A Novel Charging Station on Overhead Power Lines for Autonomous Unmanned Drones

Abstract

Innovative drone-based technologies provide novel techniques to guarantee the safety and quality of power supply and to perform these tasks more efficiently. Electric multirotor drones, which are at the forefront of technology, face significant flight time limitations due to battery capacity and weight constraints that limit their autonomous operation. This paper presents a novel drone charging station that harvests energy from the magnetic field present in power lines to charge the drone’s battery. This approach relies on a charging station that is easy to install by the drone on an overhead AC power line without modifying the electrical infrastructure. This paper analyses the inductive coupling between the energy harvester and the power line, electrical protection, the power electronics required for maximum power point tracking and the mechanical design of the charging station. A drone that perches on a cable, an end effector for installation procedures and the charging maneuver are described, along with discussion of the robotic and electrical tests performed in a relevant environment. Finally, a lightweight drone charging station capable of harvesting 145 W of power from a 600 A line current is reported.

Peculiarities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Use in Crop Production in Russia: A Review

“…Previous research on the use of UAVs in agriculture, including references [72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81], concludes that selecting the optimal flight path is critical for effective precision spraying, resulting in significant savings of time and resources. In this case, the problem at hand involves overcoming challenges such as:…”

“…The first problem has been successfully addressed by the implementation of additional batteries. Several alternative techniques are mentioned in academic literature, including references such as [74][75][76][77]. These methods use a number of different operating principles, ranging from gust-flying [75], energy transfer through laser beams [76], or charging stations within sensor networks [77].…”

“…Several alternative techniques are mentioned in academic literature, including references such as [74][75][76][77]. These methods use a number of different operating principles, ranging from gust-flying [75], energy transfer through laser beams [76], or charging stations within sensor networks [77]. In our opinion, in situations common in Russia where agricultural fields are far from transportation hubs and additional batteries are needed to prolong UAV operations, the ideal approach is to install charging stations on overhead power lines, as recommended by the Aerial-Core project [74].…”