Morphing Concept for Multirotor UAVs Enabling Stability Augmentation and Multiple-Parcel Delivery

Cheng, D., Charles, A. C., Srigrarom, S. and Hesse, H. (2019) Morphing Concept for Multirotor UAVs Enabling Stability Augmentation and Multiple-Parcel Delivery. In: AIAA SciTech Forum, San Diego, CA, USA, 7-11 Jan 2019, ISBN 9781624105784 (doi: 10.2514/6.2019-1063)

Abstract

This paper presents a novel morphing concept for multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to optimize the vehicle ight performance during multi-parcel deliveries. Abrupt changes in the vehicle weight distribution during a parcel delivery can cause the UAVs to be unbalanced. This is usually compensated by the vehicle ight control system but the motors may need to operate outside their design range which can deteriorate the stability and performance of the system. Morphing the geometry of a conventional multirotor airframe enables the vehicle to continuously re-balanced itself which improves the overall vehicle performance and safety. The paper derives expressions for the static stability of multirotor UAVs and discusses the experimental implementation of the morphing technology on a Y6 tricopter configuration. Flight test results of multi-parcel delivery scenarios demonstrate the capability of the proposed technology to balance the throttle outputs of all rotors.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hesse, Dr Henrik
• Authors: Cheng, D., Charles, A. C., Srigrarom, S., and Hesse, H.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• Journal Name: AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum
• Publisher: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• ISBN: 9781624105784
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 Henrik Hesse
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher