Aircraft having heterogeneous batteries

Abstract

An aircraft comprising a heterogeneous battery comprises: a body; a flight motor coupled to the body and rotating a wing; a work motor providing power to a work unit coupled to the body; a first battery coupled to the body and providing a first power source to the flight motor; and a second battery coupled to the body and providing a second power source to the work motor.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft comprising a heterogeneous battery. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, a small aircraft or drone is defined as a device that flies by rotating multiple rotor blades using battery power.

[0003] Such small aircraft were initially developed for military use, but recently they are being utilized in various fields such as pesticide spraying, video recording, building cleaning, and disaster observation.

[0004] In particular, small aircraft must perform tasks such as spraying pesticides, filming, and cleaning while flying for a short period of about 20 minutes, and after a certain amount of time has passed, the aircraft's battery must be replaced or recharged.

[0005] Registered Patent No. 10-2615304, Drone capable of spraying pesticides and particles (Registration date: December 13, 2023), discloses a drone capable of simultaneously spraying pesticides and particles onto crops.

[0006] The above-mentioned drone capable of simultaneously spraying pesticides and particles is driven by a battery placed in the electrical section and includes technology capable of simultaneously spraying pesticides and particles onto crops through a pesticide spraying unit and a particle spraying unit.

[0007] However, the aforementioned drone capable of simultaneously spraying pesticides and particles has a problem in that its utilization efficiency is significantly reduced because, since it must operate the pesticide spraying unit and the particle spraying unit as well as rotate the wings to fly the drone using a single battery placed in the front section, the drone cannot be operated during the charging time when the battery is discharged.

[0008] In addition, drone batteries continuously generate heat when used for flight and operations, and the resulting high temperatures can lead to reduced battery efficiency or damage, potentially causing the drone to fall and break during operation. Prior art literature

[0009] Registered Patent No. 10-2615304, Drone capable of spraying pesticides and particles (Registration Date: December 13, 2023) The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention provides an aircraft comprising heterogeneous batteries that can improve battery utilization efficiency by using heterogeneous batteries to individually provide power used for flight and power used for work through different batteries, and can replace and cool overheated batteries even during operation of the aircraft, and can replace one battery with power from another battery even if one battery stops operating, thereby greatly improving the utilization efficiency and stability of the aircraft. means of solving the problem

[0011] As an embodiment, an aircraft comprising a heterogeneous battery comprises: a body; a flight motor coupled to the body and rotating a wing; a work motor providing power to a work unit coupled to the body; a first battery coupled to the body and providing a first power source to the flight motor; and a second battery coupled to the body and providing a second power source to the work motor.

[0012] An aircraft comprising a heterogeneous battery further includes a first temperature sensor mounted on the first battery to measure a first temperature of the first battery and a second temperature sensor mounted on the second battery to measure a second temperature of the second battery; a first cooling module for forcibly cooling the first battery when the first temperature of the first battery is above a specified temperature and a second cooling module forcibly cooling the second battery when the second temperature of the second battery is above a specified temperature.

[0013] An aircraft including a heterogeneous battery further includes a power control unit that, when the first battery is above a specified temperature due to the operation of the flight motor, forcibly provides the second power of the second battery to the flight motor and cools the first battery with the first cooling module.

[0014] An aircraft including a heterogeneous battery further includes a power control unit that, when the flight motor operates for a certain period of time using the first power of the first battery, forcibly provides the second power of the second battery to the flight motor and cools the first battery with the first cooling module.

[0015] The first battery of the aircraft comprising a heterogeneous battery comprises any one of a lithium-ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, and a lithium metal polymer battery, and the second battery comprises the remaining one of the lithium-ion battery, the lithium polymer battery, and the lithium metal polymer battery. Effects of the invention

[0016] An aircraft comprising heterogeneous batteries according to the present invention can improve battery utilization efficiency by individually providing power used for flight and power used for work through different batteries using heterogeneous batteries, and by replacing and cooling an overheated battery even during the operation of the aircraft. Furthermore, even if one battery stops operating, it can be replaced with power from another battery, thereby having the effect of significantly improving the utilization efficiency and stability of the aircraft. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged view of section 'A' of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a block diagram of an aircraft including the heterogeneous battery of Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] The present invention described below is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments. Specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description.

[0019] However, this is not intended to limit the invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. In describing the invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the essence of the invention.

[0020] The terms used in this patent are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this patent, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0021] Additionally, terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to distinguish and describe various components, but said components shall not be limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0022] In addition, if at least two different embodiments are described in this patent, each embodiment may use all or part of its components in combination and mixed with one another without further description, as long as it does not deviate from the technical concept of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of section 'A' of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery of FIG. 1.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of section 'A' of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery of FIG. 1.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an aircraft (1) including a heterogeneous battery includes a body (100), a flight motor (200), a work motor (300), a first battery (400), and a second battery (500).

[0026] The body (100) fixes and supports the wing (10), work unit (20), flight motor (200), work motor (300), first battery (400) and second battery (500) at designated positions.

[0027] The body (100) may also include various devices depending on various purposes of use.

[0028] The wing (10) is mounted on the upper part of the body (100), and the wing (10) causes the body (100), equipped with various devices, to fly so that it can lift off the ground and operate the lifted body (100).

[0029] Although in one embodiment of the present invention, the wing (10) is shown and described as being mounted on the upper part of the body (100), the wing (10) may otherwise be mounted on the lower part or side of the body (100).

[0030] The work unit (20) may be, for example, a spraying unit that sprays pesticides, water, air, or various functional fluids, a camera unit that takes a picture of a certain area to generate a video or image, and a cleaning unit that cleans the exterior wall of a building, and the work unit (20) may also include various units suitable for various tasks.

[0031] The flight motor (200) is coupled to the rotation axis of the wing (10) inside the body (100) and provides power to rotate the wing (10), thereby causing the body (100) to rise from the ground and the lifted body (100) to fly.

[0032] The work motor (300) is coupled with the work unit (20) inside the body (100) and provides power for the work unit (20) to operate.

[0033] The first battery (400) is coupled to the body (100), and the first battery (400) provides a first power source for driving the flight motor (200).

[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first battery (400) includes any one of a lithium-ion battery, a lithium-polymer battery, and a lithium-metal-polymer battery.

[0035] The second battery (500) is coupled to the body (100), and the second battery (500) provides a second power source for driving the work motor (300).

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second battery (500) includes one other than the first battery (400) among a lithium-ion battery, a lithium-polymer battery, and a lithium-metal-polymer battery.

[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, by arranging the first battery (400) for driving the flight motor (200) and the second battery (500) for driving the work motor (300) as different types of batteries, the energy efficiency of the aircraft (1) including the different types of batteries can be improved, and if one of the batteries is discharged or stops operating, the other battery can be used as an emergency power source, thereby allowing the aircraft (1) including the different types of batteries to be operated stably without interruption of flight or work.

[0038] Meanwhile, if the first and second batteries (400, 500) are used continuously, the temperature of the first and second batteries (400, 500) rises, and as a result, the energy efficiency of the first and second batteries (400, 500) may drop rapidly.

[0039] In order to prevent the energy efficiency of the first and second batteries (400, 500) from decreasing, the aircraft (1) including the heterogeneous battery includes a first temperature sensor (610), a second temperature sensor (620), a first cooling module (710), a second cooling module (720), and a power control unit (800).

[0040] The first temperature sensor (610) is in contact with the first battery (400), and the first temperature sensor (610) measures the first temperature (T1) of the first battery (400).

[0041] The second temperature sensor (620) is in contact with the second battery (500), and the second temperature sensor (620) measures the second temperature (T2) of the second battery (500).

[0042] The first cooling module (710) forcibly cools the first battery (400) when the temperature of the first battery (400) rises above a specified temperature (T0).

[0043] The first cooling module (710) includes a first heat sink (711), a first Peltier module (712), and a first fan (713).

[0044] The first heat sink (711) is formed of a metal material with a higher thermal conductivity than the surface of the first battery (400) and is in contact with the first battery (400) to allow heat generated from the first battery (400) to be rapidly dissipated to the outside.

[0045] The first Peltier module (712) is coupled to the first heat sink (711), and thermal grease or the like may be placed between the first Peltier module (712) and the first heat sink (711) to increase thermal conductivity.

[0046] The first Peltier module (712) rapidly cools the surface in contact with the first heat sink (711) by power provided from the first battery (400) or the second battery (500), and releases heat to the surface not in contact with the first heat sink (711).

[0047] The first fan (713) is positioned in the body (100) adjacent to the first battery (400), and the first fan (713) serves to discharge air containing heat emitted by the first Peltier module (712) to the outside of the body (100).

[0048] To this end, a through hole (110) is formed in the body (100) in which the first fan (713) is placed, through which air containing heat can be discharged to the outside of the body (100).

[0049] The second cooling module (720) forcibly cools the second battery (500) when the temperature of the second battery (500) rises above a specified temperature (T0).

[0050] The second cooling module (720) includes a second heat sink (721), a second Peltier module (722), and a second fan (723).

[0051] The second heat sink (721) is formed of a metal material with a higher thermal conductivity than the surface of the second battery (500) and is in contact with the second battery (500) to allow heat generated from the second battery (500) to be rapidly dissipated to the outside.

[0052] The second Peltier module (722) is coupled to the second heat sink (721), and thermal grease or the like may be placed between the second Peltier module (722) and the second heat sink (721) to increase thermal conductivity.

[0053] The second Peltier module (722) rapidly cools the surface in contact with the second heat sink (721) by power provided from the second battery (500) or the first battery (400), and releases heat to the surface not in contact with the second heat sink (721).

[0054] The second fan (723) is positioned in the body (100) adjacent to the second battery (500), and the second fan (723) serves to discharge air containing heat emitted by the second Peltier module (722) to the outside of the body (100).

[0055] To this end, a through hole (110) is formed in the body (100) in which the second fan (723) is placed, through which air containing heat can be discharged to the outside of the body (100).

[0056] Although in one embodiment of the present invention, the first and second cooling modules (710, 720) are shown and described as being placed in the first and second batteries (400, 500), alternatively, the first and second cooling modules (710, 720) may also be placed in the flight motor (200) and the work motor (300) to cool the flight motor (200) and the work motor (300) as well as the first and second batteries (400, 500).

[0057] Meanwhile, the first and second Peltier modules (712, 722) can not only serve to cool the overheated first and second batteries (400, 500), but can also serve to increase the ambient temperature of the first and second batteries (400, 500) by changing the direction of heat release by applying reverse current to the first and second Peltier modules (712, 722).

[0058] Specifically, there is a problem that battery efficiency may decrease rapidly in low temperature environments such as winter, and to prevent this, reverse current is applied to the first and second Peltier modules (712, 722) at the beginning of operation of the aircraft (1) to quickly raise the temperature around the battery to a specified temperature, thereby preventing the battery's power from being consumed rapidly due to the low temperature.

[0059] The power control unit (800) is electrically connected to the first and second batteries (400, 500) of the aircraft (1), and the power control unit (800) controls the first and second power generated from the first and second batteries (400, 500) to rotate the wings (10) of the aircraft (1) or to operate the work unit (20) and the first and second cooling modules (710, 720).

[0060] Hereinafter, the operation of an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0061] First, when a flight command is input to the aircraft (1) through a controller or terminal, the power control unit (800) operates the first switch (30) to supply the first power of the first battery (400) to the flight motor (200) and operates the wings (10) to lift the aircraft (1) off the ground and fly the lifted aircraft (1).

[0062] Next, when the aircraft (1) arrives at the set area and a work command is entered, the power control unit (800) operates the second switch (40) to supply the second power of the second battery (500) to the work motor (300), thereby operating the work unit (20).

[0063] Meanwhile, the flight motor (200) is continuously operated to maintain the flight of the aircraft (1), and accordingly, the temperature of the first battery (400) rises.

[0064] The first temperature sensor (610) measures the temperature of the first battery (400) in real time, and when the measured first temperature (T1) of the first battery (400) is measured to be greater than or equal to a specified temperature (T0), the power control unit (800) operates the first switch (30) to cut off the power supply of the first battery (400) and simultaneously operates the third switch (50) to provide the second power of the second battery (500) to the flight motor (200).

[0065] And, the power control unit (800) cuts off the power supply to the first battery (400) and simultaneously operates the first cooling module (710) to rapidly cool the first battery (400).

[0066] Subsequently, when the first temperature (T1) of the first battery (400) is lowered below the specified temperature (TO) by the first cooling module (710), the power control unit (800) operates the third switch (50) to disconnect the connection between the second battery (500) and the flight motor (200), and operates the first switch (30) to reconnect the first battery (400) and the flight motor (200).

[0067] Conversely, as the work unit (20) continues to operate, if the second temperature (T2) of the second battery (500), measured by the second temperature sensor (620) coupled to the second battery (500), is measured to be higher than the specified temperature (T0), the power control unit (800) operates the second switch (40) to cut off the power supply of the second battery (500) and simultaneously operates the fourth switch (60) to provide the first power of the first battery (400) to the work motor (300).

[0068] And, the power control unit (800) cuts off the power supply to the second battery (500) and simultaneously operates the second cooling module (720) to rapidly cool the second battery (500).

[0069] Subsequently, when the second temperature (T2) of the second battery (500) drops below the specified temperature (T0) by the second cooling module (720), the power control unit (800) operates the fourth switch (60) to disconnect the connection between the first battery (400) and the work motor (300), and operates the second switch (40) to connect the second battery (500) and the work motor (300).

[0070] In one embodiment of the present invention, the temperatures of the first and second batteries (400, 500) are monitored in real time through the first and second temperature sensors (610, 620), and when the temperature rises above a specified temperature, the temperatures of the first and second batteries (400, 500) are rapidly cooled through the first and second cooling modules (710, 720), thereby preventing the aircraft (1) from stopping operation or flight due to battery overheating or the first and second batteries (400, 500) from being damaged due to overheating.

[0071] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 4, the power control unit (800) may determine whether to operate the first and second cooling modules (710, 720) by additionally measuring the temperature of the first and second batteries (400, 500) as well as the time during which the first and second batteries (400, 500) are operated.

[0073] To this end, the aircraft (1) including the heterogeneous battery further includes a timer (900).

[0074] The timer (900) measures the time the flight motor (200) operates using the first power of the first battery (400).

[0075] In one embodiment of the present invention, the time during which the flight motor (200) uses the first power of the first battery (400) is measured through a timer (900), and if the measured time exceeds a specified time, the power control unit (800) operates the first switch (30) to cut off the power supply of the first battery (400) and simultaneously operates the third switch (50) to provide the second power of the second battery (500) to the flight motor (200).

[0076] At the same time as cutting off the power supply to the first battery (400), the power control unit (800) rapidly cools the first battery (400) by operating the first cooling module (710).

[0077] Afterward, when the first battery (400) is cooled down below a specified temperature (TO) or cooled for a specified amount of time by the first cooling module (710), the power control unit (800) operates the third switch (50) to disconnect the connection between the second battery (500) and the flight motor (200), and operates the first switch (30) to reconnect the first battery (400) and the flight motor (200).

[0078] Although in one embodiment of the present invention, the timer (900) is shown and described as measuring the operating time of the first battery (400), the timer (900) can also measure the operating time of the second battery (500) along with the operating time of the first battery (400).

[0079] FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating an aircraft including a heterogeneous battery according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0080] The aircraft including the heterogeneous battery shown in FIG. 5 has substantially the same configuration as the aircraft including the heterogeneous battery shown and described in FIG. 1 to 4, except for the first and second batteries (400, 500). Therefore, redundant descriptions of identical configurations are omitted, and identical technical configurations are given the same names and reference numerals.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 5, the aircraft (1) including the heterogeneous battery includes a body (100), a flight motor (200), a work motor (300), a first battery (400), and a second battery (500).

[0082] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and second batteries (400, 500) can be quickly replaced with pre-charged batteries at a charging station (not shown) after use, thereby shortening the charging and standby time of the aircraft (1) and greatly improving the utilization efficiency of the aircraft (1).

[0083] To this end, the first and second batteries (400, 500) have a structure suitable for being attached to and detached from the bottom of the aircraft (1). For example, the first and second batteries (400, 500) can be seated on the first and second trays (410, 510), respectively, so that they can be easily attached to and detached from the aircraft (1).

[0084] Meanwhile, on the upper surface of the first and second batteries (400, 500), a terminal for the aircraft that is electrically connected to the aircraft (1) may be formed, and on the lower surface of the first and second batteries (400, 500), a charging terminal for charging may be formed.

[0085] As described in detail above, the aircraft including the heterogeneous battery according to the present invention can individually provide power used for flight and power used for work through different batteries using the heterogeneous battery, and can replace and cool an overheated battery even during the operation of the aircraft, thereby improving battery utilization efficiency. Furthermore, even if one battery stops operating, it can be replaced with power from another battery, thus having the effect of greatly improving the utilization efficiency and stability of the aircraft.

[0086] Meanwhile, the embodiments disclosed in this drawing are merely specific examples provided to aid understanding and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that other variations based on the technical concept of the invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein. Explanation of the symbols

[0087] 1...Aircraft including heterogeneous batteries 100...Body 200...Flight motor 300...Work motor 400...1st battery 500...2nd battery 610...1st temperature sensor 620...2nd temperature sensor 710...1st cooling module 720...2nd cooling module 800...Power control unit

Claims

Claim 1 A body; a flight motor coupled to the body and rotating a wing; a work motor providing power to a work unit coupled to the body; a first battery coupled to the body and providing a first power source to the flight motor; a second battery coupled to the body and providing a second power source to the work motor; a first temperature sensor mounted on the first battery and measuring a first temperature of the first battery; a second temperature sensor mounted on the second battery and measuring a second temperature of the second battery; a first cooling module comprising a first heat sink thermally in contact with the first battery, a first Peltier module coupled to the first heat sink, and a first fan that discharges air containing heat emitted by the first Peltier module to the outside of the body; a second cooling module comprising a second heat sink thermally in contact with the second battery, a second Peltier module coupled to the second heat sink, and a second fan that discharges air containing heat emitted by the second Peltier module to the outside of the body;The system includes a power control unit that controls the power supply paths of the first battery and the second battery. When a flight command is input, the power control unit supplies a first power from the first battery to the flight motor, and when a work command is input, supplies a second power from the second battery to the work motor. When the first temperature is above a specified temperature, the power control unit disconnects the electrical connection between the first battery and the flight motor and supplies the second power from the second battery to the flight motor while simultaneously operating the first Peltier module in a cooling mode to cool the first battery through the first heat sink. When the first temperature is lower than the specified temperature, the power control unit disconnects the electrical connection between the second battery and the flight motor and reconnects the first battery and the flight motor electrically. When the second temperature is above a specified temperature, the power control unit disconnects the electrical connection between the second battery and the work motor and supplies the first power from the first battery to the work motor while simultaneously operating the second Peltier module in a cooling mode to cool the second battery through the second heat sink. An aircraft comprising a heterogeneous battery that cools, disconnects the electrical connection between the first battery and the working motor when the second temperature drops below the specified temperature, and electrically reconnects the second battery and the working motor, wherein the power control unit applies a reverse current to the first Peltier module and the second Peltier module at the beginning of the aircraft's operation to switch the direction of heat dissipation, thereby raising the ambient temperature of the first battery and the second battery to the specified temperature. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 An aircraft comprising a heterogeneous battery according to claim 1, further including a timer for measuring the time during which the flight motor operates using the first power of the first battery, wherein the power control unit disconnects the electrical connection between the first battery and the flight motor when the time measured by the timer exceeds a preset time, and simultaneously supplies the second power of the second battery to the flight motor and operates the first cooling module to cool the first battery. Claim 5 An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the first battery comprises any one of a lithium-ion battery, a lithium-polymer battery, and a lithium-metal-polymer battery, and the second battery comprises the remaining one of the lithium-ion battery, the lithium-polymer battery, and the lithium-metal-polymer battery.

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