• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.675-683
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• 2018

In this paper, we have proposed a design and verification methods of electrical system and power loads for unmaned aeriel vehicles(UAVs) through electrical load analysis. In order to meet a UAV system requirement and electrical system specifications, we have designed an electrical power system for efficient power supply and distribution and have theoretically analyzed the power loads according to the power consumption and power bus design of UAV. Using electrical system rig, the designed electrical power system has been experimentally verified. Also, we have performed several flight tests to verify the UAV electrical system and power loads. It is concluded that the proposed design and verification method of electrical system for UAV system.

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2019

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using communications, sensors, and navigation equipment will play a key role in future warfare. Currently, UAVs are monitored to prevent misfire and accidents, and the conventional method adopted uses wires for data transmission and power supply. The repeated connection and disconnection of cables increases maintenance time and harms the connector. For convenience and stability, a wireless power transfer system to power UAVs is needed. Unlike other wireless power transfer (WPT) applications, the size of the receiving coils must be small, so that the WPT systems can be embedded inside space-limited UAVs. The small size reduces the coupling coefficient and transfer efficiency between the transmitting and the receiving coils. In this study, we propose a toroidal-shaped coil for a WPT system for UAVs with high coupling coefficient with minimum space requirements. For validation, conventional coils and the proposed toroidal-shaped coil were used and their coupling coefficient and power transfer efficiency were compared using simulated and measured results. The simulated and measured results were strongly correlated, confirming that the proposed WPT system significantly improved efficiency with negligible change in the space requirement.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2022

Rural spaces are increasingly valuable as areas for introducing renewable energy infrastructure to achieve carbon neutrality. Rural areas are the living grounds of rural residents, and the balance of conservation and development for rural areas is important for the introduction of reasonable facilities. In order to maintain a balance between development and preservation and to introduce reasonable renewable energy facilities, it is necessary to develop a current status survey and an effective survey method to utilize a space capable of introducing renewable energy facilities such as idle land and vacant houses. Therefore, this study was conducted to verify the readability using an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the main results are as follows. The detection of photovoltaic power generation facilities using unmanned aerial vehicles was effective in analyzing the location and area of photovoltaic panels located on the roofs of buildings, and it was possible to calculate the expected power generation by region through the area calculation of photovoltaic panels. The vacant house detection can be used to select an investigation target for an vacant house condition survey as it can identify damage to buildings that are expected to be empty houses, management status, and electricity supply facilities through aerial photos. It is judged that the unmanned aerial vehicle detection capability can be utilized as a method to improve the efficiency of investigation and supplement the data related to solar power generation facilities and vacant houses provided by public institutions. Although this study detected the status of solar power generation facilities and vacant houses through high-resolution aerial image analysis, as a follow-up study, automatic measurement methods using the temperature difference of solar power generation facilities and general characteristics of vacant houses that can be read from the air were investigated. If the deriving research is carried out, it is judged that it will be possible to contribute to the improvement of the accuracy of the detection result using the unmanned aerial vehicle and the expansion of the application range.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2016

In the stratosphere, the air is stable and a photovoltaic (PV) system can produce more solar energy compared to in the atmosphere. If unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fly in the stratosphere, the flight stability and efficiency of the mission are improved. On the other hand, the weakened lift force of the UAV due to the rarefied atmosphere can require more power for lift according to the weight and/or wing area of the UAV. To solve this problem, it is necessary to minimize the weight of the aircraft and improve the performance of the power system. A regenerative fuel cell (RFC) consisting of a fuel cell (FC) and water electrolysis (WE) combined PV power system has been investigated as a good alterative because of its higher specific energy. The WE system produces hydrogen and oxygen, providing extra energy beyond the energy generated by the PV system in the daytime, and then saves the gases in tanks. The FC system supplies the required power to the UAV at night, so the additional fuel supply to the UAV is not needed anymore. The specific energy of RFC systems is higher than that of Li-ion battery systems, so they have less weight than batteries that supply the same energy to the UAV. In this paper, for a stratospheric long-endurance hybrid UAV based on an RFC system, three major design factors (UAV weight, wing area and performance of WE) affecting the ability of long-term flight were determined and a simulation-based feasibility study was performed. The effects of the three design factors were analyzed as the flight time increased, and acceptable values of the factors for long endurance were found. As a result, the long-endurance of the target UAV was possible when the values were under 350 kg, above 150 m² and under 80 kWh/kg H₂.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.17-22
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• 2014

The design of a fuel cells stack is important to get optimal output power. This study focuses on the evaluation of fuel cell system for unmaned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Low temperature proton exchange membrane (LTPEM) fuel cells are the most promising energy source for the robot applications because of their unique advantages such as high energy density, cold startup, and quick response during operation. In this paper, a 600 W open cathode LTPEM fuel cell was tested to evaluate the performance and to determine optimal operating conditions. The open cathode design reduces the overall size of the system to meet the requirement for robotic application. The cruise power requirement of 600 W was supported entirely by the fuel cell while the additional power requirements during takeoff was extended using a battery. A peak of power of 900 W is possible for 10 mins with a lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. The system was evaluated under various load cycles as well as start-stop cycles. The system response from no load to full load meets the robot platform requirement. The total weigh of the stack was 2 kg, while the overall system, including the fuel processing system and battery, was 4 kg.