The Application of Electromagnetic Wireless Charging Technology in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are increasingly used in inspection, logistics, agriculture, and emergency response, yet their endurance is constrained by limited battery capacity and the need for manual recharging. Inductive power transfer (IPT) offers a contact -less and weather-tolerant charging approach that can be integrated into autonomous landing pads, enabling rapid turnaround without human intervention. This paper summarizes the operating principle of IPT based on Faraday’s law and magnetic coupling , and reviews a typical UAV wireless charging system consisting of a ground transmitter, a receiving module, compensation networks, power electronics, and control/communication units. Key engineering challenges are analyzed, including coil misalignment, thermal management, environmental robustness, weight constraints, high-power efficiency, and electromagnetic interference. Finally, representative improvement directions such as coil topology optimization are discussed, misalignment-tolerant pad design, adaptive tuning, and shielding methods, and outline future trends toward standardized docking stations and fully autonomous operation. The study aims to provide a concise reference for designing practical IPT-based UAV charging solutions.