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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have evolved significantly since the days of Montgolfier’s hot air balloon in 1783, often cited as the earliest form of unmanned aviation. While the balloon’s path was dictated by the wind, modern UAVs are defined by autonomy, precision, and a vast array of applications. From remote-controlled cars and aircraft of the early 20th century to today’s sophisticated autonomous vehicles, UAV technology has made remarkable strides.

Meeting the Challenges of UAV Power Systems

The success of UAV systems hinges on addressing several key challenges, chief among them being safety, operational efficiency, and adaptability. UAVs must operate safely to avoid collisions, carry the required payload, and ensure long operating hours. These demands place stringent requirements on the power systems that drive UAVs.

The diversity of UAV applications—from small drones to industrial-grade autonomous vehicles—means that power systems must cater to varying configurations. A modular and flexible power architecture becomes essential, enabling manufacturers to tailor solutions for specific operational needs quickly and cost-effectively.

Understanding UAV Power Architectures

Fundamental Power Architecture for UAVs

All UAVs share a common architecture: a power supply, DC-DC converters for specific loads, motor controllers, and propulsion motors. While propulsion motors are often powered directly to minimize conversion losses, the rest of the system relies on stable, regulated voltages.

For drones, batteries such as lithium-polymer cells are configured in series to deliver a range of nominal voltages, typically 11.1V (3S) to 59.2V (16S). When extended flight times are required, fuel cells become a viable alternative.

Ground-based robots, including autonomous and guided vehicles in industrial settings, often use lithium-ion or LiFePO4 batteries, with nominal voltages ranging from 24V for compact systems to over 100V for heavy-duty applications.

P-DUKE Solutions: Modular Power for UAV Systems

P-DUKE offers a wide range of DC-DC converters designed to address the unique challenges of UAV power systems. Their product portfolio includes converters with input voltage ranges of 9–75V and 14–160V, single or dual outputs of 3.3V to 48V, and power levels from 10W to 200W.

This flexibility allows designers to:

• Optimize power efficiency and thermal management by placing converters near loads.
• Easily expand or reconfigure power systems with modular plug-and-play components.

Application Examples

1. Smart Warehouse Robotics

Modern warehouse robots, whether autonomous or guided, require flexible power solutions. These robots use cameras and sensors for navigation and communication, with onboard batteries providing power to motors and electronics.

Key Power Components:

• 12V Power: P-DUKE HAE150W series.
• 5V Loads: UDH03 and PDL12W series.
• 3.3V Sensors: OSR03 series.

2. Supercapacitor-Powered Systems

Supercapacitors are emerging as an alternative for low-power applications requiring high peak currents and frequent charging cycles. Unlike batteries, supercapacitors offer over a million charge cycles and operate efficiently in low-temperature environments.

Design Highlights:

• Supercapacitors provide power for 60-second operation cycles, with energy requirements calculated to match load demands.
• P-DUKE QAE100U series supports voltage fluctuations from 12V to 48V.

3. Fuel Engine Helicopter UAVs

For UAVs requiring extended flight durations, such as those powered by fuel engines, DC-DC converters ensure efficient power distribution. These UAVs often utilize a 28V power bus to supply electronics like LiDAR and mapping systems.

Ideal Converter:

• P-DUKE HAE200W series provides high efficiency, rugged durability, and lightweight design for harsh operating conditions.

4. Remote Control Units

Remote systems for UAVs and associated applications often feature a 28V primary voltage. These systems need robust DC-DC converters to power auxiliary loads.

Power Architecture:

• Main Bus Voltage: P-DUKE QAE100U series.
• Downstream Converters: 12V, 5V, and 3.3V modules for peripheral devices.

Why Choose Modular Power Solutions?

The flexibility of modular power systems allows for tailored solutions across a wide range of UAV applications. Modular designs simplify scalability and enable efficient thermal management by distributing heat sources across the system.

Additionally, P-DUKE’s compact, lightweight converters reduce overall system weight, a critical factor in UAV performance. With input ranges from 9–160V and power levels up to 200W, these converters meet the demands of even the most challenging applications.

Conclusion

Every UAV application presents unique challenges, but the principles of lightweight design, high efficiency, reliability, and flexibility remain consistent. P-DUKE’s comprehensive portfolio of DC-DC converters ensures that designers can create innovative, adaptable solutions for any UAV power system, meeting the demands of today’s dynamic applications while paving the way for future advancements.

In the complex and ever-changing global economic environment today, the electronic manufacturing industry is facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. To assist manufacturers in addressing these challenges, ABB and Porsche Management Consulting jointly released a white paper titled “Robot Intelligent Solutions Empowering Surface Precision Machining” at the Industry Expo held at the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center on September 24, 2024, focusing on how to enhance the productivity, flexibility, and sustainability of the electronics manufacturing industry through robot automation technology. The white paper released this time not only provides profound insights for the industry, but also valuable guidance for manufacturers in their intelligent transformation.

The electronics industry, waiting for a breakthrough, is on the verge of intelligent transformation
The competition in the electronic manufacturing industry is increasingly fierce, especially in the consumer electronics field, where profit margins are constantly narrowing. According to a survey conducted by Porsche Management Consulting on 48 senior executives in the electronics industry, 96% of companies have started transitioning to smart factories to achieve productivity, reliability, flexibility, and sustainability goals, but only 8% of companies have successfully achieved these expected goals. Behind this phenomenon, it reflects the insufficient understanding of physical process automation by enterprises and the slow introduction of new technologies.
Industrial Control Network believes that in the current market environment, if enterprises do not take active actions, they may face the risk of being eliminated by the market. Due to the rapid changes in consumer demand and intensified market competition, enterprises need to accelerate digital transformation and technological upgrades to maintain market competitiveness. At the same time, intelligent transformation will no longer be a single technology introduction, but will require the integration of strategic thinking, organizational culture, and talent cultivation to comprehensively enhance the competitive advantage of enterprises.
In such an environment, the introduction of robot automation technology is particularly important. Yan Jiaxin, Deputy Manager of Global Product Portfolio for ABB Robot Systems Applications, said, “The precision requirements and rapid iteration capabilities of the electronic manufacturing industry have put higher demands on manufacturers. By adopting advanced robot automation solutions, enterprises can not only improve production efficiency, but also reduce costs and waste. For example, robot processing solutions can significantly improve output and quality, while effectively controlling production costs, thereby enhancing the profitability of enterprises. In addition, ABB hopes to use software and digital technology to empower, accelerate product development and iteration processes, create greater profit margins for customers and suppliers, and enable them to maintain industry competitiveness in rapidly changing markets

Yan Jiaxin, Deputy Manager of Global Product Portfolio for ABB Robot System Applications (right), and Dong Juntian, Partner and Industrial Product Manager at Porsche Management Consulting China (left)
It can be seen that with the continuous development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the automation level of the electronic manufacturing industry will further improve in the future. Enterprises should not only focus on current automation technologies, but also pay attention to future technological advancements, such as intelligent robots and collaborative robots, which can better collaborate with human workers and enhance production flexibility. In addition, with the popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT), the manufacturing industry will increasingly rely on data analysis and real-time monitoring to optimize production processes, thereby achieving true intelligent manufacturing.
White paper heavyweight release, ABB robot automation solution improves efficiency and quality
The white paper provides a detailed introduction to how ABB’s robot automation solutions can help manufacturers improve productivity, especially Machining PowerPac, an offline programming tool based on RobotStudio that has the ability to automatically generate CAD path codes, making the application of robots in surface finishing more efficient.
It should be pointed out that ABB has found through past project experience and summary that manufacturers can use this technology to reduce the time required to generate robot paths from 4 hours to 3 minutes, and increase cycle time by 33%. This not only improves production efficiency, but also significantly reduces appearance damage caused by path design defects, thereby saving materials and costs. It is precisely due to the reduction of appearance damage caused by path design defects that 8000 prototype parts, equivalent to 2.37 tons of aluminum alloy, may be saved. Due to improvements in time, quality, and productivity, as well as additional savings in materials and energy, the investment in Machining PowerPac can typically be recouped within three months, with an expected return on investment of over 1200% within 18 months.

Under data validation, what you see is what you get. We can see that this successful application not only represents ABB’s leadership in the field of robotics technology, but also provides a successful case for the entire industry to learn from. At the same time, it has become an important reference for companies inside and outside the industry to invest in technology. In the future, manufacturers will increasingly rely on data-driven decision-making to evaluate the efficiency and flexibility of their production lines in real-time, in order to quickly respond to market changes and maximize production efficiency.
Furthermore, from the perspective of industrial control networks, the collaboration between ABB and Porsche Management Consulting combines the industry expertise and profound experience of both companies. Porsche’s accumulation in industry observation and in-depth analysis, combined with ABB’s leading position in the field of robot intelligent manufacturing, has made their cooperation an important force in the industry.
Dong Juntian, Partner and Head of Industrial Products at Porsche Management Consulting China, said, “In addition to the electronics manufacturing industry, we have established a deep cooperation relationship with ABB’s robot building automation team. The cooperation is not limited to these specific industries, but has also expanded to cutting-edge fields such as intelligent manufacturing, Industry 4.0, and artificial intelligence, conducting extensive and in-depth discussions and collaborations
The cross-border cooperation model will become an important trend in the future development of the industry. In the wave of intelligent manufacturing, enterprises form strong alliances through strategic alliances and technological cooperation, creating more value-added services to cope with the increasingly complex market environment. With the continuous evolution of intelligent manufacturing technology, especially in data sharing and platform construction, future cooperation will not only be the combination of products and technologies, but also the construction of ecosystems, promoting innovation and development of the entire industry.
We also hope that ABB and Porsche Management Consulting will collaborate on more diverse topics, further deepen their research and exploration in the field of intelligent manufacturing, promote greater value for electronic manufacturing enterprises in the process of intelligent transformation, and provide practical and feasible technological paths for enterprises. At the same time, electronic manufacturers should seize the opportunity of intelligent transformation, embrace new technologies, and enhance their competitiveness in the global market. In the future, with the deepening development of intelligent manufacturing, the electronic manufacturing industry will inevitably usher in new growth opportunities driven by both technological innovation and market demand.