Takeoff and landing control using force sensor by electrically-powered helicopters

This paper introduces a takeoff and landing control technique related to a helicopter. The presented control system consists of a small toy electrically-powered helicopter for indoor flights, a flight base under which a focre sensor is set, and a helicopter control terminal which is connected to a system controller. The force sensor use is intended to realize soft takeoff and landing control. When the helicopter stands on the base, the force sensor outputs lift force data corresponding to the weight of the helicopter. As the operational voltage rises, the helicopter almost takes off from the base. Concurrently, the forse sensor output closes to 0. Thus, if the system controller controls the voltage arbitrarily, it is expected to realize the soft takeoff and landing control. This paper introduces the design process including modeling based on ststem identification technique, and shows the simulation and experimental results of the lift force control.