LAUSR

Abstract This paper presents a 2D model describing the flight dynamics of a power kite on the tangent plane of its wind window. This model depends on variables that can be easily measured, as well as on parameters that can be readily identified. To this end, an Extended Kalman filter is employed on-line, allowing us to cope with instrumentation noise while identifying the steering gain and transport delay. Taking advantage of the plant knowledge, we design a course angle controller to ensure closed-loop stability. The proposed filtering and control scheme is validated based on a hardware-in-the-loop setup. Results of field tests are also presented.