Robust and Efficient Autonomous Charging Station for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles Under Large Landing Inaccuracies

Abstract

This paper proposes an electrical contact-based autonomous charging station for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) that reliably initiates charging regardless of landing position and orientation inaccuracies. Unlike existing UAV charging methods - which may suffer from efficiency losses due to wireless power transfer or require mechanical actuators, specially shaped structures, or diode bridges - the proposed autonomous charging station uses modular units with Hall-effect sensors to detect a magnet mounted on the UAV's positive charging electrode. Thus, the proposed charging station was designed to allow direct electrical contact without rectifier diodes or actuators, reducing unnecessary losses. Across all 832 possible landing poses of the UAV, the power transfer efficiency exceeded 98.34% - surpassing the 91.02% reported in prior work; in outdoor repeated-flight tests, charging initiated and succeeded in all trials (30/30) with randomized landing positions and orientations. Preliminary field trials at a 765-kV substation demonstrated feasibility under elevated electromagnetic interference. These results highlight the robustness of the proposed system to substantial landing inaccuracies, providing a strong foundation for prolonged, unattended UAV missions in demanding real-world environments.