scholarly journals Design and Implementation of Morphed Multi-Rotor Vehicles with Real-Time Obstacle Detection and Sensing System

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6192
Author(s):  
Aleligne Yohannes Shiferaw ◽  
Balasubramanian Esakki ◽  
Tamilarasan Pari ◽  
Elangovan Elumalai ◽  
Saleh Mobayen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Flight Tests ◽  
Actuation Mechanism ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Synchronous Motion ◽  
Real World Applications ◽  
Motion Characteristics

Multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAVs) are becoming more prominent for diverse real-world applications due to their inherent hovering ability, swift manoeuvring and vertical take-off landing capabilities. Nonetheless, to be entirely applicable for various obstacle prone environments, the conventional MUAVs may not be able to change their configuration depending on the available space and perform designated missions. It necessitates the morphing phenomenon of MUAVS, wherein it can alter their geometric structure autonomously. This article presents the development of a morphed MUAV based on a simple rotary actuation mechanism capable of driving each arm’s smoothly and satisfying the necessary reduction in workspace volume to navigate in the obstacle prone regions. The mathematical modelling for the folding mechanism was formulated, and corresponding kinematic analysis was performed to understand the synchronous motion characteristics of the arms during the folding of arms. Experiments were conducted by precisely actuating the servo motors based on the proximity ultrasonic sensor data to avoid the obstacle for achieving effective morphing of MUAV. The flight tests were conducted to estimate the endurance and attain a change in morphology of MUAV from “X-Configuration” to “H-Configuration” with the four arms actuated synchronously without time delay.

Autonomous Area Exploration and Mapping in Underground Mine Environments by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Robotica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 442-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Li ◽  
Andrey V. Savkin ◽  
Branka Vucetic
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Mathematical Proof ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Control Law ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Multiple Uavs ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Holonomic Robot ◽  
Flying Robot

SummaryIn this paper, we propose a method of using an autonomous flying robot to explore an underground tunnel environment and build a 3D map. The robot model we use is an extension of a 2D non-holonomic robot. The measurements and sensors we considered in the presented method are simple and valid in practical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) engineering. The proposed safe exploration algorithm belongs to a class of probabilistic area search, and with a mathematical proof, the performance of the algorithm is analysed. Based on the algorithm, we also propose a sliding control law to apply the algorithm to a real quadcopter in experiments. In the presented experiment, we use a DJI Guidance sensing system and an Intel depth camera to complete the localization, obstacle detection and 3D environment information capture. Furthermore, the simulations show that the algorithm can be implemented in sloping tunnels and with multiple UAVs.

scholarly journals The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Remote Sensing Systems

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksander Olejnik ◽  
Łukasz Kiszkowiak ◽  
Robert Rogólski ◽  
Grzegorz Chmaj ◽  
Michał Radomski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Flight Tests ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Sensing Systems ◽  
Remote Sensing Systems ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Autonomous Helicopter ◽  
Transmission And Distribution

This paper describes the possibility of using a small autonomous helicopter to perform tasks using a remote sensing system. This article further shows the most effective way to properly set up autopilot and to process its validation during flight tests. The most important components of the remote sensing system are described and the possibilities of using this system to monitor gas transmission and distribution networks are presented.

Ultra-Wideband-Based Localization for Quadcopter Navigation

2016 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kexin Guo ◽  
Zhirong Qiu ◽  
Cunxiao Miao ◽  
Abdul Hanif Zaini ◽  
Chun-Lin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Global Positioning System ◽  
Ultra Wideband ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Positioning System ◽  
Localization Algorithm ◽  
Control Loop ◽  
Flight Tests ◽  
Localization System ◽  
Global Positioning

Micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are promising to play more and more important roles in both civilian and military activities. Currently, the navigation of UAVs is critically dependent on the localization service provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS), which suffers from the multipath effect and blockage of line-of-sight, and fails to work in an indoor, forest or urban environment. In this paper, we establish a localization system for quadcopters based on ultra-wideband (UWB) range measurements. To achieve the localization, a UWB module is installed on the quadcopter to actively send ranging requests to some fixed UWB modules at known positions (anchors). Once a distance is obtained, it is calibrated first and then goes through outlier detection before being fed to a localization algorithm. The localization algorithm is initialized by trilateration and sustained by the extended Kalman filter (EKF). The position and velocity estimates produced by the algorithm will be further fed to the control loop to aid the navigation of the quadcopter. Various flight tests in different environments have been conducted to validate the performance of UWB ranging and localization algorithm.

scholarly journals Performance analysis of nonlinear observers applied to the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles flight under decoupled-reduced model

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo P Parada ◽  
A Tadeo Espinoza ◽  
Alejandro E Dzul ◽  
Francisco G Salas
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Flight Control ◽  
Sliding Mode ◽  
Reduced Model ◽  
Control Law ◽  
Extended State ◽  
Nonlinear Observers ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Nonlinear Extended State Observer

In this paper, we present the design and implementation of two nonlinear observers: nonlinear extended state observer and sliding mode observer for estimating the pitch, yaw and roll angles and angular rates of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles system under a decoupled-reduced model in real flight experiments. A backstepping control law is designed for control in a decentralized way for altitude, yaw and roll of the airplane. This scheme allows us to test experimentally the feasibility of using the online estimated data from the observers in flight control, which is useful for increasing the robustness of the control and the safety of flight. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the performance of both nonlinear observers is conducted.

MULTI-SENSOR FUSION BASED UAV COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM

2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rethnaraj Rambabu ◽  
Muhammad Rijaluddin Bahiki ◽  
Syaril Azrad
Keyword(s):  
Kalman Filter ◽  
Collision Avoidance ◽  
Sensor Fusion ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Range Data ◽  
Range Estimation ◽  
Flight Tests ◽  
Ir Sensors ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Collision Avoidance System

This paper presents the development of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is capable of detecting and avoiding collision with obstacles through the implementation of Kalman filter-based multi-sensor fusion and cascaded PID position and velocity controllers. Sensor fusion of ultrasonic (US) and infrared (IR) sensors is performed to obtain a reliable range data for obstacle detection which then fed into collision avoidance controller (CAC) for generating necessary response in terms of attitude commands. Results showed that sensor fusion provided accurate range estimation by reducing noises and errors that were present in individual sensors measurements. Flight tests performed proved the capability of UAV to avoid collisions with the obstacle that was introduced to it during flight successfully.

A Human-Inspired Method for Point-to-Point and Path-Following Navigation of Mobile Robots

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Heidari ◽  
R. Fotouhi
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Robot ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Path Following ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Wheeled Mobile Robot ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Integrated Navigation ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Point Motion ◽  
Point To Point

This paper describes a human-inspired method (HIM) and a fully integrated navigation strategy for a wheeled mobile robot in an outdoor farm setting. The proposed strategy is composed of four main actions: sensor data analysis, obstacle detection, obstacle avoidance, and goal seeking. Using these actions, the navigation approach is capable of autonomous row-detection, row-following, and path planning motion in outdoor settings. In order to drive the robot in off-road terrain, it must detect holes or ground depressions (negative obstacles) that are inherent parts of these environments, in real-time at a safe distance from the robot. Key originalities of the proposed approach are its capability to accurately detect both positive (over ground) and negative obstacles, and accurately identify the end of the rows of bushes (e.g., in a farm) and enter the next row. Experimental evaluations were carried out using a differential wheeled mobile robot in different settings. The robot, used for experiments, utilizes a tilting unit, which carries a laser range finder (LRF) to detect objects, and a real-time kinematics differential global positioning system (RTK-DGPS) unit for localization. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed technique is capable of successfully detecting and following rows (path following) as well as robust navigation of the robot for point-to-point motion control.

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