New approach of the navigation control of small size UAVs

In unmanned aerial vehicle operations as well as in aviation the airflow direction and speed plays a major role. The wind speed may limit the use of aircraft, and determines the direction of the takeoff and landing. In the case of small size UAVs (0.5 – 4 m wingspan, 0.5 – 10 kg takeoff weight) the strength and the direction of the wind is quite important, because the airspeed of the vehicle is in the same scale, and the turbulence can affect the flight path. The general methods of wind measurement cannot be applied onboard of the UAV. Although the ground measured wind data is sufficient for the takeoff, but it is irrelevant when the UAV is landing in a different place, e.g. on a far field. In that case, the wind speed and direction must be measured onboard the vehicle, before the landing maneuver. The aim of the research is the real time determination of the dominant wind data with the onboard sensors.