Landing Pad Design

Guide
With WiBotic™ Wireless Power

9706 4th Ave NE – Suite 208

Seattle, WA 98115
206-580-0900
http://www.wibotic.com
info@wibotic.com

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1.0 Overview

WiBotic’s wireless charging products are ideal for automatically charging UAV batteries
between flights. When installed in UAV landing pads or hangars, WiBotic transmitters can
transmit wireless power to the UAV’s battery immediately after landing, preparing the UAV for
its next flight without the need for human intervention. Wireless power receiving components
are light weight and easy to install on UAVs and WiBotic has pre-designed mounting kits for
many of the most popular commercial UAV models.

However, wireless charging is only one part of a fully autonomous flight solution. The UAV
itself, mission planning software, GNSS navigation, precision landing, and the landing
pad/hangar structure are other critical parts of a complete solution. These parts are not
supplied by WiBotic but must be considered when designing a successful wireless power
deployment.

This Design Guide therefore provides a description of the complete suite of technologies
required to build and operate an automated landing pad. Material specifications and
installation instructions for WiBotic products are also included.

These instructions are based upon the original WiBotic PowerPad, a reference model that has
been fully tested by WiBotic and used by customers around the world. We have learned,
however, that a single PowerPad design is not sufficient to address all UAV applications.
Instead, WiBotic now provides this design guide and accompanying CAD files, drawings, and
material specifications to help you design your own PowerPad – considering the above-
mentioned technologies and capabilities of your UAV (precision landing, waterproofing, etc.).

WiBotic staff is also available to consult with you as you use these reference materials to design
a solution that fits your unique needs.

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2.0 Required UAV/Landing Pad Capabilities

Precision Landing

WiBotic’s wireless power technology provides the most flexible antenna positioning of any
wireless power system. Unlike inductive charging systems that require millimeter level
alignment accuracy, WiBotic antennas can be horizontally misaligned by up to 5cm in any
direction while still transferring full power and efficiency.

The standard WiBotic transmitter antenna is 20cm in diameter and the standard receiving
antenna is 10cm in diameter. If the edge of the receiving antenna does not extend beyond the
edge of the transmitter antenna, full power charging will be successful. Therefore, the UAV
must be able to reliably land within 5cm of the target point (in any direction) to ensure proper
charging. If the UAV itself does not have this capability, then another mechanism must be
employed to ensure antenna alignment after landing (see next section). The images below
provide a visual indication of this range from both a side view and top view.

Side View

Top View 3
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Antenna Centering
If your UAV is not able to reliably land within 5cm of the target point (in any direction) then a
post-landing means of centering the antennas will be required. Because all UAVs are different,
WiBotic does not provide the UAV /antenna centering mechanism. However, WiBotic
customers have designed a range of centering mechanism that include the following concepts
and we are happy to consult with customers on prospective centering mechanisms.

Inverted Cone
Two inverted cone designs have been deployed depending upon the style of legs on the UAV.

The most universal design involves a

single large cone that allows the tips
of the UAV legs to slide down the
sides of the cone to center the entire
UAV upon landing. In this case the
UAV simply needs to orient itself
facing in the correct direction to
ensure the antennas properly align.
This option may also accommodate
UAVs with T-style legs, but design
accommodations for leg mounted
antennas may be required.

Another option, primarily for UAVs

with vertical style legs, involves
smaller individual cones for each leg.
This mechanism provides very
precise alignment since the wireless
power antenna is typically mounted
on a 5th leg that is perfectly
positioned over the transmitter
antenna after landing.

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Mechanical Arm

Another mechanism used by WiBotic customers involves opposing sets of mechanical arms that
physically move the UAV body into place over the transmitter antenna. This mechanism is more
mechanically complex but supports a wider range of UAVs with different leg styles and sizes.
The arms are positioned along the four sides of the landing pad until the UAV lands, and then
sweep in from all sides to center the UAV.

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2.0 Landing Pad Enclosure Design

As shown, the base landing pad enclosure can be a

relatively simple structure. Its primary purpose is
to house and protect the WiBotic components,
although other components such as mission
control PCs, telemetry radios, and heaters can be
installed depending upon operator needs. The
image at right shows the following WiBotic
components to scale in a 36” x 36” x 8” enclosure:

1) WiBotic Transmitter Circuit - in its own

sheet metal enclosure (both the TR-110
and TR-301 can accommodated)
2) WiBotic Transmitter Antenna – typically
mounted just beneath the plastic landing
surface.
Reference PowerPad Aerial View Without Lid
3) Ethernet and power bulkhead connectors
4) Ventilation fan for system cooling

While not absolutely required, we recommend housing the transmitter circuit and transmitter
antenna in a common enclosure as shown due to the standard 24” antenna cable that connects
these two components. If a longer cable is required, please contact WiBotic for more
information. Transmitter antenna cables cannot exceed 48” in length.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the enclosure design is the location of the transmitter
antenna relative to conductive materials. Materials such as sheet metal or aluminum, carbon
fiber, and even some forms of fiberglass or plywood, can have a detuning effect on the
antenna. This may result in lower-than-expected power transfer and/or system instability. To
avoid these potential issues, we recommend an air gap of at least 15cm between the
transmitter antenna and any surrounding conductive material.

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Standoffs to
support lid 15cm airgap to
conductive surface

Standoffs to support
antenna
(may also be mounted to
bottom of landing surface)

The transmitter antenna itself can be mounted on stand-offs that place it just under the landing
surface, or it may be attached to the underside of the surface itself. If your landing pad is large
enough and the landing pad material is not thick or rigid enough to prevent sagging, we suggest
adding additional standoffs between the enclosure floor and lid for support.

It is recommended that the entire landing

surface above the transmitter antenna be
made of a plastic material. However, if
this is not possible, it is important to note
that at least 15cm of non-conductive
space must be available to the sides of
the transmitter antenna as well as
behind/below it. The image at right
provides a visual reference for this
requirement. It is best to keep any other
vertical standoffs outside of this area as
well, but plastic support standoffs can be
mounted within this perimeter without
causing problems.

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Landing Surface Material Specifications

There is no preferred material for the landing pad enclosure apart from the landing surface
itself. The sides and bottom of the structure can be fabricated from steel, aluminum, plywood,
or any other desired material as long as the antenna standoff distances above are followed.

For the landing surface, any plastic material is typically acceptable, but the material should be
selected based on the UV resistivity and other factors related to the specific environment for
deployment. WiBotic also suggests a white color if possible, to reflect sunlight. This will help to
keep the air, and the electronics, inside the enclosure as cool as possible. Plastics that have
been successfully tested and are typically available in sheet form and in white include:

• High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE)

• Polycarbonate (PC)

The thickness of the plastic landing surface is also important. While there is no required
thickness, when WiBotic antennas are installed in their standard plastic enclosures there should
be no more than 2.5cm of vertical distance between the enclosure faces. As is indicated in the
image below, this total distance will include the air gap between the receiver antenna and
landing surface, the landing surface plastic itself, and any air gap between the transmitter
antenna and landing surface. The mounting positions of the two antennas therefore will
obviously impact how thick the landing surface can be.

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Ventilation

As previously mentioned, one function of the landing pad enclosure is to protect the WiBotic
transmitter components from the elements. WiBotic’s standard transmitter circuit is installed
in its own sheet metal enclosure, but the standard enclosure is not designed for outdoor use.
Therefore, the landing pad must provide the necessary protections against water, dust and
insects while also providing sufficient ventilation to keep transmitter components cool.

As shown in the available PowerPad reference drawings and CAD, we recommend venting
around the perimeter of the enclosure to allow for the free exchange of air. Designing these
openings with replaceable filters is highly recommended. The filter
material should be chosen for local environmental conditions and
should provide protection without unduly restricting air flow.

In warmer environments (those where ambient temperatures

routinely exceed 25°C) we also recommend the use of an air
circulation fan to move air into and through the enclosure. Fan
type and size may vary depending upon the size of the enclosure
and local temperatures. For reference, WiBotic’s original 36” x 36”
x 8” PowerPad design used the following fan:

Circ Fan: NMB Technologies PN 3110SB-04W-B50-E00

Power and Ethernet

WiBotic’s transmitter requires AC Power (DC models also available for special order). While it is
possible to configure the transmitter for 100% autonomous operation without a network
connection, most customers also prefer to take advantage of the network API over Ethernet for
system monitoring and control. The enclosure should therefore provide weather-proof
bulkhead connectors for incoming power and network cables. Connectors should be chosen
based upon local electrical standards, but the components used by WiBotic in the US are listed
here for reference:

AC Power Bulkhead Connector: Qualtek PN 703W-00/08

Ethernet Bulkhead Connector: Switchcraft Inc. PN EHRJ45P6S

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3.0 UAV Receiver Mounting

To take advantage of wireless power from a newly designed landing pad, customers obviously
also need to integrate WiBotic’s receiver components on their UAV. For this purpose, WiBotic
has developed retrofit kits for some of the most common commercial UAV models. It is also
relatively straightforward to design your own mounting kit – especially for UAVs with flatter
and more open body styles.

Below is an overview of the kits already available from WiBotic. If you are not using one of
these models, please use these designs as examples of integrations that could be performed on
your own UAV. We are happy to help design mounting brackets that will work with any drone,
so please contact us with questions.

BlueHalo IntenseEye V2.0:

WiBotic components:
o OC-210 onboard charger
o TR-110 transmitter

WiBotic worked closely with BlueHalo to integrate the

OC-210 receiver circuit inside the body of the UAV. A
special antenna mount has also been developed that
easily attaches to the mounting rail underneath the
UAV without impacting the camera’s field of view. If
you are interested in purchasing this kit, or the
complete IntenseEye UAV, please contact WiBotic for
more details.

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DJI Matrice 200/210

WiBotic components:
o OC-210 or OC-251 onboard charger
o TR-110 or TR-301 transmitter

WiBotic kits for the M200/210 models include leg mount

brackets for the RC-100 antenna, new “feet” to keep the
antenna from touching the surface upon landing, and an
onboard charger that mounts to the side of the UAV with
straps – making it easy to add or remove wireless
charging at any time. A battery interface cable is
provided that allows the wireless system to charge both
M200/210 batteries at the same time.

DJI Matrice 600

WiBotic components:
o OC-251 onboard charger
o TR-110 transmitter

Similar to the M200/210 kit, a leg-mount bracket is

provided for attaching the WiBotic antenna. The OC-251
receiver can be mounted to the top of the UAV and
secured with industrial double-stick tape of Velco for easy
attachment and removal. The M-600’s power bus
operates at 48V so the WiBotic charger is preconfigured
to provide the correct output voltage to charge all six (Kit not shown)
M600 batteries concurrently.

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DJI Matrice 100

WiBotic components:
o OC-110 or OC-210 onboard charger
o TR-110 transmitter

WiBotic offers two options for the Matrice 100. In both

cases the antenna is mounted below the belly of the UAV
on a specially designed bracket. The onboard charger,
however, can be mounted either beneath the UAV or on
top of it – depending upon how the customer needs to
use those areas for other payloads.

DJI Inspire 1.0

WiBotic components:
o OC-110 onboard charger
o TR-110 transmitter

The Inspire 1.0 kit is completely custom-designed

enclosure for the OC-110 that also provides the mounting
post for the standard RC-100 receiver antenna. The entire
assembly mounts to the back of the UAV using existing
body screws and mounting points. A battery interface
cable is provided that fits between the battery and UAV
contact points when the battery is installed.

Please contact WiBotic with any questions:

info@wibotic.com
206-580-0900

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