A Novel Energy Harvester for Powering Small UAVs: Performance Analysis, Model Validation and Flight Results

Sensors

Patrizia Livreri¹  Franco Di Paolo²  Rocco Citroni² 

[1] Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;Department of Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00100 Roma, Italy;

关键词: energy harvester;    MAV;    power consumption model;    nano-antennas;    dipole rectenna array;    perpetual flight;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s19081771

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The proposed work aims at exploring and developing new strategies to extend mission parameters (measured as travel distance and mission duration (MD)) of a new class of unmanned vehicles, named Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). In this paper, a new analytical model, identifying all factors, which determine the MAV power consumption, is presented. Starting from the new model, the design of a nanoarray energy harvester, based on plasmonics nano-antenna technology is proposed. The preliminary study was based on a 22,066,058 22,066,058 × 62,800-dipole rectenna array producing an output power level of 84.14 mW, and an energy value of 2572 J under a power density of 100 mW/cm² and a resonant frequency of 350 THz as input conditions. The preliminary analytical results show a possible recharge of an ultra-fast rechargeable battery on board of a MAV and an MD improvement of 16.30 min.

【 授权许可】

Unknown