The Vertical Bat tail-sitter: Dynamic model and control architecture

Over the years many aircraft designs have been developed that attempt to merge the endurance and speed of fixed wing aircraft with the flexibility and vertical takeoff and landing abilities of rotor craft. The tail-sitter is one such design. Unlike most other designs, a tail-sitter requires no additional moving parts. However, it trades this mechanical simplicity for increased control complexity. This paper presents the kinematic and dynamic model for the Vertical Bat, a tail-sitter that is currently being developed, as well as vector field based control schemes covering all the flight regimes. In addition, the level to hover transition controller presented is able to control the ending horizontal position of the aircraft.