Design, Modelling and Control of an Amphibious Quad-Rotor for Pipeline Inspection

TL;DR

This paper presents the development and validation of an amphibious quad-rotor system that combines aerial and surface capabilities for efficient pipeline inspection, addressing limitations of traditional pipe robots.

Contribution

It introduces a hybrid amphibious quad-rotor system, models its nonlinear dynamics, and demonstrates its effectiveness through experiments and simulations.

Findings

Validated nonlinear dynamic model of the amphibious system

Effective PI control implementation on prototype

Successful demonstration of hybrid vehicle capabilities

Abstract

Regular inspections are crucial to maintaining waste-water pipelines in good condition. The challenge is that inside a pipeline the space is narrow and may have a complex structure. The conventional methods that use pipe robots with heavy cables are expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to operate. In this work, we develop an amphibious system that combines a quad-copter with a surface vehicle, creating a hybrid unmanned aerial floating vehicle (HUAFV). Nonlinear dynamics of the HUAFV are modeled based on the dynamic models of both operating modes. The model is validated through experiments and simulations. A PI controller designed and tuned on the developed model is implemented onto a prototype platform. Our experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the new HUAFV's modeling and design.