Comparison of Fixed and Variable Pitch Actuators for Agile Quadrotors
Name
How_Comparison of fixed.pdf
Size
3.71 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
a05243500be74c392a7c50dbbe802d58
Author(s)
Cutler, Mark Johnson
Ure, Nazim Kemal
Michini, Bernard J.
How, Jonathan P.
Date Issued
August 2011
Journal
Proceedings of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference
Publisher
American Institute of Aeromautics and Astronautics
Citation
Mark Cutler, Nazim-Kemal Ure, Bernard Michini, and Jonathan How. "Comparison of Fixed and Variable Pitch Actuators for Agile Quadrotors" AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference (August 2011)
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
This paper presents the design, analysis and experimental testing of a variable-
pitch quadrotor. A custom in-lab built quadrotor with on-board attitude stabi-
lization is developed and tested. An analysis of the dynamic di erences in thrust
output between a xed-pitch and variable-pitch propeller is given and validated
with simulation and experimental results. It is shown that variable-pitch actuation
has signi cant advantages over the conventional xed-pitch con guration, includ-
ing increased thrust rate of change, decreased control saturation, and the ability to quickly and e ciently reverse thrust. These advantages result in improved quadro-tor tracking of linear and angular acceleration command inputs in both simulation and hardware testing. The bene ts should enable more aggressive and aerobatic ying with the variable-pitch quadrotor than with standard xed-pitch actuation, while retaining much of the mechanical simplicity and robustness of the xed-pitch quadrotor.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Aerospace Controls Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2011-6406
