TRANSPORT TECHNICS. INVESTIGATION OF ELEMENTS. RELIABILITY
An unmanned aerial vehicle with an extended flight time
The question of application of unmanned aerial vehicles (quadrocopters or multicopters) with electric drive for long-term monitoring operations in territories with operating power system or electrified railroad transportation is considered. The disadvantage of drones of this type is the limited capacity of the on-board battery, which implies the need to recharge it, i.e. to stop the flight and return the aircraft to the base. The authors propose a constructive solution to this problem, which is based on a non-contact (induction) method of charging during the flight of an aircraft due to the energy of the electromagnetic field arising from the flow of electric current in the highvoltage wires of the power system or the contact network of railroads. For this purpose, an additional circular electric winding is installed on board the aircraft, in which an electromotive force (EMF) is induced in the electromagnetic field during flight. This EMF is used to charge the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Also, in the proposed design of the unmanned aerial vehicle, solar panels are provided for recharging the batteries during the flight during daylight hours.