RC helicopter modeling using re-engineering and system identification

The construction and functionality of an RC toy helicopter was studied and analyzed using Reverse Engineering (RE). The electronic circuitry was modified by adding an inertial measurement (IMU) unit and Arduino processor in order to collect flight data. The multi-inputs and multi-outputs (MIMO) data set is composed of motor voltages (as the system inputs) and linear accelerations and angular velocities (as system outputs). The data is then processed and transferred to a computer where System Identification Toolbox in MATLAB is used to develop transfer functions for the MIMO helicopter system. The transfer function models are validated by comparing the identified model results with the actual measurements. Simulation results validate the methodology used.