Student Research UAV

 

This term paper describes an inexpensive and conceptionally elementary UAV that allows the design of flight controllers. The sensors comprehend the measurement of acceleration and rotation speed, an anemometer, and a GPS-receiver. The on-board camera is not usable at the moment due to the lack of radio power of the video link.

 

The idea is that the controller itself is incorporated in the ground box, in a MicroAutobox by dSpace. This reduces the requirements on the computing power of the on-board computer and makes the design process of the flight controllers faster and more flexible, especially since Matlab®/Simulink® blocks can be compiled into the dSpace environment without any previous knowledge in the program languages Oberon or C. On the other hand, the requirements on the speed and quality of the data link are increased as the controller's accuracy depends directly thereon.

 

This project included the build-up of the hardware (aircraft, ground box, and electronics) as well as setting up a serial transmission protocol with parity checks. This protocol had to be implemented into transceiver and receiver units. Another part was the programming of a Simulink® model that is already prepared for further developments of flight controllers.

 

Problems that appeared were the repeated failure of electronics and vibration on the sensors, but most notably the tremendous expenditure of time as well as the adverse weather toward the end of the project. Therefore, testing was not possible for a long spell of bad weather.

 

Nevertheless, tests have been made. They showed the reliability of the system on the one hand and pointed out the need for an upgrade of the dSpace version on the other hand. This upgrade will incorporate the usability of a joystick for the data records and will be done during summer, so that the complete system will be ready in autumn for the next project team.

 

»Contact: Markus Möckli