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Fast Real-Time Control Allocation Applied to Over-Actuated Quadrotor Tilt-Rotor

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Abstract

This paper presents a novel light-weighted Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an over-actuated tilt-rotor quadrotor with an innovative control allocation technique, named as Fast Control Allocation (FCA). In this arrangement, every motor has its own independent tilting command angle. By using this novel approach, the aircraft enhances its yawing capability and increases one more actuation domain: forward/backward velocity. However, this approach generates a control allocation matrix with non-unique solutions, breaking the effectiveness matrix into two parts. The first one is created considering the yawing torque and forward/backward velocity, and the second one considers all aircraft dynamics, running iteratively until the convergence criteria are reached. The results showed a well designed UAV where the FCA convergence and robustness was visible, allowing reliable and safe flight conditions with low computational effort control boards.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank CEFET-MG and UFJF for the cooperation.

Funding

This work was funded under the project PD 02651-0017/2019 - “Visual and Thermal Inspection of Transmission Lines and Concession Areas - Head of Series”, financed by the companies of TBE group, using resources of the R&D program regulated by ANEEL and executed by UFJF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electroelectronics, CEFET-MG, Leopoldina, Brazil

    M. F. Santos

  2. Department of Energy Systems, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, Brazil

    L. M. Honório, M. F. Silva & V. F. Vidal

  3. D.E.E.C., FEUP, Porto, Portugal

    A. P. G. M. Moreira

Authors
  1. M. F. Santos
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  2. L. M. Honório
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  3. A. P. G. M. Moreira
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  4. M. F. Silva
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  5. V. F. Vidal
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Contributions

M. F. Santos and L. M. Honório, conceptualization; L. M. Honório and A. P. G. Moreira, methodology; L. M. Honório, bibliography review and state of art; M. F. Santos and M. F. Silva, prototype and gyroscopic test bench development; M. F. Santos and L. M. Honório, routines implementation; M. F. Santos, V. F. Vidal and M. F. Silva, simulation and experimental tests validation; M. F. Santos and L. M. Honório, draft and reviewed paper; L. M. Honório and A. P. G. Moreira, supervision and project administration.

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Correspondence to M. F. Santos.

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Santos, M.F., Honório, L.M., Moreira, A.P.G.M. et al. Fast Real-Time Control Allocation Applied to Over-Actuated Quadrotor Tilt-Rotor. J Intell Robot Syst 102, 65 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-021-01411-4

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