Componenti elettronici
Anticipa la tempesta
Automazione industriale
L'automazione industriale a portata di mano
Remote-controlled (RC) aircraft once meant foam wings, bulky transmitters, and a flight that had a high probability of ending in a tree. Today’s commercial drones—the descendants of those RC aircraft—are much more advanced, offering capabilities such as spreading fertilizer, capturing digital imagery, and transporting packages, among other things. Yet, while the aircraft may be more capable, every additional feature competes for the same limited battery capacity, weight allowance, and space.
Successful commercial drone design requires more than selecting an efficient motor or low-power sensor. This week’s New Tech Tuesdays examines how coordinated power management, propulsion control, and magnetic sensing can support reliable flight, protect critical circuitry, and preserve the energy available for its application-specific functions.
A drone’s propeller motors produce the thrust required for vertical lift, directional movement, and attitude control. Each propulsion channel typically combines power conversion, a motor driver, current sensing, and closed-loop motor control. If these elements do not operate together effectively, the result can be wasteful operation, unstable movement, or inadequate protection against electrical faults.
Motor current provides useful feedback because it corresponds to the torque the motor produces. By monitoring current near the motor, the control system gains visibility into changing propulsion loads and can detect overcurrent conditions caused by overloads, short circuits, or other faults.[1] Magnetic current sensors perform this measurement without requiring direct electrical contact between the current-carrying conductor and the sensing circuitry. Depending on the implementation, they can also provide galvanic isolation between the power conductor path and measurement circuitry.
Sensor size and conductor resistance also matter. A compact sensor can fit close to the motor-drive circuitry, while low resistance helps limit conduction losses and heat generation. These characteristics are particularly important in multirotor aircraft because the circuitry is repeated across several propulsion channels.
When a drone needs more time in the air, attention typically turns to the battery. Battery capacity is important, but adding a larger battery increases mass, which can require additional thrust and larger propellers, and can consume some of the energy the larger battery was intended to provide.
A more complete approach evaluates losses throughout the power chain. Battery monitoring, direct current-to-direct current (DC/DC) conversion, motor-current sensing, gate driving, lighting, and position sensing all contribute to the total energy budget. Reducing consumption and conduction losses at multiple points may be more practical than relying on a single component change to extend flight time automatically.
Power monitoring also gives the control system better visibility into the battery’s operating state, while efficient voltage regulation supplies lower-voltage electronics without unnecessarily consuming energy reserved for propulsion. The objective is not simply to minimize the power used by each component, but to coordinate the entire chain so that sensing, protection, and control do not impose excessive losses.
Propulsion may keep a drone airborne, but position sensing helps many of its other functions operate predictably. A camera gimbal, for example, needs to measure angular position so its motors can compensate for aircraft movement and maintain a stable field of view (FOV). Magnetic position sensors can provide contactless angular feedback in compact mechanical assemblies, including configurations that measure movement along one, two, or three axes.[2]
Similar sensing principles apply to handheld controllers. Joysticks, buttons, and triggers experience repeated movement throughout their operating lives. Replacing mechanically contacting position elements with magnetic sensing can reduce wear while maintaining consistent position feedback. Low-power operating modes can further limit controller battery consumption when an input is inactive.
Sensor selection still requires attention to magnetic range, accuracy, linearity, bandwidth, mechanical alignment, and nearby magnetic fields. Contactless operation removes a mechanical wear point, but it does not remove the need for careful design. Physics is still physics.
The Allegro MicroSystems robotics portfolio includes solutions for power management, propulsion, and position sensing in commercial drones. The portfolio includes the ACS37800 power-monitoring integrated circuit, A8586 buck converter, ACS71240 current sensor, and A4919 three-phase brushless direct current gate driver for the power and propulsion chain.
For position feedback, the CT8150, CT310, and A31301 magnetic sensors support functions such as gimbal-angle measurement. Additionally, the A1391, A1392, A1393, and A1395 linear sensors can provide sensing for joysticks, buttons, and triggers. Together, these devices enable engineers to address battery monitoring, voltage regulation, motor control, current measurement, camera stabilization, and pilot interfaces as related parts of the drone architecture rather than isolated functions.
Reliable commercial drones depend on coordinated power management, propulsion, and sensing. To meet these demands, current feedback helps control and protect propeller motors, power-chain optimization makes better use of stored energy, and magnetic position sensing supports stable camera operation and durable pilot-controller interfaces. Evaluating these functions at the system level helps engineers manage trade-offs among flight time, size, weight, protection, and reliability across the aircraft.
Sources
[1] https://www.allegromicro.com/en/insights-and-innovations/blogs/current-sensors-in-robotics [2] https://www.allegromicro.com/en/insights-and-innovations/technical-documents/magnetic-position-sensors-in-robotics
Mouser Electronics, founded in 1964, is a globally authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,200 industry-leading manufacturer brands. We specialize in the rapid introduction of the newest products and technologies targeting the design engineer and buyer communities. Mouser has 28 offices located around the globe. We conduct business in 23 different languages and 34 currencies. Our global distribution center is equipped with state-of-the-art wireless warehouse management systems that enable us to process orders 24/7, and deliver nearly perfect pick-and-ship operations.