Prediction of electric-powered fixed-wing UAV endurance

To overcome the problems encountered in predicting the endurance of electricpowered fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),which were stemmed from the dynamic changes in electric power system efficiency and battery discharge characteristics under different operating conditions,the required battery power model and battery discharge model were studied.The required battery power model was determined using an approximate model of electric power system efficiency based on wind tunnel testing and the self-adaptive penalty function.Furthermore,current correction and ambient temperature correction terms were proposed for the trained Kriging model representing the discharge characteristics under standard operation,and then the discharged capacity-terminal voltage model was established.Through numerical integration of this model with the required battery power model,the electric-powered fixed-wing UAV endurance prediction model was obtained.Laboratory tests indicated that the proposed endurance model could precisely calculate the battery discharge time and accurately describe the battery discharge process.The similarity of the theoretical and flight test results reflected the accuracy of the proposed endurance model as well as the importance of considering dynamic changes in power system efficiency in endurance calculations.The proposed endurance model meeting precision requirements can be used in practical engineering applications.