The Phoenix Drone: An Open-Source Dual-Rotor Tail-Sitter Platform for Research and Education

In this paper, we introduce the Phoenix drone: the first completely open-source tail-sitter micro aerial vehicle (MAV) platform. The vehicle has a highly versatile, dual-rotor design and is engineered to be low-cost and easily extensible/modifiable. Our open-source release includes all of the design documents, software resources, and simulation tools needed to build and fly a high-performance tail-sitter for research and educational purposes. The drone has been developed for precision flight with a high degree of control authority. Our design methodology included extensive testing and characterization of the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle. The platform incorporates many off-the-shelf components and 3D-printed parts, in order to keep the cost down. Nonetheless, the paper includes results from flight trials which demonstrate that the vehicle is capable of very stable hovering and accurate trajectory tracking. Our hope is that the open-source Phoenix reference design will be useful to both researchers and educators. In particular, the details in this paper and the available open-source materials should enable learners to gain an understanding of aerodynamics, flight control, state estimation, software design, and simulation, while experimenting with a unique aerial robot.Comment: In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA'19), Montreal, Canada, May 20-24, 201

Validation of Quad Tail-sitter VTOL UAV Model in Fixed Wing Mode

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is growing rapidly because its ability to take off and land anywhere in tight spaces. One type of VTOL UAV, the tail-sitter, has the best efficiency. However, besides the efficiency offered, some challenges must still be overcome, including the complexity of combining the ability to hover like a helicopter and fly horizontally like a fixed-wing aircraft. This research has two contributions: in the form of how the analytical model is generated and the tools used (specifically for the small VTOL quad tail-sitter UAV) and how to utilize off-the-shelf components for UAV empirical modeling. This research focuses on increasing the speed and accuracy of the UAV VTOL control design in fixed-wing mode. The first step is to carry out analysis and simulation. The model is analytically obtained using OpenVSP in longitudinal and lateral modes. The next step is to realize this analytical model for both the aircraft and the controls. The third step is to measure the flight characteristics of the aircraft. Based on the data recorded during flights, an empirical model is made using system identification technique. The final step is to vali-date the analytical model with the empirical model. The results show that the characteristics of the analytical mode fulfill the specified requirements and are close to the empirical model. Thus, it can be concluded that the analytical model can be implemented directly, and consequently, the VTOL UAV design and development process has been shortened

DEVELOPMENT OF COAXIAL ROTOR MICRO UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

Micro Unmanned Helicopter with ability of takeoff, landing and hovering offeres excellent support tool for missions in indoor environment. In this paper, a review of preliminary studies towards the development of autonomous coaxial helicopter MAV is presented. The paper starts with the statement of coaxial helicoper MAV development. Then, it is continued by the introduction of development of dynamic model for a typical coaxial rotor platform. In the third issues, initial steps in development of sensory system and control system will be dealt with. In brief, an analytical mathematical model has successful derived. This model together with the developed sensor system will act important role towards the full development of the dynamics model as the system identification is carried out

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

Small unmanned airborne systems to support oil and gas pipeline monitoring and mapping

Acknowledgments We thank Johan Havelaar, Aeryon Labs Inc., AeronVironment Inc. and Aeronautics Inc. for kindly permitting the use of materials in Fig. 1.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Survey on Aerial Multirotor Design: a Taxonomy Based on Input Allocation

This paper reviews the impact of multirotor aerial vehicles designs on their abilities in terms of tasks and system properties. We propose a general taxonomy to characterize and describe multirotor aerial vehicles and their design, which we apply exhaustively on the vast literature available. Thanks to the systematic characterization of the designs we exhibit groups of designs having the same abilities in terms of achievable tasks and system properties. In particular, we organize the literature review based on the number of atomic actuation units and we discuss global properties arising from their choice and spatial distribution in the designs. Finally, we provide a discussion on the common traits of the designs found in the literature and the main future open problems

Design and Fabrication of Small Vertical-Take-Off-Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Modern UAVs available in the market have well-developed to cater to the countless field of application. UAVs have their own limitations in terms of flight range and manoeuvrability. The traditional fixed-wing UAVs can fly for long distance but require runways or wide-open spaces for take-off and landing. On the other hand, the more trending multirotor UAVs are extremely manoeuvrable but cannot be used for long-distance flights because of their slower speeds and relatively higher consumption of energy. This study proposed the implementation of hybrid VTOL UAV which has the manoeuvring advantage of a multirotor UAV while having the ability to travel fast to reach a further distance. The design methodology and fabrication method are discussed extensively which would be followed by a number of flight tests to prove the concept. The proposed UAV would be equipped with quadcopter motors and a horizontal thrust motor for vertical and horizontal flight modes respectively

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