Optimering av batterisystem hos ALPHA-drönaren

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this work was to construct an improved battery system for the ALPHA-drone. Severalareas of improvements were examined, among them were general improvements regarding capacityand weight, as well as implementing new functionality such as mid-flight error detection andmanagement of individual cells. Modularity was also a key focus, with the wish for a system thatwould allow for different loadouts depending on the current scenario. This has resulted in a batterysystem based on lithium-ion cells of the 18650 variant, consisting of smaller battery packs connectedin parallel, each including eight cells. One such prototype-pack has been designed, built and tested ina lab environment. This pack serves as a fully functional base-system upon which more packs can beadded in the future. It has a nominal voltage of 14\(\:\)V, can measure the current and temperatureof each cell, and based on these measurements, disconnect a cell if harmful currents or temperaturesare detected.