Design, Modeling and Control of a Solar-Powered Quadcopter

This paper presents the design, modeling, control, and experimental test of a solar-powered quadcopter to allow for long-endurance missions. We first present the design of a large-scale quadcopter that incorporates solar energy harvesting capabilities. Based on the design results, we built the dynamical model of the customized quadcopter with analysis of the aerodynamic influence. A feedback control system is developed for the solar-powered quadcopter that takes into account the wind disturbance and is verified in virtual simulation examples. All parameters used in the modeling and simulations are based on a developed prototype of the solar-powered quadcopter. Flight tests with the prototype are presented to validate the feasibility and theoretical basis of the solar-powered quadcopter.