Analysis and control of an active balance tail for the tilting dual-rotor UAV

PurposeCompared to quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the tilting dual-rotor UAV is more prone to instability during exercises and disturbances. The purpose of this paper is using an active balance tail to enhance the hovering stability and motion smoothness of tilting dual-rotor UAV.Design/methodology/approachA balance tail is proposed and integrated into the tilting dual-rotor UAV to enhance hovering stability and motion smoothness. By strategically moving, the balance tail generates additional force and moment, which can promote the rapid stability of the UAV. Subsequently, the control strategy of the UAV is designed, and the influence of the swing of the balance tail at different installation positions with different masses on the dual-rotor UAV is analyzed through simulation. The accompany motion law and the active control, which is based on cascade Proportion Integration Differentiation (PID) control to enhance the hovering stability and motion smoothness of the UAV, are proposed.FindingsThe results demonstrate that active control has obvious adjustment effectiveness when the UAV moves to the target position or makes an emergency stop compared with the results of balance tail no swing and accompany motion.Practical implicationsThe balance tail offers a straightforward means to enhance the motion smoothness of tilting dual-rotor UAV, rendering it safer and more reliable for practical applications.Originality/valueThe novelty of this works comes from the application of an active balance tail to improve the stability and motion smoothness of dual-rotor UAV.