Analysis and Determination of Minimum Requirements of an Autopilot for the Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

Unmanned vehicles (UAVs) are technological tools whose application is carried out in the civil and military areas for surveillance, recognition and intelligence tasks. Given its versatility and features, in this paper the implementation of an autopilot is determined, after an analysis of commercial models. Said device must comply with technical requirements for the automatic flight control of a medium-sized UAV, considering the operation scenarios in the northern border of Ecuador. In addition, the parameters that intervene in the control loops and the relevant simulations are specified. The results obtained from the experimental flights of the aircraft are reflected in graphs, where the stability of the plant properly calibrated for autonomous flight is verified. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.