Multirotor UAS Wind Disturbances Rejection Using Dedicated Lateral Thrusters with Frequency-Split Control

doi:10.4050/F-0081-2025-0143

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Multirotor UAS Wind Disturbances Rejection Using Dedicated Lateral Thrusters with Frequency-Split Control

Marc-Antoine Leclerc, David Rancourt, Alexis Lussier Desbiens, Université de Sherbrooke

https://doi.org/10.4050/F-0081-2025-0143

Abstract:
Precision flight in windy conditions is a common challenge for multirotor UAS. It is especially challenging for in contact tasks that require high-precision positioning and good disturbance rejection capabilities. Such tasks include landing on high-voltage powerlines for in-contact inspections. This paper presents the implementation of small lateral thrusters to improve the lateral position hold ability of a large power line inspection UAS in windy conditions. Arranged in antagonistic pairs on each side, the lateral thrusters handle the high-frequency but smaller-amplitude wind turbulence components with a frequency split control. Using an identified model of the UAS flight dynamics alongside flight data in high-wind conditions, a control architecture with a frequency split in the lateral axis was optimized to increase the disturbance rejection. Experimental tests showed a 67% reduction in lateral position error with the proposed approach in high-wind conditions.