• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.101-114
• /
• 2018

Several different approaches and mechanisms are introduced to solve the UAV path planning problem. In this paper, we designed and implemented an agent-based simulation software using the Repast platform and Java Genetic Algorithm Package to examine an evolutionary path planning method by implementing and testing within the Repast environment. The paper demonstrates the life-cycle of an agent-based simulation software engineering project while providing a documentation strategy that allows specifying autonomous, adaptive, and interactive software entities in a Multi-Agent System. The study demonstrates how evolutionary path planning can be introduced to improve cognitive agent capabilities within an agent-based simulation environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.12
• /
• pp.1124-1132
• /
• 2011

This paper deals with smooth path generation using B-spline for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles manuevering in 2D environment. Hexagonal cell representation is employed to model the 2D environment, which features increased connectivity among cells over square cell representation. Subsequently, hexagonal cell representation enables smoother path generation based on a discrete sequence of path from the path planner. In addition, we present an on-line path smoothing algorithm incorporating B-spline path templates. The path templates are computed off-line by taking into account all possible path sequences within finite horizon. During on-line implementation, the B-spline curves from the templates are stitched together repeatedly to come up with a reference trajectory for UAVs. This method is an effective way of generating smooth path with reduced on-line computation requirement, hence it can be implemented on a small low-cost autopilot that has limited computational resources.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
• /
• 2009.11a
• /
• pp.395-398
• /
• 2009

Currently, a new generation of ducted fan UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) is under development for a wide range of inspection, investigation and combat missions as well as for a variety of civil roles like traffic monitoring, meteorological studies, hazard mitigation etc. The current study presents extensive results obtained experimentally in order to investigate the tip clearance effects on performance characteristics of a ducted fan for small UAV systems. Three ducted fans having different tip clearance gap and with same rotor size were examined under three different yawed conditions of calibrated slanted hot-wire probe. Three dimensional velocity flow fields were measured from hub to tip at outlet of the ducted fan. The analysis of data were done by PLEAT (Phase locked Ensemble Averaging Technique) and three non-linear differential equations were solved simultaneously by using Newton -Rhapson numerical method. Flow field characteristics such as tip vortex and secondary flow were confirmed through axial, radial and tangential velocity contour plots. At the same time, the effects of tip clearance on axial thrust and input power were also investigated by using wind tunnel measurement system. For enhancing the performance of ducted fan, tip clearance level should be as small as possible.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.46-53
• /
• 2007

In this paper, a guidance law for vision-based automatic landing of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is proposed. Automatic landing is a challenging but crucial capability for UAVs to achieve a fully autonomous flight. In an autonomous landing maneuver of UAVs, the decision of where to landing and the generation of guidance command to achieve a successful landing are very significant problem. This paper is focused on the design of guidance law applicable to automatic landing problem of fixed-wing UAV and rotary-wing UAV, simultaneously. The proposed guidance law generates acceleration command as a control input which derived from a specified time-to-go ($t_go$) polynomial function. The coefficient of $t_go$-polynomial function are determined to satisfy some terminal constraints. Nonlinear simulation results using a fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAV models are presented.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.43-50
• /
• 2016

In order to suggest the optimal manufacturing technology of composite wings of solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, this study compared forming technologies to reduce wing weight for long-endurance flight and to improve the manufacturing process for cost-saving and mass production. It compared the manufacturing time and weight of various composite wing molding technologies, including cocuring, secondary bonding, and manufacturing by balsa. As a result, wing weight was reduced through cocuring methods such as band type composite fiber/tape lamination technology, which enabled prolonged flight duration. In addition, the reduced manufacturing time led to a lower cost, which is a good example of weight lightening for not only small solar-powered UAVs, but also composite aircraft.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.202-207
• /
• 2016

Estimation of vertical position is critical in applications of sports science and fall detection and also controls of unmanned aerial vehicles and motor boats. Due to low accuracy of GPS(global positioning system) in the vertical direction, the integration of IMU(inertial measurement unit) with the GPS is not suitable for the vertical position estimation. This paper investigates an IMU-barometer integration for estimation of vertical position (as well as vertical velocity). In particular, a new two-step Kalman/complementary filter is proposed for accurate and efficient estimation using 6-axis IMU and barometer signals. The two-step filter is composed of (i) a Kalman filter that estimates vertical acceleration via tilt orientation of the sensor using the IMU signals and (ii) a complementary filter that estimates vertical position using the barometer signal and the vertical acceleration from the first step. The estimation performance was evaluated against a reference optical motion capture system. In the experimental results, the averaged estimation error of the proposed method was 19.7 cm while that of the raw barometer signal was 43.4 cm.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.38 no.12
• /
• pp.1170-1176
• /
• 2010

This study addresses adaptive control of UAVs(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) pitch-axis maneuver. The MRAC(Model Referenced Adaptive Control) approach is employed to accommodate uncertainties which are introduced by feedback linearization of pitch attitude control by elevator input. The model uncertainty is handled by adaptation laws which update model parameters while the UAV is under control by the feedback control law. Steady-state pitch attitude achieved by the stabilizing control law is derived to provide insight on the closed-loop behavior of the controlled system. The proposed idea is free of linearization, gain-scheduling procedures, so that one can design high maneuverability of UAVs for pitching motion in the presence of significant model uncertainty.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2011.11a
• /
• pp.55.2-55.2
• /
• 2011

This research aims to study the effects of the incidence angle and surface temperature on the power generation performance of a thin-film CIGS solar cell for solar powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The test rig consists of a unit CIGS solar cell is installed on a table whose angle is controlled manually. A K-type thermocouple is attached to the solar cell surface for temperature measurements. A solar module analyzer measures the voltage and current generated from the test solar cell. The solar module analyzer also calculates the maximum solar power and efficiency of the solar cell. All test data are acquired in a PC. Test results show that the solar cell efficiency decreases significantly with increasing incidence angle and increasing surface temperature in general. As the incidence angle increases from 0 degree to 90 degree, the solar cell efficiency decreases by 60%. The solar cell efficiency decreases by 10% with increasing solar cell surface temperature from $20^{\circ}C$ to $30^{\circ}C$, for exmaple. The direct cooling method of the solar cell using dry ice decreases dramatically the solar cell surface temperature, thus increasing the solar cell efficiency by 15%.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.74-80
• /
• 2006

This paper addresses the trajectory optimization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs) under multiple ground threats like enemy's anti-air radar sites. The power of radar signal reflected by the vehicle and the flight time are considered in the performance cost to be minimized. The bank angle is regarded as control input for a 1st-order lag vehicle, and input parameter optimization method based on Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) is used for trajectory optimization. The proposed path planning method provides more practical trajectories with enhanced survivability than those of Voronoi diagram method.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.274-282
• /
• 2011

This paper is focused on dynamic modeling and control system design as well as vision based collision avoidance for multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Multi-rotor UAVs are defined as rotary-winged UAVs with multiple rotors. These multi-rotor UAVs can be utilized in various military situations such as surveillance and reconnaissance. They can also be used for obtaining visual information from steep terrains or disaster sites. In this paper, a quad-rotor model is introduced as well as its control system, which is designed based on a proportional-integral-derivative controller and vision-based collision avoidance control system. Additionally, in order for a UAV to navigate safely in areas such as buildings and offices with a number of obstacles, there must be a collision avoidance algorithm installed in the UAV's hardware, which should include the detection of obstacles, avoidance maneuvering, etc. In this paper, the optical flow method, one of the vision-based collision avoidance techniques, is introduced, and multi-rotor UAV's collision avoidance simulations are described in various virtual environments in order to demonstrate its avoidance performance.