Nekoo, Saeed Rafee (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla), Acosta, Jose Angel (Universidad de Sevilla), Gómez Tamm, Alejandro Ernesto (University of Seville), Ollero, Anibal (Universidad de Sevilla)

Optimized Thrust Allocation of Variable-pitch Propellers Quadrotor Control: A Comparative Study on Flip Maneuver

Scheduled for presentation during the Regular Session "Control Architectures II" (MoD13T2), Monday, November 25, 2019, 11:40−12:00, Room T2

2019 Workshop on Research, Education and Development of Unmanned Aerial Systems (RED UAS), November 25-27, 2019, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on April 19, 2024

Abstract

Variable-pitch propellers quadrotors possess nonlinear algebraic relations between force/moment of the system and thrust factors of the rotor dynamics. The nonlinear relations make the thrust allocation a challenging topic in overall control design. The state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) is selected as a controller for regulation task in fully coupled six degree-of-freedom (DoF) mode. Common designs of the SDRE fail to deliver a fully coupled six-DoF control due to under-actuation. Virtual constraints are used to deliver a position and orientation control in a cascade design. Within the structure of the SDRE, four thrust allocation methods are proposed to compute the thrust factors based on the output results of control system. Practical implementation has been the main reason to generate such allocations. The use of Mean Value Theorem makes it possible to find an implementable formalism for thrust factors since they can be categorized as non-affine systems. Agile and aggressive maneuver is one of the application of the variable-pitch propellers quadrotors; so, flip maneuver is studied to highlight the advantages of the thrust allocation methods. Analysis of the four methods and comparisons are carried out to present the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed structures.