A flight path for low energy consumption using minimum sink rate glide for solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle.

A solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is powered by solar cells installed onboard which capture solar energy during daylight. Such generated power is supplied to the motor to propel the aircraft and other electronics or to recharge the battery on board. Solar-powered UAVs are used for long-term service missions at very low costs. This paper presents the generation of the low energy flight path for a small 5.5 kg hand-launchable low-altitude long-endurance (LALE) solar-powered UAV. The goal of the proposed work is to decrease the energy consumption of aircraft to increase endurance by using the optimal climb angle and the minimum sink rate glide. A climb and glide phase energy optimization with the validation of surplus solar energy to satisfy the energy consumption has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]