Wireless Drone Charging Station Using Class-E Power Amplifier in Vertical Alignment and Lateral Misalignment Conditions

Abstract

Recent major advancements in drone charging station design are related to the differences in coil design between the material (copper or aluminum) and inner thickness (diameter design) to address power transfer optimization and increased efficiency. The designs are normally challenged with reduced weight on the drone’s side, which can lead to reduced payload or misalignment position issues between receiver and transmitter, limiting the performance of wireless charging. In this work, the coil combination was tested in vertical alignment from 2 cm to 50 cm, and in lateral misalignment positions that were stretched across 2, 5, 8, 10, and 15 cm ranges. Simulated and experimental results demonstrated improved transfer distances when the drone battery load was 100 Ω. With the proposed design, the vertical transfer power that was achieved was 21.12 W, 0.460 A, with 81.5% transfer efficiency, while the maximum lateral misalignment air gap that was achieved was 2 cm with 19.22 W and 74.15% efficiency. This study provides evidence that the developed circuit that is based on magnetic resonant coupling (MRC) is an effective technique towards improving power transfer efficiency across different remote and unmanned Internet of Things (IoT) applications, including drones for radiation monitoring and smart agriculture.