scholarly journals Real-Time Hovering Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Cuauhtémoc Acosta Lúa ◽  
Claudia Carolina Vaca García ◽  
Stefano Di Gennaro ◽  
B. Castillo-Toledo ◽  
María Eugenia Sánchez Morales

In this paper, the design of a controller for the altitude and rotational dynamics is presented. In particular, the control problem is to maintain a desired altitude in a fixed position. The unmanned aerial vehicle dynamics are described by nonlinear equations, derived using the Newton–Euler approach. The control problem is solved imposing the stability of the error dynamics with respect to desired position and angular references. The performance and effectiveness of the proposed control are tested, first, via numerical simulations, using the Pixhawk Pilot Support Package simulator provided by Mathworks. Then, the controller is tested via a real-time implementation, using a quadrotor Aircraft F-450.

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zaki Mustapa

This paper discusses on attitude control of a quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in real time application. Newton-Euler equation is used to derive the model of system and the model characteristic is analyzed. The paper describes the controller design method for the hovering control of UAV automatic vertical take-off system. In order to take-off the quadcopter and stable the altitude, PID controller has been designed. The scope of study is to develop an altitude controller of the vertical take-off as realistic as possible. The quadcopter flight system has nonlinear characteristics. A simulation is conducted to test and analyze the control performance of the quadcopter model. The simulation was conducted by using Mat-lab Simulink. On the other hand, for the real time application, the PCI-1711 data acquisition card is used as an interface for controller design which routes from Simulink to hardware. This study showed the controller designs are implemented and tuned to the real system using Real Time Windows Target approach by Mat-Lab Simulink.


Author(s):  
Xiao Lin Ai ◽  
Jian Qiao Yu ◽  
Yong Bo Chen ◽  
Fang Zheng Chen ◽  
Yuan Chuan Shen

This paper investigates the formation control problem of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with limited communication in a known and realistic obstacle-laden environment. In order to deal with the limited communication constraints, the leader–follower strategy and the virtual leader strategy are integrated into an optimal control framework to formulate this formation control problem. This combination formation framework can be achieved by integrating a redefined directed graph and a proposed information vector. In more practical applications, an obstacle/collision avoidance strategy is achieved by constructing a non-quadratic cost function innovatively using a virtual flow field approach. The proposed optimal control laws, which derive from the local information rather than the global information, are proved to guarantee the stability of the close-loop system by an inverse optimal control approach. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the formation flight of multiple UAVs with limited communication in an obstacle-laden environment.


Author(s):  
Kwang-Keun Shin

Vehicle dynamics parameters such as understeer coefficient are very important factors to determine the stability and dynamic handling behavior of a vehicle. These parameters vary during the lifetime of a vehicle according to different loading, tire pressure/wear or vehicle-to-vehicle variations of suspension characteristics, etc. The parameter deviations from nominal values may cause performance degradation of chassis/vehicle control systems, which is often designed based on the nominal values. Therefore, if the vehicle dynamics parameters can be estimated and monitored in real-time, the performance of chassis/vehicle control systems could be further enhanced. This paper presents a real-time vehicle dynamics parameter estimation method that estimates vehicle understeer coefficient and front/rear cornering compliances. The algorithm is implemented using Simulink, and analyzed, and validated using VehSim, which is a PC windows-based vehicle simulation software for vehicle dynamics controls and integration. The simulation results show that the developed algorithm is well capable of estimating vehicle dynamics parameters of VehSim, and, therefore, is highly feasible for in-vehicle applications.


Author(s):  
Tugrul Oktay ◽  
Harun Celik ◽  
Ilke Turkmen

In this study, reducing motion blur in images taken by our unmanned aerial vehicle is investigated. Since shakes of unmanned aerial vehicle cause motion blur in taken images, autonomous performance of our unmanned aerial vehicle is maximized to prevent it from shakes. In order to maximize autonomous performance of unmanned aerial vehicle (i.e. to reduce motion blur), initially, camera mounted unmanned aerial vehicle dynamics are obtained. Then, optimum location of unmanned aerial vehicle camera is estimated by considering unmanned aerial vehicle dynamics and autopilot parameters. After improving unmanned aerial vehicle by optimum camera location, dynamics and controller parameters, it is called as improved autonomous controlled unmanned aerial vehicle. Also, unmanned aerial vehicle with camera fixed at the closest point to center of gravity is called as standard autonomous controlled unmanned aerial vehicle. Both improved autonomous controlled and standard autonomous controlled unmanned aerial vehicles are performed in real time flights, and approximately same trajectories are tracked. In order to compare performance of improved autonomous controlled and standard autonomous controlled unmanned aerial vehicles in reducing motion blur, a motion blur kernel model which is derived using recorded roll, pitch and yaw angles of unmanned aerial vehicle is improved. Finally, taken images are simulated to examine effect of unmanned aerial vehicle shakes. In comparison with standard autonomous controlled flight, important improvements on reducing motion blur are demonstrated by improved autonomous controlled unmanned aerial vehicle.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 388-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Wang ◽  
Youjun Wu ◽  
Kun Xiao ◽  
Yingjie Zhao ◽  
Gang Lv ◽  
...  

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and distant metastasis is responsible for the poor prognosis in patients with advanced-stage CRC. RPS24 (ribosomal protein S24) as a ribosomal protein, multiple transcript variant encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RPS24 is overexpressed in CRC. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of RPS24 in tumor development have not been fully defined. Methods: Expression of RPS24 isoforms and lncRNA MVIH in CRC tissues and cell lines were quantified by real-time PCR or western blotting assay. Endothelial tube formation assay was performed to determine the effect of RPS24 on tumor angiogenesis. The cell viability of HUVEC was determined by MTT assay, and the migration and invasion ability of HUVEC were detected by transwell assay. PGK1 secretion was tested with a specific ELISA kit. Results: Here, we found that RPS24c isoform was a major contributor to tumor angiogenesis, a vital process in tumor growth and metastasis. Real-time PCR revealed that RPS24c isoform was highly expressed in CRC tissues, while other isoforms are present in both normal and CRC tissues with no statistical difference. Moreover the change of RPS24 protein level is mainly due to the fluctuation of RPS24c. Furthermore, we observed that silencing RPS24c could decrease angiogenesis by inhibiting tubule formation, HUVEC cell proliferation and migration. Additionally, we investigated the molecular mechanisms and demonstrated that RPS24c mRNA interacted with lncRNA MVIH, the binding-interaction enhanced the stability of each other, thereby activated angiogenesis by inhibiting the secretion of PGK1. Conclusion: RPS24c facilitates tumor angiogenesis via the RPS24c/MVIH/PGK1 pathway in CRC. RPS24c inhibition may be a novel option for anti-vascular treatment in CRC.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2830
Author(s):  
Sili Wang ◽  
Mark P. Panning ◽  
Steven D. Vance ◽  
Wenzhan Song

Locating underground microseismic events is important for monitoring subsurface activity and understanding the planetary subsurface evolution. Due to bandwidth limitations, especially in applications involving planetarily-distributed sensor networks, networks should be designed to perform the localization algorithm in-situ, so that only the source location information needs to be sent out, not the raw data. In this paper, we propose a decentralized Gaussian beam time-reverse imaging (GB-TRI) algorithm that can be incorporated to the distributed sensors to detect and locate underground microseismic events with reduced usage of computational resources and communication bandwidth of the network. After the in-situ distributed computation, the final real-time location result is generated and delivered. We used a real-time simulation platform to test the performance of the system. We also evaluated the stability and accuracy of our proposed GB-TRI localization algorithm using extensive experiments and tests.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Xiong ◽  
Xiangyun Cheng ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Roland Manfred Klar ◽  
Tao He

Abstract Background Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) remains one of the best-established techniques to assess gene expression patterns. However, appropriate reference gene(s) selection remains a critical and challenging subject in which inappropriate reference gene selction can distort results leading to false interpretations. To date, mixed opinions still exist in how to choose the most optimal reference gene sets in accodrance to the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guideline. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate which schemes were the most feasible for the identification of reference genes in a bone and cartilage bioengineering experimental setting. In this study, rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs), skeletal muscle tissue and adipose tissue were utilized, undergoing either chondrogenic or osteogenic induction, to investigate the optimal reference gene set identification scheme that would subsequently ensure stable and accurate interpretation of gene expression in bone and cartilage bioengineering. Results The stability and pairwise variance of eight candidate reference genes were analyzed using geNorm. The V0.15- vs. Vmin-based normalization scheme in rBMSCs had no significant effect on the eventual normalization of target genes. In terms of the muscle tissue, the results of the correlation of NF values between the V0.15 and Vmin schemes and the variance of target genes expression levels generated by these two schemes showed that different schemes do indeed have a significant effect on the eventual normalization of target genes. Three selection schemes were adopted in terms of the adipose tissue, including the three optimal reference genes (Opt3), V0.20 and Vmin schemes, and the analysis of NF values with eventual normalization of target genes showed that the different selection schemes also have a significant effect on the eventual normalization of target genes. Conclusions Based on these results, the proposed cut-off value of Vn/n + 1 under 0.15, according to the geNorm algorithm, should be considered with caution. For cell only experiments, at least rBMSCs, a Vn/n + 1 under 0.15 is sufficient in RT-qPCR studies. However, when using certain tissue types such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue the minimum Vn/n + 1 should be used instead as this provides a far superior mode of generating accurate gene expression results. We thus recommended that when the stability and variation of a candidate reference genes in a specific study is unclear the minimum Vn/n + 1 should always be used as this ensures the best and most accurate gene expression value is achieved during RT-qPCR assays.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2810
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Naus ◽  
Piotr Szymak ◽  
Paweł Piskur ◽  
Maciej Niedziela ◽  
Aleksander Nowak

Undoubtedly, Low-Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more common in marine applications. Equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) receiver for highly accurate positioning, they perform camera and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) measurements. Unfortunately, these measurements may still be subject to large errors-mainly due to the inaccuracy of measurement of the optical axis of the camera or LiDAR sensor. Usually, UAVs use a small and light Inertial Navigation System (INS) with an angle measurement error of up to 0.5∘ (RMSE). The methodology for spatial orientation angle correction presented in the article allows the reduction of this error even to the level of 0.01∘ (RMSE). It can be successfully used in coastal and port waters. To determine the corrections, only the Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) and an image of the coastline are needed.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2534
Author(s):  
Oualid Doukhi ◽  
Deok-Jin Lee

Autonomous navigation and collision avoidance missions represent a significant challenge for robotics systems as they generally operate in dynamic environments that require a high level of autonomy and flexible decision-making capabilities. This challenge becomes more applicable in micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) due to their limited size and computational power. This paper presents a novel approach for enabling a micro aerial vehicle system equipped with a laser range finder to autonomously navigate among obstacles and achieve a user-specified goal location in a GPS-denied environment, without the need for mapping or path planning. The proposed system uses an actor–critic-based reinforcement learning technique to train the aerial robot in a Gazebo simulator to perform a point-goal navigation task by directly mapping the noisy MAV’s state and laser scan measurements to continuous motion control. The obtained policy can perform collision-free flight in the real world while being trained entirely on a 3D simulator. Intensive simulations and real-time experiments were conducted and compared with a nonlinear model predictive control technique to show the generalization capabilities to new unseen environments, and robustness against localization noise. The obtained results demonstrate our system’s effectiveness in flying safely and reaching the desired points by planning smooth forward linear velocity and heading rates.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4166
Author(s):  
Román Fernández ◽  
María Calero ◽  
Yolanda Jiménez ◽  
Antonio Arnau

Monolithic quartz crystal microbalance (MQCM) has recently emerged as a very promising technology suitable for biosensing applications. These devices consist of an array of miniaturized QCM sensors integrated within the same quartz substrate capable of detecting multiple target analytes simultaneously. Their relevant benefits include high throughput, low cost per sensor unit, low sample/reagent consumption and fast sensing response. Despite the great potential of MQCM, unwanted environmental factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, vibrations, or pressure) and perturbations intrinsic to the sensor setup (e.g., mechanical stress exerted by the measurement cell or electronic noise of the characterization system) can affect sensor stability, masking the signal of interest and degrading the limit of detection (LoD). Here, we present a method based on the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to improve the stability of the resonance frequency and dissipation signals in real time. The method takes advantage of the similarity among the noise patterns of the resonators integrated in an MQCM device to mitigate disturbing factors that impact on sensor response. Performance of the method is validated by studying the adsorption of proteins (neutravidin and biotinylated albumin) under external controlled factors (temperature and pressure/flow rate) that simulate unwanted disturbances.


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