Patience, Christian (McGill University), Nahon, Meyer (McGill University)

Control of a Passively-Coupled Hybrid Aircraft

Scheduled for presentation during the Regular Session "Biologically Inspired and Energy Efficient UAS" (FrC2), Friday, September 4, 2020, 15:30−15:50, Kozani

2020 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), September 1-4, 2020 (Postponed from June 9-12, 2020), Athens, Greece

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on April 20, 2024

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles have gained popularity in applications such as farming and package delivery, due to their low cost and versatility. The two traditional existing aircraft architectures are fixed-wing and rotorcraft, each with distinct advantages. Tilt-rotor hybrid aircraft blend the two architectures and retain the advantages of each. However, their complex dynamics and broader flight envelope make them more difficult to control. The Vogi UAV can be classified as a tilt-rotor aircraft and comprises a fixed-wing body with a passively-hinged quadrotor frame. In this paper, we present a single controller that seamlessly handles the transition from vertical to forward flight. The controller is evaluated in a comprehensive Matlab/Simulink flight simulation. The test trajectory used covers all flight modes that a hybrid aircraft would undergo, including vertical take off, forward flight with turns, and vertical landing. Since the proposed control strategy is largely platform-independent, it can be generalized to other tilt-rotor aircraft with modifications to the control allocation.