# HAARN: A Deep Neural Network-Based Intelligent Control Method for High-Altitude Adaptability of Heavy-Load UAV Power Systems

## TL;DR

This paper introduces HAARN, a deep learning method to improve high-altitude performance of heavy-load UAVs by dynamically adjusting power systems based on environmental conditions.

## Contribution

HAARN is a novel deep neural network-based control method that outperforms traditional approaches in high-altitude adaptability for heavy-load UAVs.

## Key findings

- HAARN reduces thrust attenuation by 12.5% and improves energy efficiency by 8.3% at 4000 m altitude.
- The method demonstrates consistent performance improvements across altitudes from 0 to 4500 m.
- HAARN learns complex nonlinear relationships using real-time environmental data to optimize UAV power output.

## Abstract

The construction of ultra-high voltage transmission lines puts extremely high demands on the high-altitude operation of heavy-load unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Air density and temperature at high altitudes have a great influence on the efficiency and stability of the UAV power system. Traditional regulation methods based on parameters pre-set or simple look-up tables cannot achieve the best adaptability. In this paper, we presents an intelligent method for the high-altitude adaptability control of heavy-load UAV power systems using a deep neural network. The proposed method collects real-time, multi-dimensional environmental parameters, including altitude, temperature, and air pressure, using a barometric altimeter and GPS receiver, constructs a High-Altitude Adaptive Regulation Network (HAARN), and intelligently learns complex nonlinear relationships to predict the optimal motor speed, propeller pitch angle, and current limit under the current environmental conditions so as to dynamically adjust power output. The HAARN model was trained on a dataset of 12,000 synchronized samples collected from both controlled environmental-chamber experiments (temperature range: −10 °C to 20 °C; pressure range: 100–50 kPa, corresponding approximately to 0–5500 m) and multi-point plateau flight trials conducted at 2000 m, 3000 m, 4000 m, and 4500 m. This combined dataset was used for feature engineering, exhaustive-label generation, and model validation to ensure robust generalization across realistic high-altitude operating conditions. Experimental results show that, compared with traditional PID control and lookup-table approaches, the proposed method reduces thrust attenuation by about 12.5% and improves energy efficiency by 8.3% at the altitude of 4000 m. In addition, HAARN demonstrates consistent improvements across the tested altitude range (0–4500 m).