Tail motion model identification for control design of an unmanned helicopter

This paper explains the methodology developed to design the yaw control system (heading control system) of the α-SAC UAV. The problem of modeling and controlling the tail motion of this UAV along a desired trajectory is considered. First, the response data of the system are collected during special flight test and a linear time invariant model is extracted by identification techniques. Then, the control system is designed and implemented using a PID feedback/feedforward control method. The technique is tested in simulation and validated in the autonomous flight of the small scale helicopter.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

SwarMAV: A Swarm of Miniature Aerial Vehicles

As the MAV (Micro or Miniature Aerial Vehicles) field matures, we expect to see that the platform's degree of autonomy, the information exchange, and the coordination with other manned and unmanned actors, will become at least as crucial as its aerodynamic design. The project described in this paper explores some aspects of a particularly exciting possible avenue of development: an autonomous swarm of MAVs which exploits its inherent reliability (through redundancy), and its ability to exchange information among the members, in order to cope with a dynamically changing environment and achieve its mission. We describe the successful realization of a prototype experimental platform weighing only 75g, and outline a strategy for the automatic design of a suitable controller

Modelling and controller prototyping for unmanned vertical take off and landing (UVTOL)vehicles

This paper describes a methodology to parameterize linear, time invariant (LTI) models which represent the dynamics of UVTOLs and that are appropriate for analytical development of controllers. The models validity was tested against real telemetry from two vehicles, a mini-helicopter and a quad-rotor. The experiments show that despite its inherent limitations the LTI models are suitable for modeling the complex dynamics of aerial vehicles. Different LTI models forthe mini-helicopter’s stationary, lateral and longitudinal flights were obtained. Similarly, given the geometrical and dynamic characteristics of the quad-rotor no distinction is made between stationary, lateral and longitudinal flights, and only one LTI model was obtained, which represents the overall dynamic behavior of the vehicle. Because of their relatives implicity these models were used to design analytical controllers and to obtain different controller prototypes in a quick and simple way to evaluate the UVTOL’s performance in different flight conditions

Mathematical modeling and vertical flight control of a tilt-wing UAV

This paper presents a mathematical model and vertical flight control algorithms for a new tilt-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The vehicle is capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Due to its tilt-wing structure, it can also fly horizontally. The mathematical model of the vehicle is obtained using Newton-Euler formulation. A gravity compensated PID controller is designed for altitude control, and three PID controllers are designed for attitude stabilization of the vehicle. Performances of these controllers are found to be quite satisfactory as demonstrated by indoor and outdoor flight experiments

Robust Control for Lateral and Longitudinal Channels of Small-Scale Unmanned Helicopters

Lateral and longitudinal channels are two closely related channels whose control stability influences flight performance of small-scale unmanned helicopters directly. This paper presents a robust control approach for lateral and longitudinal channels in the presence of parameter uncertainties and exogenous disturbances. The proposed control approach is performed by two steps. First, by performing system identification in frequency domain, system model of lateral and longitudinal channels can be accurately identified. Then, a robust H∞ state feedback controller is designed to stabilize the helicopter in lateral and longitudinal channels simultaneously under extraneous disturbances situation. The proposed approach takes advantages that it reduces order of the controller by preestimating some parameters (like flapping angles) without sacrificing control accuracy. Numerical results show the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed method

Design and dynamic characterization of a gyroscopic system for aerobatic UAV helicopters

This paper describes the design, development and dynamic characterization of a high performance MEMS-based gyroscopic control system for the yaw channel of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Radio Controlled (RC) helicopters for aerobatic maneuvers. A new asymmetrical controller has been developed that compensates the torque of the main rotor thus providing equal dynamic response in clockwise and anticlockwise pirouettes. The \u201cin flight\u201d dynamic characterization showed that the proposed system can be up to five times faster than the state of the art for commercial gyros at higher yaw rates; the regime yaw rate characterization demonstrated a high and constant pirouette speed. Aerobatic tests demonstrated high accuracy entry into the maneuvers