Angle measurement of wall surface for tilting frame multi rotor UAV

Abstract

We are developing a tilting-frame multi-rotor UAV that can change the pitch angle of the airframe while keeping the UAV’s propeller horizontal, working in high and dangerous places that are out of reach. The tilting frame multi rotor UAV is fitted with a work arm for inspecting high, sloping, and curved wall surfaces. In this study, we developed a system to measure the angle of the wall surface to the work arm using four TOF distance sensors mounted on the connection between the work arm and the fuselage. In some cases, the angle of the wall could be estimated accurately, but in other cases there was a large error of around 10 degree. We also evaluated the distance measurement characteristics of the TOF sensor using targets made of different materials and with different orientations.