Flight Time Extension for Drones

Distributed multi-propeller vertical take-off and landing aircraft hybrid power system for long range flight with improved endurance. The system has a parallel hybrid setup with multiple engines, generators, batteries, and motors. The engines, generators, and batteries are integrated and share cooling/lubrication. The system intelligently manages power allocation between engines, batteries, and motors based on flight mode and accelerator position. In vertical takeoff/landing, all engines start and provide peak power. In hover/cruise, batteries power the motors until needed, then engines ramp up. This allows smaller engines for cruising and avoids oversizing. In emergency, a failed engine is disconnected and batteries/adjacent engine take over.

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A drone with extended flight time can be used by multiple removable battery packs that can be connected in series. The drone has a fuselage with openings between the arms, where battery packs can be inserted. Each battery pack contains multiple battery blocks connected in series. When multiple packs are inserted, their blocks are automatically connected in series to provide higher voltage and endurance.

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A power system for a hydrogen fuel cell drone that efficiently manages the energy distribution between hydrogen fuel cells and lithium batteries to extend flight time. The system has a charging module, power supply module, and control module. The control module collects real-time drone parameters and optimizes the charging and discharging of the batteries based on that data. This allows the drone to intelligently balance the power between the fuel cells and batteries during flight to maximize endurance.

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Long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hybrid power system that combines a lithium battery with a fuel engine and generator for efficient and lightweight power. The system uses a flight control system to optimize power usage based on altitude and load. It starts with the battery providing power during takeoff, then charges during flight. At high altitudes, the engine shuts off and the battery powers the UAV. This avoids inefficiencies of always using the engine. The engine restarts when descending to recharge the battery. It also uses high-altitude restart and short-term motor overload to save weight. The system switches between subsystems based on sensors like altitude and temperature.

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Combined vertical takeoff and landing UAV that overcomes the limitations of existing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for long-range missions. It involves connecting a small UAV to a large UAV using a clamping and magnetic adsorption device. The large UAV can hover at high altitudes and act as a relay to extend the range and endurance of the small UAV. The connecting device allows stable and reliable connection between the UAVs.

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An automated energy management system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in near space that enables extended flight times. The system uses both solar power and fuel engines to balance energy generation and storage. It intelligently switches between solar and fuel power based on real-time consumption and availability. This allows the UAV to fly continuously for 24 hours at high altitudes by leveraging both power sources optimally. The system monitors energy needs and dynamically adjusts power generation and storage to maintain flight capability.

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Hybrid power supply system for unmanned aerial vehicles that allows the UAV to fly longer by efficiently managing power sources. The system has a power generation unit like solar panels or fuel cells, and a charging unit like batteries. A distribution unit intermittently switches power between the generation and charging units based on their states. This ensures the charging unit stays full while avoiding over-discharging the gen unit. A control module optimizes power allocation. If the gen unit fails, an emergency control supplies power from the charged unit. If an emergency is detected, it lands the UAV. The gen and charging units report power levels to a UAV controller.

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A fixed-wing drone architecture that enables longer flight endurance and improved aerodynamics compared to prior art drones. The drone has a tandem wing configuration with two wings, one in front of the other. The rear wing is smaller than the front wing. This allows the drone to have a greater surface area covered by photovoltaic cells for solar power generation without excessive wing spans that cause structural stresses. The tandem wing configuration also reduces the shadowing of the cells.

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Optimizing energy management for long-endurance fuel cell drones to improve flight time and efficiency. The method involves testing fuel cell drone endurance with varying hydrogen storage, pressure, stack power, battery SOC, and load. A mathematical model is built based on these tests to optimize fuel cell and battery power allocation. It adapts fuel cell output power based on lithium battery capacity to meet drone loads. This leverages fuel cell advantages while mitigating limitations.

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Power management system for long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles that allows balancing of battery pack discharge capacity to prevent damage and improve battery life. The system has a power input module, power transmission module, power output module, and power detection and control module. The transmission module has a first-level section with high-frequency inverters, transformers, rectifiers, and filters to lift the power from each battery pack. This allows autonomous balancing of pack discharge since the packs are lifted separately. A second-level section then provides a constant current to the output module to avoid excessive discharge of low-power packs. This improves pack utilization, prevents damage, and maximizes flight time by balancing pack discharge.

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Automated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) power station that enables autonomous UAV charging and swapping of power modules to extend their range and endurance. The reconfigurable power station has modular power bays to house different types of power cartridges like batteries or fuel cells. It has a mechanism to automatically swap depleted power modules on landed UAVs with ones charged by the station. The station uses markers to guide UAVs to land and take off autonomously.

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Optimizing energy management for hybrid-powered multi-rotor aircraft to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and extend range compared to purely thermal or electric propulsion. The method involves dynamically balancing electrical and thermal power sources during flight based on factors like payload, altitude, and stage of flight. It uses a hybrid powertrain with both batteries and engines, and calculates an electrification ratio to determine when to switch between pure electric and hybrid modes. This allows optimizing power sources for each phase to balance performance, weight, and cost.

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Retractable propeller blades for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can extend and retract during flight to provide variability in lift, drag, energy efficiency, and storage. The blades can lengthen outwards to increase propulsion efficiency and lift for longer flights. The blades can retract inwards to decrease drag, increase maneuverability, and enable storage in a compact case. The blade extension/retraction can be automatic based on UAV needs or triggered manually.

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A ground station for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that enables continuous flight by swapping depleted batteries with charged ones. The station has a rotating base plate with linear rails, a scissor lift, and linear sliders. When a UAV's battery charge falls below a threshold, the station deploys a second UAV and rotates the base plate to switch UAV positions. This allows the depleted UAV to land and charge while the fresh UAV continues flying. The station can also communicate battery status and location to coordinate the swap.

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A method to safely operate electric aircraft like drones and stratospheric platforms when their batteries reach low charge levels. The method involves allowing the batteries to discharge below their minimum operating voltage instead of cutting power, and then flying or descending while continuing to discharge. This prevents a sudden power loss and allows controlled landing instead of uncontrolled falls. The aircraft can then be serviced or charged in a low altitude area.

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Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with modular batteries that can be swapped mid-flight to extend endurance. The UAV has multiple batteries that power the flight motors. During flight, a main operating battery is selected based on charge level. When the main battery reaches a threshold, a secondary battery is chosen from a predetermined sequence. The main battery is then separated and dropped from the UAV, reducing weight. This sequence repeats as needed. The UAV calculates a return path if battery charge is too low.

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A hybrid power system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that combines an engine and battery to improve power and endurance. The system has an engine power generation system, a battery system, and a hybrid management system connecting them. The engine starts and generates power. The battery charges from the engine and powers the UAV. The hybrid management system manages the engine, battery, and UAV electrical systems. This allows leveraging the benefits of both power sources, engine power for high output and battery power for long endurance, to optimize UAV performance.

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Hybrid power system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that combines an engine and battery to provide high power and longer flight times. The system has an engine for power generation, a battery system, and a hybrid power management system. The engine starts and charges the battery, which in turn powers the UAV. The hybrid management system optimizes power usage based on flight conditions. This allows silent electric flight for stealthy operations, but also high power for specialized tasks. The engine provides backup power if the battery fails.

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Reducing the load of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with a fuel cell system to improve flight time and range. The load reduction involves lightweight hydrogen storage containers, removing the byproduct gases, and cooling the fuel cell using forced convection of the byproducts. This avoids heavy pressurized tanks and prevents heat buildup. Removing byproducts via electrolysis or evaporation helps reduce vehicle weight.

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Method for replacing drone batteries mid-flight by having a second drone fly up to the first drone and swap out the depleted battery. The first drone has a positioning system to locate the specific battery position. The second drone receives the position data and synchronously moves to match the first drone's position. It then uses an operating unit to physically swap out the old battery for a fresh one. This allows extending flight time without landing by replacing depleted batteries in-air.

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