Wind Estimation by Unmanned Air Vehicle with Delta Wing

Abstract

In this paper, an algorithm to estimate wind direction by using a small and light Unmanned Air Vehicle(UAV) called KITEPLANE was proposed. KITEPLANE had a big main wing which is a kite-like delta shape and, therefore, it was easy to be disturbed by wind. However, this disadvantage implies that the KITEPLANE has an ability to sense wind and that it is expected to use the KITEPLANE as a sensor for wind estimation. In order to achieve this feature, dynamics of the KITEPLANE under wind disturbance were derived and a numerical estimation method was proposed. Devices equipped on board were also developed and the proposed method was implemented. Results of an experiment showed the effectiveness of the proposed method.