Design and Experimentation of Coupling Mechanism for Wireless Power Transfer of UAVs

The application of wireless power transfer (WPT) technology for charging UAVs can enhance the endurance and expand the operational range of the UAVs. The anti-offset ability of the coupling mechanism is crucial due to the randomness of drone landings for wireless power transfer systems of UAVs. This paper presents four coupling mechanisms that can be applied to WPT systems of UAVs. Detailed designs of the four coupling mechanisms are provided, including the receiving coils and their corresponding four types of transmitting coils. To compare these coupling mechanisms, an experimental platform is built to measure their output capabilities and r anti-offset ability of different coupling mechanisms. The results demonstrate that when the transmitting coil is disk-shaped, the output efficiency can exceed 50% at a distance of 3cm, but the resistance to displacement is poor. When the transmitting coil is square-shaped with a hollow groove in the middle, the output efficiency is 32.55% at a distance of 3cm, and it exhibits good resistance to displacement in the X direction.