Using multiple UAVs to manipulate the full posture of an object is a promising capability in many industrial applications, such as autonomous building construction and heavy-load transportation. Among various methods, manipulation via cables excels in mechanical simplicity and ease of use, but is challenging from a control perspective. Existing centralized control methods either neglect the dynamic coupling between UAVs and the load or resort to a cascade structure, which limits the operational speed and cannot guarantee safety. In this work, we propose a centralized control method that uses nonlinear model predictive control. This control method takes into account the full nonlinear model of the load-UAV system, as well as the constraints of UAV thrust, collision avoidance, and ensuring all cables are taut. By taking into account the above factors, the proposed control algorithm can fully exploit the performance of UAVs and facilitate the speed of operation. We demonstrate our algorithm through 6-DoF simulations to achieve fast and safe manipulation of the pose of a rigid-body payload using multiple UAVs.
翻译:使用多架无人驾驶航空器来操纵物体的全姿势是许多工业应用,例如自主建筑和重型载重运输的一种有希望的能力。在各种方法中,通过电缆操作在机械简单和便于使用方面优于机械,但从控制角度来说具有挑战性。现有的集中控制方法要么忽视无人驾驶航空器与载荷之间的动态连接,要么诉诸于一个限制操作速度且无法保障安全的级联结构。在这项工作中,我们提议一种使用非线性模型预测控制的集中控制方法。这种控制方法考虑到负载-无人驾驶航空器系统的完整非线性模型,以及无人驾驶航空器推力、避免碰撞和确保所有电缆受到的制约。考虑到上述因素,拟议的控制算法可以充分利用无人驾驶飞行器的性能,便利操作速度。我们通过6-DoF模拟来展示我们的算法,以便用多个无人驾驶航空器快速和安全地操纵硬体有效载荷的构成。