Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Quadcopter)With Real-Time Object Tracking

In the previous decade, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have turned into a subject of enthusiasm for some exploration associations. UAVs are discovering applications in different regions going from military applications to activity reconnaissance. This thesis is an overview of a particular sort of UAV called quadrotor or quadcopter. Scientists are often picking quadrotors for their exploration because a quadrotor can precisely and productively perform assignments that future of high hazard for a human pilot to perform. This thesis includes the dynamic models of a quadrotor and model-autonomous control systems. It also explains the complete description of developed quadcopter used for surveillance purpose with real-time object detection. In the present time, the focus has moved to outlining autonomous quadrotors. Ultimately, it examines the potential applications of quadrotors and their part in multi-operators frameworks. The Unmanned aerial vehicle (Quadcopter) has been developed that could be used for search and surveillance purpose. This project comprised of both hardware and software part. The hardware part comprised of the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (Quadcopter). The main components that were used in this project are KK2 flight controller board, outrunner brushless DC motor, Electronic Speed Controllers (ESC), GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, video transmitter and receiver, HD (High Definition) camera, RC (Radio Controlled) transmitter and receiver. Software part comprised of real-time object detection and tracking algorithm for detecting and tracking of human beings that were done with the help of Matlab software. After achieving the stable flight, the camera installed on the quadcopter would transmit a video signal to the receiver placed on the ground station. Video signal from the receiver would then be transferred to Matlab software for further processing or for tracking human beings using real-time object detection and tracking algorith

Designing and building a hybrid (electric/ic) UAV

In comparison with conventional internal combustion (IC) engine power trains, a hybrid electric propulsion system with two or more energy sources has proved to be a more effective in terms of pollution rate, and a reduction of heat release and sound effects. For applications of hybrid electric/IC propulsion to vehicles and especially military, it has been demonstrated that considerable improvement of energy use by reducing fuel consumption required for basic functions occurs. Due to these factors, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may be adopted to civil service as well. This might include detecting and monitoring disaster, hazards, and environment conditions, and reserving backup power for emergency. Based on the above information, this Capstone Project aims to develop the design a prototype of an economical and practical small scale tilt-rotor UAV, with emphasis on good performance characteristics, including high endurance, a rotor-tilting mechanism, payload capacity and vertical to horizontal transition stability. The main focus was on optimizing the aerodynamic parameters of fixed-wing prototype and combining the hovering abilities of a multi-rotor UAV. The CAD model built in SolidWorks, computational analysis and simulations of the vehicle performance in Ansys CFX related to this project are delivered as well. In addition, laboratory work was done in order to check performance of both the engine and generator

A novel approach to the control of quad-rotor helicopters using fuzzy-neural networks

Quad-rotor helicopters are agile aircraft which are lifted and propelled by four rotors. Unlike traditional helicopters, they do not require a tail-rotor to control yaw, but can use four smaller fixed-pitch rotors. However, without an intelligent control system it is very difficult for a human to successfully fly and manoeuvre such a vehicle. Thus, most of recent research has focused on small unmanned aerial vehicles, such that advanced embedded control systems could be developed to control these aircrafts. Vehicles of this nature are very useful when it comes to situations that require unmanned operations, for instance performing tasks in dangerous and/or inaccessible environments that could put human lives at risk. This research demonstrates a consistent way of developing a robust adaptive controller for quad-rotor helicopters, using fuzzy-neural networks; creating an intelligent system that is able to monitor and control the non-linear multi-variable flying states of the quad-rotor, enabling it to adapt to the changing environmental situations and learn from past missions. Firstly, an analytical dynamic model of the quad-rotor helicopter was developed and simulated using Matlab/Simulink software, where the behaviour of the quad-rotor helicopter was assessed due to voltage excitation. Secondly, a 3-D model with the same parameter values as that of the analytical dynamic model was developed using Solidworks software. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was then used to simulate and analyse the effects of the external disturbance on the control and performance of the quad-rotor helicopter. Verification and validation of the two models were carried out by comparing the simulation results with real flight experiment results. The need for more reliable and accurate simulation data led to the development of a neural network error compensation system, which was embedded in the simulation system to correct the minor discrepancies found between the simulation and experiment results. Data obtained from the simulations were then used to train a fuzzy-neural system, made up of a hierarchy of controllers to control the attitude and position of the quad-rotor helicopter. The success of the project was measured against the quad-rotor’s ability to adapt to wind speeds of different magnitudes and directions by re-arranging the speeds of the rotors to compensate for any disturbance. From the simulation results, the fuzzy-neural controller is sufficient to achieve attitude and position control of the quad-rotor helicopter in different weather conditions, paving way for future real time applications

Design Optimization of a Quad-Rotor Capable of Autonomous Flight

An autonomous quad-rotor is an aerial helicopter with four horizontal rotors designed in a square configuration capable of locating lost or jeopardized victims, gathering military intelligence, or surveillance. The project team designed a miniaturized quad-rotor able to determine its own attitude through an onboard sensor system. A computer program using formulated control equations and an onboard processing system enables the quad-rotor to fly to a pre-determined position while correcting its attitude, which results in steady level autonomous flight

Evaluating motion capture as a means of system identification of a quadcopter

This thesis describes the method of identifying unknown parameters that affect the dynamics of a given quadcopter, also known as grey box system identification. This was primarily done utilising an inertial measurement unit and a motion capture camera system. A system of equations describes the dynamics of the quadcopter, and was later coupled with data gathered while flying, in order to use different methods of system identification. As quadcopters are unstable, the first task was to design a stabilising regulator, making stable flight possible, and thus gathering flight data. A few parameters regarding motor dynamics were evaluated via simple experiments with tools including a tachometer, a scale and a microphone. When it comes to flight dynamics, the first method of identification was to use a prediction error method which, given data regarding input signals, output signals and a mathematical model, tries to evaluate unknown parameters by minimising the error between state measurements and estimated states based on the earlier mentioned model, in each timestep. This method proved to be unsuccessful, for reasons partly unknown, and was later changed for a method utilising an extended Kalman filter, which gave more reliable results. Possible explanations to this phenomena may include that the Kalman filter implemented beforehand in the camera system may need to be retuned and that the aforementioned mathematical model needs to be reevaluated. Estimated parameter values works well with the model, but that is not so say that there is not room for improvement

Stability region of a simplified multirotor motor–rotor model with time delay and fractional-order PD controller

The main aim of this paper is to present stability region analysis for a closed-loop system with the second-order model with a time delay and continuous-time fractional-order proportionalderivative (PD) controller. The model of the plant used in the paper approximates the dynamics of a simplified motor–rotor model of multirotor’s propulsion system. The controller tuning method is based on Hermite–Biehler and Pontryagin theorems. The tracking performance is also analysed in the paper by observing the integral of absolute error and integral of squared error indices. The presented results are expected to be useful in future when comparing simulation with experimental results

Design and implementation of UAV performance validation system

Abstract. This thesis aims for design and implementation of a system for drone performance measurements, which can be used for validation of different drones for research projects accordingly. Additionally, the device should be able to be used as a part of a hardware-in-loop -system with simulators in drone research. The primary goal for this thesis is to build a system which helps to document different drone properties efficiently and safely. This is done with a system that consists of a robust frame, a force and torque measuring transducer, a drone stabilizing unit, a data logging system, and a remote-control power supply. For controlling the system, user interface was created to control the data stream, the drone stabilizing unit, and the power supply. This thesis includes a literature review of drone general classification properties and legal regulations. Short review of drone usage and selection criteria in industry and research is conducted, as well as in-depth review of the drone components and their relation to overall performance of the drone. The thesis also contains literature review of force and torque measuring theory, and other drone performance measuring units. The functionality of the designed unit is tested by building a drone from spare components, and valuating its performance based on e.g., lift generation, power consumption and visual behavior of the drone. Measured data is documented, and with the documents, drone’s suitability for future research projects can be assessed. According to the results, the unit can be used to evaluate drone’s performance, and groundwork for Hardware-in-loop simulator connection for drone research. The testing unit and the data recordings as well as the built testing drone stays within the research facility for further development.UAV testausjärjestelmän suunnittelu ja toteutus. Tiivistelmä. Tässä diplomityössä suunnitellaan ja valmistetaan droonien suorituskykyä mittaava tutkimuslaitteisto, jonka avulla voidaan arvioida erilaisten droonien soveltuvuutta tutkimusprojekteihin tapauskohtaisesti. Työssä tavoitellaan helppokäyttöistä järjestelmää, jonka avulla itse tehtyjen droonien ominaisuuksia voidaan dokumentoida turvallisesti ja tehokkaasti. Työssä perehdytään droonien luokitteluun tutustumalla voimassa oleviin säädöksiin, sekä droonin suorituskykyä kuvaaviin ominaisuuksiin. Työssä tarkastellaan droonien käyttöä eri aloilla arvioiden esiin nousseita droonin valintaperusteita ja ominaisuuksia. Tämän jälkeen tutustutaan droonien rakenteeseen ja ominaisuuksiin. Voiman mittauksen teoriaan sekä kehitettyihin mittausmenetelmiin tutustutaan tukemaan anturivalintaa. Suunniteltu järjestelmä koostuu tukevasta rungosta, voiman mittaukseen soveltuvasta anturista, droonin vakauttamisen kokonaisuudesta, datan keräysjärjestelmästä sekä etäohjattavasta virtalähteestä. Laitteiston ohjaukseen luotiin rajapinta, jonka kautta järjestelmää voidaan hallita. Järjestelmän toimivuus todettiin kahdella mittauskäyttöön soveltuvalla droonilla, joiden suorituskykyä arvioitiin droonien ominaisuuksien, sekä visuaalisen käyttäytymisen avulla. Mittauksien tulokset dokumentoitiin, ja dokumentaation perusteella voidaan arvioida sekä tutkimuslaitteiston toimivuutta, että mitattujen droonien soveltuvuutta tulevissa tutkimusprojekteissa. Mittausten perusteella voidaan todeta laitteen soveltuvan droonien suorituskyvyn mittaamiseen, sekä pohjatyöksi simulaattorikytkentään. Mittalaitteisto sekä mittaustulokset jäävät Biomimetiikka ja älykkäät järjestelmät -tutkimusyksikön käyttöön droonitutkimuksen tueksi

Optimized Endpoint Delivery Via Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are remotely piloted aircraft with a range of varying applications. Though early adoption of UAVs focused on military applications, surveillance, photography, and agricultural applications are presently on the rise. This work aims to ascertain how UAVs may be employed to elicit deceased transportation times, increased power efficiency, and improved safety. Resulting in optimized end point delivery. A combination of tools and techniques, involving a mathematical model, UAV simulations, redundant control systems, and custom designed electrical and mechanical components were used towards reaching the goal of a 10-kilogram maximum payload delivered 10 miles under 30 minutes. Two UAV prototypes were developed, the second of which (V2) showed promising results. Velocities achieved in V2, in combination with a versatile payload connector and proper networking, allowed for 5-10 mile deliveries of goods less than 8-kilograms to be achieved within a metropolis faster than the 30-minute benchmark

3D Trajectory Optimization for Energy-Efficient UAV Communication: A Control Design Perspective

This paper studies the three-dimensional (3D) trajectory optimization problem for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aided wireless communication. Existing works mainly rely on the kinematic equations for UAV's mobility modeling, while its dynamic equations are usually missing. As a result, the planned UAV trajectories are piece-wise line segments in general, which may be difficult to implement in practice. By leveraging the concept of state-space model, a control-based UAV trajectory design is proposed in this paper, which takes into account both of the UAV's kinematic equations and the dynamic equations. Consequently, smooth trajectories that are amenable to practical implementation can be obtained. Moreover, the UAV's controller design is achieved along with the trajectory optimization, where practical roll angle and pitch angle constraints are considered. Furthermore, a new energy consumption model is derived for quad-rotor UAVs, which is based on the voltage and current flows of the electric motors and thus captures both the consumed energy for motion and the energy conversion efficiency of the motors. Numerical results are provided to validate the derived energy consumption model and show the effectiveness of our proposed algorithms