Title: Multi-vehicle dynamics and control for aerial recovery of micro air vehicles

Authors: Mark B. Colton, Liang Sun, Daniel C. Carlson, Randal W. Beard

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. ' Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. ' Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA

Abstract: This paper presents a method for recovering Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) in flight using a mothership and towed drogue. A method for modelling the dynamics of the mothership-cable-drogue system, based on Gauss|s principle, is presented. The differential flatness property of the system is exploited to calculate mothership trajectories from desired drogue orbits, and a Lyapunov based controller is proposed that enables accurate mothership trajectory tracking. A drag-based controller for the drogue is also described. Methods to enable the MAV to estimate and track the drogue orbit are discussed. The modelling and control methods are illustrated through simulation and flight results.

Keywords: unmanned air vehicles; MAVs; micro air vehicles; dynamic modelling; trajectory tracking; multi-vehicle dynamics; multi-vehicle control; aerial recovery; towed body systems; backstepping; orbit estimation; orbit tracking; autonomous systems; multiple vehicles; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVAS.2011.038181

International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, 2011 Vol.9 No.1/2, pp.78 - 107

Received: 02 Jul 2009
Accepted: 16 Apr 2010
Published online: 10 Apr 2015 *

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