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Spincopter Wing Design and Flight Control

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Abstract

This paper presents dynamical properties of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), called spincopter. The vehicle structure is based on two wings that are forced in rotation (spinning) by propulsion system formed of two propellers. Based on devised dynamical model, that reveals inherent stability of the vehicle, composition of control algorithms for vertical and horizontal movement is proposed. Due to the specific configuration of the propulsion system, movement in horizontal direction is produced by pulsations in rotational speed of propulsion motors. An analysis of influence that such a configuration has on the vehicle dynamics is given. Finally, design recommendations for rotational wings are elaborated, based on extensive simulations of spincopter by using X-Plane® software package.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Robotics and Intelligent Control Systems, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, Unska 3, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Matko Orsag, Josip Cesic, Tomislav Haus & Stjepan Bogdan

Authors
  1. Matko Orsag
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  2. Josip Cesic
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  3. Tomislav Haus
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  4. Stjepan Bogdan
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Correspondence to Matko Orsag.

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Orsag, M., Cesic, J., Haus, T. et al. Spincopter Wing Design and Flight Control. J Intell Robot Syst 70, 165–179 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-012-9725-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-012-9725-2

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