Innovative Piloting Technique for a Semi-Autonomous UAV Lighter-Than-Air Platform Simulator

UAS design has in these years reached a point in which trends and objectives are well beyond the actual test capabilities. The tendency of the past to build and test has clearly been overridden by new design concepts for many reasons, one of these being the scarce or null possibility of testing safety-critical systems such as UAV systems. This is the context in which the Elettra-Twin-Flyer (ETF) Simulator is constantly upgraded and rearranged to incorporate new features and more advanced capabilities. In this paper it is shown how the piloting modes have been differentiated, to improve the airship autonomy and allow path following operations. Innovative piloting tools have been introduced and a new Human-Machine-Interface has been proposed along

MODELING OF INNOVATIVE LIGHTER-THAN-AIR UAV FOR LOGISTICS, SURVEILLANCE AND RESCUE OPERATIONS

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that can operate without the presence of pilots, either through remote control or automated systems. The first part of the dissertation provides an overview of the various types of UAVs and their design features. The second section delves into specific experiences using UAVs as part of an automated monitoring system to identify potential problems such as pipeline leaks or equipment damage by conducting airborne surveys.Lighter-than-air UAVs, such as airships, can be used for various applications, from aerial photography, including surveying terrain, monitoring an area for security purposes and gathering information about weather patterns to surveillance. The third part reveals the applications of UAVs for assisting in search and rescue operations in disaster situations and transporting natural gas. Using PowerSim software, a model of airship behaviour was created to analyze the sprint-and-drift concept and study methods of increasing the operational time of airships while having a lower environmental impact when compared to a constantly switched-on engine. The analysis provided a reliable percentage of finding the victim during patrolling operations, although it did not account for victim behaviour. The study has also shown that airships may serve as a viable alternative to pipeline transportation for natural gas. The technology has the potential to revolutionize natural gas transportation, optimizing efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Additionally, airships have a unique advantage in accessing remote and otherwise inaccessible areas, providing significant benefits in the energy sector. The employment of this technology was studied to be effective in specific scenarios, and it will be worth continuing to study it for a positive impact on society and the environment

An Unmanned Lighter-Than-Air Platform for Large Scale Land Monitoring

The concept and preliminary design of an unmanned lighter-than-air (LTA) platform instrumented with different remote sensing technologies is presented. The aim is to assess the feasibility of using a remotely controlled airship for the land monitoring of medium sized (up to 107 m2) urban or rural areas at relatively low altitudes (below 1000 m) and its potential convenience with respect to other standard remote and in-situ sensing systems. The proposal includes equipment for high-definition visual, thermal, and hyperspectral imaging as well as LiDAR scanning. The data collected from these different sources can be then combined to obtain geo-referenced products such as land use land cover (LULC), soil water content (SWC), land surface temperature (LSC), and leaf area index (LAI) maps, among others. The potential uses for diffuse structural health monitoring over built-up areas are discussed as well. Several mission typologies are considere

Introduction to Stratospheric Communication Platforms (SCP)

In this paper are introduced the modern airship techniques and technologies as cost effective solutions of Stratospheric Communication Platforms (SCP). The launch or putting in position the airship is not critical point such as launch of satellite and controlling support services in the creation of space-based communication technology and the most expensive phase of the total system cost. Therefore, with few cost effective remote controlled and solar powered airships can be covered some region or country including urban, suburban and rural areas, mobile, farms and other environments with low density of population. The airship SCP network offers better solutions than cellular radio systems, with greater speed of transmission than even optical modes, roaming will be enhanced without severe shadowing or obstacle problems and disturbances inside of buildings and service will cost less. The SPS mission system is more autonomous and discrete, can be integrated with current satellite and cellular systems, and will be the best solution for rural, mobile transportation and military applications. The SCP airship can be seen well from all positions inside coverage area, because they are overlapping the total coverage and because of elevation angle. In any circumstances mountains, buildings and even trees cannot cause obstructions like to cellular network. For these reasons, there is currently a revival of interest for SCP constellations and application types of various system concepts are being studied

Development of Airships Stratospheric Platform Systems (SPS)

In this paper are introduced airships as part of new Stratospheric Platform System (SPS) in function of space communications. Airships are the latest space techniques with advanced technology for fixed and all mobile applications, including military and rural solutions. This SPS employ unmanned or manned, solar or fuel energy airships or aircraft carrying payloads with transponders and antennas. The airship SPS can be considered as a novel solution for providing communication and navigation services. The research and development of airships for putting the system in to practical use is ongoing in some countries. The remote controlled-solar powered airships or aircraft offer a much more cost effective solution for coverage of some region or country including urban, suburban, rural areas, farms and other environments with low population densities. The airship network offers a better solution than existing cellular radio systems, with greater speed of transmission than even ground optical modes. An airship roaming is enhanced without severe shadowing problems and disturbances inside buildings, and the service costs less. The airships mission today can be integrated with current Satellite or cellular systems. This space solution is more autonomous and discrete and will be good solution for rural, military and all mobile applications