A Systematic Three-Stage Safety Enhancement Approach for Motor Drive and Gimbal Systems in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is critical for ensuring the reliability and safety of power electronics-related assets, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). EMC encompasses two key aspects: electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic susceptibility (EMS). While EMI has been widely studied, EMS in power electronics systems, particularly with sensitive control and sensing modules, is gaining increasing attention due to rising threats from intentional or unintentional electromagnetic (EM) noises. Therefore, enhancing the EM safety of these systems is essential. This article proposes a systematic three-stage safety enhancement approach for power electronics-related systems in UAVs. In stage 1, a quantitative risk assessment strategy based on the EMS test results is introduced, identifying the motor drive and gimbal systems of the UAVs as the most vulnerable components. Stage 2 analyzes their failure mechanisms, offering valuable insights for further hardening. Stage 3 develops a comprehensive lightweight strategy to enhance the UAV safety. Using a DJI UAV as a case study, the proposed approach demonstrates the capability of the proposed EM hardening solutions against external EM noises with the electric field strength up to 200 V/m from 2 MHz to 18 GHz. The total weight increases by only 1.2% with a negligible addition to volume.