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Aerial Dockable Multirotor UAVs: Design, Control, and Flight Time Extension Through In-Flight Battery Replacement

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper presents the development and evaluation of the AirDock system, a novel aerial docking and in-flight battery exchange solution designed to extend the operational flight time of multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (mUAVs). The proposed system enables seamless mid-flight battery replacement through an aerial docking mechanism and a rail-Car-based battery transfer and retrieval system. The AirDock platform utilizes a fully actuated multirotor design, allowing independent control of six degrees of freedom (DoF) motion to maintain a constant attitude during battery exchange operations, facilitating easy docking. In this research, a generalized control allocation algorithm is introduced to manage dynamic shifts in the center of mass (CoM) during inter-modular battery transportation, ensuring safe flight control and mitigating thruster overloading: a critical factor in avoiding flight failure. Both simulations and real-world experiments validate the system’s effectiveness, demonstrating stable aerial docking, reliable in-flight battery exchange performance, and extended flight durations for mission modules. These findings highlight the AirDock system’s potential to overcome the energy limitations of battery-powered UAVs, extending missions across various applications.

Source: IEEE Access

DOI: 10.1109/access.2025.3574452

Authors: Yeongin Song, Hyunmin Kim, Jeonghyun Byun, Keun Park, Murim Kim, Seung Jae Lee

Institutions: Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence

Language: English

Topic: Aerospace and Aviation Technology

Subfield: Aerospace Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,075