Rotational energy harvesting to prolong flight duration of quadcopters

Robert Sowah, Moses A. Acquah, Abdul R. Ofoli, Godfrey A. Mills, Koudjo M. Koumadi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper presents a rotational energy harvester using brushless direct current (BLDC) generator to harvest ambient energy for quadcopter in order to prolong it flight duration. For a quadcopter its endurance is essential in order to achieve operational goals such as scientific research, security, surveillance and reconnaissance. Because quadcopters have a limitation on size and mass they cannot carry a large mass of onboard energy thereby having short flight time. In this paper BLDC generators are coupled with the propellers of the quadcopter to transfer kinetic energy from the propellers to the generator. Taking into consideration the power requirement of quadcopter, the output of the generator is amplified using DC-DC boost and regulated to power and charge the on-board battery. The BLDC generator is simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK. A final prototype of the rotational energy harvesting system is built and this comprises a quadcopter, power management system and a battery charging system.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIEEE Industry Application Society - 51st Annual Meeting, IAS 2015, Conference Record
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9781479983933
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Dec 2015
Event51st Annual Meeting on IEEE Industry Application Society, IAS 2015 - Addison
Duration: 11 Oct 201522 Oct 2015

Publication series

NameIEEE Industry Application Society - 51st Annual Meeting, IAS 2015, Conference Record

Conference

Conference51st Annual Meeting on IEEE Industry Application Society, IAS 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAddison
Period11/10/1522/10/15

Keywords

  • energy harvesting
  • power electronics
  • quadcopter
  • rotational generator
  • unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)

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