Design of a fuzzy adaptive controller for a ducted fan (UAV)

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircrafts have many applications due to their floating capability, their ability in vertical take-off and landing and flying in limited areas. Since providing a safe flight without causing any damages whether to itself or its surrounding environment is very important for this vehicle, a particular kind of VTOL aircraft is presented in this article which satisfies the above-mentioned requirement. To increase safety, a cylindrical chamber called duct is used around the propellers. This enhances the efficiency of the system while reducing losses, increasing the thrust, decreasing noises, and improving the safety of the aircraft and its surrounding area. Moreover, aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft are modified. This vehicle is applied in indoor environments. In this research, firstly, aerodynamical and mechanical design of a kind of VTOL aircrafts called ducted fan is accomplished. Then, the desired controller is designed and the simulations results are given. Finally, the proposed scheme is improved and implemented on which navigation and control systems are installed, and many practical experiments are performed. In order to control the vehicle, optimization techniques are used, and the desired properties are evaluated