A maneuverability analysis of a novel hexarotor UAV concept

Abstract

The sole means for conventional multirotor UAVs to achieve horizontal translation motion is by inducing changes in vehicle attitude. The lack of horizontal force control not only disallows full controllability in all 6 Degrees of Freedom (DoFs), but also limits the set of possible control solutions. One way of achieving horizontal force control is by mounting the rotors of a UAV under a fixed amount of tilt. Although this type of UAVs has been the topic of research in the past, there is still ample ground to cover in this area. Therefore, in this paper the maneuverability of a fully-actuated hexarotor is assessed. It is seen how a change in rotor tilt affects vehicle maneuverability and how propulsive efficiency is affected at the extremes. Furthermore, it is investigated what implications these results have for the high-level design process. Finally, it is seen how maneuverability is affected if one of the motors fails.