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Area of Science:

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Robotics
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Autonomous flight research often focuses on large thermals and ridges.
  • Urban environments present unique challenges for unpowered flight due to localized, turbulent updrafts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore autonomous height gain for fixed-wing micro air vehicles (MAVs) in urban orographic updrafts.
  • To develop and test a wind-hovering technique for sustained flight in small, turbulent updrafts.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a six-degree-of-freedom MAV model using wind-tunnel tests and vortex-lattice calculations.
  • Created a cascaded control system for trajectory control within updrafts.
  • Analyzed wind fields around buildings and hills, developing an onboard trajectory calculation method.

Main Results:

  • Simulations demonstrated successful system behavior in smooth and turbulent flows.
  • Flight tests at a hill were consistently successful.
  • Flights near a building were limited to ~20 seconds due to wind unsteadiness.

Conclusions:

  • The wind-hovering technique is effective for autonomous height gain in stable updrafts, as shown by hill tests.
  • Sustained operation near buildings is challenging due to wind gustiness causing updraft loss.
  • Further research is needed to adapt the technique for more dynamic urban wind conditions.