Design of an Optimal Allocator for Power Consumption Minimization in Hexarotor Drone Control Systems

Abstract

This paper presents an allocator design that considers the power consumption of rotors in the attitude and altitude control system of a hexarotor drone. Based on the power consumption model, the proposed method computes the thrust force that minimizes the total power consumption of the rotor while satisfying the control force constraints required by the controller. To obtain the rotor power consumption model, we conducted experiments on the rotor characteristics using the motors and electronic speed controllers used in the drones. Finally, numerical simulations were performed using the obtained power consumption models to compare the rotor power consumption of the proposed method with that of the conventional method, quantitatively evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed method.