Modelling, stabilization and single motor failure recovery of a 4Y octorotor

Abstract

UAV applications that require small, simple and highmanoeuvrability vehicles frequently consider quadrotors. However, quadrotors lack actuator redundancy which means that failure of a single rotor results in instability and loss of the vehicle. This is obviously a major drawback for many applications. In this paper, the use of a 4Y octorotor as an alternative to the quadrotor is proposed for safety critical missions. A dynamic model is derived and a feedback controller is designed. Furthermore, a simple control reconfiguration strategy is proposed for the case of a single total rotor failure. The approach is tested by numerical simulations and the results demonstrate it to be feasible.