Rotor cross-tilt optimization for yaw control improvement of multi-rotor eVTOL aircraft  

作　　者：Xufei YAN Ye YUAN Yanqin ZHAO Renliang CHEN 

机构地区：[1]Zhejiang Lab,Hangzhou 311100,China [2]Department of Aerospace Engineering,Swansea University,Swansea,Wales SA28PP,UK [3]National Key Laboratory of Rotorcraft Aeromechanics,Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics,Nanjing 210016,China

出　　处：《Chinese Journal of Aeronautics》2024年第3期153-167,共15页中国航空学报（英文版）

基　　金：co-supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12202406,11672128)。

摘　　要：Manned multi-rotor electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing(eVTOL)aircraft is prone to actuator saturation due to its weak yaw control efficiency.To address this inherent problem,a rotor cross-tilt configuration is applied in this paper,with an optimization method proposed to improve the overall control efficiency of the vehicle.First,a flight dynamics model of a 500-kg manned multi-rotor eVTOL aircraft is established.The accuracy of the co-axial rotor model is verified using a single arm test bench,and the accuracy of the flight dynamics model is verified by the flight test data.Then,an optimization method is designed based on the flight dynamics model to calculate an optimal rotor cross-tilt mounting angle,which not only improves the yaw control efficiency,but also basically maintains the efficiency of other control channels.The ideal rotor cross-tilt mounting angle for the prototype is determined by comprehensively considering the optimal results with different payloads,forward flight speeds,and rotor mounting angle errors.Finally,the feasibility of the rotor cross-tilt mounting angle is proved by analyzing the control derivatives of the flight dynamics model,the test data of a ground three Degree-of-Freedom(3DOF)platform,and the actual flight data of the prototype.The results show that a fixed rotor cross-tilt mounting angle can achieve ideal yaw control effectiveness,improving yaw angle tracking and hold ability,increasing endurance time,and achieving good yaw control performance with different payloads and forward speeds.

关 键 词：Multi-rotor eVTOL Control efficiency Flight dynamics model Cross-tilt optimization Endurance time 

分 类 号：V275[航空宇航科学与技术—飞行器设计] V249.1