Book contents
- Wireless Power Transfer for Unmanned Aircraft
- Wireless Power Transfer for Unmanned Aircraft
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Fundamentals of Wireless Power Transfer
- 2 Hovering Wireless Charging for UAVs
- 3 Magnetic Coupler Design for Wireless Charging of UAV
- 4 Control for Wireless Charging of UAVs
- 5 Control Scheme based on the PT-Symmetric WPT System
- 6 Charging Range Extension for the PT-Symmetric WPT System
- Index
- References
2 - Hovering Wireless Charging for UAVs
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 October 2025
Book contents
- Wireless Power Transfer for Unmanned Aircraft
- Wireless Power Transfer for Unmanned Aircraft
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Fundamentals of Wireless Power Transfer
- 2 Hovering Wireless Charging for UAVs
- 3 Magnetic Coupler Design for Wireless Charging of UAV
- 4 Control for Wireless Charging of UAVs
- 5 Control Scheme based on the PT-Symmetric WPT System
- 6 Charging Range Extension for the PT-Symmetric WPT System
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter explores the application of wireless in-flight charging specifically for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It begins by outlining the benefits of this technology, including increased operational time and reduced maintenance needs. The chapter identifies key challenges such as managing continuous mutual inductance disturbances, developing lightweight pickup units, and enabling fast charging. Solutions to these challenges are discussed in detail, including innovations in system design. The chapter concludes with an overview of the construction and integration of wireless in-flight charging systems for UAVs, summarizing the current state of technology and future prospects.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Wireless Power Transfer for Unmanned AircraftFundamentals, Design, and Control, pp. 18 - 31Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Fact.MR. Drone market outlook (2024 to 2034). Available: www.factmr.com/report/62/drone-marketGoogle Scholar
Chung, S. H., Sah, B., and Lee, J., ‘Optimization for drone and drone–truck combined operations: a review of the state of the art and future directions’, Comput. Oper. Res., vol. 123, pp. 1–29, Jun. 2020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Intelligence Research Group. Intelligence research consulting. Available: www.chyxx.comGoogle Scholar
Huang, H. and Savkin, A. V., ‘A method of optimized deployment of charging stations for drone delivery’, IEEE Trans. Transp. Electrific., vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 510–518, Jun. 2020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahmadian, N., Lim, G. J., Torabbeigi, M., and Kim, S. J., ‘Smart border patrol using drones and wireless charging system under budget limitation’, Comput. Ind. Eng., vol. 164, Art. no. 107891, Feb. 2022.Google Scholar
Assawaworrarit, S., Yu, X., and Fan, S., ‘Robust wireless power transfer using a nonlinear parity-time-symmetric circuit’, Nature, vol. 546, no. 7658, pp. 387–390, Jun. 2017.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mai, R., Liu, Y., Li, Y., Yue, P., Cao, G., and He, Z., ‘An active-rectifier-based maximum efficiency tracking method using an additional measurement coil for wireless power transfer’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 716–728, Jan. 2018.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, M., Zhang, H., Shao, Y., Song, J., and Ma, C., ‘High-performance megahertz wireless power transfer: topologies, modeling, and design’, IEEE Ind. Electron. Mag., vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 28–42, Mar. 2021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cui, S., Wang, Z., Han, S., Zhu, C., and Chan, C. C., ‘Analysis and design of multiphase receiver with reduction of output fluctuation for EV dynamic wireless charging system’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 4112–4124, May 2019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Z., Ai, W., Liang, Z., and Wang, J., ‘Topology-reconfigurable capacitor matrix for encrypted dynamic wireless charging of electric vehicles’, IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol., vol. 67, no. 10, pp. 9284–9293, Oct. 2018.Google Scholar
Hui, S. Y., ‘Planar wireless charging technology for portable electronic products and Qi’, Proc. IEEE, vol. 101, no. 6, pp. 1290–1301, Jun. 2013.Google Scholar
Zhang, Z., Pang, H., Georgiadis, A., and Cecati, C., ‘Wireless power transfer: an overview’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 1044–1058, Feb. 2019.Google Scholar
Mashhadi, I. A., Pahlevani, M., Hor, S., Pahlevani, H., and Adib, E., ‘A new wireless power-transfer circuit for retinal prosthesis’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 34, no. 7, pp. 6425–6439, Jul. 2019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gu, Y., Wang, J., Liang, Z., Wu, Y., Cecati, C., and Zhang, Z., ‘Single-transmitter multiple-pickup wireless power transfer: advantages, challenges, and corresponding technical solutions’, IEEE Ind. Electron. Mag., vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 123–135, Dec. 2020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cai, C., Wang, J., Zhang, F., Liu, X., Zhang, P., and Zhou, Y. G., ‘A multichannel wire-less UAV charging system with compact receivers for improving transmission stability and capacity’, IEEE Syst. J., vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 997–1008, Mar. 2021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gu, Y., Wang, J., Liang, Z., and Zhang, Z., ‘Communication-free power control algorithm for drone wireless in-flight charging under dual-disturbance of mutual inductance and load’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Inform., vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 3703–3714, Mar. 2024.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gu, Y., Wang, J., Liang, Z., and Zhang, Z., ‘Mutual-inductance-dynamic-predicted constant current control of LCC-P compensation network for drone wireless in-flight charging’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 69, no. 12, pp. 12710–12719, Dec. 2022.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gu, Y., Wang, J., Liang, Z., and Zhang, Z., ‘A wireless in-flight charging range extended PT-WPT system using S/single-inductor-double-capacitor compensation network for drones’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 38, no. 10, pp. 11847–11858, Oct. 2023.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campi, T., Cruciani, S., Maradei, F., and Feliziani, M., ‘Innovative design of drone landing gear used as a receiving coil in wireless charging application’, Energies, vol. 12, no. 18, p. 3483, 2019.Google Scholar
Babic, S., Sirois, F., Akyel, C., and Girardi, C., ‘Mutual inductance calculation between circular filaments arbitrarily positioned in space: alternative to Grover’s formula’, IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 46, no. 9, pp. 3591–3600, Sep. 2010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dai, X., Jiang, J., and Wu, J., ‘Charging area determining and power enhancement method for multiexcitation unit configuration of wirelessly dynamic charging EV system’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 66, no. 5, pp. 4086–4096, May 2019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, S. and Mi, C. C., ‘Wireless power transfer for electric vehicle applications’, IEEE J. Emerg. Sel. Topics Power Electron., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 4–17, Mar. 2015.Google Scholar
Rivera, S., Kouro, S., Vazquez, S., Goetz, S. M., Lizana, R., and Romero-Cadaval, E., ‘Electric vehicle charging infrastructure: from grid to battery’, IEEE Ind. Electron. Mag., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 37–51, Jun. 2021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ElSayed, M., Foda, A., and Mohamed, M., ‘Autonomous drone charging station planning through solar energy harnessing for zero-emission operations’, Sustain. Cities Soc., vol. 86, Art. no. 104122, Nov. 2022.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, S. and Lee, S.-H., ‘dq synchronous reference frame model of a series-series tuned inductive power transfer system’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 67, no. 12, pp. 10325–10334, Dec. 2020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chow, J. P.-W., Chung, H. S.-H., and Cheng, C.-S., ‘Use of transmitter-side electrical information to estimate mutual inductance and regulate receiver-side power in wireless inductive link’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 31, no. 9, pp. 6079–6091, Sep. 2016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, L., Thrimawithana, D. J., Madawala, U. K., Hu, A P., and Mi, C. C, ‘A misalignment-tolerant series-hybrid wireless EV charging system with integrated magnetics’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 1276–1285, Apr. 2019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liao, Z.-J., Wu, F., Jiang, C.-H., Chen, Z.-R., and Xia, C.-Y., ‘Analysis and design of ideal transformer-like magnetic coupling wireless power transfer systems’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 37, no. 12, pp. 15728–15739, Dec. 2022.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, K. and Zhang, Z., ‘In-flight wireless charging: a promising application-oriented charging technique for drones’, IEEE Ind. Electron. Mag., vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 6–16, Mar. 2024.Google Scholar
Millán, J., Godignon, P., Perpiñà, X., Pérez-Tomás, A., and Rebollo, J., ‘A survey of wide bandgap power semiconductor devices’, IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 2155–2163, May 2014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, S., Lu, S., and Mi, C. C., ‘Revolution of electric vehicle charging technologies accelerated by wide bandgap devices’, Proc. IEEE, vol. 109, no. 6, pp. 985–1003, Jun. 2021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Du, L., Wang, C., Li, X., Yang, L., Mi, Y., and Sun, C., ‘A novel power supply of online monitoring systems for power transmission lines’, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 2889–2895, Aug. 2010.Google Scholar
Accessibility standard: Inaccessible, or known limited accessibility
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The PDF of this book is known to have missing or limited accessibility features.
We may be reviewing its accessibility for future improvement, but final compliance is
not yet assured and may be subject to legal exceptions. If you have any questions,
please contact
accessibility@cambridge.org.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.