected to the controller (9).
4. The hydrogen fuel control system for a drone according to claim 1, wherein It also includes a current sensor (51), which is disposed in the power output circuit of the fuel cell stack (5) and electrically connected to the controller (9).
5. The hydrogen fuel control system for a drone according to claim 1, wherein The dual-variable peristaltic pump (7) includes a pump housing (71), a drive motor (72), a fixed plate (73), an adjusting plate (74), and a squeezing actuator (75). The pump housing (71) forms an annular pump chamber (711). The pump housing (71) has a fluid inlet (712) and a fluid outlet (713) communicating with the annular pump chamber (711). The annular pump chamber (711) is used to accommodate a flexible pump tube. The drive motor (72) is fixed to the pump housing, and its output shaft is driven by the fixed plate (73). The squeezing actuator (75) includes at least... Three sliders (731) are distributed circumferentially along the fixed plate (73) and extrusion rollers (732) are provided at the ends of each slider (731). Each slider (731) can slide radially along the fixed plate (73). The extrusion rollers (732) at the ends of the sliders are used to extrude flexible pump tubes. The adjusting plate (74) is coaxially arranged with the fixed plate (73) and can rotate independently relative to the fixed plate (73). The adjusting plate (74) is provided with a curved guide groove (741). Each slider (731) is provided with a guide member (733) that slides in cooperation with the curved guide groove (741).
6. A hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fixed plate (73) has a radially extending groove (730) corresponding to each slider (731), the slider (731) is slidably disposed in the groove (730), and a baffle (734) is provided above the groove (730) to prevent the slider from falling out.
7. A hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 5, characterized in that, The top center of the adjustment plate (74) is provided with a drive motor (742). The pump housing (71) includes a separable bottom shell (711) and a top cover (712). The drive motor (742) is fixed on the top cover (712), and the drive motor (72) is located at the bottom of the bottom shell (711).
8. A hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controller (9) acquires the gas supply pressure, circulation pressure, stack temperature and load current detected by the first pressure sensor (4), the second pressure sensor (8), the temperature sensor (50) and the current sensor (51) in real time through its program logic. Based on the rate of change of the load current, it determines whether the fuel cell stack (5) is in a rapid loading state. Based on the correlation between the rate of change of the circulation pressure and the rate of change of the stack temperature, it determines whether there is a risk of water flooding on the anode side. Based on the above judgment results, it selects the corresponding preset control mode and generates control instructions to coordinate the rotation speed and squeezing degree of the dual variable peristaltic pump (7).
9. A hydrogen fuel control system for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the controller (9) determines that it is in a rapid loading state, it controls the rotation speed of the dual variable peristaltic pump (7) to increase synchronously with the degree of compression, wherein the response speed of the degree of compression is faster than the response speed of the rotation speed. When it determines that there is a risk of flooding, it controls the dual variable peristaltic pump to adjust mainly by increasing the degree of compression.
10. A hydrogen fuel control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that, After determining that there is a risk of flooding, if the circulating pressure continues to rise and exceeds the safety threshold, the controller (9) determines that it is a serious flood and controls the dual variable peristaltic pump (7) to operate at the maximum squeezing degree, and optionally controls the drain valve (90) to drain water in a high-frequency short-time opening manner.