Onboard Wind Estimation for Small UAVs Equipped with Low-Cost Sensors: An Aerodynamic Model-Integrated Filtering Approach

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel aerodynamic model-integrated filtering method for small UAVs that accurately estimates 3D wind vectors using only low-cost onboard sensors, enabling autonomous and energy-efficient flight.

Contribution

It introduces an EKF-based wind estimation approach combined with AMAE that operates with minimal sensors and without flow angle measurements, validated through simulations and flight tests.

Findings

Efficiently estimates steady and time-varying 3D wind vectors

Validated through simulation and real flight tests

Analyzes aerodynamic model accuracy impact on estimation errors

Abstract

To enable autonomous wind estimation for energy-efficient flight in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), this study proposes a method that estimates flight states and wind using only the low-cost essential onboard sensors required for autonomous flight, without relying on additional wind measurement devices. The core of the method includes an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) integrated with the aerodynamic model and an Adaptive Moving Average Estimation (AMAE) technique, which improves the accuracy and smoothness of the wind estimation. Simulation results show that the approach efficiently estimates both steady and time-varying 3D wind vectors without requiring flow angle measurements. The impact of aerodynamic model accuracy on wind estimation errors is also analyzed to assess practical applicability. Flight tests validate the effectiveness of the method and its feasibility for real-time onboard computation. Additionally, uncertainties and error sources encountered during testing are systematically examined, providing a foundation for further refinement.