Autopilot framework with INDI RPM control, real-time actuator feedback, and stability control on companion computer through MATLAB generated functions

This paper presents a modular autopilot framework for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that addresses the limitations of modern flight controllers. The framework utilizes separate and external subsystems for actuator control and the resolution of the Control Allocation problem. The actuator subsystem, implemented on a Teensy 4.0 microcontroller,...

The NederDrone: A hybrid lift, hybrid energy hydrogen UAV

Many Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) applications require vertical take-off and landing and very long-range capabilities. Fixed-wing aircraft need long runways to land, and electric energy is still a bottleneck for helicopters, which are not range efficient. In this paper, we introduce the NederDrone, a hybrid lift, hybrid energy hydrogen-powered...

Design and Testing of a Vertical Take-Off and Landing UAV Optimized for Carrying a Hydrogen Fuel Cell with a Pressure Tank

Flight endurance is still a bottleneck for many types of unmanned air vehicle (UAV) applications. While battery technology improves over the years, for flights that last an entire day, batteries are still insufficient. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells offer an interesting alternative but pose stringent requirements on the platform. The required...

DelftaCopter Propulsion Optimization from Hover to Fast Forward Flight usingWindtunnel Measurements

Enlarging the flight envelope of aircraft has been a goal since the beginning of aviation. But requirements to fly very fast and to hover are conflicting. During the design of the DelftaCopter, a tail-sitter hybrid UAV with a single large rotor for lift in hover and propulsion in forward flight, the design of the rotor needs to properly balance...

Design, control, and visual navigation of the DelftaCopter VTOL tail-sitter UAV

To participate in the Outback Medical Express UAV Challenge 2016, a vehicle was designed and tested that can autonomously hover precisely, takeoff and land vertically, fly fast forward efficiently, and use computer vision to locate a person and a suitable landing location. The vehicle is a novel hybrid tail‐sitter combining a delta‐shaped...