arXiv:2601.13088cs.ROcs.SY2026-01

用光为轻于空气微型无人机供能并导航,实现持久自主飞行。

Exploiting Light To Enhance The Endurance and Navigation of Lighter-Than-Air Micro-Drones

  • 利用太阳能板与光感算法,让无人机靠光照持续供能。
  • 光照80klux下,每4分钟充电可飞1分钟,续航显著提升。
  • 单光源引导下,7米内可稳定导航,适用于室内外环境。

微型无人机在盘点和环境监测中应用广泛,但续航短、无GPS环境下导航不可靠限制了其部署。轻于空气(LTA)无人机依靠氦气囊提供浮力,悬停时功耗接近零,可大幅延长运行时间。然而其设计复杂,缺乏集成方案实现低基础设施依赖的持续自主运行与导航。本文提出一种紧凑型自持式LTA无人机,利用光照同时实现能量采集与导航。贡献包括:(i) 高保真仿真框架分析LTA气动特性并优化稳定高效构型;(ii) 将太阳能板集成于气囊表面,实现净正向能量输出;(iii) 基于单一光信标的三点式光寻迹导航系统。实验表明,在80klux光照下,系统每4分钟充电可维持1分钟飞行,具备可持续运行能力。且在室内外环境中,面对中等风速,仍可实现距离达7米的可靠单光源追踪。该系统为室内外持续自主监测提供了可行路径,推动了LTA无人机从概念走向实用化。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Micro-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are rapidly expanding into tasks from inventory to environmental sensing, yet their short endurance and unreliable navigation in GPS-denied spaces limit deployment. Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) drones offer an energy-efficient alternative: they use a helium envelope to provide buoyancy, which enables near-zero-power drain during hovering and much longer operation. LTAs are promising, but their design is complex, and they lack integrated solutions to enable sustained autonomous operations and navigation with simple, low-infrastructure. We propose a compact, self-sustaining LTA drone that uses light for both energy harvesting and navigation. Our contributions are threefold: (i) a high-fidelity simulation framework to analyze LTA aerodynamics and select a stable, efficient configuration; (ii) a framework to integrate solar cells on the envelope to provide net-positive energy; and (iii) a point-and-go navigation system with three light-seeking algorithms operating on a single light beacon. Our LTA-analysis, together with the integrated solar panels, not only saves energy while flying, but also enables sustainable operation: providing 1 minute of flying time for every 4 minutes of energy harvesting, under illuminations of 80klux. We also demonstrate robust single-beacon navigation towards a light source that can be up to 7m away, in indoor and outdoor environments, even with moderate winds. The resulting system indicates a plausible path toward persistent, autonomous operation for indoor and outdoor monitoring. More broadly, this work provides a practical pathway for translating the promise of LTA drones into a persistent, self-sustaining aerial system.

微型无人机光能驱动自主导航持久飞行

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