An interactive browser-based flight dynamics simulator for the MiniV-Bat, a sub-250g micro bi-copter with bias center-of-gravity, servo-tilt rotors, and a rotor-disk frame attitude controller.
Based on the paper: MiniV-Bat: A Micro Bi-Copter UAV With Bias-CoG Stability and Optimized Flight Endurance — IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2026.
Requirements: Node.js v18+ (v20 recommended)
git clone <repo-url>
cd vcopter
# If using nvm and your shell defaults to an older Node version:
source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh && nvm use 20
npm install
npm run devOpens at http://localhost:5173.
- 6-DOF rigid body dynamics in NED (North-East-Down) frame (Paper Eq. 2–3)
- Rotor-disk frame controller with PSO-optimized PID gains (Paper Table II, Fig. 5)
- Position controller (outer loop): altitude, X/Y hold with tilt-compensation and safe-tilt recovery
- Actuator dynamics: motor electrical/mechanical, servo delay + deadband + slew limiting, ESC first-order lag, battery sag model
- Steady-state solver: hover RPM, thrust, power, endurance vs. mass sweep
- Live strip charts: pitch/roll/yaw (tabbed), angular rates, servo angles, thrust, RPM, altitude, position
- 3D position plot: real-time trajectory with interactive setpoint drag
- Debug console: scrolling telemetry log with copy-to-clipboard and autoscroll control
| Component | Spec |
|---|---|
| Motors | Sunnysky 2305 KV1450 |
| Servos | RCOMG 2 kg·cm |
| Battery | FEB 18650 3.5 Ah 3C (2S) |
| Propellers | GWS 10×4.7 |
| Flight Controller | HAKRCF405V2 |
| ESC | 40A 2-in-1 DShot150 |
| Total mass | ~233.7 g (sub-250g) |
npm run build # outputs to dist/
npm run preview # serve the production build locally| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| Dynamics | Live strip charts; inject pitch commands and disturbances; position controller toggle |
| Act. Params | Tune motor, servo, ESC, battery, and controller gains in real time |
| Diagram | Rotor-disk frame visualization (body frame, NED frame, CoG offset) |
| Endurance | Endurance vs. total mass sweep curve |
| BOM | Hardware bill of materials with mass breakdown |
Switch between PITCH, ROLL, and YAW — each tab shows the angle and its angular rate below.
Toggle with the POS CTRL button. When active:
- Altitude hold via throttle modulation with tilt compensation
- X/Y position hold via pitch/roll commands (outer loop)
- Safe-tilt recovery: freezes position demand and levels out if tilt exceeds 30°
- CoG ±2cm — shift center of gravity along the body x-axis
- Rate +20°/s — inject a pitch rate impulse
- Gust +5N — apply a horizontal force pulse
Scrolling telemetry at 4 Hz. Autoscrolls to latest by default; scroll up to pin at an earlier line (border turns orange, "↓ latest" button appears). Click "↓ latest" to re-enable autoscroll. Use "⎘ copy" to copy all lines to clipboard.
- Geometry: arm length D, CoG drop L, CoG offset B, servo pre-tilt δL/δR
- Propulsion: prop diameter/pitch, motor Kv, total mass
- Battery: voltage, capacity, motor resistance Rm, efficiency η
src/
constants.js Math helpers (G, RHO, clamp, degRad, …)
data/
bom.js Hardware bill of materials
physics/
defaults.js Design, actuator, and controller default parameters
aero.js Thrust and torque aerodynamic functions
solver.js Steady-state hover solver
dynamics.js Full 6-DOF step integrator (createDynState, stepDynamics)
styles/
colors.js Color palette and font stack
components/
ui/ Slider, Stat, TabBtn widgets
StripChart.jsx Real-time scrolling chart (SVG)
DynamicsPanel.jsx Live dynamics view with tabbed attitude charts, 3D plot, position charts
PositionPlot3D.jsx Interactive 3D trajectory viewer
DebugConsole.jsx Scrolling telemetry log
Diagram.jsx Rotor-disk frame SVG diagram
EnduranceChart.jsx Endurance vs. mass curve
BOMPanel.jsx Bill of materials breakdown
App.jsx Main component — state, sim loop, layout