Proposal and experimental validation of a design strategy for a UAV with a passive rotating spherical shell

Mizutani, Shoma; Okada, Yoshito; Salaan, Carl John; Ishii, Takuma; Ohno, Kazunori; Tadokoro, Satoshı

doi:10.1109/iros.2015.7353532

Cited by 46 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This design strategy for PRSS UAV proposed by Mizutani et al. () is generally suitable for inspection of infrastructures and searches of damaged buildings.…”

Section: Development Of Prss Uav With the Visual Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this application, the requirements for the gimbal structure are that it must provide optimum space for the UAV and lightweight. Hence, we utilized the proposed gimbal structure (Mizutani et al., ) shown in Figure (left). The selected structure is a three‐axis gimbal system that is more compact and lightweight than a typical gimbal structure.…”

Section: Development Of Prss Uav With the Visual Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The entire body of the UAV is covered and protected by the spherical shell that can rotate freely without significantly affecting the UAV's attitude. An additional advantage of this approach is the flexible movement that is possible when the system contacts any surface because it can use its spherical shell as a wheel (Mizutani et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Close visual bridge inspection using a UAV with a passive rotating spherical shell

Salaan

Okada

Mizutani

et al. 2018

Journal of Field Robotics

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Today, robots are expected to be used for the inspection of infrastructures such as bridges. One important task in bridge inspection is to acquire clear images of its various parts for further damage evaluation. However, this task has not yet been completely realized because of the complexity of bridge structures. For this situation, a UAV with a passive rotating spherical shell (PRSS) that can easily maneuver while protecting itself is introduced. In this paper, we explain the development of the PRSS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on the design strategy. We then analyze its performance through simulated bridge inspection. Finally, we discuss the results of actual bridge experiments. The spherical shell has a size (D = 0.95 m) and structure (fullerene) that is well-suited for bridge inspection applications. It can also handle an impact equivalent to 2 m/s, which is more than the UAV's maximum flight speed. Test flight experiment also validated the characteristic of PRSS that shows a stable flight during disturbances. The image test also shows that the visual system can provide a full overhead view of the bridge. Likewise, it can detect a 0.1-mm wide line that replicates the damage (e.g., a crack) from a position 0.5 m away and while the camera moves at 0.3 m/s. These characteristics have yielded a system that can acquire inspection images from critical parts of the bridge. An evaluation by third parties confirmed the effectiveness of the system. Further, the system satisfies the mandatory requirements of the Next Generation Robots for Social Infrastructure (NGRSI) program.

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“…This design strategy for PRSS UAV proposed by Mizutani et al. () is generally suitable for inspection of infrastructures and searches of damaged buildings.…”

Section: Development Of Prss Uav With the Visual Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Development Of Prss Uav With the Visual Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Close visual bridge inspection using a UAV with a passive rotating spherical shell

Salaan

Okada

Mizutani

et al. 2018

Journal of Field Robotics

Self Cite

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“…There are a few papers [3,4] that deal with configuration parameters important for the design of multirotors intended to perform different tasks such as disaster site observations or search and rescue missions [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chattering-Free Tracking Control of a Fully Actuated Multirotor with Passively Tilted Rotors

Kotarski

Piljek

Brezak

et al. 2018

TFAMENA

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SummaryIn this paper, a control allocation scheme is presented for a multirotor type of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The control allocation scheme depends on the multirotor configuration and rotor system parameters, and it enables analysis of dynamics of different multirotor designs depending on the purpose and the task which the multirotor has to carry out. The analysis of force and moment distribution in space shows that the non-flat design with passively tilted rotors can overcome an inherent underactuated condition of flat multirotor configurations. By increasing the tilt angle, the multirotor is able to achieve full controllability over its six degrees of freedom (6 DOFs). A robust chattering-free sliding mode asymptotic tracking control design of a fully actuated multirotor is presented. The simulation results show satisfying tracking performance of the proposed controller.

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“…For example, UAVs could inspect wind turbines, 5 survey disaster sites to ensure the safety of rescue activities, survey a volcano after an eruption, 6 and inspect cracks in old highway bridges. 7 The most significant feature of UAVs is their ability to hover as VTOL. Compared with general small UAVs with fixed wings, the hovering and vertical take-off abilities of multi-rotor UAVs have made possible their use in an increased number of civilian operations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction of the head-up pitching moment of small quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles in uniform flow

Otsuka

Sasaki

Nagatani

2017

International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles

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Multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles are unstable in headwind because of nose-up pitching moment generation and thrust degradation. Reducing the pitching moment generation could enhance the tolerance of the unmanned aerial vehicles to wind and improve cruise flight speed. In this study, a canted rotor configuration was proposed to reduce the moment in uniform flow and examined. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of moment reduction by canted rotors. First, flow interactions between rotors of the quad-rotor were visualized using a smoke wire method. Second, the moment reduction by canted rotors was estimated based on isolated rotor performance. Third, the moment of the quad-rotor varying the body pitching angle was examined using a wind tunnel. At an 8 m/s wind, when the body pitching angle is horizontal, slanting the rotor by 20 to outside the body degraded the moment by 26% compared with the parallel rotor configuration.

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Proposal and experimental validation of a design strategy for a UAV with a passive rotating spherical shell

Cited by 46 publications

References 14 publications

Close visual bridge inspection using a UAV with a passive rotating spherical shell

Close visual bridge inspection using a UAV with a passive rotating spherical shell

Chattering-Free Tracking Control of a Fully Actuated Multirotor with Passively Tilted Rotors

Reduction of the head-up pitching moment of small quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles in uniform flow

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