Patent Description:
Aerial systems, and in particular, unmanned aerial systems (UASs) are becoming increasingly prevalent. In the military, both manned aerial systems and UASs are commonly used to conduct surveillance, deliver items, and perform operations. Outside of the military, UASs or drones are widely used in recreation, sport, and various industries to perform tasks. In recent times, UASs have been outfitted with electronic devices, such as cameras, thereby allowing users to take aerial photographs.

In a similar manner, UASs have been equipped with lights in order to provide aerial or elevated overhead lighting of an outdoor space. These UASs with lights can be used to provide fast and temporary lighting for an outside space, in place of more traditional outdoor lighting units, such as permanent light poles or trailer-mounted lighting units which have temporary lights that are raised to an elevated position. High power wide area lighting from these UASs, typically greater than <NUM>,<NUM> lumens delivered from higher than <NUM> feet, enables many activities to occur outdoors at night which would not otherwise be possible, including, for example, construction, sports, and entertainment. Additionally, with the advancement of both UAS and lighting technology, it is now possible for a UAS to lift high-powered lighting devices to altitudes at and above that of conventional light poles. Currently, due to the power limitations of the onboard battery of the UAS, most implementations of high power lighting on UASs emit less than <NUM>,<NUM> lumens and are limited to less than an hour of lighted flight.

To provide temporary outdoor lighting for longer periods of time, or to provide brighter lighting, a UAS may be equipped with a tether which electrically connects the UAS with a ground-based power supply, such as a battery, generator, or a traditional hardwired power from the grid. Using a tethered UAS, it is now possible to provide continuous power to the UAS. The tether typically includes a wire having conductors which may be enveloped within a sheathing or light-weight rope. Electrical power may be delivered from the ground-based power supply, through the tether, and to both the UAS's propulsion or flight control systems and the lighting system carried by the UAS. However, it can often be difficult to deliver the electrical power to both the UAS and high powered LEDs through the tether in a weight efficient manner. Lowering the payload weight would enable smaller, lighter, more portable, and less power hungry UASs to be used for lighting.

Current tethered UASs are designed to power a number of different payloads. Typically, higher voltage DC delivered through the tether from the ground-based power source is down converted by an onboard DC converter to a lower voltage for use by the drone and accessories including high power lighting. If more power for the light accessory is required, then a larger, and heavier, DC converter and heat sink will also be required. Thus, to carry the extra weight, the UAS size must increase as the power requirement for lighting increases. As the overall weight increases, the required power from the ground-based power system also increases. <CIT> is an example of prior art document.

Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed in the appended claims.

To improve over the shortcomings described in the Background, the subject disclosure is directed to an aerial vehicle electrical power system, and related methods, apparatuses, and technologies. As described herein, the aerial vehicle electrical power system may be used to improve the electrical performance of a tethered vehicle, such as a UAS, a manned aerial system, a drone, or any other type of vehicle which operates with a tether. In particular, the aerial vehicle electrical power system may allow for proper power distribution and control of electrical power supplied through the tether to both the tethered vehicle itself, e.g., the propulsion or control systems of the vehicle, and to lights, cameras, or other devices which are carried by the aerial vehicle. For clarity in disclosure, lights, and specifically light-emitting diodes (LEDs), are the exemplary electronic device carried by the aerial vehicle described herein, but any other type of electronic device carriable by the aerial vehicle is considered within the scope of this disclosure. The use of the aerial vehicle electrical power system helps minimize, prevent, and smooth electrical voltage variances within the aerial vehicle or the LEDs, irrespective of varying power draw of the DC buck converter as it powers the UAS and/or other accessories.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of an aerial vehicle electrical power system <NUM>, in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagrammatical illustration of a tethered aerial vehicle using the aerial vehicle electrical power system of <FIG>, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. With reference to <FIG>, the aerial vehicle electrical power system <NUM>, which may be referred to herein simply as 'system <NUM>' includes an aerial vehicle <NUM>, which may include any type of aerial vehicle, such as manned vehicle, an unmanned aerial system (UAS), a drone, or a similar vehicle. A plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) <NUM> are carried by the aerial vehicle <NUM>, such as by mounting one or more LED arrays or similar lighting fixtures to the frame of the aerial vehicle <NUM>. The LEDs <NUM> are capable of illuminating a quantity of light <NUM> upon a surface of the ground <NUM>, or another location. In one example, the LEDs are high-powered LEDs capable of emitting substantially <NUM>,<NUM> lumens or greater.

At least one electrical circuit <NUM> is carried by the aerial vehicle <NUM>, and often, the electrical circuit <NUM> may be integrated with the electrical system of the aerial vehicle <NUM> itself, such that it is in communication with the propulsion and control system <NUM> of the aerial vehicle <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the electrical circuit <NUM> has a DC buck converter <NUM> which is connected electrically in series with at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs <NUM>. It is noted that the LEDs <NUM> may be in series before or after the DC buck converter <NUM>. The DC buck converter <NUM> has the characteristic that it outputs lower voltage relative to the input voltage, and outputs higher amperage relative to the input amperage. The DC buck converter may include one or more converters depending on the design of the system <NUM>. For example, a single DC buck converter <NUM> or multiple DC buck converters (not shown ) may be used in parallel and/or in series. In one situation, if the amperage boost converter (discussed relative to <FIG>) contains LEDs in series, then the DC buck converter <NUM> inputs may be configured in series by using the LEDs of amperage boost converter in series as voltage dividers.

A tether <NUM> is connected between the aerial vehicle <NUM> and a positive terminal <NUM> and the negative terminal <NUM> of a power source <NUM> positioned on the ground surface <NUM> or similar location remote from the aerial vehicle. Within the scope of this disclosure, the power source <NUM> may be located on the Earth's surface, on a land or water based vehicle, on a different UAS, or in any other location which is remote from the aerial vehicle <NUM>. Electrical power for powering the LEDs <NUM> and the aerial vehicle <NUM> is transmitted to the aerial vehicle <NUM> and at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs <NUM> through the tether <NUM>. Power is supplied to the aerial vehicle <NUM> and the LEDs <NUM> using the tether <NUM> which is formed from a two-conductor wire <NUM>, having a positive conductor 52A and a negative (or ground) conductor 52B, which are connected to the positive terminal of the power source <NUM> and the negative terminal <NUM> of the power source <NUM>. While the power source 64may vary, in one example, it is a DC power source and a boost converter which maintains a constant voltage. Although a four or three-conductor wire used in the tether <NUM> could feasibly be a power solution for the aerial vehicle <NUM> and LEDs <NUM>, and may be simpler to implement, the added weight from the additional wires, as compared to a two-conductor wire tether <NUM>, would require more power to the aerial vehicle <NUM>, and likely an aerial vehicle <NUM> with a greater lift capacity. The use of a two-conductor wire enables the minimum possible tether weight to be achieved, which in turn, lowers the overall weight of the aerial vehicle <NUM>, thereby reducing the power required by the aerial vehicle <NUM>. In some instances, this means that potentially, a smaller and less expensive aerial vehicle <NUM> may be used. Thus, the use of the two-conductor wire as the tether <NUM>, or as a component of the tether <NUM>, ensures the tether <NUM> is light enough to not add unneeded weight to the payload of the aerial vehicle <NUM>.

While there are many benefits of the system <NUM>, one benefit is the ability to operate an aerial vehicle-mounted light system for extended or indefinite periods of time and with lighting capacity which meets or exceeds the required uses. Additionally, the system <NUM> minimizes the probability that the operation of the aerial vehicle <NUM> and the LEDs <NUM> is interrupted by power variances through the tether <NUM> and to the aerial vehicle <NUM>. For instance, during certain aspects of flight of the aerial vehicle <NUM>, such as upon initial start-up and takeoff, the aerial vehicle <NUM> can draw substantially more power than during constant flight. Similarly, certain maneuvers of the aerial vehicle <NUM> will cause it to draw more power than when it is stationary. Since the LEDs <NUM> and the aerial vehicle <NUM> are powered by the same power source <NUM> through the tether <NUM>, these power draws from the aerial vehicle <NUM> can result in flickering or similar undesirable issues with the LEDs <NUM>. The system <NUM> can regulate these power variances through the tether <NUM> and from the aerial vehicle <NUM> to minimize the variance of light output from the LEDs <NUM>.

Further details of the system <NUM> can be seen in <FIG>, which is a schematic diagram showing a variation of the aerial vehicle electrical power system <NUM> of <FIG>, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, <FIG> illustrates an example of the system <NUM> which uses an amperage boost regulator <NUM>, which is a resistance device, such as a diode, which increases in resistance as voltage across amperage boost regulator <NUM> decreases. The amperage boost regulator <NUM> may be used in parallel with a load which has a high variance of amperage requirements, such as the DC buck converter <NUM> as it powers the aerial vehicle <NUM>. The amperage boost regulator <NUM> acts by decreasing amperage and voltage variances across the parallel circuit formed between the amperage boost regulator <NUM> and the DC buck converter <NUM>, which may be caused by amperage variances from the DC buck converter <NUM> and resistance between the electrical power source <NUM> and the parallel circuit. As is known, a DC buck converter <NUM> may have a input voltage range, e.g., maximum input voltage and minimum input voltage, with which it must be operated. During operation, when the voltage across the DC buck converter <NUM> approaches the maximum input voltage of the DC buck converter <NUM>, the parallel amperage boost regulator <NUM> pulls greater amperage which, due planned resistance in the system <NUM> including the tether <NUM>, limits voltage increases and allows the DC buck converter's <NUM> input voltage to remain below the input maximum.

The point at which the parallel amperage boost regulator <NUM> pulls greater amperage can vary depending on the design of the system <NUM>. For instance, in one example, if the maximum input voltage for the DC buck converter <NUM> is <NUM> volts, then the amperage boost regulator <NUM> could initiate pulling greater amperage at a level within <NUM>% of the maximum 45v. For example, an amperage boost converter <NUM>, may draw <NUM> amps below <NUM> volts, <NUM> amp at <NUM> volts, <NUM> amps at <NUM> volts, and <NUM> amps at <NUM> volts, which may be a typical behavior of the amperage boost converter <NUM> when configured with LEDs or other resistance device. It is noted that the parallel amperage boost regulator <NUM> may start to draw greater amperage at any other level or levels beyond those identified in this example, all of which are considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG>, the amperage boost regulator <NUM> includes at least one or more LEDs 44A or a resistance device 44B, but may, in some situations, include both. In this example, the LEDs 44A may be characterized as primary LEDs while the LEDs <NUM> are secondary or optional LEDs which can provide additional lighting. The LEDs 44A and the resistance device 44B are in parallel with the DC buck converter <NUM>. It is noted that the DC buck converter <NUM> may include various types of step-down converters or similar devices, such as, for instance, a buck converter which is a DC-to-DC power converter which outputs lower voltage relative to the input voltage, and output higher amperage relative to the input amperage.

In the configuration shown in <FIG>, the voltage across the power source <NUM> is above the maximum voltage allowed by the DC buck converter <NUM>. To lower the voltage at the DC buck converter <NUM> to be below the maximum voltage allowed by the DC buck converter <NUM>, the resistance of the amperage boost regulator <NUM> is configured to draw sufficient amperage such that the resistance within the tether wire <NUM> and the LEDs <NUM> in series with the DC buck converter <NUM> reduces the voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM> to be below the maximum voltage allowed.

For a configuration where the aerial vehicle <NUM> has a power station or base station with a power source <NUM> which is continuously providing constant voltage to the end of the tether <NUM> connected to the power source <NUM>, the amperage boost regulator <NUM> minimizes light flicker within the LEDs <NUM>, which would otherwise be caused by power variances from operation of the aerial vehicle <NUM>, as previously described. Accordingly, the system <NUM> allows for an electrically unlimited number of LEDs <NUM> to be added and powered in series by simply increasing the voltage through the tether <NUM> and without requiring more powerful and heavier DC buck converters.

An additional benefit of using the amperage boost regulator <NUM> is that it allows for lower voltage to be used in a similar diameter conductor within the tether <NUM>. Varying amperage causes voltages across a wire to vary. The amperage boost regulator <NUM>, which minimizes the amperage variation, also minimizes voltage variation. As a result, a smaller diameter-and lower weight-conductor may be used, versus a configuration where amperage variations are not minimized. Alternatively, a longer tether <NUM> may be used without increasing the conductor wire diameter. If using a smaller diameter conductor wire, energy savings and performance benefits of a lowered total wire weight can be balanced against any lost electrical efficiencies due to increased wire resistance, as may be determined by the individual design of the system <NUM>.

Relative to <FIG>, in one example of use of the system, the power source <NUM> is integrated into a ground base power station located on the ground surface <NUM>. The power source <NUM> supplies constant voltage through a conductor in the tether <NUM> to the electrical circuit <NUM>, which is attached to or integrated within the aerial vehicle <NUM>. A DC buck converter <NUM> typically operates only within a specified narrow range of voltages, for instance, between <NUM> to <NUM> volts. The resistance range of the amperage boost regulator <NUM> is configured such that it draws sufficient amperage across the LEDs <NUM>, connected in series, and the tether <NUM> with conductors to reduce the voltage at the DC buck converter <NUM> to be within the DC buck converter's <NUM> required input voltage range. As the aerial vehicle <NUM> requires more power, the DC buck converter <NUM> draws more amperage and then the input voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM> decreases, due to wire resistance. As this happens, the amperage boost regulator <NUM> receives lower voltage, increases resistance, and decreases its load (amperage used). With decreasing voltage, the DC buck converter <NUM> effectively maintains power priority over the amperage boost regulator <NUM>, thereby ensuring the propulsion and control system <NUM> of the aerial vehicle <NUM> are not unduly limited.

While the amperage boost regulator <NUM> may include an additional LED 44A and/or a resistance device 44B, one advantage of using LEDs 44A within the amperage boost regulator <NUM> is that, due to the LED forward voltage characteristics, it will more quickly yield power to the DC buck converter <NUM> as voltages decline as compared to a standard resistance device 44B. For example, a resistor's resistance (in ohms) does not change across voltage ranges such as substantially 0v to 40v. In contrast, a LEDs 44A resistance may be very high from substantially 0v to 30v and rapidly decrease from 30v to 40v. The higher power priority of the DC buck converter <NUM> is important to better ensure sustained power to the propulsion and control system <NUM> of the aerial vehicle <NUM>.

It may be necessary to perform calculations to balance the voltages within the system <NUM> to maintain the correct voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM>. Specifically, in one example, of a voltage balancing and parallel load determination process, the base station power supply provided to the tether <NUM> is calculated to maintain balance such that voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM> is maintained within the required range. This can be summarized with the following equation: <MAT> where VBase Power Supply is the based voltage from the power supply, V DropTether is the voltage drop across the tether <NUM><NUM>, V DropOptional series LED is the voltage drop across the LEDs <NUM> positioned in series with the DC buck converter <NUM>, and V Required for DC converter is the voltage required for the DC buck converter <NUM>.

Voltage ranges based on expected amperage variances may also be considered in the calculations. This example of the system <NUM> assumes that the voltage from the base station power supply will be set according to this calculation and that the supplied source voltage across the power source <NUM> terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, to which the tether <NUM> is connected, will be constant. For example, the following aspects of the system <NUM> may be considered for balancing the system <NUM>:.

It is noted that the system <NUM> described relative to <FIG>, may include variations in the electrical circuit <NUM>. For example, the LEDs <NUM> in series may not be present, but the amperage boost regulator <NUM> may contain one or more LEDs 44A. This variation may be used when additional light is not required. Similarly, in another example, the LEDs <NUM> in series may not be present, and the voltage across the power source <NUM> is below the maximum input voltage required by the DC buck converter <NUM>. The amperage boost regulator <NUM> may contain one or more LEDs 44A. The advantage of this simplified configuration is that it enables switched LED dimming to be used, such as by quickly turning the LEDs 44A in the amperage boost regulator <NUM> on and off. In this configuration, the amperage boost regulator <NUM> would not be used to lower voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM>. Additionally, it is optionally possible to use a dimmer with the amperage boost regulator <NUM> to cause the amperage boost regulator <NUM> resistance to increase, such as by using a variable resistor or pulse width modulation (PWM). With greater resistance, less amperage will flow through the LEDs 44A.

To provide additional clarity in disclosure, a working example of the system <NUM> uses the amperage boost regulator <NUM> configuration of <FIG> with the diagrammatical illustration of <FIG>. With reference to <FIG>, a prototype system <NUM> included an aerial vehicle <NUM> flying at height (H) of <NUM> feet above the ground surface <NUM>. The prototype of the system <NUM> uses <NUM> LEDs, where two LEDs are in a parallel load configuration, e.g., 44A, and two additional LEDs <NUM> are in series with the other two LEDs 44A. The LEDs <NUM>, 44A draw approximately <NUM> watts and provide over <NUM>,<NUM> lumens of light. The power supply of the ground power base system provides <NUM> volts through a <NUM> gauge wire to the LEDs <NUM> in series with the amperage boost regulator <NUM> and the DC buck converter <NUM>. The amperage pulled by the amperage boost regulator <NUM> reduced the voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM> such that it is maintained within the DC buck converter's acceptable input voltage range. When the system <NUM> is initially turned on, the LED lights also turn on, even though the drone is off, due to amperes being pulled by the amperage boost regulator <NUM> through the LEDs <NUM> in series. The DC buck converter <NUM>, then receives the voltage with the required input range, powers on, and then provides power to the aerial vehicle <NUM>, namely, the propulsion and control system <NUM> of the aerial vehicle <NUM>.

In flight, the aerial vehicle <NUM> and DC buck converter <NUM> pull slightly more amperage through the LEDs <NUM> in series, and as a result, the LEDs <NUM> brighten. The LEDs 44A in the amperage boost regulator <NUM>, dim slightly as amperage decreases due to the voltage decrease and resistance increase. In this example, the amperage boost regulator <NUM> uses a resistor 44B in series with two LEDs 44A (in parallel). As is a common use, resistors 44B may help to ensure that the maximum amperage of the LEDs is not exceeded.

As can be understood, the system <NUM> may provide substantial benefits to the field of power systems for UASs, and in particular, those UASs which utilize lights or other electronic equipment onboard. The system <NUM> allows the UAS to be more weight efficient than other methods of powering onboard electronics, which power the electronics and the UAS itself in a manner which is not in series. Conventional methods require a heavier converter, a heavier tether, or often both. Additionally, the system eliminates the need for a DC buck converter to power the LEDs and it eliminates the need for additional wires in the tether to power the LEDs separately. The result is an increase in light output as the UAS ascends higher (as the UAS ascends, it lifts more tether thereby pulling more amps). It also allows for more and/or higher power LEDs to be added or subtracted with only needing a change in voltage from the base. Conventional systems may need a different DC buck converter, tether, or both. As discussed, the system <NUM> also minimizes LED flicker from UAS power variances.

While <FIG> describe the system <NUM> in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment, <FIG> describe variations of the system <NUM> in accordance with other embodiments. Any of the features, components, or functions of the system <NUM> described relative to <FIG> may be used with any embodiment of this disclosure, but the same is not reproduced relative to <FIG> for clarity in disclosure.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing a variation of the aerial vehicle electrical power system <NUM> of <FIG>, in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, <FIG> illustrates a physical configuration which is shared by the amperage boost regulator <NUM> and a simple parallel configuration. For both, the power source <NUM> is located on the ground surface. Electricity travels from the power source <NUM> through the tethered wire <NUM> to power the parallel load of the amperage boost regulator <NUM> and the DC buck converter <NUM>. The DC buck converter <NUM> lowers the voltage to what is typically required by an aerial vehicle. In terms of flight performance, a very important advantage of paralleling the DC buck converter <NUM> with the LEDs 44A is that the DC buck converter <NUM> takes power priority if insufficient amperage is available to fully power both.

In the amperage boost regulator <NUM> configuration, the voltage across the power source <NUM> is above the maximum voltage allowed across the inputs of the DC buck converter <NUM>. To lower the voltage to be within the DC buck converter's <NUM> acceptable range, the amperage load created by the parallel load of the amperage boost regulator <NUM> is configured to be high enough such that the resistance within the tether <NUM> lowers the voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM> to be below the maximum voltage of the DC buck converter <NUM>. The amperage boost regulator <NUM> may include a resistor 44B, an LED 44A, or both. An advantage of the amperage boost regulator <NUM> configuration is that it enables both the use of a reduced-weight tether <NUM> and it enables more efficient DC conversion at the DC buck converter <NUM> by reducing the voltage variance to the DC buck converter <NUM>.

In the parallel configuration, the voltage provided by the power source <NUM> is below the maximum voltage allowed by the DC buck converter <NUM>. In this configuration, the load at the amperage boost regulator <NUM> contains at least one LED 44A. The parallel load power state, e.g., on or off, does not impact the DC buck converter <NUM>. In this configuration, it is assumed that the gauge of the tether wire <NUM> is configured to be low enough such that voltage to the DC buck converter <NUM> will be above the minimum when both the parallel load of the amperage boost regulator <NUM> and the aerial vehicle <NUM> are at full power.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing a variation of the aerial vehicle electrical power system <NUM> of <FIG>, in accordance with a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, <FIG> is directed to a simplified system <NUM> where the amperage boost regulator (<NUM> in <FIG>) is replaced with a resistance device 44B. In this example, the resistance device 44B may have the purpose of drawing sufficient amperage and voltage to activate the primary LEDs <NUM> and to allow the required voltage to pass to the propulsion and control system <NUM> of the aerial vehicle <NUM> even if the propulsion and control system <NUM> does not draw amperage. LEDs <NUM> may turn off when sufficient forward voltage is not provided. A resistor 44B, or similar load, between the LEDs <NUM> and the negative terminal <NUM>, which is shared by the aerial vehicle <NUM> and the LEDs <NUM>, enables the LEDs <NUM> to pass sufficient voltage and amperage to enable the propulsion and control system <NUM> to operate.

The resistance device 44B may also regulate amperage across the tether <NUM>. For instance, the load, which is placed in parallel with the propulsion and control system <NUM>, allows the LEDs <NUM> to draw a minimum amount of amperes through the tether <NUM> when the aerial vehicle <NUM> is off or at low power. As the aerial vehicle <NUM> pulls an increasing amount of amperes, both the tether <NUM> and the LEDs <NUM> use more voltage (due to resistance) and decrease the voltage to the parallel propulsion and control system <NUM> with the resistance device 44B. As voltage to the resistance device 44B decreases, the amperage required by it also decreases. The propulsion and control system <NUM>, which may use a DC converter, may continue to operate efficiently within the lower voltage range. Additionally, an advantage of using the resistance device 44B may be to reduce the range or variance of amperages experienced across the tether <NUM>, which may assist with reducing voltage variances across the tether <NUM>, which may be caused by resistance along the wire or conductor within the tether <NUM>. By reducing variances, potentially longer tethers <NUM> may be used without increasing the diameter of the conductor therein.

<FIG> is a flowchart <NUM> illustrating a method for powering an aerial vehicle carrying lights, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that any process descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be understood as representing modules, segments, portions of code, or steps that include one or more instructions for implementing specific logical functions in the process, and alternate implementations are included within the scope of the present disclosure in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure.

As is shown by block <NUM>, an aerial vehicle has a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted thereto. A tether is connected between the aerial vehicle and a power source located remote from the aerial vehicle (block <NUM>). A quantity of electrical power is transmitted through the tether, wherein the quantity of electrical power is transmitted through at least one electrical circuit carried by the aerial vehicle, wherein the at least one electrical circuit has a DC buck converter electrically in series with at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs (block <NUM>). Any number of additional steps, functions, processes, or variants thereof may be included in the method, including any disclosed relative to any other figure of this disclosure.

Claim 1:
System for providing electrical power to an aerial vehicle comprising:
an aerial vehicle (<NUM>);
a plurality of light-emitting diodes, LEDs, (<NUM>) carried by the aerial vehicle (<NUM>);
a propulsion and control system (<NUM>) of the aerial vehicle;
at least one electrical circuit (<NUM>) carried by the aerial vehicle (<NUM>), wherein the at least one electrical circuit (<NUM>) has a DC buck converter (<NUM>) electrically in series with at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs (<NUM>);
a tether (<NUM>) connected between the aerial vehicle (<NUM>) and a power source (<NUM>) positioned remote from the aerial vehicle (<NUM>), wherein electrical power is transmitted to the aerial vehicle (<NUM>) and at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs (<NUM>) through the tether (<NUM>); and
at least one amperage boost regulator (<NUM>) electrically in parallel to the DC buck converter (<NUM>),
wherein the amperage boost regulator (<NUM>) comprises an additional LED (44A), and
wherein when a voltage received through the tether (<NUM>) across the DC buck converter (<NUM>) approaches a maximum input voltage level of the DC buck converter (<NUM>), the amperage boost regulator (<NUM>) is configured to draw greater amperage thereby causing a voltage drop, wherein an input voltage remains below the maximum voltage level of the DC buck converter (<NUM>) to allow the DC buck converter (<NUM>) to effectively maintain power priority over the amperage boost regulator (<NUM>), thereby ensuring the propulsion and control system (<NUM>) of the aerial vehicle (<NUM>) are not unduly limited.