The Triangular Quadrotor: A More Efficient Quadrotor Configuration

TLDR

Hover power scales inversely with rotor radius, so a single large rotor outperforms multiple smaller ones for a given footprint, but smaller rotors offer faster response and are advantageous for indoor robots with size constraints. The study introduces a fixed‑pitch miniature rotorcraft that merges helicopter‑like efficiency with quadrotor simplicity. The triangular quadrotor employs one large lift rotor and three slightly canted small rotors for control, with a power‑efficiency budget and a dynamic model that shows PID control can stabilize the aircraft. Analysis and experiments demonstrate that the triangular quadrotor reduces hover power by about 20% theoretically and 15% empirically compared to a conventional quadrotor of similar mass and footprint.

Abstract

We describe a new configuration of fixed-pitch miniature robot rotorcraft that combines the energetic efficiency of a helicopter and the mechanical simplicity of a quadrotor. The large power required to hover is proportional to the inverse of the rotor radius; thus, for a given diameter footprint, a single large rotor will energetically outperform several smaller rotors within the same boundary. However, smaller rotors are able to respond more quickly than large rotors, which require complex actuation to provide control. Our "triangular quadrotor" configuration uses a single large rotor for lift and three small rotors for control, gaining the benefits of both. The small rotors are canted slightly to also provide the same service as a conventional helicopter's tail rotor. Momentum theory analysis shows that a triangular quadrotor may provide a 20% reduction in required hover power, compared with a quadrotor of the same mass and footprint. This is particularly valuable for flying robots working indoors where maximum rotor size is constrained. Using conventional quadrotor and a triangular quadrotors constructed to be a similar as possible, we demonstrate that the triangular quadrotor uses 15% less power, without optimization. A power efficiency budget is provided, and the influence of drive system efficiency is explored. We present a dynamic model and demonstrate experimentally that the aircraft can be stabilized in flight with simple PID control.