Takeoff and Landing on Slopes via Inclined Hovering with a Tethered Aerial Robot

TitleTakeoff and Landing on Slopes via Inclined Hovering with a Tethered Aerial Robot
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsTognon, M, Testa, A, Rossi, E, Franchi, A
Conference Name2016 IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems
Pagination1702-1707
Date Published10/2016
Conference LocationDaejeon, South Korea
Abstract

In this paper we face the challenging problem of takeoff and landing on sloped surfaces for a VTOL aerial vehicle. We define the general conditions for a safe and robust maneuver and we analyze and compare two classes of methods to fulfill these conditions: free-flight vs. passively tethered. Focusing on the less studied tethered method, we show its advantages w.r.t. the free-flight method thanks to the possibility of inclined hovering equilibria. We prove that the tether configuration and the inclination of the aerial vehicle w.r.t. the slope are flat outputs of the system and we design a hierarchical nonlinear controller based on this property. We then show how this controller can be used to land and takeoff in a robust way without the need of either a planner or a perfect tracking. The validity and applicability of the method in the real world is shown by experiments with a quadrotor that is able to perform a safe landing and takeoff on a sloped surface.

Citation Key2016i-TogTesRosFra
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