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JP-2026075941-A - Method for flying and charging unmanned aerial vehicles, and stationary energy storage system.

JP2026075941AJP 2026075941 AJP2026075941 AJP 2026075941AJP-2026075941-A

Abstract

[Challenge] To suppress the degradation of energy storage elements in unmanned aerial vehicles. [Solution] A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle using a stationary energy storage system, wherein the method determines whether the amount of electricity required for the drone 2 (unmanned aerial vehicle) to fly from the stationary energy storage system 1 where the drone 2 is currently landed to the first destination of the drone 2, or the amount of electricity required to fly from the first destination to the second destination, is less than the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range, which is the range of charging electricity that accelerates the degradation of the energy storage element 36A equipped in the drone 2. If it is less than the lower limit, the energy storage element 36A is charged to a value between the amount of electricity required to fly to the first or second destination and the lower limit and the drone 2 is flown; if it is greater than or equal to the lower limit, the energy storage element 36A is charged to the amount of electricity required to fly to the first or second destination and the drone 2 is flown. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

  • 和田 直也

Assignees

  • 株式会社ＧＳユアサ

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20241023

Claims (10)

  1. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle using a stationary energy storage system, The system determines whether the amount of electricity required for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly from the stationary energy storage system where it is currently landed to its first destination, or the amount of electricity required to fly from the first destination to its second destination, is less than the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range, which is the range of charging electricity that accelerates the degradation of the energy storage elements equipped in the unmanned aerial vehicle. If the value is below the lower limit, the energy storage element is charged to a value equal to or greater than the amount of electricity required to fly to the first destination or the second destination, and below the lower limit, and the aircraft is flown. If the value is above the lower limit, the energy storage element is charged to the amount of electricity necessary to fly to the first destination or the second destination, and the aircraft is then flown. Methods for flying and charging unmanned aerial vehicles.
  2. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle using multiple stationary energy storage systems, each equipped with a charging unit and distributed amongst themselves, The system determines whether the amount of electricity required for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly from the stationary energy storage system where it is currently landed to its first destination, or the amount of electricity required to fly from the first destination to its second destination, is less than the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range, which is the range of charging electricity that accelerates the degradation of the energy storage elements equipped in the unmanned aerial vehicle. If the value is below the lower limit, the energy storage element is charged to a value equal to or greater than the amount of electricity required to fly to the first destination or the second destination, and below the lower limit, and the aircraft is flown. If the value is above the lower limit, the flight is carried out while charging the energy storage element to a value as close to the lower limit as possible using one or more stationary energy storage systems, including the stationary energy storage system that is currently landed. Methods for flying and charging unmanned aerial vehicles.
  3. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, If the value is above the lower limit, it is determined whether the amount of electricity required for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly to another stationary energy storage system located closer to the first destination than the stationary energy storage system on which it is currently landed is below the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range that accelerates the degradation of the energy storage element. If the value is below the lower limit, the system will be charged to an amount greater than or equal to the amount of electricity necessary to fly to the other stationary energy storage system, and less than the lower limit, and the system will be flown. If the value is above the lower limit, the system will charge to the amount of electricity necessary to fly to the other stationary energy storage system and then fly. Methods for flying and charging unmanned aerial vehicles.
  4. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned unmanned aerial vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle used for delivery of goods, and the method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle.
  5. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the shipping cost of the cargo is discounted when the unmanned aerial vehicle is charged by a charging device located at the first destination or the second destination.
  6. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the amount of electricity required to fly to the first destination or the second destination is the amount of electricity obtained by adding the amount of electricity required to deal with anticipated disturbances to the amount of electricity required to fly to the first destination or the second destination without disturbances.
  7. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3, A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the amount of electricity required to fly to the other stationary energy storage system is the amount of electricity obtained by adding the amount of electricity required to deal with the expected disturbance to the amount of electricity required to fly to the other stationary energy storage system without disturbance.
  8. A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The charging unit is a contactless charging unit that charges the unmanned aerial vehicle without contact, The flight and charging method in question is: A method for flying and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein a management computer determines the amount of electricity to be charged to the unmanned aerial vehicle and instructs the stationary energy storage system to contactlessly charge the energy storage element up to the determined amount of electricity.
  9. A stationary energy storage system used in the flight and charging method of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A stationary energy storage system equipped with a charging unit for charging unmanned aerial vehicles.
  10. A stationary energy storage system according to claim 9, The charging unit is located on the upper surface of the stationary energy storage system. The stationary energy storage system comprises a solar power generation panel arranged in a position where the light-receiving surface is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and the solar power generation panel covers the charging unit from above.

Description

The technologies disclosed herein relate to methods for the flight and charging of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as stationary energy storage systems. In recent years, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones, has been explored in a wide range of applications. For example, drones are being considered for collecting ground information, spraying pesticides, and delivering packages (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-164172 A schematic diagram of a package delivery system using a drone according to Embodiment 1.A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a stationary energy storage system.Perspective view of a stationary energy storage system.A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the drone.A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the management computer.A flowchart for managing drone flight and charging.A flowchart for managing the flight and charging of a drone according to Embodiment 2.A perspective view of a stationary energy storage system according to Embodiment 3.Side view of a solar power generation panel.A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a stationary energy storage system according to Embodiment 4.Schematic diagram of another delivery example according to Embodiment 5 [Summary of Embodiments] An overview of the embodiments of this disclosure will be described below. (1) The flight and charging method of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the embodiment is a method of flight and charging an unmanned aerial vehicle using a stationary energy storage system, wherein it is determined whether the amount of electricity required to fly the unmanned aerial vehicle from the stationary energy storage system where the unmanned aerial vehicle is currently landed to a first destination, or to fly to a second destination via the first destination, is less than the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range, which is the range of charging electricity that accelerates the degradation of the energy storage element equipped in the unmanned aerial vehicle. If it is less than the lower limit, the energy storage element is charged to a value between the amount of electricity required to fly to the first or second destination and less than the lower limit, and the vehicle is flown. If it is greater than or equal to the lower limit, the energy storage element is charged to the amount of electricity required to fly to the first or second destination, and the vehicle is flown. Stationary energy storage systems (ESS) are used for energy management, including power sharing, reducing electricity costs through peak shifting, and providing backup power during power outages. During power outages, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be charged using the power from the ESS, allowing for UAV operation even during blackouts. Alternatively, by charging the ESS during off-peak hours when electricity rates are low and using the ESS to charge UAVs during peak hours, the operating costs of UAVs can be reduced. Incidentally, energy storage elements such as lithium-ion secondary batteries have the property that their degradation is accelerated when they are charged to a certain range. For example, degradation may be accelerated when the State of Charge (SOC) of an energy storage element is in the high SOC range of 80% to 100% (an example of a degradation acceleration range). In this case, the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range is 80%. The 80% to 100% range mentioned above is just an example, and the range at which degradation is accelerated varies depending on the type of energy storage element, etc. The degradation acceleration range can also be expressed in terms of the amount of electricity charged. For example, if the amount of electricity corresponding to 80% of SOC is 80Ah and the amount of electricity corresponding to 100% is 100Ah, then the degradation acceleration range can be expressed as 80Ah to 100Ah. In this case, the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range is 80Ah. According to the flight and charging method described in (1) above, if the amount of electricity required to fly from the stationary energy storage system to the first destination, or to the second destination via the first destination, is less than the lower limit, the system is charged to an amount greater than or equal to the amount of electricity required to fly to the first or second destination, but less than the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range, thereby suppressing the degradation of the energy storage element. In this case, it is preferable to charge the system to a level close to the lower limit in order to leave a margin of electricity. Furthermore, even if the amount of electricity required to fly to the first or second destination exceeds the lower limit of the degradation acceleration range, by limiting the charging to the amount of electricity required to fly to the first or s