Development of A Fixed-Wing mini UAV with Transitioning Flight Capability

International audienceThis study presents the development of the transitioning vehicle Cyclone, which has been specifically designed for meteorological and agricultural applications. The mission requirements demand take-off and landing from a small area and the ability to cope with high wind speeds. In contrast with recent suggestions, our proposed design aims to be closer to a fixed-wing airplane rather than a rotary wing. In particular, the design focuses on a tilt-body style transitioning vehicle with blown-wing concept. The propeller wing interaction is calculated using a semi-empirical method. The total wing span and wing surface area are decided according to the mission performance requirements. For the control of the vehicle, incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion is used. This control method does not need the modeling of external forces or moments and is able to counteract the strong aerodynamic forces and moments acting on the vehicle through the feedback of its angular acceleration. Together with the design phases and manufacturing process, several test flights are presented. Particular diffculties of the proposed design are discussed, including lack of providing suffcient pitch-up moment and control reversal during descent. The test flights demonstrate the vertical take-off and landing capabilities of the vehicle, as well as its transitioning into forward flight from hovering, and vice versa, for an effcient missionperformance