Large-Workspace Dual Multi-Rotor Aerial Payload Deployment System Using a Cable-Suspended Device With Ducted Fans

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Large workspace by design

This work develops a large-workspace aerial payload deployment system in which two multirotors cooperatively carry a payload deployment device through cables.

Unlike a rigid aerial manipulator whose reach is constrained by its arm length, the suspended architecture keeps the aerial platforms away from the working point while extending the usable workspace in both horizontal and vertical directions.

System concept

The PDD combines ducted fans, servomotors, and an onboard microcomputer. During transportation, the ducted fans provide active anti-swing control. During deployment, they regulate the PDD relative to the vertical plane formed by the two multirotors, allowing the device to reach a commanded working position without requiring the aircraft themselves to enter the constrained area.

Adaptive deployment control

The controller is designed to remain effective when the payload mass changes and when the formation distance between the two multirotors varies. The accompanying flight experiment shows the dual-aircraft platform, suspended device, and active swing suppression operating together in the full-scale test environment.

Publication

The paper was published in IEEE Access, volume 12, pages 27029–27038. The complete article is available through .

PaperOpen the IEEE Xplore record DOI10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3366704 NavigationReturn to the top

Controller Design and Disturbance Rejection of Multi-Quadcopters for Cable Suspended Payload Transportation Using Virtual Structure

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Cooperative transport as one structure

This work treats multiple quadcopters and their cable-suspended payload as a coordinated transport system whose formation can change while the vehicles remain in flight.

The virtual-structure formulation provides a common geometric reference for the leader and follower vehicles. By changing the relative formation vectors, the group can reshape itself during a mission while continuing to carry the shared payload.

Cable-suspended system

The transportation platform uses multiple quadcopters connected to a payload through cables. Instead of requiring a complete coupled payload model, cable tension, payload gravity, wind, and unmodeled effects are collected as disturbances acting on the individual vehicles.

Control and disturbance rejection

Position and force control are combined with force and torque disturbance observers. The observers estimate the aggregated disturbances online so that their effects can be compensated while the virtual-structure leader–follower controller maintains the commanded trajectory and formation geometry.

Flight experiments

Indoor experiments demonstrate cooperative payload transportation with three quadcopters, including translational motion, in-flight formation reconfiguration, and operation under external disturbance. The video above presents the formation change sequence used for this featured research view.

Publication

The paper was published in IEEE Access, volume 10, pages 122197–122210, in 2022. The complete article is available through .

PaperOpen the IEEE Xplore record DOI10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3222031 NavigationReturn to the top

Aerial Robotics | Tianhua Gao

Large-Workspace Dual Multi-Rotor Aerial Payload Deployment System Using a Cable-Suspended Device With Ducted Fans

Large workspace by design

System concept

Adaptive deployment control

Publication

Controller Design and Disturbance Rejection of Multi-Quadcopters for Cable Suspended Payload Transportation Using Virtual Structure

Cooperative transport as one structure

Cable-suspended system

Control and disturbance rejection

Flight experiments

Publication