{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,21]],"date-time":"2026-02-21T12:33:51Z","timestamp":1771677231986,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,24]],"date-time":"2019-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1571875200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Cival Aircraft Specific Project of China; Key R&amp;D Projects in Shaanxi Province of China","award":["MJ-2015-F-009; 2018ZDCXL-GY-03-04"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MJ-2015-F-009; 2018ZDCXL-GY-03-04"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In order to reduce the cost of the flight controller and improve the control accuracy of solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), three state estimation algorithms based on the extended Kalman filter (EKF) with different structures are proposed: Three-stage series, full-state direct and indirect state estimation algorithms. A small hand-launched solar-powered UAV without ailerons is used as the object with which to compare the algorithm structure, estimation accuracy, and platform requirements and application. The three-stage estimation algorithm has a position accuracy of 6 m and is suitable for low-cost small, low control precision UAVs. The precision of full-state direct algorithm is 3.4 m, which is suitable for platforms with low-cost and high-trajectory tracking accuracy. The precision of the full-state indirect method is similar to the direct, but it is more stable for state switching, overall parameters estimation, and can be applied to large platforms. A full-scaled electric hand-launched UAV loaded with the three-stage series algorithm was used for the field test. Results verified the feasibility of the estimation algorithm and it obtained a position estimation accuracy of 23 m.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s19214627","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,25]],"date-time":"2019-10-25T04:41:27Z","timestamp":1571978487000},"page":"4627","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Low-Cost Sensors State Estimation Algorithm for a Small Hand-Launched Solar-Powered UAV"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3988-0116","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"An","family":"Guo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi\u2019an 710072, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhou","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi\u2019an 710072, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaoping","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Science and Technology on UAV Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi\u2019an 710072, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fan","family":"Bai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi\u2019an 710072, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1109\/45.481371","article-title":"Pathfinder: Developing a solar rechargeable aircraft","volume":"15","author":"Colella","year":"1996","journal-title":"IEEE Potentials"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1352","DOI":"10.1002\/rob.21717","article-title":"Design of small hand-launched solar-powered UAVs: From concept study to a multi-day world endurance record flight","volume":"34","author":"Oettershagen","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. 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