A benchmark mechatronics platform to assess the inspection around pipes with variable pitch quadrotor for industrial sites

This paper investigates the inspection-of-pipe topic in a new framework, by rotation around pipe, peculiar to industrial sites and refineries. The evolution of ultimate system requires prototype design preliminary tests. A benchmark has been designed built mimic with main purpose assessing different types rotors control systems. presents mechatronics package including mechanical machining, electronics motor drive, motor-blade installation, computer programming, implementation. is also modular, working two modes one- two-degree-of-freedom (DoF), easily interchangeable. To cover full rotation, conventional fixed-pitch drones fail provide negative thrusts; nonetheless, variable-pitch (VP) rotor quadcopters can produce that both directions. closed-loop nonlinear optimal method chosen as controller, so-called, “the state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE)” approach. Optimal policies are challenging for experimentation though it successfully done this report. advantage VP illustrated plus radial motion comparison while wind gust disturbs inspection task. proposed compensated disturbance fixed pitch was pushed away gust. solution methods SDRE were mixed, closed-form exact one-DoF system, numerical one two-DoF. Solving online each time step critical issue effectively solved implementation approach, through communication MATLAB software. Both simulations experiments have performed along discussion prove application systems rotary-motion pipe inspection.