Modeling, System Measurements and Controller Investigation of a Small Battery-Powered Fixed-Wing UAV

Yue Wang,Cui Zhang,Hang Zhu,Yubin Lan,Zeyang Zhao

doi:10.3390/machines9120333

Yue Wang, Cui Zhang + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9120333

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Journal: Machines	Publication Date: Dec 3, 2021
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Jilin University, Shandong University of Technology

Abstract

In this paper, a complete set of nonlinear modeling and controller design process for a small electric fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is presented. The nonlinear mathematical model and aerodynamic model of the small fixed-wing UAV are derived. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was used to obtain the aerodynamic coefficients of the UAV, and the models of propulsion system components were established through experiments. Since the linearized and decoupled model of the fixed-wing UAV has a large error, a nonlinear model is established based on Simulink, which is utilized to design and verify the control algorithms. Based on the established nonlinear model, a stability controller, path following controller and path management controller of the aircraft are set up. The results indicate that system parameters of the aircraft can be quickly acquired and an efficient and practical model can be established by the methods. In addition, the controller designed and applied in this paper has good performance and small steady-state error, which can meet the basic flight mission requirements, including stability of flight attitude, path following and switching of different waypoints. These modeling and control methods can also be employed in other small battery-powered fixed-wing UAV projects.

Highlights

unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) have attracted increasing research attention in the last decades and gained many applications in both civilian and military operations with improvements in avionics devices.The UAVs have been employed for agricultural monitoring, reconnaissance, photography and remote sensing [1,2,3,4]
A simple logic was used in the path management controller to determine whether the drone has reached the waypoint so that the UAV can switch to the waypoint; the aircraft would fly a short distance to adjust the position when it reached the waypoint, which was the shortcoming of the path management controller
6-DOF equations of motion and nonlinear aerodynamic model of the fixed-wing UAV investigated in this work were derived, which were the basis for aircraft analysis and design

Summary

Introduction

UAVs have attracted increasing research attention in the last decades and gained many applications in both civilian and military operations with improvements in avionics devices.The UAVs have been employed for agricultural monitoring, reconnaissance, photography and remote sensing [1,2,3,4]. UAVs have attracted increasing research attention in the last decades and gained many applications in both civilian and military operations with improvements in avionics devices. Due to the convenience and high flexibility of small UAVs, the demand for their development and application continues to increase. Small UAVs refer to UAVs weighing less than 5 kg, including small fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and multicopters [5]. Compared with rotary-wing UAVs, fixed-wing UAVs have longer endurance and better flight efficiency [7]. The aerodynamic layout of a fixed-wing aircraft can affect its lift-to-drag ratio, which in turn affects endurance [8]. Flying wing UAV is a non-canard and tailless aircraft with integrated fuselage and wing [9]. The unconventional aircraft has lower aerodynamic drag compared with the conventional configuration, while the special aerodynamic shape will add more challenges to the stability of the aircraft [10,11]

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