Scalable Highly Maneuverable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles v2.0 for Confined Spaces.

无人驾驶车辆已被用于自然和意外紧急情况，以及各种任务，有时取得成功，但更多的时候只是证实了它们的潜力。特别是无人机系统（UAS），是一种自主的空中机器人，正在推动航空航天业的发展，并为许多商业和民用部门带来革命性的变化。尽管取得了相对的成功，但在实现无人机系统的全部潜力之前，必须实现一些发展。基于我之前在能够以零速度执行机动的高度可扩展的UAS领域的UAS开发，拟议的研究将开发一些机器人模块，旨在使UAS能够在有限的，结构化或非结构化的空间内有效地半自主和自主移动，在低海拔，靠近基础设施，以及在没有GPS可用并且必须执行有效的实时感测和避免任务的高速下。Ramirez-Serrano博士的UAS计划在未来5年内将进行的开发包括下一代便携式和可扩展的重型起重高度可拆卸的垂直起飞和降落UAS，用于直升机无法穿透的环境，具有通过机载机器人手臂执行工作的能力。这些发展将基于以前已经成功开发的无人机原型。具体来说，我们将使用一种可扩展的双螺旋桨垂直起降无人机在高度狭窄的空间中进行操作。目标是扩展最近开发的UAS的当前能力，这些能力能够执行其他飞机无法执行的机动，使它们能够在先验未知的高度受限空间内执行此类机动，例如倒塌的建筑物，矿井，以及三个树冠或城市和工业陷阱。为了实现这一目标，UAS将包括以前开发的工具和算法的增强版本，例如：i）用于受限城市和自然环境的3D导航和传感机制; ii）能够在干扰情况下改变UAS姿态的鲁棒自适应控制器; iii）通过倾斜螺旋桨的推力矢量机制。使用螺旋桨的主要原因是：1）与相同直径的自由支柱相比，推力增加了50%-70%; 2）降低了噪音-设计合理的螺旋桨的噪音是自由支柱的一半; 3）提高了安全性。拟议的无人机系统将进一步加强机械臂，以执行有用的工作。目标应用程序侧重于一些关键操作，如管道泄漏检测，城市搜索和救援，基础设施检查/维护，以及旨在支持民防机构，消防队和EMS的警务。拟议的工作针对两个科学领域，即i）系统架构，以及ii）传感，导航，控制和协调。

Unmanned vehicles have been used in natural and accidental emergencies, and diverse missions sometimes with success, but more often just confirming their potential. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), in particular, are autonomous aerial robots that are driving growth in the aerospace industry and revolutionizing many commercial and civil sectors. Despite their relative success a number of developments must be realized before the full potential of UAS can be realized. Based on my previous UAS developments in the area of highly maneuverable UAS capable of performing maneuvers at zero speed, the proposed research will develop a number of robotic modules targeted to enable UAS to effectively move semi-autonomously and autonomously within confined, structured or unstructured, spaces, at low altitudes, in close proximity to infrastructure, and at high speeds where no GPS is available and where effective real-time sense and avoid tasks must be performed. The developments to be performed within Dr. Ramirez-Serrano's UAS program in the next 5 years include a next generation portable and scalable heavy lift highly maneuverable Vertical Take-Off and Landing UASs for helicopter impenetrable environments having the ability to perform work via on-board robot arms. Such developments will be based on previous UAV prototypes that have been successfully developed. Specifically, we will use a scalable twin shrouded-propeller VTOL UAV for operations in highly confined spaces. The goal is to extend the current capabilities of recently developed UAS, which are capable of performing maneuvers that no other aircraft can execute, to enable them to perform such maneuvers within a priori unknown highly confined spaces such as collapsed buildings, mines, and within the three canopy or urban and industrial entrapments. To make this possible, the UASs will include enhanced versions of previously developed tools an algorithms such as: i) 3D navigation and sensing mechanisms for confined urban and natural environments; ii) Robust adaptive controllers capable of changing the attitude of the UAS despite disturbances; and iii) Thrust vectoring mechanisms via tilting shrouded-propellers. The primary reasons for using shrouded-props are: 1) Increased thrust by 50%-70% when compared to a free prop of the same diameter; 2) Reduced Noise - A properly designed shrouded-prop is half as loud as a free prop; and 3) Improved Safety. The proposed UAS will be further enhanced with robotic arms to perform useful work. The target applications focus on a number of critical operations such as pipeline leak detection, urban search & rescue, infrastructure inspection/maintenance, and policing aimed at supporting Civil Protection Agencies, Fire brigades and EMS. The proposed work targets two scientific areas, namely i) system architecture, and ii) sensing, navigation, control and coordination.