Extension of Quadcopter Flight Range Based on Quadcopter Transport System and Autonomous Ramp Flight Algorithm

In this study, a new method was developed to extend the flight distance of unmanned aerial vehicles such as quadcopters that operate on a limited battery capacity. The suggested method consists of a high-altitude flight initiation system, which uses a carrier rocket, and an autonomous ramp flight algorithm. First, a quadcopter, called a mission quadcopter in this research, is loaded onto the carrier rocket by a folding mechanism, and the rocket flies to a designated height. Then, the carrier rocket releases the mission quadcopter at the high altitude and achieves flight deployment after an unfolding process. Subsequently, the airdropped mission quadcopter stabilizes its pose and flights toward the selected target point. During the flight, it adopts an autonomous ramp flying trajectory. Ramp flying is performed from the sky to the ground surface instead of conventional step shape flying to minimize the flight trajectory and energy consumed while flying. Experiments were performed in Nevada, USA during an international rocket-based airdrop competition, ARLISS (A Rocket Launch for International Student Satellite). The mission quadcopter’s real-time latitude, longitude, and altitude were measured to confirm the position information regarding the quadcopter’s flight trajectory. The mission quadcopter successfully separated from the carrier rocket, deployed for flight at a high altitude, turned to the target point, performed autonomous ramp flying, and landed.