An IPT-CPT Hybrid Wireless Power Transfer System for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

In the field of uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) wireless charging, inductive power transfer (IPT) and capacitive power transfer (CPT) have become the two main technical approaches. However, existing single-topology systems still face significant challenges. This article proposes a hybrid IPT-CPT wireless power transfer (WPT) system to address key limitations of lightweight design and landing misalignment tolerance. First, a hybrid coupler is designed, with CPT serving as the main energy transfer channel. By reusing the compensation inductor as the coupler of IPT, the integration level of the system is improved. Then, a frequency-variable reconfiguration strategy with single-switch control is introduced to enable constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) output modes. Furthermore, a modified MOEA/D algorithm is employed to co-optimize electromagnetic parameters, balancing transmission efficiency and output power. Experimental results demonstrate that the system delivers 218.8 W with 86.38% efficiency in CC mode at 750 kHz and 216.6 W with 81.39% efficiency in CV mode at 778 kHz. The system exhibits strong misalignment tolerance, maintaining stable operation within$\boldsymbol{\pm}$25~mm (x-axis) and$\boldsymbol{\pm}$100 mm ($y$-axis) offset ranges.