Flipping an Upright-Inverted Bimodal Bicopter UAV: Attitude Control and Optimization

This study introduces a bimodal bicopter UAV with the capability to perform agile half-flip maneuvers between upright and inverted flight configurations. The proposed design incorporates a geared servo and bidirectional motor control, enabling seamless transitions and stable flight in both modes. A quaternion-based attitude control scheme for bimodal bicopter is developed, ensuring nonsingularity and smooth control during aerobatic maneuvers. Through meticulous actuator modeling and optimization using particle swarm optimization, the bicopter achieves minimized position offset during flips. Flight experiments substantiate the effectiveness of the unified control strategy and the optimized half-flip, demonstrating the UAV's potential for enhanced agility and stability in complex flight operations.