Flying a Micro-Drone by Dynamic Charging for Vertical Direction Using Optical Wireless Power Transmission
Tomoya Watamura,
Takuo Nagasaka,
Yuto Kikuchi,
Tomoyuki Miyamoto
Affiliations
Tomoya Watamura
Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST), Institute of Integrated Research (IIR), Institute of Science Tokyo, R2-39, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-Ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
Takuo Nagasaka
Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST), Institute of Integrated Research (IIR), Institute of Science Tokyo, R2-39, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-Ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
Yuto Kikuchi
Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST), Institute of Integrated Research (IIR), Institute of Science Tokyo, R2-39, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-Ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
Tomoyuki Miyamoto
Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST), Institute of Integrated Research (IIR), Institute of Science Tokyo, R2-39, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-Ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
Micro-drones weighing less than about 200 g have a limited flight time of 5–15 min. Dynamic charging by optical wireless power transmission is a promising solution to this problem. This paper investigated the configuration and conditions required for dynamic charging of micro-drones by optical wireless power transmission and clarified the effect of weight change on the power required for flight and the size of solar cells that can be installed. Furthermore, a micro-drone equipped with a solar cell without a battery was used to demonstrate a vertical flight height of 75 cm at 35 W light output. The results are useful for continuous flight of micro-drones by optical wireless power transmission.
