Quadcopter neural controller for take-off and landing in windy environments

This paper proposes the design of a quadcopter neural controller based on Reinforcement Learning (RL) for controlling the complete maneuvers of landing and take-off, even in variable windy conditions. To facilitate RL training, a wind model is designed, and two RL algorithms, Deep Deterministic Poli...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Olaz Moratinos, Xabier, Aláez Gómez, Daniel, Prieto Míguez, Manuel, Villadangos Alonso, Jesús, Astrain Escola, José Javier
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad Pública de Navarra
Repositorio:Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
OAI Identifier:oai:academica-e.unavarra.es:2454/45521
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2454/45521
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Quadcopter
Take-off
Landing
Deep reinforcement learning
Wind
PPO
DDPG
Descripción
Sumario:This paper proposes the design of a quadcopter neural controller based on Reinforcement Learning (RL) for controlling the complete maneuvers of landing and take-off, even in variable windy conditions. To facilitate RL training, a wind model is designed, and two RL algorithms, Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), are adapted and compared. The first phases of the learning process consider extended exploration states as a warm-up, and a novel neural network controller architecture is proposed with the addition of an adaptation layer. The neural network’s output is defined as the forces and momentum desired for the UAV, and the adaptation layer transforms forces and momentum into motor velocities. By decoupling attitude from motor velocities, the adaptation layer enhances a more straightforward interpretation of the neural network output and helps refine the rewards. The successful neural controller training has been tested up to 36 km/h wind speed.