A power supply method and product of a drone nest and a drone nest

Abstract

The application discloses a power supply method and product of a UAV nest and the UAV nest, and the method comprises the following steps: collecting the photovoltaic available power of a photovoltaic cell, the initial state of charge of a lithium battery, the available state identifier of a methanol fuel cell and the basic load power of the UAV nest; if a UAV accesses the nest for charging, the first charging demand power is obtained and the total demand power is calculated by combining the basic load power; if the photovoltaic available power is less than the total demand power, the available state of charge is less than the minimum state of charge threshold and the available state identifier is start, the photovoltaic cell is used for power supply first, the lithium battery is switched to for power compensation after the power is consumed, until the state of charge is reduced to the preset discharge termination threshold, and then the methanol fuel cell is switched to for the remaining gap compensation, until the total demand is met and the power supply is completed. The application can solve the problem that the existing UAV nest cannot match the load power fluctuation in time due to insufficient power supply in an off-grid environment, so as to improve the timeliness of the power supply response of the UAV nest.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) energy management technology, and in particular to a power supply method, product, and UAV nest for UAVs. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the low-altitude economy, drones are increasingly being used in fields such as power line inspection, logistics delivery, and emergency rescue. As the central hub for drone parking, charging, maintenance, and dispatching, drone nests enable autonomous takeoff and landing, automatic charging, and data transmission, significantly improving drone operational efficiency and emergency response capabilities. However, the nest contains multiple energy-consuming components that require uninterrupted operation, and it supplies power to multiple drones. Therefore, providing a stable and continuous power supply to the drone nest is a prerequisite for its normal operation.

[0003] Currently, drone nests mainly use a single photovoltaic power supply solution, but it has significant drawbacks: in continuous rainy weather or areas with scarce sunshine, the output of photovoltaic power is sharply reduced, and the capacity of energy storage devices is limited, making it difficult to support the long-term operation of the nest and the high-power charging needs of multiple drones. Moreover, its energy scheduling method is only a simple "charging when there is light and discharging when there is no light", which cannot be dynamically adjusted according to load changes and energy storage status. As a result, drone nests are unable to match the drastic fluctuations in load power in real time in off-grid environments, and the timeliness of power supply response to drone nests is insufficient. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a power supply method, product, and drone nest for drones, which can solve the problem that existing drone nests cannot timely match load power fluctuations due to insufficient power supply in off-grid environments, thereby improving the timeliness of power supply response to drone nests.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a power supply method for a drone nest, applied to a drone nest, the drone nest comprising a photovoltaic cell, a lithium battery, a methanol fuel cell, and a DC bus, the method comprising: The system collects the photovoltaic available power of the photovoltaic cell, the initial state of charge of the lithium battery, the availability status of the methanol fuel cell, and the basic load power of the basic load in the UAV nest. If any drone is detected to be charging in the drone nest, the first charging power demand of the drone is obtained, and the total power demand is calculated based on the base load power and the first charging power demand. If the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cell is less than the total required power, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset minimum charge threshold, and the available state of the methanol fuel cell is marked as started, then the photovoltaic cell is used to power the drone and the base load until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted. Then, based on the total required power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power, a first power to be charged is calculated. The lithium battery is used to power the drone and the base load, and the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery during the power supply process is obtained. This continues until the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset discharge termination threshold. Then, based on the first power to be charged and the obtained first actual discharge power of the lithium battery, a second power to be charged is calculated. The methanol fuel cell is used to power the drone and the base load to replenish the second power to be charged before the power supply ends.

[0006] By collecting data on the available photovoltaic power of photovoltaic cells, the initial state of charge of lithium batteries, the availability status of methanol fuel cells, and the basic load power of the basic load in the drone nest, multi-dimensional operational data such as photovoltaic power generation capacity, lithium battery energy storage status, fuel cell availability, and basic energy consumption of the nest can be obtained in real time. This provides a comprehensive and timely data foundation for subsequent dynamic scheduling of multiple energy sources, avoiding delays in power supply response due to data gaps and improving the timeliness of power supply response. By detecting drones accessing the nest for charging and obtaining their initial charging power demand, the system can promptly sense drone charging load access events and obtain drone demand, enabling the system to simultaneously obtain data as soon as the load changes. Load access information and power demand data are used to improve the timeliness of power supply response. The total power demand is calculated based on the base load power and the initial charging power demand, enabling unified quantification of the basic operating energy consumption of the drone's nest and the charging energy consumption of the drone, forming a complete power demand target. This provides a clear total power reference for subsequent multi-energy collaborative power supply, improving the timeliness of power supply response from the perspective of demand target construction. When the available photovoltaic power is less than the total power demand, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the minimum charge threshold, and the methanol fuel cell's available state is marked as started, it indicates that not only are the photovoltaic cells unable to meet the total power demand, but even with the lithium battery combined, the power supply is insufficient; the methanol fuel cell must also be used to meet the total power demand. To determine the required power, a progressive, coordinated power supply from photovoltaic (PV) cells, lithium batteries, and methanol fuel cells is triggered to ensure timely power supply to the drone's avionics nest. Utilizing PV cells to power the drone and its base load until the available PV power is exhausted allows the PV cells to output all available power generated under current lighting conditions, ensuring that the PV energy output is fully released before initiating subsequent replenishment. This avoids energy waste or response strategy confusion caused by prematurely calling upon lithium batteries, thus improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's avionics nest. The first required charging power is calculated based on the total power demand and the exhausted available PV power, enabling immediate quantification of the remaining charging power even after the PV output reaches its limit. The charging power gap provides an accurate power target for rapid lithium battery reconnection, improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest; by using lithium batteries to power the drone and basic load and acquiring their first real-time state of charge in real time, it is possible to continuously monitor the changes in the battery charge during the lithium battery discharge process, and quickly fill the power gap by taking advantage of the lithium battery's fast response speed and instantaneous high-power discharge characteristics, thereby improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest; the power supply is stopped when the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the preset discharge termination threshold, which can avoid the lithium battery from a sudden drop in power supply capacity or battery damage due to over-discharge, ensuring the continuity of power supply and equipment safety, and ensuring timely power supply response in the future;The second power to be charged is calculated based on the first power to be charged and the first actual discharge power of the lithium battery. This allows for the immediate quantification of the power gap that the fuel cell still needs to replenish after the lithium battery stops supplying power, providing an accurate power target for the methanol fuel cell to take over, and improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone nest. By using the methanol fuel cell to supply power to the drone and its basic load to supplement the second power to be charged, the high-energy-density methanol fuel cell can be activated as the final energy source when the lithium battery is low, utilizing its continuous power generation capacity to fill all remaining power gaps. This avoids power outages due to lack of backup power after the lithium battery is depleted, thus ensuring the continuity of power supply and the timeliness of response in off-grid environments. This application solves the problem of insufficient power supply in existing off-grid environments for drone nests, which prevents timely matching of load power fluctuations, thereby improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone nest.

[0007] Furthermore, after the step of using the methanol fuel cell to power the drone and the base load to supplement the second charging power and then ending the power supply, the method further includes: Determine whether the methanol fuel cell has any remaining power. If it does, use the remaining power of the methanol fuel cell to power the lithium battery until the lithium battery is fully charged and then stop supplying power.

[0008] This method determines whether the methanol fuel cell has any remaining power after replenishing the load, and if so, uses that remaining power to charge the lithium battery. After ensuring the power supply for the drone and the basic load, the excess electrical energy can be recycled back to the lithium battery, allowing the lithium battery to restore its energy reserves after the power supply ends. This avoids the waste of residual power from the fuel cell, which could lead to insufficient energy storage in the lithium battery during subsequent power supply cycles and affect the power supply response speed. Thus, energy recycling is achieved in an off-grid environment, and the timeliness of subsequent power supply response is ensured.

[0009] Furthermore, after calculating the total power demand based on the base load power and the first charging demand power, the method further includes: Based on the photovoltaic available power of the photovoltaic cell, the preset maximum discharge power of the lithium battery, and the preset rated power of the methanol fuel cell, the total available power is calculated, wherein the maximum discharge power is determined based on the ambient temperature of the environment where the UAV nest is located and the initial state of charge. If the total available power is less than the total required power, the photovoltaic cells, the lithium batteries and the methanol fuel cells are used to power the base load, and the second charging power required for each of the drones connected to the charging circuit is obtained. The second charging power requirements of each drone are sorted to obtain the task priority of each drone. Based on the task priority corresponding to each of the drones, the photovoltaic cells, the lithium batteries, and the methanol fuel cells are used to charge each drone in sequence.

[0010] This method calculates the total available power based on the available photovoltaic power, the preset maximum discharge power of the lithium battery, and the preset rated power of the methanol fuel cell. When the total available power is less than the total required power, the charging power requirements of each drone are sorted to determine the task priority. Then, charging is carried out in sequence according to priority. Under the limited condition of insufficient total power supply capacity, the charging needs of high-priority drones can be guaranteed first. This avoids delays in high-priority tasks caused by the power distribution being dispersed due to all drones charging at the same time. At the same time, the sorting process uses the required power as a quantitative basis to ensure that the priority division is objective and clear, thereby improving the allocation efficiency of power supply resources and the timeliness of power supply response.

[0011] Furthermore, the drone nest also includes a maximum power point tracking controller, which is connected between the output terminal of the photovoltaic cell and the DC bus. The DC bus is connected to the power supply interface of the base load and the charging interface of the drone. The process of using the photovoltaic cell to supply power to the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the maximum power point tracking controller to control the power output of the photovoltaic cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus.

[0012] By using a maximum power point tracking controller to distribute the power output of the photovoltaic cells to the base load and the drone via the DC bus, the photovoltaic cells can always operate at their maximum power output point under different light and temperature conditions, maximizing the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic energy. This ensures that the photovoltaic cells can output as much usable power as possible under the current environmental conditions, thereby providing more power supply to the load during the photovoltaic priority power supply phase, reducing the pressure of subsequent lithium batteries and methanol fuel cells to compensate, and improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest.

[0013] Furthermore, the drone nest also includes a bidirectional DC-DC converter, which is connected between the output terminal of the lithium battery and the DC bus. The use of the lithium battery to power the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the bidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the lithium battery to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus.

[0014] By using a bidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the lithium battery and distribute it to the base load and the drone via the DC bus, it is possible to achieve bidirectional flexible control of the charging and discharging direction and power of the lithium battery. This allows the lithium battery to quickly discharge to make up for the power gap when the photovoltaic power is insufficient, and to receive electrical energy to recharge and restore energy storage when the photovoltaic power is sufficient or the fuel cell has surplus power. This provides hardware support for power switching and energy recycling between multiple energy sources, thereby improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest.

[0015] Furthermore, the drone nest also includes a unidirectional DC-DC converter, which is connected between the output end of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus. The use of the methanol fuel cell to power the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the unidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the methanol fuel cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus.

[0016] By using a unidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the methanol fuel cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus, the output voltage of the methanol fuel cell under different load conditions can be stably converted to the DC bus voltage. This allows the output power of the fuel cell to be smoothly connected to the DC bus and to work together with the photovoltaic and lithium batteries to provide power. It ensures that the fuel cell does not generate voltage fluctuations during the connection and disconnection of power supply, thereby ensuring the smoothness of power supply switching and the timeliness of power supply response.

[0017] Furthermore, the power supply method for the drone nest also includes: When no drone is detected accessing the drone nest for charging, if the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cell is less than the base load power, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the minimum charge threshold, and the available state of the methanol fuel cell is marked as started, then the photovoltaic cell is used to supply power to the base load until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted. Then, based on the base load power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power, the third power to be charged is calculated. The lithium battery is used to power the base load, and the second real-time state of charge of the lithium battery during the power supply process is obtained until the second real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset discharge termination threshold. Then, based on the third power to be charged and the second actual discharge power of the lithium battery, the fourth power to be charged is calculated. The methanol fuel cell is used to power the base load until the fourth chargeable power is replenished. Then, it is determined whether the methanol fuel cell has any remaining power. If it does, the remaining power of the methanol fuel cell is used to power the lithium battery until the lithium battery is fully charged and the power supply ends.

[0018] This system identifies specific scenarios where photovoltaic (PV) and lithium battery power are insufficient while fuel cells are available in standby mode, even when no drone access is detected. It controls the PV batteries to supply power to the basic load until their available power is exhausted, then switches to the lithium batteries to make up the power difference. Once the lithium battery's state of charge drops to a preset discharge termination threshold, it switches to the methanol fuel cell to make up the remaining gap. After the load is made up, the remaining power of the fuel cell is used to charge the lithium batteries. This system can maintain uninterrupted power supply to the basic load of the drone nest during periods without drone charging tasks, while using the remaining power of the fuel cell to replenish the lithium batteries. This allows the drone nest to maintain basic operational capabilities in standby mode and reserve power for subsequent drone charging tasks, ensuring that the drone nest can respond to power supply needs in a timely manner in an off-grid environment.

[0019] Secondly, another embodiment of the present invention provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implements a method for powering a drone nest.

[0020] Thirdly, another embodiment of the present invention provides a drone nest, including a photovoltaic cell, a lithium battery, a methanol fuel cell, a DC bus, a maximum power point tracking controller, a bidirectional DC-DC converter, a unidirectional DC-DC converter, and a plurality of drone parking positions, wherein: The drone parking spot is used to dock drones. The drone parking spot is equipped with a charging interface. The drone is connected to the charging interface of the drone parking spot where it is docked, so that the drone nest can supply power to the drone. The maximum power point tracking controller is connected between the output terminal of the photovoltaic cell and the DC bus. The bidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output terminal of the lithium battery and the DC bus. The unidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output terminal of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus. The DC bus is connected to the power supply interface of the basic load of the UAV nest and the charging interface of the UAV.

[0021] Furthermore, the drone nest also includes a control unit, wherein the control unit is used to execute the power supply method for the drone nest. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a power supply method for a drone nest provided in this application; Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the drone nest provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims, and foregoing description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0026] In the description of the embodiments of this application, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0027] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative embodiment. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0028] In the description of the embodiments in this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0029] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" refers to two or more (including two), similarly, "multiple sets" refers to two or more (including two sets), and "multiple pieces" refers to two or more (including two pieces).

[0030] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] In the field of drone energy management technology, drone nests, as the central hub for drone parking, charging, and scheduling, need to maintain uninterrupted operation and supply power to multiple drones. Therefore, a stable and continuous power supply is a prerequisite for their normal operation. Currently, drone nests mainly adopt a single photovoltaic power supply scheme. However, photovoltaic output is easily affected by weather and has limited energy storage capacity, making it difficult to support the long-term operation of the nest and the high-power charging needs of multiple drones. This results in the nest being unable to match load power fluctuations in real time in off-grid environments, leading to insufficient timeliness of power supply response.

[0032] See Figure 1 In order to solve the problem of insufficient power supply and inability to match load power fluctuations in a timely manner in the off-grid environment of existing drone nests, and to improve the timeliness of power supply response to drone nests, an embodiment of the present invention provides a power supply method for drone nests, which is applied to drone nests. The drone nest includes photovoltaic cells, lithium batteries, methanol fuel cells and DC bus. The method includes steps S101 to S103. Step S101: Collect the photovoltaic available power of the photovoltaic cell, the initial state of charge of the lithium battery, the available state indicator of the methanol fuel cell, and the basic load power of the basic load in the UAV nest; In some embodiments, collecting the photovoltaic available power of the photovoltaic cell, the initial state of charge of the lithium battery, the availability status indicator of the methanol fuel cell, and the base load power of the basic load in the UAV nest specifically includes: initializing each sensor, i.e., zeroing each sensor in the nest, then detecting the output voltage and output current of the photovoltaic cell in real time through voltage and current sensors, multiplying the detected output voltage and output current to calculate the real-time output power of the photovoltaic cell under the current light and temperature conditions, which is the photovoltaic available power; and reading the current state of charge (SOC) of the lithium battery in real time through the lithium battery management system (BMS). The state of charge (SOC) is expressed as a percentage of the lithium battery's current remaining charge relative to its full capacity. The current SOC is used as the initial SOC of the lithium battery. The operating status signal of the methanol fuel cell (0 = unavailable, 1 = standby, 2 = running) is read in real time by the fuel cell controller (FCU) to determine whether the methanol fuel cell currently has normal power generation capability. The actual power consumption of the basic load in the UAV nest (including non-charging auxiliary equipment such as the helipad temperature control module, communication module, positioning and navigation module, and monitoring module) is obtained at the current moment by power sensor or by collecting the voltage and current in the basic load power supply circuit, and is used as the basic load power.

[0033] It should be noted that the collection period for each of the above data can be set according to actual needs. For example, if the collection period is set to 1 second, all data will be collected and the current status will be updated once every 1 second.

[0034] Step S102: If any drone is detected to be charging in the drone nest, the first charging power demand of the drone connected to the charging nest is obtained, and the total power demand is calculated based on the base load power and the first charging power demand. In some embodiments, if any drone is detected to be charging in the drone nest, the first charging power requirement of the drone is obtained. Specifically, this includes: monitoring the output current and output voltage of each charging interface in real time through the load detection circuit of the charging interface configured in each parking position in the drone nest; when the load power of a certain charging interface exceeds a preset standby power threshold, it is determined that a drone has been connected to that parking position for charging; after determining that a drone has been connected, the drone nest enters the charging mode and interacts with the drone's battery management system (BMS) through the communication protocol of the charging interface to read the first charging power requirement of the drone battery.

[0035] In some embodiments, the total required power is calculated based on the base load power and the first charging demand power, specifically including: adding the base load power of the drone nest and the first charging demand power of the drone connected to the nest for charging to obtain the total required power to be charged.

[0036] It should be noted that if multiple drones are connected to different parking positions for charging at the same time, the charging power requirement of each connected drone is obtained, and the charging power requirement of each drone is added to the basic load power to obtain the total power requirement.

[0037] In some embodiments, after calculating the total required power based on the base load power and the first charging required power, the method further includes: calculating the total available power based on the photovoltaic available power of the photovoltaic cell, the preset maximum discharge power of the lithium battery, and the preset rated power of the methanol fuel cell, wherein the maximum discharge power is determined based on the ambient temperature of the environment where the UAV nest is located and the initial state of charge; if the total available power is less than the total required power, the photovoltaic cell, the lithium battery, and the methanol fuel cell are used to supply power to the base load, and the second charging required power corresponding to each UAV connected to the charging is obtained; the second charging required power is sorted to obtain the task priority corresponding to each UAV; and the photovoltaic cell, the lithium battery, and the methanol fuel cell are used to charge each UAV sequentially in combination with the task priority corresponding to each UAV. Specifically, the current ambient temperature of the drone's nest is obtained through a temperature sensor, and a temperature coefficient is determined based on this temperature. The temperature coefficient is 1 at the standard operating temperature and decreases as the temperature decreases or increases when deviating from the standard operating temperature. The state of charge (SCC) coefficient is determined based on the difference between the current SCC of the lithium battery and the minimum SCC threshold; the larger the difference, the larger the SCC coefficient. The rated capacity of the lithium battery, the temperature coefficient, and the SCC coefficient are multiplied to obtain an intermediate value. The smaller of the obtained lithium battery charging rate and this intermediate value is taken as the maximum discharge power. The available photovoltaic power, the maximum discharge power, and the preset rated power of the methanol fuel cell are added together to calculate the total available power. The available power is compared with the total demand power. If the total available power is less than the total demand power, it indicates that the total power supply capacity of the current multi-energy system is insufficient to simultaneously meet the charging needs of the basic load and all connected drones. At this time, the system enters the off-peak charging mode. In the off-peak charging mode, the charging demand power of each connected drone is obtained and sorted in descending order. The drone with the higher charging demand power has a higher task priority. According to the order of priority from high to low, the drones are charged in sequence using photovoltaic cells, lithium batteries and methanol fuel cells. Priority is given to providing all available power to high-priority drones until they are fully charged, and then charging is provided to the next priority drones.

[0038] It should be noted that if multiple drones have the same charging power requirement during the sorting process, the priority will be determined according to the order in which each drone connects to the charging station, with the first drone connecting having higher priority.

[0039] In some embodiments, the formula for calculating the total power demand based on the base load power and the first charging demand power further includes: Correction formula for maximum discharge power: ; In the formula, The charging rate of the lithium battery; This refers to the rated capacity of the lithium battery. This represents the initial state of charge of the lithium battery. This represents the minimum charge threshold of a lithium battery. The temperature coefficient (0~1) of the lithium battery is determined by the ambient temperature.

[0040] It should be noted that a larger temperature coefficient indicates a higher charging current that can be met. Generally, the charging current of a lithium battery should decrease accordingly as the temperature increases. Therefore, "k=1 (25°C)" means that full power charging can be met at a temperature of 25°C. If the lithium battery capacity is 10Ah, then it can meet a maximum charging power of 10A.

[0041] This method calculates the total available power based on the available photovoltaic power, the preset maximum discharge power of the lithium battery, and the preset rated power of the methanol fuel cell. When the total available power is less than the total required power, the charging power requirements of each drone are sorted to determine the task priority. Then, charging is carried out in sequence according to priority. Under the limited condition of insufficient total power supply capacity, the charging needs of high-priority drones can be guaranteed first. This avoids delays in high-priority tasks caused by the power distribution being dispersed due to all drones charging at the same time. At the same time, the sorting process uses the required power as a quantitative basis to ensure that the priority division is objective and clear, thereby improving the allocation efficiency of power supply resources and the timeliness of power supply response.

[0042] Step S103: If the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cell is less than the total required power, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset minimum charge threshold, and the available state of the methanol fuel cell is marked as started, then the photovoltaic cell is used to power the drone and the base load until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted. Then, based on the total required power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power, a first power to be charged is calculated. The lithium battery is used to power the drone and the base load, and the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery during the power supply process is obtained until the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset discharge termination threshold. Then, based on the first power to be charged and the obtained first actual discharge power of the lithium battery, a second power to be charged is calculated. The methanol fuel cell is used to power the drone and the base load to replenish the second power to be charged before the power supply ends.

[0043] In some embodiments, if the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cell is less than the total required power, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset minimum charge threshold, and the available state of the methanol fuel cell is marked as activated, the specific steps include: comparing the available photovoltaic power collected in step S101 with the total required power calculated in step S102; if the available photovoltaic power is less than the total required power, it indicates that the photovoltaic cell cannot meet all power supply requirements under the current environmental conditions; at this time, the initial state of charge of the lithium battery collected in step S101 is compared with the preset minimum charge threshold. The preset minimum charge threshold can be set according to the type and characteristics of the lithium battery, for example, it can be set to 20%; if the initial state of charge is less than 20%, it indicates that the current charge of the lithium battery is too low and it is not suitable to be the main power source to undertake the task of supplementing the power supply; at this time, it is further checked whether the available state of the methanol fuel cell collected in step S101 is in the activated state. If activated, it indicates that the current drone nest is in a power supply scenario where the photovoltaic output is insufficient, the lithium battery charge is low, but the fuel cell is available, and the three-energy progressive collaborative power supply process needs to be triggered.

[0044] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the specific value of the preset minimum charge threshold can be flexibly set according to the discharge characteristics of the lithium battery, cycle life requirements and system reliability requirements, and is not limited to the example values ​​mentioned above.

[0045] In some embodiments, the drone nest further includes a maximum power point tracking controller, which is connected between the output terminal of the photovoltaic cell and the DC bus. The DC bus is connected to the power supply interface of the base load and the charging interface of the drone. The method of using the photovoltaic cell to supply power to the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the maximum power point tracking controller to control the power output of the photovoltaic cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus. Specifically, the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller monitors the output voltage and current of the photovoltaic (PV) cells in real time. It uses the perturbation observation method or the incremental conductance method to track the PV cells' maximum power point under the current light intensity and temperature conditions. By adjusting the PV cells' operating voltage, it keeps them operating near the maximum power point, thus enabling the PV cells to output the maximum usable power under the current environmental conditions. The MPPT controller converts the DC power output from the PV cells and outputs it to the DC bus. The DC bus acts as an energy collection and distribution center, and its voltage is stabilized at a preset bus voltage value (e.g., 48V or other voltage levels determined according to the system design). The DC bus is connected to the power supply interface of the base load and the charging interface of each UAV parking position through multiple output interfaces, distributing the power output from the PV cells to the base load and each UAV charging interface as needed.

[0046] By using a maximum power point tracking controller to distribute the power output of the photovoltaic cells to the base load and the drone via the DC bus, the photovoltaic cells can always operate at their maximum power output point under different light and temperature conditions, maximizing the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic energy. This ensures that the photovoltaic cells can output as much usable power as possible under the current environmental conditions, thereby providing more power supply to the load during the photovoltaic priority power supply phase, reducing the pressure of subsequent lithium batteries and methanol fuel cells to compensate, and improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest.

[0047] In some embodiments, until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted, a first power to be charged is calculated based on the total demand power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power. Specifically, this includes: continuously monitoring the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cells during the photovoltaic power supply process, which fluctuates in real time with changes in light intensity and temperature; when the available photovoltaic power is detected to be reduced to a level that cannot meet the demand, it is determined that the available photovoltaic power has been exhausted, that is, the photovoltaic cells have output all available power under the current environmental conditions but still cannot cover the total demand; subtracting the total power output by the photovoltaic cells during the entire power supply process (i.e., the initially collected available photovoltaic power) from the current total demand power to calculate the first power to be charged, which is the power gap that still needs to be supplemented after the photovoltaic cells have output all available power.

[0048] It should be noted that the depletion of photovoltaic available power means that all the available output power of the photovoltaic cells under the current lighting conditions has been put into power supply, rather than that the electrical energy stored in the photovoltaic cells has been exhausted. Photovoltaic cells are power generation devices, not energy storage devices.

[0049] In some embodiments, the drone nest further includes a bidirectional DC-DC converter connected between the output terminal of the lithium battery and the DC bus. The use of the lithium battery to power the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the bidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the lithium battery to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus. Specifically, the bidirectional DC-DC converter adopts a synchronous Buck-Boost topology and is connected between the lithium battery and the DC bus to achieve bidirectional energy flow between the lithium battery and the DC bus. When photovoltaic power is insufficient and lithium battery discharge is required to compensate, the bidirectional DC-DC converter operates in boost mode, increasing the output voltage of the lithium battery to the DC bus voltage to power the base load and the drone. Simultaneously, it adjusts the discharge current of the lithium battery (not exceeding the maximum allowable discharge power) according to power commands issued by the energy management control unit, thereby controlling the output power of the lithium battery.

[0050] For example, when the photovoltaic power is sufficient or the fuel cell has surplus power that needs to charge the lithium battery, the bidirectional DC-DC converter operates in buck mode, reducing the voltage on the DC bus to the charging voltage of the lithium battery, and adjusting the charging current according to the state of charge and charging curve of the lithium battery to achieve charging control of the lithium battery; the energy management control unit monitors the state of charge and temperature of the lithium battery in real time, and dynamically adjusts the charging and discharging power of the bidirectional DC-DC converter in combination with the preset minimum charge threshold and discharge termination threshold.

[0051] By using a bidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the lithium battery and distribute it to the base load and the drone via the DC bus, it is possible to achieve bidirectional flexible control of the charging and discharging direction and power of the lithium battery. This allows the lithium battery to quickly discharge to make up for the power gap when the photovoltaic power is insufficient, and to receive electrical energy to recharge and restore energy storage when the photovoltaic power is sufficient or the fuel cell has surplus power. This provides hardware support for power switching and energy recycling between multiple energy sources, thereby improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest.

[0052] In some embodiments, obtaining the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery during the power supply process specifically includes: during the lithium battery power supply period, the energy management control unit continuously reads the current state of charge of the lithium battery through the lithium battery management system (BMS). The state of charge reflects the proportion of the current remaining charge of the lithium battery to its full capacity in real time in the form of a percentage. The energy management control unit periodically reads and updates the real-time state of charge value at a preset sampling period (e.g., 1 second) in order to promptly grasp the charge change trend of the lithium battery during the discharge process and provide real-time data for determining whether a preset discharge termination threshold has been reached.

[0053] In some embodiments, until the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset discharge termination threshold, a second power to be charged is calculated based on the first power to be charged and the first actual discharge power of the lithium battery. Specifically, this includes: during the lithium battery power supply process, comparing the first real-time state of charge acquired in real time with the preset discharge termination threshold, the preset discharge termination threshold being used to indicate that the lithium battery is close to being depleted and needs to stop discharging immediately to avoid over-discharge damage; when the first real-time state of charge drops to less than the preset discharge termination threshold, the energy management control unit immediately sends a stop discharge command to the bidirectional DC-DC converter to control the lithium battery to stop power supply output; after stopping the discharge, subtracting the first actual discharge power of the lithium battery during the entire power supply process (i.e., the cumulative power actually output from the start of power supply to the stop of power supply) from the first power to be charged to calculate the second power to be charged, which is the remaining power gap that still fails to meet the total power demand after the lithium battery has completed the supplementary power supply.

[0054] It should be noted that the specific value of the preset discharge termination threshold can be set according to the discharge characteristics of the lithium battery, the minimum safe operating voltage, and the cycle life requirements.

[0055] In some embodiments, the drone nest further includes a unidirectional DC-DC converter connected between the output of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus. The method of using the methanol fuel cell to power the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the unidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the methanol fuel cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus. Specifically, a unidirectional DC / DC converter is connected between the output of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus to stably convert the output voltage of the methanol fuel cell to the DC bus voltage. The methanol fuel cell includes a methanol reforming hydrogen production unit and a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack. The methanol reforming hydrogen production unit converts liquid methanol-water solution into hydrogen-rich reformed gas, which is then purified and supplied to the high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack for power generation. The output voltage of the stack fluctuates with load changes. The unidirectional DC / DC converter detects the output voltage of the methanol fuel cell and the current voltage of the DC bus in real time. It controls the duty cycle of the power switching devices through PWM (pulse width modulation) modulation to boost or buck the output voltage of the fuel cell to a stable voltage value that matches the DC bus voltage, so that the output power of the fuel cell can be smoothly fed into the DC bus. The energy management control unit sends a power command to the unidirectional DC / DC converter according to the current power gap that still needs to be filled. The unidirectional DC / DC converter adjusts the output current of the fuel cell according to the command, thereby controlling its output power to supply power to the base load and the drone.

[0056] By using a unidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the methanol fuel cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus, the output voltage of the methanol fuel cell under different load conditions can be stably converted to the DC bus voltage. This allows the output power of the fuel cell to be smoothly connected to the DC bus and to work together with the photovoltaic and lithium batteries to provide power. It ensures that the fuel cell does not generate voltage fluctuations during the connection and disconnection of power supply, thereby ensuring the smoothness of power supply switching and the timeliness of power supply response.

[0057] In some embodiments, the power supply is terminated after the second power to be charged is replenished. Specifically, during the power supply process of the methanol fuel cell, the real-time changes in the output power of the fuel cell are continuously monitored. When the cumulative output power of the methanol fuel cell has replenished the power gap corresponding to the second power to be charged and the total power demand has been fully met, the power supply process is determined to be terminated. The energy management control unit sends a command to the unidirectional DC converter to control the methanol fuel cell to stop power output and complete the power supply for the entire charging process.

[0058] In some embodiments, after the methanol fuel cell is used to power the drone and the base load to replenish the second power to be charged and then the power supply is terminated, the method further includes: determining whether the methanol fuel cell has any remaining power; if so, using the remaining power of the methanol fuel cell to power the lithium battery until the lithium battery is fully charged and then the power supply is terminated. Specifically, after the methanol fuel cell has replenished the power supply to the drone and the base load, the energy management control unit detects whether the methanol fuel cell still has any remaining output capacity; if there is remaining power, the energy management control unit sends a charging command to the bidirectional DC-DC converter, controls the bidirectional DC-DC converter to switch to buck charging mode, and feeds the remaining power of the methanol fuel cell into the lithium battery through the DC bus and the bidirectional DC-DC converter to charge the lithium battery until the lithium battery is fully charged, then stops charging and terminates the power supply.

[0059] This method determines whether the methanol fuel cell has any remaining power after replenishing the load, and if so, uses that remaining power to charge the lithium battery. After ensuring the power supply for the drone and the basic load, the excess electrical energy can be recycled back to the lithium battery, allowing the lithium battery to restore its energy reserves after the power supply ends. This avoids the waste of residual power from the fuel cell, which could lead to insufficient energy storage in the lithium battery during subsequent power supply cycles and affect the power supply response speed. Thus, energy recycling is achieved in an off-grid environment, and the timeliness of subsequent power supply response is ensured.

[0060] To further illustrate, the UAV nest of this application is powered by photovoltaic cells, lithium batteries, and methanol fuel cells. If the photovoltaic cells can fully meet the demand, they are used first. If the photovoltaic cells cannot meet the demand, the photovoltaic cells are controlled to output all available power, while the lithium batteries make up the power difference. If the photovoltaic cells and lithium batteries still cannot meet the demand, the methanol fuel cells are controlled to start, making up the remaining power gap after the photovoltaic cells and lithium batteries have supplied power. The control cycle can be set from 1 to 10 seconds to cycle through charging mode and standby mode.

[0061] In some embodiments, the power supply method for the drone nest further includes: when no drone is detected connecting to the drone nest for charging, if the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cell is less than the base load power, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the minimum charge threshold, and the available state of the methanol fuel cell is marked as started, then the photovoltaic cell is used to supply power to the base load until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted; then a third power to be charged is calculated based on the base load power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power; the lithium battery is used to supply power to the base load, and the second real-time state of charge of the lithium battery during the power supply process is obtained until the second real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset discharge termination threshold; then a fourth power to be charged is calculated based on the third power to be charged and the obtained second actual discharge power of the lithium battery; the methanol fuel cell is used to supply power to the base load until the fourth power to be charged is replenished; then it is determined whether the methanol fuel cell has remaining power; if so, the remaining power of the methanol fuel cell is used to supply power to the lithium battery until the lithium battery is fully charged and the power supply ends. Specifically, in standby mode, there is no drone charging load. The system only needs to supply power to the basic load of the drone nest (including non-charging auxiliary equipment such as the landing pad temperature control module, communication module, positioning and navigation module, and monitoring module). The energy management control unit checks whether there are no drones connected to the charging interfaces of all landing positions. If so, it enters standby mode. In standby mode, it determines whether the available photovoltaic power is less than the basic load power, whether the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the minimum charge threshold, and whether the methanol fuel cell's available status indicator is "started". If all three conditions are met, the system supplies power to the basic load according to the same progressive power supply logic as in charging mode, that is, using the photovoltaic cells. The system supplies power to the base load until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted. Based on the base load power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power, the third power to be charged is calculated. The system then switches to lithium battery power supply to the base load and monitors the second real-time state of charge in real time. When the second real-time state of charge is less than the preset discharge termination threshold, the lithium battery power supply is stopped. Based on the third power to be charged and the second actual discharge power of the lithium battery, the fourth power to be charged is calculated. Finally, the methanol fuel cell is used to supply power to the base load to supplement the fourth power to be charged. After the methanol fuel cell supplements the base load power supply, it is determined whether there is any remaining power in the methanol fuel cell. If there is any remaining power, it is used to charge the lithium battery until it is fully charged.

[0062] This system identifies specific scenarios where photovoltaic (PV) and lithium battery power are insufficient while fuel cells are available in standby mode, even when no drone access is detected. It controls the PV batteries to supply power to the basic load until their available power is exhausted, then switches to the lithium batteries to make up the power difference. Once the lithium battery's state of charge drops to a preset discharge termination threshold, it switches to the methanol fuel cell to make up the remaining gap. After the load is made up, the remaining power of the fuel cell is used to charge the lithium batteries. This system can maintain uninterrupted power supply to the basic load of the drone nest during periods without drone charging tasks, while using the remaining power of the fuel cell to replenish the lithium batteries. This allows the drone nest to maintain basic operational capabilities in standby mode and reserve power for subsequent drone charging tasks, ensuring that the drone nest can respond to power supply needs in a timely manner in an off-grid environment.

[0063] For example, the power supply for three scenarios—sufficient sunlight, insufficient sunlight, and fast charging—specifically includes: During periods of sufficient sunlight (such as sunny days), the photovoltaic cells output sufficient power, and the photovoltaic cells are controlled to prioritize charging the lithium battery. The remaining power is used to power the drone's auxiliary equipment, while the methanol fuel cell remains in standby mode. At night or during periods of insufficient sunlight, the photovoltaic cells output insufficient power or zero power, and the methanol fuel cell is controlled to operate at its rated power, prioritizing the basic power consumption of the drone's nest. The remaining power is used to charge the lithium battery. In addition, when the drone is connected to fast charging, the lithium battery and the methanol fuel cell are controlled to be connected in parallel for high-power output to meet the drone's fast charging requirements.

[0064] For example, the drone nest can be equipped with an emergency mode, which includes: when a methanol fuel cell fault is detected and the photovoltaic cell output power is insufficient, limiting the unnecessary load on the nest, maintaining only the communication module and minimum power consumption temperature control operation, reducing the lithium battery discharge rate to extend standby time, and sending an alarm signal to the remote monitoring platform to wait for maintenance personnel to arrive or remotely repair.

[0065] For example, a drone nest can be deployed in remote mountainous areas for power grid inspection. An embodiment of its operational scenario includes: At dawn, photovoltaic cells begin to output power, supplying power to the nest's load and charging the lithium battery; at 9:00 AM, the first drone leaves the nest to perform an inspection mission, its battery pack already fully charged in the buffer compartment; at 11:00 AM, the drone returns to the nest, and an automatic battery swapping mechanism replaces its battery pack with a fully charged one. The depleted battery pack is placed in the buffer compartment for charging. At this time, with ample sunlight, the photovoltaic and lithium batteries work together to fast charge the battery pack; at 2:00 PM, continuous rainy weather arrives, causing a sharp drop in photovoltaic output. The methanol fuel cell automatically starts, ensuring the nest's operation and pre-charging of the battery pack; at 6:00 PM, the second drone returns to the nest requiring fast charging. At this time, the methanol fuel cell operates at full power, and the lithium battery discharges at high power, jointly meeting the fast charging requirement; at 10:00 PM, all tasks are completed, and the methanol fuel cell operates at low power to replenish the lithium battery and reserve energy for the next day's mission. In this scenario, the hive can operate continuously for more than 30 days under completely off-grid conditions, requiring only periodic replenishment of methanol fuel, which significantly reduces the frequency of maintenance for field deployments.

[0066] By collecting data on the available photovoltaic power of photovoltaic cells, the initial state of charge of lithium batteries, the availability status of methanol fuel cells, and the basic load power of the basic load in the drone nest, multi-dimensional operational data such as photovoltaic power generation capacity, lithium battery energy storage status, fuel cell availability, and basic energy consumption of the nest can be obtained in real time. This provides a comprehensive and timely data foundation for subsequent dynamic scheduling of multiple energy sources, avoiding delays in power supply response due to data gaps and improving the timeliness of power supply response. By detecting drones accessing the nest for charging and obtaining their initial charging power demand, the system can promptly sense drone charging load access events and obtain drone demand, enabling the system to simultaneously obtain data as soon as the load changes. Load access information and power demand data are used to improve the timeliness of power supply response. The total power demand is calculated based on the base load power and the initial charging power demand, enabling unified quantification of the basic operating energy consumption of the drone's nest and the charging energy consumption of the drone, forming a complete power demand target. This provides a clear total power reference for subsequent multi-energy collaborative power supply, improving the timeliness of power supply response from the perspective of demand target construction. When the available photovoltaic power is less than the total power demand, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the minimum charge threshold, and the methanol fuel cell's available state is marked as started, it indicates that not only are the photovoltaic cells unable to meet the total power demand, but even with the lithium battery combined, the power supply is insufficient; the methanol fuel cell must also be used to meet the total power demand. To determine the required power, a progressive, coordinated power supply from photovoltaic (PV) cells, lithium batteries, and methanol fuel cells is triggered to ensure timely power supply to the drone's avionics nest. Utilizing PV cells to power the drone and its base load until the available PV power is exhausted allows the PV cells to output all available power generated under current lighting conditions, ensuring that the PV energy output is fully released before initiating subsequent replenishment. This avoids energy waste or response strategy confusion caused by prematurely calling upon lithium batteries, thus improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's avionics nest. The first required charging power is calculated based on the total power demand and the exhausted available PV power, enabling immediate quantification of the remaining charging power even after the PV output reaches its limit. The charging power gap provides an accurate power target for rapid lithium battery reconnection, improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest; by using lithium batteries to power the drone and basic load and acquiring their first real-time state of charge in real time, it is possible to continuously monitor the changes in the battery charge during the lithium battery discharge process, and quickly fill the power gap by taking advantage of the lithium battery's fast response speed and instantaneous high-power discharge characteristics, thereby improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone's nest; the power supply is stopped when the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the preset discharge termination threshold, which can avoid the lithium battery from a sudden drop in power supply capacity or battery damage due to over-discharge, ensuring the continuity of power supply and equipment safety, and ensuring timely power supply response in the future;The second power to be charged is calculated based on the first power to be charged and the first actual discharge power of the lithium battery. This allows for the immediate quantification of the power gap that the fuel cell still needs to replenish after the lithium battery stops supplying power, providing an accurate power target for the methanol fuel cell to take over, and improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone nest. By using the methanol fuel cell to supply power to the drone and its basic load to supplement the second power to be charged, the high-energy-density methanol fuel cell can be activated as the final energy source when the lithium battery is low, utilizing its continuous power generation capacity to fill all remaining power gaps. This avoids power outages due to lack of backup power after the lithium battery is depleted, thus ensuring the continuity of power supply and the timeliness of response in off-grid environments. This application solves the problem of insufficient power supply in existing off-grid environments for drone nests, which prevents timely matching of load power fluctuations, thereby improving the timeliness of power supply response to the drone nest.

[0067] Based on the above-described method embodiments, another embodiment of the present invention provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implements a method for powering a drone's nest.

[0068] Based on the above-described method embodiments, another embodiment of the present invention provides a drone nest, including a photovoltaic cell, a lithium battery, a methanol fuel cell, a DC bus, a maximum power point tracking controller, a bidirectional DC-DC converter, a unidirectional DC-DC converter, and several drone parking positions, wherein: the drone parking positions are used to dock drones, each drone parking position is equipped with a charging interface, and the drone is connected to the charging interface of the drone parking position where it is docked, so that the drone nest supplies power to the drone; the maximum power point tracking controller is connected between the output end of the photovoltaic cell and the DC bus, the bidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output end of the lithium battery and the DC bus, the unidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output end of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus, and the DC bus is connected to the power supply interface of the basic load of the drone nest and the charging interface of the drone. Specifically, the drone nest includes a multi-energy control system, which comprises an energy supply module, an energy management and control unit, and a power conversion and distribution unit. The energy supply module includes photovoltaic cells, lithium batteries, and methanol fuel cells. The power conversion and distribution unit includes an MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controller, a bidirectional DC / DC converter, a unidirectional DC / DC converter, and a DC bus. The drone nest also includes the nest body and a landing pad. The nest body is made of weathering steel or composite materials, providing wind, rain, dust, and sun protection. Photovoltaic cells are installed on the top of the nest body, and a fuel tank refueling port is located inside for adding methanol fuel. The landing pad has several drone parking positions (e.g., 2 to 4). Each parking position is equipped with visual positioning markers and a mechanical correction mechanism to guide the drone to a precise landing. Each parking position is equipped with a charging interface. After landing, the drone connects to the DC bus through the charging interface to receive electrical energy for charging. The maximum power point tracking (MPP) controller... The T) controller is connected between the output terminal of the photovoltaic cell and the DC bus. It is used to track the maximum power point of the photovoltaic cell in real time and control the photovoltaic cell to output electrical energy to the DC bus at maximum power. The MPPT controller uses the perturbation observation method or the incremental conductance method to track the maximum power point of the photovoltaic cell in real time and improve the photovoltaic utilization efficiency. The bidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output terminal of the lithium battery and the DC bus. It is used to realize bidirectional energy flow between the lithium battery and the DC bus, that is, to control the lithium battery to discharge to the DC bus or to draw power from the DC bus to charge the lithium battery. The bidirectional DC-DC converter adopts a synchronous Buck-Boost topology. The unidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output terminal of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus. It is used to stably convert the output voltage of the methanol fuel cell to the DC bus voltage. The unidirectional DC-DC converter is connected to the methanol fuel cell and stably converts its output voltage (which varies with the load) to the DC bus voltage (e.g., 48V, depending on the system design).The DC bus serves as the energy collection and distribution hub, connecting multiple output interfaces. These interfaces connect to the power supply interfaces of the basic loads and the charging interfaces of the drone landing spots, distributing the electrical energy output from each energy module to the respective loads as needed. Photovoltaic cells are deployed on the top and sun-facing sides of the drone nest, using monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. The peak power is designed based on the nest's average daily energy consumption and sunshine hours, for example, a 2kWp photovoltaic array. The photovoltaic cell output is connected to the DC bus via an MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controller. Lithium-ion batteries serve as energy storage buffer units, using lithium iron phosphate battery packs. The capacity design must meet the power requirements of the nest's basic load operation during nighttime (when there is no sunlight) and at least one fast charge for the drone, for example, a 10kWh battery pack. The battery pack consists of lithium batteries connected to the DC bus via a bidirectional DC / DC converter, enabling bidirectional charge and discharge control. The methanol fuel cell serves as both baseload and backup power, employing a methanol reforming-hydrogen production-high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack (HT-PEMFC) technology. Liquefied methanol-water solution (e.g., 64% methanol by volume) is stored in the fuel tank within the fuel cell. This solution is converted into hydrogen-rich reformed gas by a reformer, purified, and then supplied to the fuel cell stack for power generation. The rated power of this battery is designed based on the fuel cell's base load and average charging load; for example, a 3kW fuel cell stack could be configured. The methanol fuel cell is connected to the DC bus via a unidirectional DC / DC converter. The methanol reforming route allows direct use of liquid methanol, avoiding the safety hazards and infrastructure dependence associated with high-pressure hydrogen storage, making it more suitable for unattended outdoor scenarios.

[0069] For further explanation, please see Figure 2 , Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drone nest provided in this application. The drone nest includes a photovoltaic cell (PV array) 111, a lithium battery (BAT) 112, a methanol fuel cell (FC) 113, an MPPT controller 131, a bidirectional DC / DC converter 132, a unidirectional DC / DC converter 133, and a DC bus 140. The output of the photovoltaic cell 111 is connected to the DC bus 140 via the MPPT controller 131. The MPPT controller 131 tracks the maximum power point of the photovoltaic cell 111 in real time, ensuring that it always outputs the maximum usable power under different light and temperature conditions. The lithium battery 112 is connected to the DC bus 140 via the bidirectional DC / DC converter. Device 132 is connected to DC bus 140, enabling bidirectional charging and discharging control; methanol fuel cell 113 is connected to DC bus 140 through unidirectional DC / DC converter 133, which stably converts the output voltage of methanol fuel cell 113 to DC bus voltage, so that its output power can be smoothly fed into DC bus 140; DC bus 140 serves as an energy collection and distribution hub, and is connected to helipad temperature control 210, communication and positioning module 220, helipad drive 230, UAV charging interface 240 and battery buffer 250, respectively, to distribute the electrical energy output by each energy module to each load end of the helipad as needed.

[0070] For example, in some embodiments, the drone nest can also have a battery swapping function, that is, it is equipped with an automatic battery swapping mechanism and a battery pack buffer for battery swapping. Specifically, the automatic battery swapping mechanism includes a six-axis robotic arm and a battery pack gripper, which is used to automatically replace the pre-charged battery pack in the nest with the depleted battery pack on the drone after the drone docks, so as to shorten the drone's time in the nest and improve mission turnaround efficiency; the battery pack buffer is used to store the battery packs to be swapped (e.g., accommodating 4-8 packs). The battery pack buffer has several battery slots, each slot is connected to the DC bus through an independent charging management circuit, which can pre-charge the battery packs to be swapped during the drone's mission to ensure that the battery packs are in a high-charge state during battery swapping. During charging, a power supply process of photovoltaic cells first, lithium batteries second, and methanol fuel cells as a supplement can also be adopted. The buffer has a semiconductor temperature control board, which can control the start and stop according to the temperature inside the buffer and the system power supply capacity to avoid accidents caused by charging when the battery temperature is too high. The power supply priority of the temperature control system is lower than that of the drone's charging load.

[0071] For example, the energy management and control unit serves as the core control hub, comprising an environmental monitoring module, a battery status monitoring module, a load prediction module, and a scheduling decision module. The environmental monitoring module collects environmental parameters around the drone nest using light and temperature / humidity sensors, and obtains weather forecast data via 4G / 5G or satellite communication modules. The battery status monitoring module monitors parameters such as the state of charge (SOC) and temperature of the lithium battery through the battery management system (BMS), and monitors the stack temperature, reformer temperature, fuel balance, and output voltage and current of the methanol fuel cell through the fuel cell controller (FCU). The load prediction module receives the task schedule from the drone mission management system, analyzes the expected return time, remaining battery power, and planned departure time of each drone within the next 24 hours, predicts the charging load curve based on this, and determines the timing for lithium battery charging. The scheduling decision module runs a multi-energy collaborative scheduling algorithm, integrates the above data to generate control commands, and sends them to the power conversion and distribution unit for execution.

[0072] In some embodiments, the drone nest further includes a control unit, wherein the control unit is used to perform a power supply method for the drone nest.

[0073] Based on the above-described embodiment of a power supply method for a drone nest, an embodiment of the present invention provides a power supply system for a drone nest, the power supply system being used to execute the power supply method for a drone nest.

[0074] Based on the above-described embodiment of a power supply method for a drone nest, another embodiment of the present invention provides a terminal device, which includes a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements a power supply method for a drone nest according to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] For example, in this embodiment, the computer program can be divided into one or more modules, which are stored in the memory and executed by the processor to complete the present invention. The one or more modules may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing a specific function, which describe the execution process of the computer program in the terminal device.

[0076] The terminal device may be a desktop computer, laptop, handheld computer, or cloud server, etc. The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a processor and a memory.

[0077] The processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The processor is the control center of the terminal device, connecting all parts of the terminal device via various interfaces and lines.

[0078] Based on the above-described method embodiments, another embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium including a stored computer program, wherein, when the computer program is executed, it controls the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located to execute a power supply method for a drone nest as described in any of the above-described method embodiments of the present invention.

[0079] The modules / units integrated in the device / terminal equipment, if implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the above embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, a recording medium, a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal, and a software distribution medium, etc.

[0080] Based on the above-described method embodiments, another embodiment of the present invention provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implements a method for powering a drone's nest.

[0081] The above description represents the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A power supply method for a drone nest, characterized in that, Applied to drone nests, the drone nests comprising photovoltaic cells, lithium batteries, methanol fuel cells, and DC buses, the method includes: The system collects the photovoltaic available power of the photovoltaic cell, the initial state of charge of the lithium battery, the availability status of the methanol fuel cell, and the basic load power of the basic load in the UAV nest. If any drone is detected to be charging in the drone nest, the first charging power demand of the drone is obtained, and the total power demand is calculated based on the base load power and the first charging power demand. If the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cell is less than the total required power, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset minimum charge threshold, and the available state of the methanol fuel cell is marked as started, then the photovoltaic cell is used to power the drone and the base load until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted. Then, based on the total required power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power, a first power to be charged is calculated. The lithium battery is used to power the drone and the base load, and the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery during the power supply process is obtained. This continues until the first real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset discharge termination threshold. Then, based on the first power to be charged and the obtained first actual discharge power of the lithium battery, a second power to be charged is calculated. The methanol fuel cell is used to power the drone and the base load to replenish the second power to be charged before the power supply ends.

2. The power supply method for the UAV nest as described in claim 1, characterized in that, After the power supply is terminated following the process of using the methanol fuel cell to power the drone and the base load to supplement the second charging power, the method further includes: Determine whether the methanol fuel cell has any remaining power. If it does, use the remaining power of the methanol fuel cell to power the lithium battery until the lithium battery is fully charged and then stop supplying power.

3. The power supply method for the UAV nest as described in claim 1, characterized in that, After calculating the total power demand based on the base load power and the first charging demand power, the method further includes: Based on the photovoltaic available power of the photovoltaic cell, the preset maximum discharge power of the lithium battery, and the preset rated power of the methanol fuel cell, the total available power is calculated, wherein the maximum discharge power is determined based on the ambient temperature of the environment where the UAV nest is located and the initial state of charge. If the total available power is less than the total required power, the photovoltaic cells, the lithium batteries and the methanol fuel cells are used to power the base load, and the second charging power required for each of the drones connected to the charging circuit is obtained. The second charging power requirements of each drone are sorted to obtain the task priority of each drone. Based on the task priority corresponding to each of the drones, the photovoltaic cells, the lithium batteries, and the methanol fuel cells are used to charge each drone in sequence.

4. The power supply method for the UAV nest as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drone nest also includes a maximum power point tracking controller, which is connected between the output terminal of the photovoltaic cell and the DC bus. The DC bus is connected to the power supply interface of the base load and the charging interface of the drone. The method of using the photovoltaic cell to supply power to the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the maximum power point tracking controller to control the power output of the photovoltaic cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus.

5. The power supply method for the UAV nest as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drone nest also includes a bidirectional DC-DC converter, which is connected between the output terminal of the lithium battery and the DC bus. The use of the lithium battery to power the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the bidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the lithium battery to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus.

6. The power supply method for the UAV nest as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drone nest also includes a unidirectional DC-DC converter, which is connected between the output of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus. The use of the methanol fuel cell to power the drone and the base load specifically includes: using the unidirectional DC-DC converter to control the power output of the methanol fuel cell to be distributed to the base load and the drone via the DC bus.

7. The power supply method for the UAV nest as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: When no drone is detected accessing the drone nest for charging, if the available photovoltaic power of the photovoltaic cell is less than the base load power, the available state of charge of the lithium battery is less than the minimum charge threshold, and the available state of the methanol fuel cell is marked as started, then the photovoltaic cell is used to supply power to the base load until the available photovoltaic power is exhausted. Then, based on the base load power and the exhausted available photovoltaic power, the third power to be charged is calculated. The lithium battery is used to power the base load, and the second real-time state of charge of the lithium battery during the power supply process is obtained until the second real-time state of charge of the lithium battery is less than a preset discharge termination threshold. Then, based on the third power to be charged and the second actual discharge power of the lithium battery, the fourth power to be charged is calculated. The methanol fuel cell is used to power the base load until the fourth chargeable power is replenished. Then, it is determined whether the methanol fuel cell has any remaining power. If it does, the remaining power of the methanol fuel cell is used to power the lithium battery until the lithium battery is fully charged and the power supply ends.

8. A computer program product, comprising a computer program or instructions, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed by the communication device, the power supply method for the UAV nest as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

9. A drone nest, characterized in that, This includes photovoltaic cells, lithium batteries, methanol fuel cells, a DC bus, a maximum power point tracking controller, a bidirectional DC-DC converter, a unidirectional DC-DC converter, and several drone parking spaces, among which: The drone parking spot is used to dock drones. The drone parking spot is equipped with a charging interface. The drone is connected to the charging interface of the drone parking spot where it is docked, so that the drone nest can supply power to the drone. The maximum power point tracking controller is connected between the output terminal of the photovoltaic cell and the DC bus. The bidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output terminal of the lithium battery and the DC bus. The unidirectional DC-DC converter is connected between the output terminal of the methanol fuel cell and the DC bus. The DC bus is connected to the power supply interface of the basic load of the UAV nest and the charging interface of the UAV.

10. The UAV nest as described in claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a control unit, wherein the control unit is used to perform the power supply method for the UAV nest as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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