Autonomous Drone Control for Wireless Charging Using Power Lines

The limited autonomy of flight has long been considered a significant constraint in drone systems. In the context of drone inspections of power lines, this study focuses on a drone equipped with a coil designed for autonomous battery charging. Positioned atop the drone is a charging coil, and on the upper surface, there is an upward-facing camera with a restricted field-of-view (FOV), serving the crucial role of aligning the drone with power lines. This research introduces a wireless power transfer strategy to facilitate the self-charging process of the drone while maintaining its position beneath power lines. To enable the drone's autonomous approach to power lines, a method is devised to guide the drone from below. As the drone approaches the power lines, it monitors the current induced by these lines and gradually adjusts its altitude until a sufficiently high induced current is achieved. The proposed approach ensures safety, as the drone avoids direct contact with high-voltage power lines, setting it apart from other existing methods that require such contact. To the best of our knowledge, this study offers a novel approach to precisely controlling drone movements, and establishing reliable wireless power transfer from power lines. The effectiveness of the developed wireless transfer strategy has been verified through MATLAB simulations.