Code Division Multiple Access Wireless Power Transfer for Energy Sharing in Heterogenous Robot Swarms

Abstract

Energy is one of the key enablers for robotic swarms. The feasibility of heterogeneous swarms to perform complex missions depends upon the energy stored in the robot batteries. Allowing multiple access energy transfer (MAET) in robot swarms provides more flexibility to accomodate uncertain missions. In this paper, we present a MAET solution for heterogeneous swarms using code division multiple access wireless power transfer (CDMA-WPT). CDMA-WPT allows robots in heterogeneous swarms to exchange energy while in motion, allows faster charging rates by enabling multiple robots to exchange energy, is easily scalable, offers power flow selectivity to enable energy encryption, and does not require a centralized controller. The encoding scheme, power flow model, and code construction algorithm for a particular implementation of CDMA-WPT is presented. The proof of concept is verified using a hardware implementation for a heterogeneous swarm of four robots. Finally, the application of CDMA-WPT to a heterogeneous swarm with 30 robots is presented.