The need for aerial platforms capable of sustained operation is critical in fields such as surveillance, agricultural monitoring, disaster response, and temporary telecommunication systems. Traditional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are hampered by limited battery capacity and inefficient energy utilization. This paper introduces an autonomous vertical flight drone tethered to a ground-based platform, which overcomes these limitations. The drone is designed to optimize its position and energy usage by harnessing wind currents, functioning similarly to a kite when conditions permit. This is enabled by a custom-designed autopilot system comprising both hardware and software tailored for this application. We detail the model identification process for three vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone systems, employing authentic data that measures lateral positional errors from the tether. Robust mixed sensitivity controllers are developed and implemented. The effectiveness of these controllers is validated through simulations showing their capability to handle uncertainties. Furthermore, the practical application and robust performance of the system are confirmed by a real-world case study, highlighting its potential in real operational environments.
Design and Development of a Fixed-Wing Tail-Sitter Tethered VTOL Drone with Custom Autopilot and Robust Control Techniques
Lect. Notes Electrical Eng.
APCA International Conference on Automatic Control and Soft Computing ; 2024 ; Porto, Portugal July 17, 2024 - July 19, 2024
23.04.2025
11 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch