Modelling and control of a UAV-USV collaboration scheme for fluvial operations

This thesis focuses on a Model Based Design approach to the dynamic modelling and control design of a multi-robot solution based on a collab- oration scheme between a UAV and USV. The purpose of the system is to provide a suitable platform to autonomously perform limnology related surveys. The dynamic models of both platforms are derived from a Newton- Euler formalism and implemented through block oriented modelling us- ing the Simscape Multibody toolset within Simulink. The implementation of both the simulation architecture and the control architecture are de- scribed and explained. This control architecture is based on PID feedback loops that are used for achieving control of the UAV and USV dynamics. Finally, the built simulator is used to asses the performance and relia- bility of the designed controllers and the dynamic modelling approaches selectedIngeniería en Tecnologías Industriale

STUDY OF THE MICRO UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (MUAV) VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AND LANDING (VTOL) CONTROL SYSTEM

A stable Vertical Take-off and Landing Operation (VTOL) capability is very important for Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MUAV). It will enable the aircraft to conduct operation in such difficult situations. To achieve that, it becomes a main priority to have a suitable and good control system to control the stability of the MUAV's body during take-off and landing operations. The objectives of this project are to study possible methods of controlling the MUAV's VTOL operations, the quad rotor dynamic modeling concept of the MUAV as well as the control allocation for the MUAV's VTOL system. After that, the modeling and simulation processes will be conducted to the selected control allocation. As a first step, the literature review stage which covers the studies from various sources is done to get a proper idea regarding the MUA V and VTOL operation. The modeling and control allocation study is conducted to study the method in conducting modeling processes and control allocation involved for the control system. Along the process, the design methodology has been discussed along with an iterative algorithm derived. All the data, parameters and formulas have been validated during the data analysis and validation stage. After all of information have been gathered and validated, the control system has been modeled and simulated during the final stage of the project. In this stage also, all the characteristics and parameters have been adjusted and perfected to get the desired results. As for the results, the final control system is consist of a set of sensors that will give reading in x, y and z-coordinates. Besides, the self-programmable Microchip picl8f4431 processor also has been selected which the control system coding can be embedded. The selected microchip has the onboard highspeed analog digital (A/D) converter and the power pulse width modulation (PWM) module. The module on the microchip will convert the analog signal from the sensors to the digital signal so that it can be read by the motor driver. The motor driver will equally distribute and balance the power to all four of the MUAV's motors so that it can ensure the MUAV's body remains stable during take-off and landing operations

Mathematical Modelling of Translation and Rotation Movement in Quad Tiltrotor

Quadrotor as one type of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is an underactuated mechanical system. It means that the system has some control inputs is lower than its DOF (Degrees of Freedom). This condition causes quadrotor to have limited mobility because of its inherent under actuation, namely, the availability of four independent control signals (four-speed rotating propellers) versus 6 degrees of freedom parameterizing quadrotor position or orientation in space. If a quadrotor is made to have 6 DOF, a full motion control system to optimize the flight will be different from before. So it becomes necessary to develop over actuated quad tiltrotor. Quad tiltrotor has control signals more than its DOF. Therefore, we can refer it to the overactuated system. We need a good control system to fly the quad tiltrotor. Good control systems can be designed using the model of the quad tiltrotor system. We can create quad tiltrotor model using its dynamics based on Newton-Euler approach. After we have a set of model, we can simulate the control system using some control method. There are several control methods that we can use in the quad tiltrotor flight system. However, we can improve the control by implementing a modern control system that uses the concept of state space. The simulations show that the quad tiltrotor has done successful translational motion without significant interference. Also, undesirable rotation movement in the quad tiltrotor flight when performing the translational motions resulting from the transition process associated with the tilt rotor change was successfully reduced below 1 degree

Mechanical Design, Modelling and Control of a Novel Aerial Manipulator

In this paper a novel aerial manipulation system is proposed. The mechanical structure of the system, the number of thrusters and their geometry will be derived from technical optimization problems. The aforementioned problems are defined by taking into consideration the desired actuation forces and torques applied to the end-effector of the system. The framework of the proposed system is designed in a CAD Package in order to evaluate the system parameter values. Following this, the kinematic and dynamic models are developed and an adaptive backstepping controller is designed aiming to control the exact position and orientation of the end-effector in the Cartesian space. Finally, the performance of the system is demonstrated through a simulation study, where a manipulation task scenario is investigated.Comment: Comments: 8 Pages, 2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA '15), Seattle, WA, US

Multi-agent Collision Avoidance Using Interval Analysis and Symbolic Modelling with its Application to the Novel Polycopter

Coordination is fundamental component of autonomy when a system is defined by multiple mobile agents. For unmanned aerial systems (UAS), challenges originate from their low-level systems, such as their flight dynamics, which are often complex. The thesis begins by examining these low-level dynamics in an analysis of several well known UAS using a novel symbolic component-based framework. It is shown how this approach is used effectively to define key model and performance properties necessary of UAS trajectory control. This is demonstrated initially under the context of linear quadratic regulation (LQR) and model predictive control (MPC) of a quadcopter. The symbolic framework is later extended in the proposal of a novel UAS platform, referred to as the ``Polycopter" for its morphing nature. This dual-tilt axis system has unique authority over is thrust vector, in addition to an ability to actively augment its stability and aerodynamic characteristics. This presents several opportunities in exploitative control design. With an approach to low-level UAS modelling and control proposed, the focus of the thesis shifts to investigate the challenges associated with local trajectory generation for the purpose of multi-agent collision avoidance. This begins with a novel survey of the state-of-the-art geometric approaches with respect to performance, scalability and tolerance to uncertainty. From this survey, the interval avoidance (IA) method is proposed, to incorporate trajectory uncertainty in the geometric derivation of escape trajectories. The method is shown to be more effective in ensuring safe separation in several of the presented conditions, however performance is shown to deteriorate in denser conflicts. Finally, it is shown how by re-framing the IA problem, three dimensional (3D) collision avoidance is achieved. The novel 3D IA method is shown to out perform the original method in three conflict cases by maintaining separation under the effects of uncertainty and in scenarios with multiple obstacles. The performance, scalability and uncertainty tolerance of each presented method is then examined in a set of scenarios resembling typical coordinated UAS operations in an exhaustive Monte-Carlo analysis

Design, Modeling, and Control of a Flying-Insect-Inspired Quadrotor with Rotatable Arms

Aerial manipulation and delivery using quadrotors are becoming more and more popular in recent years. However, the displacement of the center of gravity (CoG) is a common issue experienced by these applications due to various eccentric payloads carried. Conventional quadrotors with eccentric payloads are usually stabilized by robust control strategies through adjusting rotation speeds of BLDC motors, which has negative effects on stability and energy efficiency of quadrotors. In this thesis, a flying-insect-inspired quadrotor with rotatable arms is proposed. With four rotatable arms, the proposed quadrotor can automatically estimate the displacement of the CoG and drive the four arms to their optimal positions during flight. In this way, the proposed quadrotor can move its symmetric center to the CoG of the quadrotor with the eccentric payload to increase its stability and energy efficiency. The design, dynamics modeling, and control strategy of the proposed quadrotor are presented in this thesis. Both calculation and experiment results show that the proposed quadrotor with rotatable arms has better flight performance of stability and energy efficiency than the conventional quadrotor with fixed arms

Aerial Robotics – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Interaction with the Environment

Defined as technology that provides services and facilitates the execution of tasks (such as observation, inspection, mapping, search and rescue, maintenance, etc.) by using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with various sensors and actuators, aerial robotics in one of the fastest growing field in research as well as in the industry. While some of the services provided by aerial robots have already been put into practice (for example aerial inspection and aerial mapping), others (like aerial manipulation) are still at the level of laboratory experimentation on account of their complexity. The ability of an aerial robotic system to interact physically with objects within its surroundings completely transforms the way we view applications of unmanned aerial systems in near-Earth environments. This change in paradigm conveying such new functionalities as aerial tactile inspection; aerial repair, construction, and assembly; aerial agricultural care; and aerial urban sanitation requires an extension of current modeling and control techniques as well as the development of novel concepts. In this article we are giving a very brief introduction to the field of aerial robots

Aerial Robotics – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Interaction with the Environment

Defined as technology that provides services and facilitates the execution of tasks (such as observation, inspection, mapping, search and rescue, maintenance, etc.) by using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with various sensors and actuators, aerial robotics in one of the fastest growing field in research as well as in the industry. While some of the services provided by aerial robots have already been put into practice (for example aerial inspection and aerial mapping), others (like aerial manipulation) are still at the level of laboratory experimentation on account of their complexity. The ability of an aerial robotic system to interact physically with objects within its surroundings completely transforms the way we view applications of unmanned aerial systems in near-Earth environments. This change in paradigm conveying such new functionalities as aerial tactile inspection; aerial repair, construction, and assembly; aerial agricultural care; and aerial urban sanitation requires an extension of current modeling and control techniques as well as the development of novel concepts. In this article we are giving a very brief introduction to the field of aerial robots

MODELING OF INNOVATIVE LIGHTER-THAN-AIR UAV FOR LOGISTICS, SURVEILLANCE AND RESCUE OPERATIONS

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that can operate without the presence of pilots, either through remote control or automated systems. The first part of the dissertation provides an overview of the various types of UAVs and their design features. The second section delves into specific experiences using UAVs as part of an automated monitoring system to identify potential problems such as pipeline leaks or equipment damage by conducting airborne surveys.Lighter-than-air UAVs, such as airships, can be used for various applications, from aerial photography, including surveying terrain, monitoring an area for security purposes and gathering information about weather patterns to surveillance. The third part reveals the applications of UAVs for assisting in search and rescue operations in disaster situations and transporting natural gas. Using PowerSim software, a model of airship behaviour was created to analyze the sprint-and-drift concept and study methods of increasing the operational time of airships while having a lower environmental impact when compared to a constantly switched-on engine. The analysis provided a reliable percentage of finding the victim during patrolling operations, although it did not account for victim behaviour. The study has also shown that airships may serve as a viable alternative to pipeline transportation for natural gas. The technology has the potential to revolutionize natural gas transportation, optimizing efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Additionally, airships have a unique advantage in accessing remote and otherwise inaccessible areas, providing significant benefits in the energy sector. The employment of this technology was studied to be effective in specific scenarios, and it will be worth continuing to study it for a positive impact on society and the environment