Development of semi-autonomous mobile robot hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation for indoor mapping

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation has widely been used among automotive industry, traffic control, robotics, unmanned vehicle and many other industries. HIL test became new trends in embedded system testing since they provide the advantageous factor such as cost, safety and duration, which is to be sought for most industries. In unmanned vehicle area, many robotics researchers have focused on the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) but not on unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). Hence, the research was intended to develop a control system architecture test for UGV using HIL simulation method. The research process had focused on control system architecture development based on HIL method along with kinematic-dynamic modeling, telemetry-visualization system and laser range finder (LRF) block in SIMULINK for mapping indoor environment. In this study, several tests were conducted to ensure the results meet the objectives. Telemetry test, sensing-mapping test and motion control test were done prior to the assembly system. The use of MATLAB SIMULINK toolboxes was to simplify the building, editing, monitoring and verifying the control system. The result was a control system architecture that applied HIL method and an alternative telemetry visualization. Kinematic-dynamic modeling was conducted to compare the path history between the simulation and the real test. An alternative telemetry�visualization system was achieved using the regular playstation joystick principle. From it an alternative sensor such as rotary encoder and inclinometer were able to be built. Furthermore, 3D virtual model of UGV and the environment test field were developed to ease the system monitoring. Finally, the control system architecture that was developed and proven would be useful for further development of UGV. Keywords : Hardware-in-the-loop; Simulation; SIMULINK; Unmanned Vehicle; Telemetry; Visualization

Autonomous three-dimensional formation flight for a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles

This paper investigates the development of a new guidance algorithm for a formation of unmanned aerial vehicles. Using the new approach of bifurcating potential fields, it is shown that a formation of unmanned aerial vehicles can be successfully controlled such that verifiable autonomous patterns are achieved, with a simple parameter switch allowing for transitions between patterns. The key contribution that this paper presents is in the development of a new bounded bifurcating potential field that avoids saturating the vehicle actuators, which is essential for real or safety-critical applications. To demonstrate this, a guidance and control method is developed, based on a six-degreeof-freedom linearized aircraft model, showing that, in simulation, three-dimensional formation flight for a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles can be achieved

Unmanned Aerial Systems for Wildland and Forest Fires

Wildfires represent an important natural risk causing economic losses, human death and important environmental damage. In recent years, we witness an increase in fire intensity and frequency. Research has been conducted towards the development of dedicated solutions for wildland and forest fire assistance and fighting. Systems were proposed for the remote detection and tracking of fires. These systems have shown improvements in the area of efficient data collection and fire characterization within small scale environments. However, wildfires cover large areas making some of the proposed ground-based systems unsuitable for optimal coverage. To tackle this limitation, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) were proposed. UAS have proven to be useful due to their maneuverability, allowing for the implementation of remote sensing, allocation strategies and task planning. They can provide a low-cost alternative for the prevention, detection and real-time support of firefighting. In this paper we review previous work related to the use of UAS in wildfires. Onboard sensor instruments, fire perception algorithms and coordination strategies are considered. In addition, we present some of the recent frameworks proposing the use of both aerial vehicles and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UV) for a more efficient wildland firefighting strategy at a larger scale.Comment: A recent published version of this paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/drones501001

A survey on fractional order control techniques for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles

In recent years, numerous applications of science and engineering for modeling and control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) systems based on fractional calculus have been realized. The extra fractional order derivative terms allow to optimizing the performance of the systems. The review presented in this paper focuses on the control problems of the UAVs and UGVs that have been addressed by the fractional order techniques over the last decade

Robust position control of a tilt-wing quadrotor

This paper presents a robust position controller for a tilt-wing quadrotor to track desired trajectories under external wind and aerodynamic disturbances. Wind effects are modeled using Dryden model and are included in the dynamic model of the vehicle. Robust position control is achieved by introducing a disturbance observer which estimates the total disturbance acting on the system. In the design of the disturbance observer, the nonlinear terms which appear in the dynamics of the aerial vehicle are also treated as disturbances and included in the total disturbance. Utilization of the disturbance observer implies a linear model with nominal parameters. Since the resulting dynamics are linear, only PID type simple controllers are designed for position and attitude control. Simulations and experimental results show that the performance of the observer based position control system is quite satisfactory

Immune-system inspired approach for decentralized multi-agent control

This paper contains the first steps towards the development of a fully decentralized system framework. The novel approach that has been taken is derived from the inherent properties of the immune system. An assessment of the proposed control architecture has been performed by comparison with a more typical approach under a search and suppress kind of mission for an unmanned fleet

Design, simulation and analysis of a parallel hybrid electric propulsion system for unmanned aerial vehicles

Aerial Vehicles (UAV) has become a significant growing segment of the global aviation industry. These vehicles are developed with the intention of operating in regions where the presence of onboard human pilots is either too risky or unnecessary. Their popularity with both the military and civilian sectors have seen the use of UAVs in a diverse range of applications, from reconnaissance and surveillance tasks for the military, to civilian uses such as aid relief and monitoring tasks. Efficient energy utilisation on an UAV is essential to its functioning, often to achieve the operational goals of range, endurance and other specific mission requirements. Due to the limitations of the space available and the mass budget on the UAV, it is often a delicate balance between the onboard energy available (i.e. fuel) and achieving the operational goals. This paper presents the development of a parallel Hybrid Electric Propulsion System (HEPS) on a small fixed-wing UAV incorporating an Ideal Operating Line (IOL) control strategy. A simulation model of an UAV was developed in the MATLAB Simulink environment, utilising the AeroSim Blockset and the in-built Aerosonde UAV block and its parameters. An IOL analysis of an Aerosonde engine was performed, and the most efficient (i.e. provides greatest torque output at the least fuel consumption) points of operation for this engine were determined. Simulation models of the components in a HEPS were designed and constructed in the MATLAB Simulink environment. It was demonstrated through simulation that an UAV with the current HEPS configuration was capable of achieving a fuel saving of 6.5%, compared to the ICE-only configuration. These components form the basis for the development of a complete simulation model of a Hybrid-Electric UAV (HEUAV)

Robust hovering control of a quad tilt-wing UAV

This paper presents design of a robust hovering controller for a quad tilt-wing UAV to hover at a desired position under external wind and aerodynamic disturbances. Wind and the aerodynamic disturbances are modeled using the Dryden model. In order to increase the robustness of the system, a disturbance observer is utilized to estimate the unknown disturbances acting on the system. Nonlinear terms which appear in the dynamics of the vehicle are also treated as disturbances and included in the total disturbance. Proper compensation of disturbances implies a linear model with nominal parameters. Thus, for robust hovering control, only PID type simple controllers have been employed and their performances have been found very satisfactory. Proposed hovering controller has been verified with several simulations and experiments