Energy characterization of a transformable solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle

Devon Jenson, Ruben D'Sa, Travis Henderson, Jack Kilian, Bobby Schulz, Nikolaos P Papanikolopoulos

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Given the wide variety of flight conditions typically encountered by fixed-wing aerial vehicles, the flight performance of a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) depends on many factors. Predicting the performance for a given application requires characterization of both system and environmental components. Furthermore, a SUAV with a transformable airframe increases the number of characterizable states, where each state features a unique set of capabilities. This results in significant differences with respect to power consumption, solar panel orientation, and increases the design limitations on system components. This paper characterizes the energy collection, propulsion, and power electronics subsystems of a transformable SUAV developed at the University of Minnesota. Clear-sky and solar panel models are used to predict the power available for a given location and time. Propulsion system design is validated with flight data, and a proposed model correlates propulsion limits with available energy. Power electronics are modeled and simulated to determine hardware and tracking algorithm efficiencies. Finally, a pulsed battery charging methodology is implemented in hardware and evaluated against conventional charging techniques.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationIROS 2017 - IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages5142-5148
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9781538626825
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 13 2017
Event2017 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2017 - Vancouver, Canada
Duration: Sep 24 2017Sep 28 2017

Publication series

NameIEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems
Volume2017-September
ISSN (Print)2153-0858
ISSN (Electronic)2153-0866

Other

Other2017 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2017
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver
Period9/24/179/28/17

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through grants #IIP-0934327, #IIS-1017344, #IIP-1332133, #IIS-1427014, #IIP-1432957, #OISE-1551059, #CNS-1514626, #CNS-1531330, and #CNS-1544887. Ruben D’Sa was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship No. 00039202.

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