Unmanned Aircraft for Communications

This class of UAV depends on solar power to meet its long flight time requirements. Solar power systems rely on the use of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) circuitry to ensure that solar energy is harvested at the optimum voltage before conversion to a voltage suitable for charging a secondary battery or delivery to the power systems intermediate bus network. As this class of UAVs develops, high-efficiency power-conversion topologies such as zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and zero-current switching (ZCS), which are used in Vicor BCMs, are important to enable the widening variety of fuel sources and applications with increasing power challenges.

Power Delivery Network

A combination of the BCM6123 providing the isolated conversion of the 350 V to a 48 V intermediate bus and the PI3741 ZVS buck-boost regulator with a very wide range input voltage operating capability provides a tightly regulated 28 V output for various UAV loads.

Diagram