Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Modeling and Control of an Unmanned Airship with Sliding Ballast

  • Published:
Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Generally underpowered, underactuated, and large in size, airships express difficulties in adverse atmospheric conditions and situations requiring rapid or precise maneuvers. In this paper, a novel miniature unmanned airship with a sliding ballast is presented to address the limited altitude maneuverability. Simulated and experimental tests demonstrate that the proposed architecture allows for large pitch variations and, when combined with forward facing thrusters, rapid changes in altitude thus facilitating autonomous landings or payload delivery. Operational advantages such as increased hull rigidity and concentrated hardware inherent to the vehicle design are also discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rao, J., Gong, Z., Luo, J., Xie, S.: Unmanned airships for emergency management IEEE International Workshop on Safety, Security and Rescue Robotics, pp 125–130 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Frye, M., Gammon, S., Qian, C.: The 6-DOF dynamic model and simulation of the tri-turbofan remote-controlled airship American Control Conference, pp 816–821 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ko, J., Klein, D. J., Fox, D., Haehnel, D.: Gaussian processes and reinforcement learning for identification and control of an autonomous blimp IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pp 742–747 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kroeplin, B. H.: Segmented aircraft comprising an energy medium. 12 2011, US Patent App. 13/003,638

  5. Li, G., Ma, D., Yang, M.: Research of near space hybrid power airship with a novel method of energy storage. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 40, 9555–9562 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Khoury, G. A.: Airship Technology. Cambridge University Press (2012)

  7. Bestaoui, Y.: Modeling of a quad-rotor airship with wind and varying freight mass effects. International Review of Aerospace Engineering 2(2), 91–97 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Madonia, M., Di Furia, A., Bonasia, S., Vucinic, D.: Structural analysis of an engine chassis for a disc-shaped airship with thrust vector control. SAE International Journal of Materials and Manufacturing 8(1), 128–138 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Wu, C., Moog, C. H., Hu, Y.: Modelling and linear control of a buoyancy-driven airship Asian Control Conference, pp 75–80 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Saripalli, S., Montgomery, J., Sukhatme, G.: Visually guided landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle. IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 19(3), 371–380 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Liesk, T., Nahon, M., Boulet, B.: Design and experimental validation of a nonlinear low-level controller for an unmanned fin-less airship. IEEE Trans. Control Syst. Technol. 21(1), 149–161 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hong, C. -H., Choi, K. -C., Kim, B. -S.: Applications of adaptive neural network control to an unmanned airship. Int. J. Control. Autom. Syst. 7(6), 911–917 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Yang, Y., Wu, J., Zheng, W.: Adaptive fuzzy sliding mode control for robotic airship with model uncertainty and external disturbance. J. Syst. Eng. Electron. 23(2), 250–255 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Yang, Y., Wu, J., Zheng, W.: Attitude control for a station keeping airship using feedback linearization and fuzzy sliding mode control. Int. J. Innov. Comp. Inform. Control 8(12), 8299–8310 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Azinheira, J. R., Moutinho, A., de Paiva, E. C.: A backstepping controller for path-tracking of an underactuated autonomous airship. Int. J. Robust Nonlinear Control 19(4), 418–441 (2009)

  16. Kahale, E., Castillo Garcia, P., Bestaoui, Y.: Autonomous path tracking of a kinematic airship in presence of unknown gust. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 69(1), 431–446 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Zheng, Z., Huo, W., Wu, Z.: Trajectory tracking control for underactuated stratospheric airship. Adv. Space Res. 50(7), 906–917 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Fedorenko, R., Krukhmalev, V.: Indoor autonomous airship control and navigation system. MATEC Web of Conferences 42, 1–6 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Liu, Y., Pan, Z., Stirling, D., Naghdy, F.: Control of autonomous airship IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, pp 2457–2462 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Bhatta, P., Leonard, N. L.: Nonlinear gliding stability and control for vehicles with hydrodynamic forcing. Automatica 44(5), 1240–1250 (2008)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. Gomes, S. B. V.: An Investigation into the Flight Dynamics of Airships with Application to the YEZ-2A. Ph.D. dissertation, Cranfield University (1990)

  22. Li, Y., Nahon, M., Sharf, I.: Airship dynamics modeling: a literature review. Prog. Aerosp. Sci. 47(3), 217–239 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Mueller, J. B., Paluszek, M. A., Zhao, Y.: Development of an aerodynamic model and control law design for a high altitude airship AIAA 3Rd Unmanned Unlimited Technical Conference, pp 1–17 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Ashraf, M., Choudhry, M.: Dynamic modeling of the airship with matlab using geometrical aerodynamic parameters. Aerosp. Sci. Technol. 25(1), 56–64 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Thomasson, P. G.: Equations of motion of a vehicle in a moving fluid. J. Aircr. 37(4), 630–639 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sebbane, Y. B.: Lighter than Air Robots, vol. 58. Springer, Netherlands (2012)

  27. Lamb, H.: The Inertia Coefficients of an Ellipsoid Moving in Fluid. Aeronautical Research Committee, Tech. Rep. (1918)

  28. Munk, M. M.: Aerodynamics of airships. Aerodynamic Theory 6, 32–48 (1936)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Recoskie, S.: Autonomous Hybrid Powered Long Ranged Airship for Surveillance and Guidance. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Ottawa (2014)

  30. Jones, S. P., DeLaurier, J. D.: Aerodynamic estimation techniques for aerostats and airships. J. Aircr. 20(2), 120–126 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Hoerner, S. F.: Fluid Dynamic Drag. Hoerner Fluid Dynamics (1993)

  32. Raymer, D. P.: Aircraft Design: a Conceptual Approach. Amer Institute of Aeronautics (2012)

  33. Yongmei, W., Ming, Z., Zongyu, Z., Zewei, Z.: Trajectory tracking of a high altitude unmanned airship based on adaptive feedback linearization International Conference on Mechatronic Science, Electric Engineering and Computer (MEC), pp 2257–2261 (2011)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  34. Bennaceur, S., Azouz, N.: Contribution of the added masses in the dynamic modelling of flexible airships. Nonlinear Dyn. 67(1), 215–226 (2012)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by NSERC Discovery grant RGPIN-2014-04501.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada

    Eric Lanteigne, Ahmad Alsayed, Dominic Robillard & Steven G. Recoskie

Authors
  1. Eric Lanteigne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ahmad Alsayed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dominic Robillard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Steven G. Recoskie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Lanteigne.

Additional information

This work was supported by NSERC Discovery grant RGPIN-2014-04501

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lanteigne, E., Alsayed, A., Robillard, D. et al. Modeling and Control of an Unmanned Airship with Sliding Ballast. J Intell Robot Syst 88, 285–297 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-017-0533-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-017-0533-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation