Modeling of Aerodynamic Characteristics of Drone and Improvement to Gust Response

Abstract

Improvement of gust responses is required for the safe operation of the drone. The drone dynamics was modeled based on the nonlinear equation of motion expressed on the body-fixed axis using the aerodynamic forces and moments developed theoretically. The aerodynamics forces and moments were constructed from the blade element theory and momentum theory, which contain the specifications of the drone explicitly. The developed model was applied to the response analysis of the gust input. The sensitivities of the drone specifications to the gust responses were revealed, and the design guidelines were stated. Additionally, disturbance observer was designed and validated by the numerical simulations. It will be applied to the gust alleviation control of the drone.