Hovering Control of a Tail-Sitter VTOL Aerial Robot

Koichi Kita; Atsushi Konno; Masaru Uchiyama

doi:10.20965/jrm.2009.p0277

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JRM Vol.21 No.2 pp. 277-283

doi: 10.20965/jrm.2009.p0277

(2009)

Paper:

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Hovering Control of a Tail-Sitter VTOL Aerial Robot

Koichi Kita, Atsushi Konno, and Masaru Uchiyama

Department of Aerospace Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University,
6-6-01 Aramaki-aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan

Received:

October 20, 2008

Accepted:

January 29, 2009

Published:

April 20, 2009

Keywords:

UAV, VTOL, tail-sitter, aerial robot

Abstract

This paper describes system development and hovering control of a tail-sitter VTOL aerial robot. The tail-sitter VTOL aerial robot developed from model aircraft parts, sensors, microcomputers, and other components hovers autonomously thanks to attitude, altitude, and position control. Attitude control error averages 1-2°and altitude control error several centimeters. The aerial robot demonstrated both fixed-point hovering and trajectory tracking in hover mode.

Cite this article as:

K. Kita, A. Konno, and M. Uchiyama, “Hovering Control of a Tail-Sitter VTOL Aerial Robot,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.21 No.2, pp. 277-283, 2009.

Data files:

References

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[4] H. Stone, “Control Architecture for a Tail-Sitter Unmanned Air Vehicle,” Proc. of the 5th Asian Control Conf., Vol.2, pp. 736-744, 2004.
[5] D. Kubo and S. Suzuki, “Tail-Sitter Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Transitional Flight Analysis,” Journal of Aircraft, Vol.45, No.1, pp. 292-297, 2008.
[6] A. Frank et al., “Hover, Transition, and Level Flight Control Design for a Single-Propeller Indoor Airplane,” AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conf. and Exhibit, AIAA-2007-6318, 2007.
[7] N. Knoebel et al., “Preliminary Modeling, Control, and Trajectory Design for Miniature Autonomous Tailsitters,” Proc. of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conf. and Exhibit, AIAA-2006-6713, 2006.
[8] E. N. Johnson et al., “Flight Test Results of Autonomous Fixed-Wing UAV Transitions to and from Stationary Hover,” Proc. of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conf. Exhibit, AIAA-2006-6775, 2006.
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[10] B. Wie, H. Weiss, and A. Arapostathis, “Quaternion Feedback Regulator for Spacecraft Eigenaxis Rotations,” Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 375-380, 1989.
[11] D. Fujiwara and K. Nonami, “H∞ Hovering and Guidance Control for Autonomous Small-Scale Unmanned Helicopter,” Proc. of 2004 IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pp. 2463-2468, 2004.

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.

[1] [1] T. Cord, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, “SkyTote Advanced Cargo Delivery System,” AIAA Int. Air and Space Symposium and Exposition, The Next 100 Years, AIAA-2003-2753, 2003.

[2] [2] C. Schaefer and L. Baskett, “GOLDENEYE: The Clandestine UAV,” 2nd AIAA Unmanned Unlimited Systems, Technologies, and Operations, AIAA-2003-6634, 2003.

[3] [3] H. Stone and G. Clarke, “Optimization of Transition Maneuvers for a Tail-Sitter Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV),” Australian Int. Aerospace Congress, p. 105, 2001.

[4] [4] H. Stone, “Control Architecture for a Tail-Sitter Unmanned Air Vehicle,” Proc. of the 5th Asian Control Conf., Vol.2, pp. 736-744, 2004.

[5] [5] D. Kubo and S. Suzuki, “Tail-Sitter Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Transitional Flight Analysis,” Journal of Aircraft, Vol.45, No.1, pp. 292-297, 2008.

[6] [6] A. Frank et al., “Hover, Transition, and Level Flight Control Design for a Single-Propeller Indoor Airplane,” AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conf. and Exhibit, AIAA-2007-6318, 2007.

[7] [7] N. Knoebel et al., “Preliminary Modeling, Control, and Trajectory Design for Miniature Autonomous Tailsitters,” Proc. of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conf. and Exhibit, AIAA-2006-6713, 2006.

[8] [8] E. N. Johnson et al., “Flight Test Results of Autonomous Fixed-Wing UAV Transitions to and from Stationary Hover,” Proc. of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conf. Exhibit, AIAA-2006-6775, 2006.

[9] [9] E. N. Johnson et al., “Flight-Test Results of Autonomous Airplane Transitions Between Steady-Level and Hovering Flight,” Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol.31, No.2, pp. 358-370, 2008.

[10] [10] B. Wie, H. Weiss, and A. Arapostathis, “Quaternion Feedback Regulator for Spacecraft Eigenaxis Rotations,” Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 375-380, 1989.

[11] [11] D. Fujiwara and K. Nonami, “H∞ Hovering and Guidance Control for Autonomous Small-Scale Unmanned Helicopter,” Proc. of 2004 IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pp. 2463-2468, 2004.