A Propulsion Energy Minimization Method for DEP-UAV with Powered Yaw Control

Unlike ground applications, the capacity of onboard power supplies in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is usually restricted, which calls for optimized flight trajectory with minimized energy consumption. Distributed electric propulsion (DEP) system has drawn much attention in UAV applications, owing to its advanced performance in aerodynamic efficiency. In this work, a propulsion energy consumption model is developed for UAV with distributed electric propulsion system (DEP-UAV) considering its powered yaw capability. An improved adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm based on a dynamic opposition-based learning strategy is used for trajectory optimization. The effectiveness of this work has been validated using a fully numerical simulation. Comparative experimental results show that the flight trajectories obtained by the proposed method consume less propulsion energy than existing methods.