Team 3Ashwin ShankarUpsham Dawra

Samit SuraJoe Katz

Abstract Our project is a portable low-cost aerial drone that can be

used for various purposes like reconnaissance, rescue missions, land inspections and surveying. It will have the ability to relay real-time video during flight and also provide real-time data like location, heading, battery life giving the user a virtual cockpit on the base station. The drone will also be able to take high-resolution pictures of the ground from the air. These photos and some flight data will be stored in non-volatile memory for viewing later, akin to a “blackbox” system. The drone will be controlled manually through a control unit.

o 1. An ability to wirelessly control engine rpm, elevators, ailerons and rudders of a UAV from a base station.

o 2. An ability to control the direction of the onboard video camera.

o 3. An ability to transmit real-time sensor data from the UAV to the base.

o 4. An ability for the user to trigger the capture of still images by a camera on a UAV.

o 5. An ability to store relevant data in non-volatile memory on a UAV.

Project-Specific Success Criteria

Design Constraints Weight

◦Satisfy the payload capability of the plane Weight was given top priority while choosing

components

Packaging◦Maximize Stability◦Minimize crash-induced damage Ruggedness of the components were taken into

account while choosing components Integrated Sensors were chosen over individual

ones

Design Constraints

Power◦Minimize Power Consumption for maximum flight

time Low-Power components were chosen where possible

Compliance◦FCC compliance for Tx/Rx◦FAA compliance Video Transmission at 900 MHz Sensor and Control transmission at 2.4 GHz

IMU

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Component Selection Microcontroller Requirements

◦ Needs at least 4 PWM outputs◦ SPI,I2C and UART for interfacing

Chosen Microcontroller-AT32UC3C0512C◦ 20 PWM Channels◦ 7 SPI,5 UART and 3 I2C pins

Component Selection Sensor/Controls Antenna Requirements

◦ 2 way communication.◦ 500m or greater range.◦ Pre-approval by FCC◦ Light weight◦ Speed ~ 5kbps

Chosen Antenna:XBee-PRO◦ Range~1500 m LOS◦ Tx/Rx at 2.4 GHz with up to 250 kbps◦ 3g in weight

Component Selection RC Plane Requirements

◦ Able to carry a payload of ~400 gms◦ Inexpensive◦ Rugged

Chosen Plane:Apprentice 15e PNP◦ Estimated to carry a payload of 500 gms◦ Tough enough to handle training mishaps◦ Relatively Inexpensive(~$300)

Questions?

Component Selection Video Camera Requirements

◦ Lightweight: 100g maximum◦ Built-in transmitter or COTS-compatible

transmitter◦ Range: 500m minimum

Chosen Video Camera: ◦ Super Circuits PC75WR◦ Super Circuits AVX-900-T4 antenna◦ Frequency: 900 MHz◦ Total weight: 67g◦ Total current draw: 360 mA◦ Range: 1600m

Component Selection IMU Requirements

◦ Should contain 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope

◦ Single interface◦ Small package size

Chosen IMU: ◦ Sparkfun IMU Digital Combo Board

ITG3200/ADXL345 ◦ I2C Interface◦ Smaller than a quarter