UAV Boom-Arm PCB Hubs for Modular Propeller Power and Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in efficiently transferring power and control signals to multiple propellers, requiring complex wiring and making maintenance and redundancy difficult, which can lead to system failures if individual components malfunction.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating printed circuit boards (PCBs) into the UAV's boom arms, each equipped with power and signal hubs, allowing for efficient power transfer and signal distribution to propellers, enabling redundancy and simplified assembly, with each PCB acting as a CAN node for dynamic control of propellers based on sensor data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex wiring is used to transfer power and control signals to multiple propellers, then power transfer efficiency can be maintained, but device complexity increases and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical system is divided into multiple PCB modules, each responsible for controlling a specific propeller. Each PCB module includes power transfer circuits and control signal circuits, separating the monolithic wiring system into modular units that can be independently managed, maintained, and replaced without affecting the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
Each PCB module is designed with universal functionality to handle both power transfer and control signal transmission for its associated propeller. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate dedicated wiring systems for different functions, reducing overall wiring complexity while maintaining reliable power and control delivery.
2Reliability
If complex wiring is used to connect power source and control signals to propellers, then system functionality is maintained, but ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into standardized PCB modules that can be manufactured independently using automated PCB fabrication processes. Each module is designed with consistent connection interfaces, enabling modular assembly that significantly simplifies the manufacturing process compared to custom-wired configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional point-to-point wiring to a standardized PCB-based electrical connection system. This parameter change in the connection methodology enables the use of automated PCB manufacturing techniques, dramatically improving ease of manufacture while maintaining full system functionality.
3Reliability
If individual propeller control circuits are integrated into separate PCB modules, then redundancy is achieved for safe landing, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into independent PCB modules, each capable of autonomously controlling its associated propeller. This segmentation creates functional redundancy where each module operates independently, allowing the UAV to maintain stable flight even if one module fails, as the remaining modules continue to control their respective propellers without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
Each PCB module acts as an intermediary between the central controller and its associated propeller, with built-in redundancy capabilities. The modular intermediary design isolates potential failures to individual modules while maintaining overall system functionality, achieving redundancy without requiring a completely rearchitected complex system.
4Ease of operation
If traditional wiring systems are used for power and signal transfer, then ease of operation is maintained, but ease of repair decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical system is segmented into modular PCB units that can be independently accessed and replaced. This modular segmentation transforms repair from a complex process involving tracing and replacing individual wires throughout the entire system to a simple matter of swapping out a single faulty PCB module, dramatically improving ease of repair while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular PCB design enables efficient discarding of faulty modules and recovery of functional ones. Each PCB module is designed as a replaceable unit that can be quickly swapped out when malfunctioning, and the same module design can be recovered and reused after repair or replacement, streamlining the maintenance process.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 1D
AI summary
An example unmanned aerial vehicle includes a power source, a processor module having one or more processors, and a plurality of boom arms, each boom arm being couplable to a printed circuit board (PCB) and a plurality of propellers. In the example UAV, a PCB of each boom arm includes a power hub electrically couplable to the power source and to corresponding propellers of the boom arm, and a signal hub electrically couplable to at least one processor of the processor module and to the corresponding propellers. Further, in the example UAV, the power hub of each PCB is configured to transfer power from the power source to the corresponding propellers, and wherein the signal hub of each PCB is configured to transfer signals from the processor module to the corresponding propellers such that the processor module controls the plurality of propellers.