Tension Estimation and Localization for a Tethered Micro Aerial Robot

Abstract: This work focuses on the study of tethered fights of a micro quadcopter, with the aim of supplying continuous power to a small-sized aerial robot. Multiple features for facilitating the interaction between a tethered micro quadcopter and a ground base are described in this paper. Firstly, a tether model based on the catenary curve is presented that describes a quadcopter tethered to a point in space. Furthermore, a method capable of estimating the tension applied to the quadcopter, based only on the inertial information from the IMU sensors and the motor thrusts, is presented. Finally, a novel method for localizing the quadcopter by exploiting the tension imposed by the tether and the shape of the tether is described. The proposed methods are evaluated both in simulation and in real world prototype.