Test performance of UAVwaypointfollower for fixedwing UAVs of different masses (in Kg) using the model in "shared_ua​v_aeroblks​/UAVFideli​tyExample" is

Hi,

I am interested in comparing trajectories traversed by fixed wing UAVs of different masses (Kg) where the path following algorithm and the desired trajectory is the same. I only have beginner level knowledge in Control Systems, and therefore trying to leverage existing simulink models and blocks. I came accross the example "shared_uav_aeroblks/UAVFidelityExample" at https://www.mathworks.com/help/uav/ug/transition-from-low-to-high-fidelity-uav-models.html. My question is: can I simply change the mass of the UAV in the Configuration of this following block: FidelityStepResponse/FixedWingModel/Mid Fidelty/UAV Plant Dynamics/Vehicle Dynamics, and run the simulink simulation? Or am I required to change other associated parameters? In the simulink model, that is provided by MATLAB, the mass parameter comes from variable "midFidelityUAV.aircraftM" stored in the following file : 'C:\Users\psinha2\Documents\MATLAB\Examples\R2021b\shared_uav_aeroblks\UAVFidelityExample\fidelityExample\modelData\midFidelityData.mat'.

I'd also appreciate any general guidance regarding other ways of generating UAV trajectories from UAVs of different masses in MATLAB.

Answer 1

[Vedant Dubey]

Hello Priyanka,

In order to change the mass of the mid fidelity UAV, midFidelityUAV.aircraftM is the right parameter. The way you can automate this is by directly editing the modelConfig/mediumFidelitySetup.m file.

Keep in mind that changing mass could require re-tuning the control loops and possibly the waypoint follower guidance gains to get the best performance. However, small changes to mass should not require this.

For quadrotors, the low fidelity guidance block allows specification of mass as a direct parameter under Configuration.

https://www.mathworks.com/help/uav/ref/guidancemodel.html

Kind Regards,

Vedant