Eight BCMs power the UMAR’s eight independent rotors, with the ability to share power among the rotors in parallel for redundancy. DPI down-converts 800-V power coming up through the tether into 50 V via Vicor Ultra High-Voltage (UHV) BCM VIA modules. UMAR consumes 8 to 10 kW, all of which is supplied via the tether. By levitating an antenna, the UMAR system can extend boat/ship radio line-of-site from eight miles to 30 miles, thereby boosting communication range. UMAR is a tethered drone that lifts 15-lb payloads, such as communication antennas, up to 500+ ft in the air. on its Unmanned Multirotor Aerial Relay (UMAR). This is the approach used by DPI UAV Systems in Essington, Pa. So the usual approach is to use a high voltage/low current supply at the base station to minimize the size of the tether conductors, then down-convert the voltage on the UAV. Visible on the UMAR drone are the eight rotor motors and the tether that supplies power and communications to the UAV.įor similar reasons, designers endeavor to keep the tether power wires light weight. So drone tethers may be made of aramid or other lightweight synthetic materials to provide strength, with copper or plated copper for power conduction and optical fiber for data and communications. Every ounce of tether weight is one less ounce available for the drone payload. One limiting factor of the scheme is the weight of the tether. This enables them to stay aloft for hours or days. Where battery powered multirotor drones can exhaust their batteries in 20 minutes or so, tethered drones receive their power through the tether from a base station. A tethered drone, generally a multirotor, gets its power and communications signals via a flexible wire or cable. When the task calls for a aerial system that can hover in place, the often-chosen approach is to employ a tethered drone.
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