Teaching a Micro Air Vehicle How to Fly as We Teach Babies How to Walk

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Hung Han ◽  
Dong-Kyu Lee ◽  
Jun-Seong Lee ◽  
Sang-Joon Chung
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Levitation ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Ground Vehicles ◽  
Constraint Forces ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Passive Stability ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Active Feedback ◽  
Constant Altitude

Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) have become more attractive for various missions including surveillance or reconnaissance in recent years. MAVs should be capable of maintaining their attitudes through either inherent passive stability or active feedback in order to successfully perform their directives. Stability and Controllability Augmentation Systems (SCASs) are usually employed to enhance the flight performance of conventional aircrafts and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). However, it is no simple task to obtain an accurate numerical model for the flight dynamics of a MAV. An alternative approach for SCASs would be to incorporate reinforcement learning in order to address this numerical complexity. Such implementation has already been successful in other vehicles, such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), because of their bettered stability compared to aerial vehicles. However, in order to train MAVs to learn how to fly, they must first be airborne. Similar to teaching infants how to walk, this paper presents a new method to provide an effective environment where a MAV can learn how to fly. A test setup was constructed to enable magnetic levitation of a MAV embedded with a permanent magnet. This apparatus allows for flexible experimentation: the position and the altitude of the MAV, the constraint forces, and the resulting moments are all adjustable and fixable. This ‘Pseudo Flight Environment’ was demonstrated with a fixed wing MAV model. In order for the model to maintain a constant altitude, a height hold control system was devised and implemented.

Teaching micro air vehicles how to fly as we teach babies how to walk

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 936-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Hung Han ◽  
Dong-Kyu Lee ◽  
Jun-Seong Lee ◽  
Sang-Joon Chung
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Levitation ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Micro Air Vehicle ◽  
Constraint Forces ◽  
Minimum Requirement ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Constant Altitude ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Air Vehicles

Recently, various micro air vehicles have drawn significant attention in numerous areas including surveillance and reconnaissance. The manual control of micro air vehicles is very difficult due to their smaller profile; therefore, a stability and controllability augmentation system is a minimum requirement for stable and efficient flight. However, it is not easy to obtain an accurate numerical model for the flight dynamics of micro air vehicles in the design of the stability and controllability augmentation system. An alternative approach for the stability and controllability augmentation systems is to incorporate reinforcement learning in order to address the numerical complexity. However, in order to train micro air vehicles to learn how to fly, they must first be airborne. This article presents a new method that provides an effective environment where a micro air vehicle can learn to fly in a similar manner to an infant learning to walk. The test setup was constructed to enable the magnetic levitation of a micro air vehicle that has a permanently embedded magnet. This apparatus allows for flexible experimentation: the position and attitude of the micro air vehicle, the constraint forces, and the resulting moments are adjustable and fixable. This “ Pseudo Flight Environment” was demonstrated using a fixed-wing micro air vehicle model. Furthermore, in order for the model to maintain a constant altitude, a height hold control system was devised and implemented.

scholarly journals Exploiting Declarative Mapping Rules for Generating GraphQL Servers with Morph-GraphQL

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (06) ◽  
pp. 785-803
Author(s):  
David Chaves-Fraga ◽  
Freddy Priyatna ◽  
Ahmad Alobaid ◽  
Oscar Corcho
Keyword(s):  
Programming Language ◽  
Software Engineer ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Knowledge Graph ◽  
Domain Expert ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Domain Experts ◽  
Mapping Rules ◽  
Alternative Approach

In the last decade, REST has become the most common approach to provide web services, yet it was not originally designed to handle typical modern applications (e.g. mobile apps). GraphQL was proposed to reduce the number of queries and data exchanged in comparison with REST. Since its release in 2015, it has gained momentum as an alternative approach to REST. However, generating and maintaining GraphQL resolvers is not a simple task. First, a domain expert has to analyze a dataset, design the corresponding GraphQL schema and map the dataset to the schema. Then, a software engineer (e.g. GraphQL developer) implements the corresponding GraphQL resolvers in a specific programming language. In this paper, we present an approach to exploit the information from mappings rules (relation between target and source schema) and generate a GraphQL server. These mapping rules construct a virtual knowledge graph which is accessed by the generated GraphQL resolvers. These resolvers translate the input GraphQL queries into the queries supported by the underlying dataset. Domain experts or software developers may benefit from our approach: a domain expert does not need to involve software developers to implement the resolvers, and software developers can generate the initial version of the resolvers to be implemented. We implemented our approach in the Morph-GraphQL framework and evaluated it using the LinGBM benchmark.

Design and fabrication of a hybrid maglev model employing PML and SML

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (25) ◽  
pp. 1745014 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. X. Sun ◽  
J. Zheng ◽  
L. J. Zhan ◽  
S. Y. Huang ◽  
H. T. Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Permanent Magnet ◽  
Simple Structure ◽  
Magnetic Levitation ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Heavy Load ◽  
Passive Stability ◽  
Model Combining ◽  
Levitation System ◽  
The Stability

A hybrid maglev model combining permanent magnet levitation (PML) and superconducting magnetic levitation (SML) was designed and fabricated to explore a heavy-load levitation system advancing in passive stability and simple structure. In this system, the PML was designed to levitate the load, and the SML was introduced to guarantee the stability. In order to realize different working gaps of the two maglev components, linear bearings were applied to connect the PML layer (for load) and the SML layer (for stability) of the hybrid maglev model. Experimental results indicate that the hybrid maglev model possesses excellent advantages of heavy-load ability and passive stability at the same time. This work presents a possible way to realize a heavy-load passive maglev concept.

Nonlinear cooperative UAV maneuvers in pitch plane

2016 ◽  
Vol 231 (9) ◽  
pp. 1746-1755
Author(s):  
Chimpalthradi R Ashokkumar ◽  
George WP York ◽  
Scott F Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Collision Avoidance ◽  
Flight Control ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Control Mode ◽  
Coordinated Motion ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Constant Altitude ◽  
Centralized Controller

Flight formations of unmanned aerial vehicles may require coordinated motion in pitch for such tasks as terrain tracking. They maintain a constant altitude over varying terrain elevations and may assist collision avoidance where an altitude change is needed rather than a lateral change. In these maneuvers, controller ability to adjust relative altitude positions (as attractions and repulsions) of the aircraft subject to stability constraints that ends up in a formation shape should be demonstrated. The ascent and descent flight control mode combinations of each unmanned aerial vehicle participating in the formation generally offer the attractions and repulsions. In this paper, centralized and decentralized controller abilities to develop a cooperative formation with flight control modes made of transients and steady states are presented by using two and more than two homogenous unmanned aerial vehicles. A challenge in presenting such a formation by using a centralized controller is its design itself. Generally, eigenstructure properties depict flight control mode variations. That is, variations in closed-loop poles offered by a structurally varying centralized controller compatible to its reconfigurable communication patterns are sufficient to capture the flight control mode options. Hence, a procedure to design such a controller using real parameters is presented.

scholarly journals Attitude and Altitude Controller Design for Quad-Rotor Type MAVs

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Hao Ma ◽  
Min Xia ◽  
Liguo Weng ◽  
Xuefei Ye
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Control ◽  
Controller Design ◽  
Sliding Mode ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Triaxial Accelerometer ◽  
Linear Quadratic ◽  
Linear Quadratic Gaussian ◽  
Constant Altitude ◽  
The Military ◽  
Rotor Type

Micro air vehicles (MAVs) have a wide application such as the military reconnaissance, meteorological survey, environmental monitoring, and other aspects. In this paper, attitude and altitude control for Quad-Rotor type MAVs is discussed and analyzed. For the attitude control, a new method by using three gyroscopes and one triaxial accelerometer is proposed to estimate the attitude angle information. Then with the approximate linear model obtained by system identification, Model Reference Sliding Mode Control (MRSMC) technique is applied to enhance the robustness. In consideration of the relatively constant altitude model, a Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller is adopted. The outdoor experimental results demonstrate the superior stability and robustness of the controllers.

Vision-Guided Control Algorithms for Micro Aerial Vehicles

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-288
Author(s):  
Mirosław Wijaszka
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Image Analysis ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Control Algorithms ◽  
Feature Points ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Hypothetical Model ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Constant Altitude ◽  
And Control

AbstractThis study presents an image analysis method used in the vision guided control system for Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). The paper describes a hypothetical model of a MAV located in the GPS-denied unknown environment, somewhere indoors. The model keeps moving autonomously following ‘the track’ marked with corners and other feature points recorded with a monocular camera pointed at the far end of a corridor and slightly tilted down at the angle β (20° - 30°). The flight stability and control are provided with an on-board autopilot that maintains zero pitch and roll angles and constant altitude. The image analysis has been based on the real-time computer vision library - OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision library - http://opencv.willowgarage.com).

The role of robots in the battlefields of the future

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Bogue
Keyword(s):  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Humanoid Robots ◽  
Ground Vehicles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Land Vehicles ◽  
Military Conflicts ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
The Military ◽  
Near Future

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of robots presently in use by the military and an insight into some that are under development. Design/methodology/approach Following a short introduction, this paper first considers existing applications of robots in the military field, including details of Russian weaponised ground robots. It then highlights a range of military robot developments and concludes with a brief discussion. Findings Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) and small unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are among the most widely used robots by the military. Russia is developing a growing armoury of heavily weaponised UGVs, some of which were recently deployed in Syria. Some topics of development include humanoid robots, powered exoskeletons, load-carrying robots, micro-air vehicles and autonomous land vehicles. Robots will play an ever-growing role in military actions, and while some developments offer longer-term prospects, others are expected to be deployed in the near future. Originality/value Robots are playing an increasingly important role in military conflicts, and this provides details of present-day and anticipated future uses of robots by the military.

scholarly journals Endogenous stochastic optimisation for relief distribution assisted with unmanned aerial vehicles

OR Spectrum ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 1089-1125
Author(s):  
Jose Escribano Macias ◽  
Nils Goldbeck ◽  
Pei-Yuan Hsu ◽  
Panagiotis Angeloudis ◽  
Washington Ochieng
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Ground Vehicles ◽  
Routing Problem ◽  
Solution Approach ◽  
Stochastic Vehicle Routing ◽  
Humanitarian Response ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Relief Distribution ◽  
Vehicle Travel Time ◽  
Stochastic Damage

Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been increasingly viewed as useful tools to assist humanitarian response in recent years. While organisations already employ UAVs for damage assessment during relief delivery, there is a lack of research into formalising a problem that considers both aspects simultaneously. This paper presents a novel endogenous stochastic vehicle routing problem that coordinates UAV and relief vehicle deployments to minimise overall mission cost. The algorithm considers stochastic damage levels in a transport network, with UAVs surveying the network to determine the actual network damages. Ground vehicles are simultaneously routed based on the information gathered by the UAVs. A case study based on the Haiti road network is solved using a greedy solution approach and an adapted genetic algorithm. Both methods provide a significant improvement in vehicle travel time compared to a deterministic approach and a non-assisted relief delivery operation, demonstrating the benefits of UAV-assisted response.

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