ArduPlane v2: Full autonomous flight HIL simulation of a Nimbus 4m electro-glider drone

Here a video of the test of a Nimbus 4 meters wingspan electro-glider piloted by the firmware ArduPlane 2.28xp1 (updated version with a JLN mod). Test done in HIL mode with the AeroSIM-RC v3.83 simulator connected through the AP Mission planner v1.1.30 on an ArduPilot Mega board v1.

Test Mission profile:

Full AUTO TakeOff,
Exec of the flight plan (8 Waypoints),
Full AUTO Landing.

The original ArduPlane v2.28 firmware has been updated (xp1) with some improvements:

Tuning of the final slope for a smooth touchdown, tested with the Nimbus 4 on AeroSIM-RC 3.83 in HIL mode,
Auto calculation of the wp_radius Vs the ground_speed and the max turn angle in AUTO mode so as to get the best turning point at the Wp,
add the CLOSED_LOOP_NAV ENABLED switch to allow redoing the flight plan after the end of the exec,
add HIL mode test in GCS_Mavlink.pde for AeroSIM RC v3.83 (and also Xplane v9), the APMHill plugin tested with the Nimbus 4m electro-glider model,
the CLI switch can be disabled, this allows to use only a APM CPU board without a full IMU shield for HIL test.

This is a part of the project Thermopilot (a Thermal Hunter drone): The purpose is to build a full autonomous Thermal Hunter Glider which is able to fly for a long duration in an area defined by a radius, a ceiling and a minimal altitude. The glider uses thermal soaring and dynamic soaring methods commonly used by full scale gliders during cross country soaring competitions. The ThermoPilot has been tested successfuly in flight during the summer and spring 2011 on a Cularis and a ASW24 3.50m electro-glider (below). Lot of flights have been done in high mountains (slope/ridge soaring) and above the fields (thermal soaring).

The Thermopilot project will continue intensively during the spring 2012... Stay tuned...

Regards, Jean-Louis

More infos at: http://diydrones.com/profile/JeanLouisNaudin

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Comments

moshe drori April 10, 2012 at 10:30pm

Hi Jean-Louis

Thanks for your response, I'm new on this forum

I got this source code - for example

C:\arduino\1\ArduPlane_228xp2\libraries\APO\AP_Guide.cpp

but I doesn't find on it the  any auto-landing  algorithm.

I'll appreciated if you can  connect me to the someone of the developers

maybe most of the auto-landing down on the ground station ?

Please your response

Shalom & Regards

Moshe

Developer

Jean-Louis Naudin April 10, 2012 at 10:06pm

Hello Moshe,

You will find the full source of the ArduPlane v2.28xp2 with the full auto-landing and auto_wp radius addons that I have successfully tested with AeroSIM-RC and the Nimbus 4 glider HERE

Regards, Jean-Louis
moshe drori April 10, 2012 at 9:16pm

Hi,

It's really a great job !!!

Following to APM2 pltform - Automatic Landing capability

I tried to find a link to the ArduPlane 2.28xp1 source code files also for previous version for but i doesn't find it...

I want to understand from it the basic Automatic Landing APM2 algorithm - I'll appreciated if you can give me more details about it .

I hope that soon you will notify us about his real Autonomous Flight include landing

Thank you & much sucsess

Regards

Moshe
Developer

Jean-Louis Naudin February 10, 2012 at 12:58am

Below the path recorded during a cross country soaring mission and the gained altitude with the ThermoPilot v5.2. In this exemple, I have used a glider, so no external power source (motor) is used to sustain the altitude, only the thermal upwards along the path are used.

Regards, Jean-Louis

https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3689444730?profile=original
Developer

Marco Robustini February 10, 2012 at 12:35am

Wow! JL I hope that your test end soon, I can not wait to try it on my ASW28!
Developer

Jean-Louis Naudin February 10, 2012 at 12:19am

Here a good example of thermal hunting along the track with the ThermoPilot v5.2, you may notice the change of the direction of the turn and also the change of the turn rate during the spiral in the thermal upwards...

Regards, Jean-Louis
spagoziak February 9, 2012 at 10:11pm

This is ... amazing. I'm eager to introduce TP to my skywalker :)
Developer

Jean-Louis Naudin February 9, 2012 at 12:58pm

Hello Gary, in simulation the ThermoPilot find the thermal each time, as you may notice in some screens above, it is able to adapt the direction of the turn Vs the thermal position. It is also able to adjust the turn rate Vs the strenght of the thermal upwards as a glider pilot do during true thermal hunting. (Ps: I have been also a true glider licenced pilot few years ago...).

Some improvements that I soon have planned is to find and ajust the optimal speed of flight and the pitch of the glider Vs the rate of sink so as to follow the MacCready theory to be closest as possible to the polar of the glider...

Regards, Jean-Louis
Moderator

Gary Mortimer February 9, 2012 at 11:39am

How often does the platform find thermals in simulation? Can you run away to a known working slope based on wind derived from the aircraft in flight?? Very exciting stuff.
Developer

Mark Colwell February 9, 2012 at 10:08am

JL your amazing, It is very hard to wait for the fully qualified release, I have several gliders to install it on,

Thank for all the hard work you do, it is a pleasure to read your threads.

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