Power Management of Drones

Abstract

The Drones are used for multifarious activities right from surveillance, express shipping, precision crop monitoring, geographic mapping of inescapable terrain and locations etc. To perform effectively in ibid actions, the drones must keep flying for adequate time in the air. Flying for a longer duration is a necessity for many applications, which is primarily dependent upon the batteries they are using. The batteries which are normally used now-a-days in drones are Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries. These batteries are rechargeable and are available in various forms as per the size and use of drones. The longer sustenance of LiPo batteries depends on Voltage level, Capacity, Discharge rateDischarge rate, Activation time, and Charging time. Continuous power to drones is generally maintained by charging aforesaid LiPo batteries whenever Drone returns to earth/site. However, there are other options also to recharge the LiPo batteries, which avoid drones returning to their base. It includes using Polls, Recharging Stations, Solar Voltaic Cells based Drones. Moreover, there is an advanced methodology through which Drones can be recharged using other Drones while in flight. Apropos, this Paper will elaborate upon how to choose an appropriate LiPo Battery Pack based upon various parameters for Drones, Basic principle of working of LiPo batteries (i.e., Intercalation and De-Intercalation), Various forms/Configurations of LiPo batteries and Cell sizes, Maintenance of LiPo batteries and alternates to LiPo batteries for drones which include Charging stations, Charging Drones while on Flight and Use of Solar voltaic cells.