Spline Mapping to Maximize Energy Exploitation of Non-Uniform Thermals

Authors

  • John Bird PSU University Park PA
  • Jack Langelaan PSU University Park PA

Keywords:

Meteorology, Aerodynamics, Design

Abstract

A method is described for modeling and maximizing the use of thermals by small unmanned aerial vehicles. A spline model is used to map thermals of arbitrary structure with no a priori knowledge of their shape. A candidate thermal exploitation method is developed to showcase the capability of this flexible mapping technique. Simulation results show the utility of the proposed approach both for simple Gaussian thermals and non-uniform thermals and compare climb rate for map-based thermalling and more traditional spiral climbing techniques.

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Issue

Vol. 37 No. 3 (2013)

Section

Articles

License

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