Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Research Articles

Research on collaborative inspection key technologies for multi-UAVs and multi-nests

The single individual capability and insufficient endurance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have always been problems in power inspection operations. This article is based on the new development needs of UAV inspection and proposes a new model of multi-UAVs collaborative inspection. On this basis, this article studies the decoupling and intelligent matching technology between airports and UAVs, task merging and splitting technology in complex multi-task situations, and proposes a safety inspection strategy for multi-UAVs collaborative operations to ensure the safety of operations in the multi-UAVs multi-nests collaborative inspection mode. Finally, a complete multi-UAV, multi-nests collaborative inspection strategy is constructed.

A Path Planning Method for Collaborative Coverage Monitoring in Urban Scenarios

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a popular and cost-effective technology in urban scenarios, encompassing applications such as material transportation, aerial photography, remote sensing, and disaster relief. However, the execution of prolonged tasks poses a heightened challenge owing to the constrained endurance of UAVs. This paper proposes a model to accurately represent urban scenarios and an unmanned system. Restricted zones, no-fly zones, and building obstructions to the detection range are introduced to make sure the model is realistic enough. We also introduced an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) into the model to solve the endurance of the UAVs in this long-time task scenario. The UGV and UAVs constituted a heterogeneous unmanned system to collaboratively solve the path-planning problem in the model. Building upon this model, this paper designs a Three-stage Alternating Optimization Algorithm (TAOA), involving two crucial steps of prediction and rolling optimization. A three-stage scheme is introduced to rolling optimization to effectively address the complex optimization process for the unmanned system. Finally, the TAOA was experimentally validated in both synthetic scenarios and scenarios modeled based on a real-world location to demonstrate their reliability. The experiments conducted in the synthetic scenarios aimed to assess the algorithm under hypothetical conditions, while the experiments in the scenarios based on real-world locations provided a practical evaluation of the proposed methods in more complex and authentic environments. The consistent performance observed across these experiments underscores the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed approaches, supporting their potential applicability in various real-world scenarios.

The Role of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Indonesian Air Defense Management

Indonesia is an archipelagic state with land and maritime borders with other nations. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has become crucial in safeguarding Indonesia's defense and border areas. This research employs a qualitative method, aiming to gain a deep understanding of the role of UAVs in the Defense management of Indonesia's, covering complex aspects such as policies, implementation, and their impact. The findings reveal that sustained investment in UAV technology and infrastructure is essential to strengthen Indonesia's air defense capabilities. Particularly, High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs prove to be effective and reliable in surveillance with their ability to operate at high altitudes and for extended durations. In the context of Indonesia's air defense, UAVs significantly enhance surveillance, reconnaissance, and national security. Effective integration and utilization of UAVs are key to maintaining protection and sovereignty over the airspace. Appropriate regulations and the establishment of ownership registries are crucial to support responsible UAV usage, especially concerning national security and counterterrorism. The evolving significance of UAVs will continue to shape defense paradigms in the future.

Experimental Study to Increase the Autonomy of a UAV by Incorporating Solar Cells

Solar energy is recognized as an alternative to combustion engines to reduce the environmental impact and increase the endurance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This work aims to present a project for a solar UAV to contribute to the mission of the Air Force Academy Research Center and test the energy system on the ground. To achieve this study’s objectives, a literature review on photovoltaic cells (PVCs), batteries, and maximum power point tracking algorithms was conducted. The most appropriate airframe and wing designs for this particular type of flight are then investigated. Following that, the project requirements and mission profile were defined, and the copper indium gallium selenide eFilm cells, a solar power management system (SPMS), avionics, and payload required for the mission were chosen based on them. A methodology for ground testing of solar systems was created and used, achieving an endurance of 7 h and 34 min on an April day. The SPMS achieved an efficiency of around 96%, while PVCs ranged from 11.3 to 14.1%.

Control strategy and verification of reducing battery polarization characteristics to improve unmanned aerial vehicles endurance

This study focuses on extending the duration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by improving their power systems and introduces an extended endurance system (EES) for UAVs using a combination of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and lithium-ion capacitors (LiCs). Subsequently, a novel control strategy is proposed within the EES to enhance the UAV's endurance by improving the LiB's utilization. The EES control strategy incorporates the Lic's utilization to supplement the load with additional energy once the LiB is depleted. This implementation extends the flight duration and surpasses the duration extension resulting from reducing the LiB concentration polarization phenomenon due to the LiC. The hardware experiment and the simulation verify the proposed EES. The results indicate that the extension of UAV's endurance brought about by LiC is limited. Notably, the extension in endurance is primarily attributed to the innovative control strategy implemented within the proposed EES. Due to the LiC, this strategy significantly enhances the LiB's utilization by mitigating the concentration polarization phenomenon associated with it. As a result, the LiB's energy (utilization%) experiences substantial increments of 16.0 %, 25.5 %, and 22.7 % during hovering, altitude variation, and loaded hovering scenarios, respectively.

Experimental Study on Modal Characteristics of Large Flexible Aircraft

High altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a type of UAV that operates at an altitude of around 10000 meters and can fly for several days, relying on solar panels.Usually, this type of aircraft has the structural characteristics of high aspect ratio, large wingspan, low wing load, and high flexibility.In engineering applications, it is often necessary to measure the vibration modes of such aircraft, and the modal measurements of such aircraft are often not accurately obtained.This article conducts relevant research on the issue of inaccurate measurement in modal experiments of such aircraft. By establishing a finite element model, the reasons for the inaccurate measurement of low order frequencies in modal experiments of such aircraft are analyzed, and the magnitude of data errors in different situations is quantitatively calculated.Based on the above research, this article proposes two methods for solving modal tests of such aircraft. This method has important guiding significance for ground modal testing of large flexible structures, which is beneficial for dynamic analysis and flight control research of such aircraft.

Power tether for long duration multi-copter flight

The possibilities and promises of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for smart agriculture, 5G cellular integration, package delivery, and persistent surveillance are but a few of the active drivers for advancing UAV technology and systems. The UAVs' dependence on battery power represents a key limitation for practical deployment. As every remote pilot understands, even a modest research payload can limit a UAV's endurance to under 20 min. When horizontal maneuverability is not required, a power tether from the ground can provide near infinite flight time. Commercial tethers exist but can be prohibitively expensive or underpowered for research payloads. This paper describes the detailed design, construction, and operation of a relatively inexpensive open-source alternative. The designed and prototyped tether system delivers 1 kW of power at the tether base which, on an efficient UAV, corresponds to a payload of approximately 4.75 kg. We discuss the tradeoffs, design choices, best practices, and customization options, and provide empirical data for characterizing the power-payload relationship. The power and payload are scalable thanks to the modular design and the tools presented in this paper. The very low cost compared to commercial heavy-lift tether systems and the open-source design enable reproducibility and widespread use for supporting research, development, and emerging services/applications.

Design of Solar Endurance Control for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles based on Schmidt Trigger Control

In order to improve the endurance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a power supply controller with automatic switching between solar energy and battery was designed. The controller is mainly composed of an AT89C51 single chip microcomputer. By collecting ambient light intensity and comparing it with the preset light intensity of the system, the controller completes automatic switching of the power supply for solar unmanned aerial vehicles, thereby achieving continuous and stable power supply for solar unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, the implementation method of the single-chip microcomputer program in the controller is also introduced. The control core is to use Schmidt de shake control to switch between solar energy and battery, and to test the various functions of the controller through the flight experiment of a small solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle. Tests have found that solar powered drones using this controller can navigate for a long time in weather with varying light intensity, and the device operates well, effectively improving the power stability of solar powered drones.

Effect of Localised Pressure Depression and Rain on Aerodynamic Characteristics of MALE UAV

This paper presents the effect of the local low-pressure region in the atmosphere and rain on aerodynamiccharacteristics of medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE-UAV) configuration duringcruise/loiter. Computations are performed using CFD++, a commercial CFD software suite. A large low-pressuredepression past the MALE UAV (symmetrically and asymmetrically) with pressure 10 – 15 % lower than the freestream pressure and a widespread rainfall type with a rainfall rate of 1195 mm/hr., are considered for CFD simulation.A large low pressure that spans the whole MALE-UAV results in a decrement in both lift and drag, but does not affect the yawing and rolling moments significantly. However, a low-pressure region that engulfs only one-half of MALE UAV causes sudden/abrupt changes in rolling and yawing moments. The effect of rain causes a significant decrease in a lift at higher alpha, accompanied by a decrease in stall angle of 2 degrees, and a significant increase in drag. From the study, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was adopted to fly UAVs in adverse weather effects,such that the aircraft can be operated with a velocity higher than 1.3Vstall and at a power setting not less than 75% of max power capacity.

Endurance of unmanned aerial vehicles

Endurance of unmanned aerial vehicles

An Enhanced Energy-Efficient Data Collection Optimization Algorithm for UAV Swarm in the Intelligent Internet of Things

In the case of limited endurance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in order to further improve UAV data collection efficiency, this paper puts forward EDC-UAVIIoT: an enhanced energy-efficient data collection optimization algorithm for UAV swarm in the intelligent Internet of Things. First of all, the algorithm optimizes the UAV cruise path through the intelligent Internet of Things routing mechanism, avoids the occurrence of data errors in the packet transmission process, and uses the end-to-end transmission error probability model. The error probability of data packets in the transmission process is calculated to improve the efficiency of data collection tasks and data throughput. Secondly, considering the relationship between energy harvesting and energy consumption balance, this paper uses semi-definite programming and a convex approximation algorithm to transform the non-convex optimization problem into a convex optimization problem and realize the mapping relationship between the UAV cluster node and the target node coordinates, which reduces the computational complexity. Finally, the simulation results show that the EDC-UAVIIoT algorithm is compared with other algorithms in network energy consumption, running time, network delay, and network throughput. The numerical values are increased by 7.03%, 10.16%, 12.39%, and 8.82%, respectively, thus verifying the effectiveness and stability of the proposed EDC-UAVIIoT algorithm.

Fuel cell power source based on decaborane with high energy density and low crossover

Decaborane (B10H14) obtains a high energy density, attaining approximately 11,455 Wh/kg. Herein, we studied the fuel cell power source based on B10H14. A proof-of-concept fuel cell feeding on B10H14 obtains a peak power density of 110.82 mW/cm2, which is comparable to the common direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Besides, the new fuel cell exhibits an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.098 V, much higher than that of DMFCs and direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) feeding on N2H4, CH3OCH3, HCOOH, etc. It implies that the common Nafion membrane is good enough to effectively suppress the fuel crossover, which is a long pending problem for DMFCs and other DLFCs. It opens a new way in utilizing the chemical energy of B10H14, and develops a new type of fuel cell, which is promising for application in high specific energy mobile power, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles, etc.

Near-Field Wireless Power Transfer Technology for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Systematical Review

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology has seen a significant boost over the past ten years and has been widely adopted in entertainment, rescue, intelligent transportation, no-touch delivery, environmental monitoring, and other real-world applications. However, the ranging limitation due to the shortage of battery energy capacity remains a major issue hindering further development of UAVs. Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology is a new technology of great potentials in improving the endurance of UAVs. The integration of WPT into UAV not only activates the recharging of UAVs batteries but also enables UAVs to recharge other devices. Moreover, wireless charging technology allows the device to be fully enclosed and suitable for harsh weather conditions. In this article, we present a comprehensive review in regard to the state-of-the-art of near-field WPT technologies for UAV charging, including technologies characteristics, design issues, as well as multiple case studies. A comparative analysis of existing technologies is also presented, associated with key future research discussions of WPT for UAVs.

Routing in Solar-Powered UAV Delivery System

As interest grows in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, UAVs have been proposed to take on increasingly more tasks that were previously assigned to humans. One such task is the delivery of goods within urban cities using UAVs, which would otherwise be delivered by terrestrial means. However, the limited endurance of UAVs due to limited onboard energy storage makes it challenging to practically employ UAV technology for deliveries across long routes. Furthermore, the relatively high cost of building UAV charging stations prevents the dense deployment of charging facilities. Solar-powered UAVs can ease this problem, as they do not require charging stations and can harvest solar power in the daytime. This paper introduces a solar-powered UAV goods delivery system to plan delivery missions with solar-powered UAVs (SPUs). In this study, when the SPUs run out of power, they charge themselves on landing places provided by customers instead of charging stations. Some advanced path planning algorithms are proposed to minimize the overall mission time in the statically charging efficiency environment. We further consider routing in the dynamically charging efficiency environment and propose some mission arrangement protocols to manage different missions in the system. The simulation results demonstrate that the algorithms proposed in our work perform significantly better than existing UAV path planning algorithms in solar-powered UAV systems.

MALE UAV selection in interval Type-2 fuzzy sets environment

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in the military field. Especially in recent years, UAVs have been a very effective instrument in gaining airspace superiority and military success. Many countries compete with each other to develop better UAV technology or improve the technical features of UAVs. Therefore, it is critical to determine which UAV has the best performance, considering technical and operational characteristics, because the vehicles with more advanced performance can provide countries with strategic superiority. The purpose of this study is to investigate the technical, cost, and operational performance of Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAVs (MALE UAVs). In the study, as a result of a wide literature review, we determined a performance criterion for this type of vehicle. The model presented here uses an Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Analytical Hierarch Process (IT2FAHP) and an Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (IT2FTOPSIS) hybrid method. The findings indicate that some MALE UAVs have superior technical and operational performance over others and demonstrate that range, max take-off weight, and payload are important criteria in determining the performance and superiority of these vehicles.

Autonomous Target Search Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Presence of Signal Noise

A search vehicle routing algorithm is presented, inspired by thermalling in glider operations, for use in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) search routing problems where radio frequency signal noise affects target geolocation. We conduct ground testing experiments and observe that signal strength significantly deviates from its mean value — 10-20% variation in our experiments — at each distance epoch away from a target of interest. The thermalling algorithm uses straight-line segments and relatively simple guidance logic to generate routes that appear promising for fixed-wing, short endurance and autonomous UAV routing applications. We compare the simulated performance of the thermalling algorithm to a stochastic gradient descent algorithm using 1,000 randomly generated problem instances and show that, when considering signal readings and distance traveled as performance metrics, the thermalling algorithm performs better in 100% and 37% of problem instances respectively.

TURBODYNA: A Generic One-Dimensional Dynamic Simulator for Radial Turbomachinery

AbstractThe turbocharged piston-driven engines are widely used in high altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (HALE UAVs). Repeated actions of engine pistons and valves give rise to engine pulsations resulting in intensive unsteady flows in the turbocharger. One-dimensional (1-D) modeling, which is computationally effective, plays a crucial role in evaluating turbocharger performance and conducting turbocharger-engine matching under pulsating conditions. The present work introduces a newly developed 1-D software (TURBODYNA) for the sake of improving traditional 1-D modeling's accuracy and generality. The advantages and capabilities of TURBODYNA are illustrated by applying it to three different and typical sorts of turbocharger applications: the single-entry turbine, the twin-entry turbine, and the centrifugal compressor. The unsteady testing conditions include high frequent pressure pulses for the single-entry turbine, out-of-phase pressure pulses for the twin-entry turbine, and rotating stall and surge for the centrifugal compressor. Results show that, by contrast to traditional 1-D modelings, the current 1-D modeling has achieved exceptional improvements in both accuracy and applicability. The novel and powerful tool provides a solid framework for assessing turbocharger unsteady performances and addressing turbocharger-engine matching.

Rapid Evaluation Model of Endurance Performance and Its Application for Agricultural UAVs

Current developments in agricultural aviation technology have gradually increased the requirements for the endurance of agricultural unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It is significant to establish an endurance evaluation model for different types of UAVs and rationalize the battery and operating load parameters on this basis, which play an important role in improving the operational efficiency of the whole UAV. Taking the quad-rotor UAV as the research object, firstly, the structural composition of the whole UAV is studied in this paper, and then the main influencing parameters of the UAV endurance evaluation model are determined, combined with the mass distribution data of specific models. Based on the above, the hovering output power of the UAV is modularly divided, and a fast measurement method is innovatively proposed to sample and fit the power data of each module. Finally, in combination with the variation law of the lithium battery discharge time, a rapid evaluation method of the endurance time of agricultural UAVs is derived and validated by the hovering test data of the agri-drone with a standard operating load of 5 kg. The results show that the mass distribution system of the UAV has the highest percentage of operational load mass (40.45% under the standard configuration); the power distribution system has the highest percentage of motor pull curve output power (91.12% under the standard configuration); the maximum error of the surface verification point in the validation experiment is 2.73%, and the model is of relatively high accuracy. The modeling idea and the supporting module power rapid measurement method can quickly model and evaluate the endurance of common agricultural drones, guide reasonable matching between the battery and operating load, and are of great significance in improving UAVs’ endurance and operational efficiency.

Development and Prospect of Wireless Power Transfer Technology Used to Power Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Recently, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have been widely used in the military and civil fields. However, the battery power is a key factor that restricts the operation range of the UAV. Using wireless power transfer (WPT) technology to power UAVs can improve the endurance of UAVs and enhance their maneuverability and flexibility. In this paper, the WPT technology is divided into three types: near-field WPT technology, far-field WPT technology and solar-powered UAV. The developments, challenges and prospects of these three types of WPT technologies used to power UAVs are summarized. For each type of WPT technology, the basic working principles are first introduced. The development of each type of WPT technology, as well as the challenges and application prospects in UAV charging, is introduced. The related works consist of academic and industry research, ranging from prototypes to commercial systems. Finally, three types of WPT technology used in UAV charging are compared and discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of WPT technology are shown. The related research showed that using WPT technology to power the UAV is a promising way to enhance the endurance of the UAV.

Energy‐aware relay positioning in flying networks

SummaryThe ability to move and hover has made rotary‐wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) suitable platforms to act as flying communications relays (FCRs), aiming at providing on‐demand, temporary wireless connectivity when there is no network infrastructure available or a need to reinforce the capacity of existing networks. However, since UAVs rely on their on‐board batteries, which can be drained quickly, they typically need to land frequently for recharging or replacing them, limiting their endurance and the flying network availability. The problem is exacerbated when a single FCR UAV is used. The FCR UAV energy is used for two main tasks: Communications and propulsion. The literature has been focused on optimizing both the flying network performance and energy efficiency from the communications point of view, overlooking the energy spent for the UAV propulsion. Yet, the energy spent for communications is typically negligible when compared with the energy spent for the UAV propulsion. In this article, we propose energy‐aware relay positioning (EREP), an algorithm for positioning the FCR taking into account the energy spent for the UAV propulsion. Building upon the conclusion that hovering is not the most energy‐efficient state, EREP defines the trajectory and speed that minimize the energy spent by the FCR UAV on propulsion, without compromising in practice the quality of service offered by the flying network. The EREP algorithm is evaluated using simulations. The obtained results show gains up to 26% in the FCR UAV endurance for negligible throughput and delay degradation.