Co-design Approaches to Dependable Networked Control Systems

Chapter 7

Implementation: Control and Diagnosis for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 1

7.1. Introduction

Embedded systems are gaining ground in high-tech industries such as the automotive industry or aeronautics. Most of these systems are network controlled, which raises new control and diagnostic research problems. Analyzing, prototyping, simulating, and guaranteeing the safety of these systems are very challenging topics. Models are needed for the mechatronic continuous system, for the discrete controllers and diagnosers, and for network behavior. Real-time properties (task response times) and the network Quality of Service (QoS) influence the controlled system properties (Quality of Control, QoC).

Miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) present unique challenges compared with most robotic applications. While fixed-wing vehicles have extensive applications for military and meteorological purposes due to their range, speed and flight duration, there is a distinct preference for rotor-craft vehicles in indoor and outdoor civilian applications. Thanks to their hover capability, they tend to be useful for many exploration missions such as video supervision of road traffic, surveillance of urban districts, forest fire detection or building inspection. Compared to aircrafts, they represent lightweight, low-cost systems with sensors and actuators that are often subject to faults (offsets, drifts). Consequently, their maintenance is essential, and, at times, challenging. Moreover, even in ...