Development and verification of a three-dimensional wind measurement sensor hosted on a meteorologically instrumented small multirotor UAS

Small multirotor unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have great potential to effectively investigate the urban boundary layer. Their ability to launch and recover vertically in tight urban spaces, along with their ability to be precisely controlled, including hover, makes them an especially attractive investigation tool for obstacle laden environments. These aircraft characteristics are also conducive to obtaining measurements with both high spatial and temporal resolution. With the motivation to obtain high-resolution measurements, a small multirotor UAS was meteorologically instrumented with both thermodynamic and kinematic sensors. This work details the development and subsequent verification of two orthogonally mounted acoustic resonance ultrasonic anemometers that provide a 3 dimensional solution suitable for measurement of the mean wind and its fluctuating component (i.e. turbulence). Comparison of the geo and time-stamped wind speed and direction measurement was made against a surface mounted anemometer during both indoor and field testing. The system will be deployed in upcoming urban field campaigns in the summer of 2020 and beyond

Development of a Telemetry System for a Meteorologically Instrumented Small Unmanned Aerial System

Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are now being realized as an important instrument in atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) research where they fill an important gap between ground-based instruments and the altitudes that manned aircraft can safely operate at. They also provide a way to obtain high spatial resolution near-surface measurements between fixed meteorological infrastructure. While there have been several sUAS sensor suites developed for the measurement of scalar atmospheric parameters such as temperature, humidity, and pressure, only a small subset of these sensor suites are capable of measuring wind velocity. Most of these wind measurement solutions have been developed for fixed-wing unmanned aircraft. This work details the implementation of a telemetry system for a recently developed multirotor hosted meteorological instrumentation suite that measures both scalar atmospheric parameters and 3-dimensional wind components. Data is now successfully collected, transmitted and received in real time for the ground-based operations crew and scientific team

Nocturnal Observations of Thermodynamic and Kinematic Properties in a Wind Turbine Array Boundary Layer Using an Instrumented Unmanned Aerial System

Observation, simulation, and modeling have shown that wind farms have an impact on the near-surface atmospheric boundary layer as turbulent wakes generated by the turbines enhance vertical mixing. These changes alter downstream atmospheric properties. With a large portion of wind farms hosted within an agricultural context, changes to the environment can potentially have secondary impacts such as to the productivity of crops. The authors, amongst others, have demonstrated changes to relative humidity and temperature within the wind turbine array boundary layer during daylight observations made by small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS). The obtainment of permission to fly at night and higher altitudes, along with the enhancement of the sUAS instrumentation suite with fast-response 3D sonic anemometers, enabled observations during overnight hours and at altitudes above the top turbine tip height. This talk details observed changes to thermodynamic and kinematic properties during an overnight field campaign undertaken during the summer of 2019 around a utility-scale wind turbine located within a variety of crops

Mie Scattering-Based Particle Sizing Diagnostic

One way to explore special nuclear material properties is to study how a metal surface breaks up into ejected particulates when an extreme explosive shock is applied to the metal. To understand the physical processes that govern this release, it is necessary to measure the size distribution of the cloud of ejecta particles in situ. The fastest high-resolution camera in the world cannot capture the information we need. Working with National Security Technologies, LLC Signals Processing, and Applied Mathematics Research Group, our team used simulated data and exiting analysis codes to inform our industry partner how best to set up this Mie Scattering-based particle sizing diagnostic

Novel Markers of Angiogenesis in the Setting of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Background: Aberrant angiogenesis may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Objective: To explore the relationship between angiogenesis activity and evidence of neurodegeneration among older adults. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 49 older adults clinically characterized as cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment, or early Alzheimer's disease. In addition to neuroimaging, we completed assays on peripheral blood, including: vascular endothelial growth factor, tumor necrosis factor, fibroblast growth factor, and amyloid-β peptide 40. We used advanced polychromatic flow cytometry to phenotype circulating mononuclear cells to assess angiogenesis activity. Results: Although we documented differences in cognitive performance, structural changes on neuroimaging, and burden of amyloid and tau on positron emission tomography, angiogenesis activity did not vary by group. Interestingly, VEGF levels were shown to be increased among subjects with mild cognitive impairment. In ANCOVA models controlling for age, sex, intracranial volume, and monocyte subpopulations, angiogenesis activity was correlated with increased white matter hyperintensities. Conclusion: We demonstrate a significant association between angiogenesis activity and cerebrovascular disease. To better understand the potential of angiogenesis as an intervention target, longitudinal studies are needed

Development of a Telemetry System for a Meteorologically Instrumented Small Unmanned Aerial System

Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are now being realized as an important instrument in atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) research where they fill an important gap between ground-based instruments and the altitudes that manned aircraft can safely operate at. They also provide a way to obtain high spatial resolution near-surface measurements between fixed meteorological infrastructure. While there have been several sUAS sensor suites developed for the measurement of scalar atmospheric parameters such as temperature, humidity, and pressure, only a small subset of these sensor suites are capable of measuring wind velocity. Most of these wind measurement solutions have been developed for fixed-wing unmanned aircraft. This work details the implementation of a telemetry system for a recently developed multirotor hosted meteorological instrumentation suite that measures both scalar atmospheric parameters and 3-dimensional wind components. Data is now successfully collected, transmitted and received in real time for the ground-based operations crew and scientific team

コクサイカ ノ ナミ ト グローバル マーケティング

Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are increasingly being used to conduct atmospheric research. Because of the dynamic nature and inhomogeneity of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), the ability of instrumented sUAS to make on-demand 3-dimensional high-resolution spatial measurements of atmospheric parameters makes them particularly suited to ABL investigations. Both fixed-wing and multirotor sUAS have been used for ABL investigations. Most investigations to date have included in-situ measurement of thermodynamic quantities such as temperature, pressure and humidity. When wind has been measured, a variety of strategies have been used. Two of the most popular techniques have been deducing wind from inertial measurement unit (IMU) and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) calculations or measuring wind using multi-hole pressure probes. Derived calculations suffer from low refresh rates and multi-hole probes have a finite cone of acceptance and are limited in accuracy below a minimum requisite velocity. Hence, a hovering multirotor sUAS, conducive to making measurements at a specific point or within an obstacle-laden environment, may not be able to accurately measure modest atmospheric winds. This work details the development of an instrumentation suite for the measurement of thermodynamic and kinematic atmospheric parameters, along with the ability to telemeter data, while hovering

Helmholtz Cage

CubeSats are small satellites with a standardized size of 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (1U). The satellites are routinely made larger as multiples of this 1U are stacked together (common sizes being 2U, 3U, and 6U). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Daytona Beach campus has plans to launch CubeSats in the near future; however, historically about 40% of university built CubeSats have failed due to a malfunction in one of the satellite subsystems [1]. ERAU’s first CubeSat built at the Prescott campus was launched in November 2017 and has not been heard from. To try and prevent mission failure arising from subsystem problems, students working in ERAU’s Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab (SAIL) are building test facilities for the CubeSats. The first testing facility that has been built are a pair of Helmholtz Cages that test magnetically actuated attitude determination and control subsystems (ADCS) of small satellites. Most CubeSats use either a passive or active ADCS that depend on interactions with the Earth’s magnetic field, and if this system does not work properly then satellites will not know where they are pointing. This can result in either failed communications (antenna not pointing in the right direction), failed power subsystem (solar panels not pointing to the Sun), or failed science mission (instruments not oriented correctly). SAIL has designed, built, and commissioned two different sized Helmholtz Cages, the smaller one specifically for a 1U CubeSat and the larger one capable of testing up to 6U CubeSats. Both cages are capable of producing magnetic fields to within 10% of the Earth’s magnetic field, simulating an orbital path (latitude, longitude, altitude) with a one second cadence. The larger Helmholtz Cage can also house an air bearing table to allow for testing the ADCS of CubeSats that are equipped with torquer rods or coils. This will allow for thorough testing of the ADCS of the CubeSat, simulating continuous operations over multiple orbits

Observational Practices for Urban Microclimates Using Meteorologically Instrumented Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The urban boundary layer (UBL) is one of the most important and least understood atmospheric domains and, consequently, warrants deep understanding and rigorous analysis via sophisticated experimental and numerical tools. When field experiments have been undertaken, they have primarily been accomplished with either a coarse network of in-situ sensors or slow response sensors based on timing or Doppler shifts, resulting in low resolution and decreasing performance with height. Small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) offer an opportunity to improve on traditional UBL observational strategies that may require substantive infrastructure or prove impractical in a vibrant city, prohibitively expensive, or coarse in resolution. Multirotor UASs are compact, have the ability to take-off and land vertically, hover for long periods of time, and maneuver easily in all three spatial dimensions, making them advantageous for probing an obstacle-laden environment. Fixed-wing UASs offer an opportunity to cover vast horizontal and vertical distances, at low altitudes, in a continuous manner with high spatial resolution. Hence, fixed-wing UASs are advantageous for observing the roughness sublayer above the highest building height where traditional manned aircraft cannot safely fly. This work presents a methodology for UBL investigations using meteorologically instrumented UASs and discusses lessons learned and best practices garnered from a proof of concept field campaign that focused on the urban canopy layer and roughness sublayer of a large modern city with a high-rise urban canopy