Octocopter Design: Modelling, Control and Motion Planning

This book provides a solution to the control and motion planning design for an octocopter system. It includes a particular choice of control and motion planning algorithms which is based on the authors' previous research work, so it can be used as a reference design guidance for students, researchers as well as autonomous vehicles hobbyists. The control is constructed based on a fault tolerant approach aiming to increase the chances of the system to detect and isolate a potential failure in order to produce feasible control signals to the remaining active motors. The used motion planning algorithm is risk-aware by means that it takes into account the constraints related to the fault-dependant and mission-related maneuverability analysis of the octocopter system during the planning stage. Such a planner generates only those reference trajectories along which the octocopter system would be safe and capable of good tracking in case of a single motor fault and of majority of double motor fault scenarios. The control and motion planning algorithms presented in the book aim to increase the overall reliability of the system for completing the mission.