Advanced Magnetic Energy Harvester for Charging Drones from Overhead Powerlines

Recently, due to the advantages of drones, many electrical companies have employed drones for inspecting overhead transmission lines instead of helicopters. However, the limited operating time is still the big issue preventing drones from being used for monitoring on a large scale. The magnetic field around cables is a potential power source enabling drones to recharge when inspecting high-voltage power lines, eliminating the need to return to the home base for charging. In this paper, the Transfer Window Alignment method was combined with Perturb and Observe algorithm and Silicon Steel core to enhance the harvested power. The experiment showed that extra 58.6% power could be harvested compared to the traditional approach. Regardless of the current fluctuation on the power lines, the proposed method also allows the charging circuit to automatically locate the maximum power point without sensing the primary current.