Recently, the V2000CG unmanned aerial vehicle system independently developed by Auto Flight Technology has obtained the type certificate (TC) issued by the East China Regional Administration of Civil Aviation of China, which is the world's first eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircraft with a tonnage or above that has passed the model certification. With the increasing population density of cities in the world, the construction of urban ground traffic roads is gradually saturated, and the existing urban traffic modes are approaching the limit. The concept of urban air traffic (UAM) comes into being, which uses eVTOL and other aircraft to carry out passenger and freight transportation within and between cities to solve the problem of urban traffic congestion and improve the efficiency of urban operation. eVTOL is positioned as the third means of transportation for low-altitude and intelligent travel in cities, flying over densely populated cities with complex surface. However, the urban air traffic operation scene is highly electrified, highly automated and extremely safe, which puts forward extremely high technical standards for cruising speed, cruising range, number of seats/payload weight and safety of eVTOL.
The research and development of aerospace products has the following characteristics: huge investment in assets, long investment cycle and complex engineering practice. Compared with foreign countries, China started late in this field, and there are still many steps to catch up with. It is difficult to build an airplane, but compared with the power system of the airplane, the chip on the airplane is a relatively easy product to conquer. The chips used in aircraft are mainly concentrated in navigation system, communication system and control system. One of the most important applications of semiconductors in aviation is navigation system. GPS is an important part of aircraft, which depends on semiconductors to a great extent. GPS receivers use semiconductors to amplify and process signals from satellites, and then process the signals to determine the position and forward direction of the aircraft. eVTOL intelligent driving technology relies on new sensors such as vision/infrared/laser radar and millimeter wave radar, enhances the aircraft's environmental perception ability by integrating various sensors, and comprehensively uses emerging technologies such as AI and big data to make intelligent decision analysis on the known environment.
Figure 1: eVTO unmanned aerial aircraft
What is an eVTOL aircraft?
The eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft is a small vertical take-off and landing aircraft powered by a sustainable electric propulsion system. eVTOL is a cross-border technology integration of electric aviation technology, unmanned driving, artificial intelligence, information and communication and other related fields. Battery is an eVTOL aircraft that greatly improves the efficiency of logistics and transportation. Traditional land transportation is often limited in the face of traffic congestion, road damage and other problems, while eVTOL aircraft can shuttle directly in the air quickly, avoiding the limitation of ground transportation and greatly shortening the logistics transportation time. This is of great significance to the goods and emergency materials that need to be delivered quickly, and can meet the market demand in a more timely manner. In additioneVTOL aircraft will also expand the scope and coverage of logistics services. Traditional land transportation is often inefficient when facing areas with complex terrain and inconvenient transportation, while eVTOL aircraft can directly fly over ground obstacles and extend logistics services to remote areas, mountainous areas, islands and other inaccessible places, providing more convenient logistics services for residents in these areas. eVTOL adopts electric mode instead of traditional fuel consumption, which brings higher environmental protection to logistics and emergency transportation industries. It does not produce exhaust emissions during flight and reduces the pollution to the atmospheric environment. Compared with traditional fuel-driven aircraft, the use of eVTOL will help reduce carbon emissions, reduce adverse effects on the environment and promote the logistics industry to develop in a more sustainable direction.
Generally speaking, eVTOL aircraft, as an innovative logistics transportation tool, will have a far-reaching impact on the logistics industry with its high efficiency, environmental protection and all-round characteristics. With the continuous progress of technology and the expansion of application scenarios, it is believed that eVTOL aircraft will become an important part of the logistics industry in the future, and push the whole industry towards a more intelligent, efficient and sustainable direction.
Semiconductor is an important part of eVTOL, and the flight control system of aircraft relies on semiconductor to process the signals of sensors, which are responsible for monitoring the speed, altitude and direction of aircraft. Then, the control system uses this information to adjust the flight path of the aircraft and maintain the flight path stability during the flight. Without semiconductors, the flight control system will not be able to process the large amount of data needed, and the aircraft will not be able to fly safely.
