Multicopter Wind Measurement via Aerodynamic Power and Force Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multicopters face challenges in accurately measuring wind speeds during flight due to limitations in estimating external forces and aerodynamic performance, leading to less precise and robust wind measurement capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A multicopter system equipped with electric motors and propellers, utilizing a combination of GPS, LIDAR, cameras, and inertial measurement units, along with machine learning function approximators, to estimate external forces and aerodynamic performance, allowing for precise determination of wind speeds through regression analysis and aerodynamic modeling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external force estimation methods from prior art are used, then wind speed estimation is possible, but measurement precision is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wind measurement process into distinct components: horizontal relative velocity determination from external force estimation, vertical relative velocity determination from aerodynamic power measurement, and final wind speed calculation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, improving overall measurement precision while maintaining robustness through comprehensive data collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The multicopter system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it estimates external forces for horizontal velocity, measures aerodynamic power for vertical velocity, determines complete relative velocity vector, and calculates wind speed. This multi-functionality approach enables precise wind measurement while robustly accounting for all aerodynamic influences on the aircraft.
2Measurement precision
If only external force estimation is used for wind measurement, then the system remains simple, but measurement precision and robustness are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The multicopter uses its own operational parameters (external force estimates from navigation systems, aerodynamic power from motor controllers) to determine wind speed. The system serves itself by leveraging data already collected during normal flight operations, avoiding the need for separate dedicated measurement hardware and maintaining system simplicity while improving precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical anemometers with a computational approach that uses force estimation and aerodynamic modeling. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical wind sensing hardware while achieving superior measurement precision through integrated data processing from existing sensors and systems.
3Reliability
If comprehensive aerodynamic modeling is implemented, then wind measurement robustness improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces computational models and data processing algorithms as intermediaries between raw sensor data and wind speed output. These intermediaries process external force estimates and aerodynamic power measurements through established aerodynamic relationships, providing robust wind measurement while keeping the physical hardware configuration relatively simple.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a multicopter which can be used to carry out wind measurements and to a method for measuring wind by means of a multicopter. The multicopter comprises a number N of electric motors MOTn for driving N propellers PROPn, a first interface (101) for providing first parameters P1 comprising: a 3-D position r B of the centre of gravity B of the multicopter, the time derivatives: r B and r B , a 3-D orientation 0 M of the multicopter and the time derivative 0 M thereof, a second interface (102) for providing an aerodynamic power Pa,n currently produced by each of the propellers PROP n , a first unit (103) which determines horizontal components (v r,x, v r,y ) of a relative speed of the multicopter with respect to the air on the basis of the first parameters P1 and on the basis of a provided model M1 for describing dynamics of the multicopter and an estimate of a force screw T e externally acting on the multicopter, as determined on the basis of the model M1, a second unit (104) which determines the vertical component (v r, z ) of the relative speed v r on the basis of the determined horizontal components (v r,x, v r,y ) and on the basis of the aerodynamic power P a, n , a third unit (105) which determines the wind speed v w in an inertial system on the basis of the determined horizontal components (v r,x, v r,y ), the vertical component (v r, z ) and on the basis of the parameters P1, and a storage unit (106) for storing the wind speeds v w (r B ) and/or a transmission unit (107) for wirelessly transmitting the wind speed v w(r B ) to a receiver (108).