Introduction to multirotor

UAV configurations
AER1216
September 22nd 2016
Jason King
Flight Systems and Controls Lab (FSC)
Jason.King@mail.utoronto.ca

Overview of presentation:
Different multirotor types:

Monospinner
Tricopter
Quadcopter
Etc

Limitations of multicopters
Alternative implementations (VTOL/fixed wing blends)
Helicopters
Components of Multirotor systems
Payloads/uses

Monospinner
No practical use
Not capable of being used outside a lab
Pretty cool, though one single moving part

Tricopters
Typically better for aerial videography
Better yaw control, less coupled with thrust

Still have four moving parts a tilt (typically servo) is

required to balance yaw
Cheaper (one less ESC/motor)
Potentially more reliable (if we assume ESCs and
Motors most likely to fail, this would have longer MTBF)

Quadrocopter
Most popular
Four fixed-pitch, counter-rotating props
Four moving parts (the motors)
So many examples of this most popular is DJI
Phantom, Parrot Beebop, a few others

Hexacopter
Two configurations 6 individual motor mounts, or Y6
a tricopter with each boom having both an upward
and downward facing motor
More lift, potential added reliability (theoretically can
remain flying with one motor incapacitated)
Keep in mind this is not always the case
In particular for Y6s one propeller failure can induce a
second

For heavier lift applications

Octorotor
Again two main configurations
Standard with 8 separate arms
X8, like a quadcopter but with upward and downward facing
arms

For still heavier lift applications

Can theoretically sustain two motor failures depending
on configuration

Hexadecacopter, etc
No real limit to the number of propellers that can be
added. Witness the Volocopter:
16 propellers by my count
Specs difficult to find

Problems with multirotors

Biggest one is their battery life
Ranges from a few minutes to at best 1.5 hours
Caused by the poor energy density of LiPo/LiIon battery packs
when compared with gasoline

Poor maneuverability for some of the bigger ones

Typically swinging bigger props larger angular momentum
slower reaction to input changes

Most efficient at hover

Inherently unstable requires flight controller

Flight time considerations:

Weight is key. Actually power/weight is the key, but seeing as
almost everyone carries LiPo, frame/payload/electronics weight
decrease allows larger batteries, enabling longer flight times.
Remove extra wiring
Avoid connectors, particularly heavy ones
Ive seen people remove plastic covering from components to reduce
weight!

For heavy lift long endurance platforms, seek low kV motors (2400kV)
Large props
High-power density batteries

Flight time considerations (contd)

Selecting motors/props together
Motor/Prop combo is extremely important.
Test for efficiency, in g/W

Not that well modeled mathematically (at least in

research papers I could find)
Flying style also matters
Hover vs. actual flight times can be significantly different!

Octocopter vs X8
Propellers in a coaxial configuration lose approx. 14% of
their thrust for the same RPM (which equates
approximately to power draw)
This is based on research of DraganFly X8 aircraft

Becomes a question of whether or not the extra weight

from adding 4 arms is worth losing 14% of your efficiency
X8 will typically allow larger propeller sizes for the same
diameter UAV, which means an X8 can be smaller than an
octo for same motor/prop combination
No universal answer, depends on the configuration

Efficiency design considerations

Bigger rotor is better (disk actuator theory)
The higher the area, for equivalent thrust the lower the power

Mounting propeller below arm is more efficient than

above
Have heard numbers around 5%
Reason for this is the airstream leaving prop is faster than the
one an equivalent distance above, causing more drag/losses
(pushes down more)

Center of Gravity considerations

One might think it should be below to maintain stability
This may be true, but not a general rule
Quite a bit of debate on this topic, again no definite answer
Rocket pendulum fallacy
originally thought with rocket engine on top, the weight of the fuel would act as a
pendulum and balance it
Incorrect in a uniform gravitational field, C of G and C of M are the same no
stabilizing torque

Similar on quadrotor, but with complication of center of lift v. center of mass

causing torque.
Additionally, sideways motion induces wind resistance which will also affect
stability

Alternative concepts
Quite a few alternative concepts are proposed to try to
balance the convenience of VTOL/hover capability with
the efficiency and flight duration of a fixed-wing craft

Quadplane
Tailsitter
Tiltrotor
Tiltwing

Quadplane
Popular these days
Brute force approach

Advantage
Simplicity

Disadvantage
Added weight

TailSitter
XPlus One, google delivery drone prototype, a few
others:
Advantages:
Simplicity
Efficient at both operations

Disadvantages:
Wind tolerance

Tilt-Rotor
Several early examples, including the X-22 aircraft
which (eventually) let to the V-22 Osprey:

Tilt rotor (contd)

Some ongoing work in FSC Lab to develop controller for a TiltRotor:

Tilt Wing
Variation on the theme of tiltrotor
Wing tilts more efficient climb
Can be mechanically more complex

Advantages:
More efficient than tilt-wing
Simpler transition?

Disadvantages:
Rotation more difficult
Hover less efficient than tilt-wing
Large surface area presented to cross-wind

Multirotor vs. fixed wing

Multirotors

Have much less battery capacity

VTOL, can be launched from anywhere
No need for end turns in mapping
Typically low redundancy

Fixed Wing:

Longer flights
Typically requires launch equipment
End turns
Overflight of other property
Can survive loss of motor

Helicopters:
Single large rotor with variable pitch
High efficiency

Secondary rotor for yaw control

Swashplate used for control vary the overall pitch of
blades or the distribution of the pitch of the blades in
the plane
Allows for faster control than multirotors

Helicopters (contd)
Helicopters are better than multirotors in many respects
Single main engine can be gasoline, enabling flights of many
hours
Most efficient in cruise flight trade off between translational
lift and rotor drag
Known quantity have reliable flight data from manned
helicopters

Disadvantages:
Larger blade -> larger kinetic energy -> potentially more
hazardous
Perceived to be more difficult to control
Maintenance is more demanding

Components of a typical system

Motors (Brushless DC)
Propellers (fixed pitch)
Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs)
Flight Controller
Radio Receiver
GPS
Payload
Power Distribution Board
Batteries (power source)

Motor categorization
Brushed DC motors (uncommon)
Internal Combustion motors (Only multirotor Im aware
of with this was the X-22, which was a different beast
see picture below)
Brushless DC most common
Inrunner (core rotates quickly, but low torque)
Outrunner (shell rotates slower, but higher torque)
Better cooling, most common in quads

Motor categorization
Brushless DC outrunners are most common
Many different manufacturers an approximate
standard is that the letters will symbolize manufacturer,
then the first two numbers are stator diameter and the
third and fourth are stator length. The number of poles
is indicated after a dash
This varies with motors always double check!

kV number rotor speed with one volt and no load (not

a kilovolt)
For multirotors, lower kV = more flight time

Propellers
Rated by Diameter/Pitch
A 9x6 prop means it has a diameter of 9, and a pitch of 6
Of critical importance in efficiency

Materials
Plastic (more bendy, slightly less efficient)
Carbon Fiber more efficient, also more deadly
Wood (uncommon) too easily chipped

Propeller balancing is critical to avoid unwanted highfrequency vibrations and possible damage

Electronic Speed Controllers (ESC)

Takes the PWM signal from flight controller and power
from the battery and redirects to the motors
One of the most common failure points
Rated to specific amperage typically better to go high
Offers no actual feedback in most cases i.e. no idea if
the motor is actually spinning at the rate we expect
Typically contains a Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC)
supplies 5V power to the flight controller, can eliminate
need for PDB

Power Distribution Board (PDB)

A convenience feature included on many frames,
necessary in other situations
Exactly what it sounds like a board capable of carrying
high current loads, typically:
Takes Voltage input from Battery
Redistributes this voltage to many pads for use with ESCs
Contains a 5V DC-DC rectifier to provide power to the flight
controller
Often contains a 12V rectifier as well, to provide power to an
onboard camera or video transmitter/receiver

Flight Controllers
Possibly the most critical piece of Hardware

Failure often (always?) leads to crash

Responsible for stabilizing the multirotor
Outputs commands typically through PWM ports
Receives commands from the Radio Receiver (can be in PWM
or more advanced communication protocols)
Receives information from GPS
Can be set up to control gimbal or other component (gripper
arm, trigger camera, etc)

Flight controllers (contd)

Many choices, will outline a few of the most popular
below:

DJI (Naza-m v2 or the A3 a triple redundant autopilot)

3DR/Pixhawk (no longer manufactured by them)
Micropilot (based in Winnipeg)
Naze32 (typically for smaller builds limited I/O and
processing)
KK2
Lisa/Elle0

Flight Control Softwares

Proprietary (Aeryon, Microcopter, DJI, etc)
Open Source:

Ardupilot
PX4
Paparrazi
CleanFlight/BaseFlight

Radio Receiver
Typically will come with your transmitter
Several good brands available (Taranis, Spectrum, etc)
Typically in North America will operate on the 2.4GHz
range (same as WiFi) but implement channel-hopping.
Can also be 5.8GHz or 900MHz

GPS
Constellation of satellites which broadcast on several
frequencies and allow any number of earth-based
receivers to pinpoint their location.
Antenna/Receiver
Typical to have the two put together in a casing for the
DIY market
More advanced applications may have the antenna
separate from the receiver, requiring shielded cabling to
preserve the signal
Active/Passive antennas (amplifier vs. no amplifier)
Filtering of the signal

Power Source
Most commonly Lithium Polymer Batteries
Typically given capacity (in mAh), # of cells (Voltage), and C rating (max
charge/discharge rate)
Max charge/discharge = Capacity * (C rating)
14.7V, 1000mAh, 20C battery has a max discharge rate of 20A continuous
Fuel Cells are being investigated
Distance powering via lasers or radio waves, even induction (see
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/get-distant-wireless-power-solution-fordrone-industry - unconfirmed, but if true very cool)
Tethered (umbilical cord to ground power)

Li-Po vs Li-Ion
Li-Po
Energy density around 150-225Wh/kg
Discharge rates of 10-50C are the norm

Li-Ion
Can have more energy density than Li-Po (70%-100% more)
Lasts longer (1000s of cycles if treated properly)
Has a max discharge rate around 2C which means twice its
capacity, so very low. Limits its use in anything carrying a
significant payload
Has been used in all battery powered endurance quads 1h30
minute + flights

Payloads
Often a camera
video or photography
Infrared, Hyperspectral, UV

LiDAR (rare, but increasing in popularity)

Can be a pizza, beer, or medical supplies
Typically the whole reason the UAV exists in the first
place
Check out Aerobugs for inspiration

Uses for agriculture:

Typically agriculture is interested in a few things:
Precision agriculture new, developing field.
Imagery/information collection
Application (pesticide, bugs, seeds, etc)

Hoping to increase yields

Most uses involve having a Near Infrared (NIR) camera to

calculate NDVI an indication of vegetation health
Still some debate as to utility one problem is typically these sensors
were flown from satellites with resolutions measured in tens of meters
averaged dirt/crop was used. Now, crop pixels have to be separated from
dirt

Questions?