Implementation of Self-Charging Quadcopter Droneusing Photovoltaic Cells

Abstract

Due to innovations in the domain of drones, self-recharging quadcopter drones have now become possible to tackle the flight time issues that battery drones encounter. This thesis involves the design, implementation, and assessment of self-recharging solar powered drones. The goal of this project is to extend operational time and reduce the frequency of manual recharging by installing solar powered PV cells to a quadcopter drone. This drone uses a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) thingy. It makes the solar cells work better, grabbing as much sun power as it can when things change. It also has light solar panels, a LiPo battery to hold power, and a Power Management System (PMS) to swap energy from the panels to the battery. To keep it steady and on track, the flight controls use PID loops, and sensors like GPS, IMU, and a barometer give the data needed to fly on its own. We tested it in all sorts of sunlight to see how well it did, how long it could fly, how much power the solar panels gave, and how stable it was. Turns out, the solar panels gave 10-15% of the juice needed to fly when the sun was strong. This made the flight last up to 50% longer than a normal battery drone. The MPPT system was good at getting sun power, which really helped with battery life and getting the most from the power. The project showed that self charging drones have promise, but there are still some things to figure out. The panels can be heavy, batteries are limited, and it all leans a lot on the sun. Future improvements to solar panel efficiency, battery capacity, and MPPT algorithms are recommended tofurther improve drone performance. When conditions are perfect for sunlight, the solar panels emitted 10-15% of the energy for flight, and the flight time increased by a maximum of 50% compared to battery operated drones. The MPPT system harvested solar energy which improved energy efficiency and battery life. Even though the project has demonstrated the potential of self-charging drones, issues 10 like the weight of the solar panels, solar dependence, and battery limitations were noted. For further enhancements to the drone's performance, improving the efficiency of solar panels, the capacity of batteries, and the MPPT algorithms should be the focus