Powering Robots That Harvest

Vicor delivers efficient power delivery for robots

Image of Vicor's Powering Robots That HarvestVarious produce, including strawberries, apples, and lettuce, are being planted, maintained, and harvested using automated vehicle guidance along with visual recognition robotics. Large robotic vehicles or equipment are typically powered from a high-voltage DC source of 400 V or more.

Power Delivery Network

In this type of design, the Vicor BCM converter series can provide high-voltage battery conversion to a safe, nominal 48 V. One example is the BCM4414 capable of more than 1,600 W at greater than 97% efficiency from its 111 mm x 36 mm x 9 mm package. The BCM is a fixed ratio converter with an output voltage 1/16 of the input voltage. Fixed ratio or regulated point-of-load converters such as Vicor NBMs, PRMs, ZVS buck, and ZVS buck-boost regulators power individual, downstream, lower-voltage rails as needed.

Powering Robots That Move

Powering Robots That Deliver

Benefits
  • High density
  • Modular and scalable
  • High efficiency up to 98%
  • Lightweight
Applications
  • Weed control
  • Autonomous mowing, pruning, seeding, spraying, and thinning
  • Harvesting and picking
  • Robotic greenhouses
Image of Vicor's Powerchain Diagram 
Published: 2020-06-10