An Automatic Platform for Landing and Charging of UAVs to Extend UAV Operations

Abstract

With the increasing popularity of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), especially electric quadcopters used in commercial deployment, there is a demand for a solution that allows for automatic landing and recharging of UAVs as needed to extend the operation range. In this paper, we propose a novel system design that can automatically land and wireless charge of the UAV. We design a computer vision based landing guidance system enclosed in a charging platform, and a charging attachment for universal fit on a UAV. We demonstrate the design by building a landing and charging platform and testing it with a UAV. Our system achieves accurate landings and successfully recharging of the UAV battery. We share our source code online to foster further developments in assisted landing and wireless charging in UAV communities.