Flight transition control of a multipurpose UAV

Abstract

This paper describes the design and control approach of a new vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), capable of a plane-like horizontal flight. The UAV design includes dynamical modeling, control design and implementation. The main control challenge with this UAV stems from the complicated and unpredicted behavior of the vehicle during flight state transitions. This paper suggests a safe and efficient transition approach, between horizontal and vertical flights, which is demonstrated trough simulations and experiments. Additionally, real flight tests show that the UAV is capable of both stable hovering and efficient horizontal flight.