Modelling, simulation and control of a novel structure varying quadrotor

Abstract

In this work, a novel structure of a Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is proposed to change the dynamics during flight. The proposed mechanism is presented which consists of extendable plates that move along the horizontal axes from the body frame respectively. Essentially, the main goal behind this novel architecture is to enhance performance and improve flight duration in reaching the desired position. The Euler dynamic model is derived to represent the multirotor equation of motion. Basic PID controllers were implemented to demonstrate the concept and to analyse the vehicle behaviour as the structure is altered during flight. A physical modelling software is also used to study the multi-body interactions of rigid bodies as well as the dynamic response. By comparing the performance between the proposed system and the traditional version, the paper reveals improved flight performance for attitude and position tracking. The mathematical representation of the dynamic system was also verified using Msc ADAMS as identical control inputs where simultaneously applied.