Active Vertical Takeoff of an Aquatic UAV

To extend the mission duration of smaller unmanned aerial vehicles, this letter presents a solar recharge approach that uses lakes as landing, charging, and standby areas. The Sherbrooke University Water-Air VEhicle (SUWAVE) is a small aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing on water. A sec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE robotics and automation letters 2020-07, Vol.5 (3), p.4844-4851
Main Authors: Tetreault, Etienne, Rancourt, David, Desbiens, Alexis Lussier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerial systems: mechanics and control
Aerospace electronics
Aircraft
aquatic UAV
Atmospheric modeling
Attitude control
Computer simulation
Dynamic models
Lakes
Landing
Light aircraft
marine robotics
Mathematical model
Propellers
Prototypes
Recharging
Three dimensional models
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Vertical takeoff
VTOL
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Summary:To extend the mission duration of smaller unmanned aerial vehicles, this letter presents a solar recharge approach that uses lakes as landing, charging, and standby areas. The Sherbrooke University Water-Air VEhicle (SUWAVE) is a small aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing on water. A second-generation prototype has been developed with new capabilities: solar recharging, autonomous flight, and a larger takeoff envelope using an actuated takeoff strategy. A 3D dynamic model of the new takeoff maneuver is conceived to understand the major forces present during this critical phase. Numerical simulations are validated with experimental results from real takeoffs made in the laboratory and on lakes. The final prototype is shown to have accomplished repeated cycles of autonomous takeoff, followed by assisted flight and landing, without any human physical intervention between cycles.
ISSN:2377-3766
2377-3766
DOI:10.1109/LRA.2020.3003296