Design and Analysis of a Small Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Power Distribution System

All electrically powered autonomous vehicles possess a system that distributes power to all the vital components of the vehicle. At the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL), several projects are using unmanned aerial systems (UASs) as a vehicle platform. Some UAS being used are classified as group 1, meaning they weigh under 20 lb. The group 1 UASs that ARL conducts research with are very fast and agile quadrotors. Such quadrotors typically have four rotors and light payloads and can very quickly accelerate and effortlessly reach speeds over 100 kph. To do this, these quadrotors can draw upward of 400 A at 30 VDC in bursts. To meet those requirements, the motor/ propeller combination requires large amounts of power relative to the size of the UAS. Up until this point, ARL’s UASs have been using commercial off-the-shelf power distribution boards (PDBs) to meet the power distribution demands. A custom PDB would satisfy the DOD’s desire to source more UAS components domestically, as it would be designed and made in the U.S., which is unique for this type of UAS component.