PX4 - Call for VTOL test pilots - Blogs

Call for VTOL test pilots! The PX4 standard firmware (master branch, downloadable via QGroundControl) supports first VTOL vehicle (duo-rotor, tail sitter). This video demonstrates the transition from hover - fixed wing - hover. Contact: http://px4.io/vtol.

Additional vehicles are currently in testing, including a BirdsEyeView FireFly Y6 (tilt rotor) and a Quadshot (quad tail sitter). The main benefit during initial bring-up of VTOL support of the TBS Caipirinha is its small size and high operational safety, combined with the inherent ruggedness of a flying wing airframe.

As the PX4 flight stack (running with the PX4 middleware on Pixhawk) is unified platform without separate multicopter or plane codebases and using the same command & control (arming, logging, safety) state machines and mission management for all platforms, its perfectly suited for VTOL development. Adding VTOLs didn't mean to introduce a new vehicle category, rather, it mostly meant adding a new mixer, a VTOL transition controller and some minor tweaks.

Note these are initial results leveraging existing multicopter and fixed wing controllers spiced with a VTOL transition controller - the dev team is meanwhile experimenting with model predictive controllers. But even this initial baseline implementation works quite well and is ready for some flying.

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Comments

Roman Bapst March 26, 2015 at 12:21am

@Mauro Rodirguez You can join the PX4 gitter channel https://gitter.im/PX4/VTOL This serves as the main discussion platform for the VTOL project.

PX4/VTOL - Gitter
Mauro Rodriguez March 25, 2015 at 2:49pm

Any news about this project???
Mark Whitehorn January 18, 2015 at 2:32pm

Thanks Roman,

That's great to hear. Pitot tubes are a pain in the ass, and I've found it necessary to recalibrate the airspeed sensor too often.

I'll shoot for the front of the CG range for initial test flights then. I assume you didn't have any pitch oscillations in manual mode forward flight. Or is "manual" still under autopilot control?

73, Mark
Roman Bapst January 18, 2015 at 2:11pm

Hi Mark, I guess I am a bit nose-heavy just to make sure it is self-stabilizing in fixed wing flight. But I still have it inside the recommended range. After today's flight test I believe that it can be flown without an airspeed sensor. I introduced a method with calculates induced prop airspeed via momentary current and voltage. I think this might be enough in order to scale the gains such that you don't have oscillations (without measuring airspeed). If you do not scale gains with airspeed you have really scary pitch oscillations. I will let you know tomorrow which parameters you have to change after I have completed the wiki. But it really is no big deal.

Cheers,

Roman
Mark Whitehorn January 18, 2015 at 8:51am

Also, can the Caipirinha VTOL fly without an airspeed sensor, and if so, which parameters need to be altered?
Mark Whitehorn January 18, 2015 at 7:38am

@Roman Just to clarify CG location: do you have it in the recommended range or are you a bit nose-heavy?
Markus Oswald January 10, 2015 at 12:02pm

If you think it PX4 could work for tilt-rotor or tilt-duct systems as well, I'd like to test it. (Hardware is ready for testing -only need right software)
Mauro Rodriguez December 22, 2014 at 1:53pm

Hi Bill Piedra. Could you contact me please at monauro at gmail dot com? I am working on a similar solution as yours in my Talon UAV ;) Regards!
100KM

crystal garris December 21, 2014 at 10:29pm

twin motors would look nice on a techwing, I'll sign up.
Moderator

Bill Piedra December 20, 2014 at 1:20pm

How do I apply? I have been working on this VTOL for almost a year. I have flown this as a 5 motor (quad + pusher ) and am now trying to get it to fly as an OCTO + 1.

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