Flight and Interaction Control of an Innovative Ducted Fan Aerial Manipulator

An innovative aerial manipulator with ducted fans is proposed to achieve side-on aerial manipulation tasks in a confined environment, such as canopy sampling in dense forests. The dynamic model of the novel design is studied, and on this basis a composite controller is proposed to address the challe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yibo Zhang, Bin Xu, Changle Xiang, Wei Fan, Tianfu Ai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/11/3019
Description
Summary:An innovative aerial manipulator with ducted fans is proposed to achieve side-on aerial manipulation tasks in a confined environment, such as canopy sampling in dense forests. The dynamic model of the novel design is studied, and on this basis a composite controller is proposed to address the challenges of arm extension and physical interaction during the manipulation process. An adaptive controller is proposed for the aerial platform to achieve good stability and tracking performance under the manipulator motion, and an impedance controller is designed for the manipulator to ensure compliance and stability during physical contact. The experimental tests validate the effectiveness of the proposed prototype structure and controller design.
ISSN:1424-8220