scholarly journals Practical Endurance Estimation for Minimizing Energy Consumption of Multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myeong-hwan Hwang ◽  
Hyun-Rok Cha ◽  
Sung Yong Jung
Keyword(s):  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Flight Test ◽  
Flight Time ◽  
Average Error ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Vehicle Shape ◽  
Battery Discharge

The practically applicable endurance estimation method for multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using a battery as a power source is proposed. The method considers both hovering and steady-level flights. The endurance, thrust, efficiency, and battery discharge are determined with generally available data from the manufacturer. The effects of the drag coefficient related to vehicle shape and payload weight are examined at various forward flight speeds. As the drag coefficient increases, the optimum speed at the minimum required power and the maximum endurance are reduced. However, the payload weight causes an opposite effect, and the optimal flying speed increases with an increase in the payload weight. For more practical applications for common users, the value of S × Cd is determined from a preliminary flight test. Given this value, the endurance is numerically estimated and validated with the measured flight time. The proposed method can successfully estimate the flight time with an average error of 2.3%. This method would be useful for designers who plan various missions and select UAVs.

scholarly journals Frontier Progress of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Optical Wireless Technologies

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (19) ◽  
pp. 5476
Author(s):  
Jupeng Ding ◽  
Hongye Mei ◽  
Chih-Lin I ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Wenwen Liu
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Transmission Rate ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Communication Link ◽  
Optical Wireless ◽  
Wireless Technology ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Aerial Vehicles

With the continuous maturity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in materials, communications, and other related technologies, the UAV industry has developed rapidly in recent years. In order to cope with the diversified emerging business forms, the explosive growth of the scale of data traffic, number of terminal connections, high reliability, low-latency, and high transmission rate provided by the fifth generation (5G) network will inject new vitality into the development of the UAVs industry. In this paper, optical wireless technology is introduced into the UAV platform, combining theory with practical applications. We explain many research advances and key technologies in the four aspects of “air, space, earth, and sea” to achieve a strong and broadband communication link. This discussion focuses on link modeling, parameter optimization, experimental testing, and the status quo of UAVs in different application scenarios with optical wireless link configurations. At the same time, based on the current situation of UAV optical wireless technology, the technical problems and the research direction in the future are also discussed.

Extended Kalman Filter Based Quadrotor State Estimation Based on Asynchronous Multisensor Data

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sarim ◽  
Alireza Nemati ◽  
Manish Kumar ◽  
Kelly Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Kalman Filter ◽  
State Estimation ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Extended Kalman Filter ◽  
Real World ◽  
Flight Test ◽  
Communication Delays ◽  
Multiple Sensors ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Multisensor Data

For effective navigation and tracking applications involving Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), data fusion from multiple sensors is utilized. However, asynchronous nature of the sensors, coupled with loss of data and communication delays, makes this process not very reliable. For a better estimation of the data, some sort of filtering scheme is needed. This paper presents an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) based quadrotor state estimation by exploiting the dynamic model of the UAV. The data coming from the sensors is noisy and intermittent. The EKF filters and provides estimated data for the missing timestamps. An indoor flight test establishes the accuracy of the EKF, and another outdoor flight test validates the developed scheme for the real world scenario.

scholarly journals New ‘Foucauldian Boomerangs’: Drones and Urban Surveillance

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole B. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Michel Foucault ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Surveillance Studies ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Historical Importance ◽  
The Future ◽  
Police Forces ◽  
Urban Police

This paper uses the metaphor of ‘boomerangs’ articulated by Michel Foucault to discuss the potential for drones to become the ‘next layer’ of urban surveillance in our cities. Like earlier Western technologies and techniques of government that were ‘tested out’ in foreign warzones and then ‘brought back’ to urban centres (the helicopter and its utilization in Vietnam and its return to urban police forces is a clear illustration hereof), contemporary unmanned aerial vehicles hold the potential to act as proverbial ‘Foucauldian boomerangs’ and return from warzones in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan to Western cities. The paper explores how a nexus of Surveillance Studies and mobilities research may be a fruitful way into comprehending this new phenomenon. En route the practical applications of drones as well as the historical importance of aerial power are connected to a situational understanding of mobilities. The paper points at a number of challenges for the future and should be understood as a first tentative attempt to set this on the research agenda.

scholarly journals Angle of Attack Sensor for Small Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Wanngoen ◽  
Saetunand ◽  
Saengphet ◽  
Tantrairatn
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Flight Test ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Aerodynamic Parameter ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Flow Changes ◽  
Good Agreement

The angle of attack (AOA) is an important parameter for estimating aerodynamic parameter the performance and stability of aircraft. Currently, AOA sensors are used in general aircraft. However, there is no a reasonable-price AOA sensor that is compatible to a small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This research aims to designs and constructs angle of attract (AOA) sensor for small fixed-wing unmanned aircraft. Mechanism Design, which is similar to aerodynamic wheatear vane, can operate in airspeed 10–30 m/s. The direction of airfoil aligns with the air flow direction. When the AOA of the UAV changes, the air flow changes the direction, resulting in the change of airfoil direction. The high-resolution rotary encoder, that was used to measure the angle of the airfoil, was installed with the fin airfoil. For experiment, the accuracy of the AOA sensor was validated by comparing the angles obtained from the encoder with the standard rotary table in static and wind tunnel. Finally, the AOA sensor, which was attached on aircraft, was verified and recorded in flight test. As the results of the measurement, the airfoil angles detected by the encoder were in good agreement with the standard angles.

Multiobjective Mission Planning for UAV under Uncertain Environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 556-562 ◽  
pp. 4435-4438
Author(s):  
Jing Yao Zhu ◽  
Qi Fang He ◽  
Tie Zhu Wang ◽  
Zu Tong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Uncertainty Theory ◽  
Multiobjective Programming ◽  
Flight Time ◽  
Programming Method ◽  
Mission Planning ◽  
Planning Problem ◽  
Uncertain Environment ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Combat Environment

The combat environment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is filled with uncertain factors, which is complex and dynamic. This paper is devoted to the UAV mission planning problem under uncertain environment with three optimization objectives, such as flight time, fuel usage and threat imposed by enemy. Based on the uncertainty theory and multiobjective programming method, the UAV uncertain multiobjective mission plaaning model is built and solved.

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