E.L. de Angelis, F. Giulietti

In the present paper a method is proposed to estimate the swing state of a suspended payload carried by a single rotorcraft. Starting from the equations of motion of the coupled slung-load system, defined by two point-masses interconnected by a rigid link, a Kalman Filter is developed to estimate cable swing angle and rate from acceleration measurements available from onboard IMU, without the need for extra sensors. The estimation problem is solved according to a nonlinear approach, thus reducing modeling errors with respect to a linear framework and guaranteeing accuracy also in non-hovering conditions and agile maneuvers. Filter performance is enhanced by accounting for aerodynamic disturbance force, whose knowledge is proven to be fundamental in forward flight or in windy conditions. The approach is validated by numerical simulations through an octarotor platform detailed with blade element characterization of propellers and equipped with an elastic cable. It is shown that the output of the estimation problem can be used as a feedback term to reduce payload oscillations, with benefits on flying qualities and energy demand. For the first time the algorithm is also validated on a small-scale quadrotor through an outdoor experimental campaign, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach in a real application scenario.

49th European Rotorcraft Forum 2023, Bückeburg, 2023

Conference Paper

englisch

21,0 x 29,7 cm, 18 Seiten

DGLR-Bericht, 2023, 2023-01, 49th European Rotorcraft Forum 2023 - Proceedings; S.1-18; 2023; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V., Bonn

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2023