Development of a Mini-UAV
for Urban Environments
Tony Dodd and Beniamin Apopei
Overview
• UAVs@Sheffield
• The urban environment
• The challenges
• Quadrotor MAV
• Future plans
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
UAVs@Sheffield
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Platform development
Control, mission planning, co-operative UAVs
Simulation/hardware-in-the-loop co-simulation
Communications (wireless, fibre optics)
Smart and morphing structures
Advanced composites
Aerodynamics and design optimisation
Energy management
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Industrial links/projects
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Three Rolls-Royce UTCs
Boeing sponsored AMRC
ASTRAEA
Blue Bear Systems Research
Home Office
EADS
SEAS DTC?
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
UG/MSc Projects
• Technology carrier
platform
• MAV group project
• Autonomous control
(inertial and GPS)
• …
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
WUN Intelligent UAV Group
• 19 research led universities
• UK, Europe, US, China, Australia, Canada
• Brings together world’s leading experts
• Collaboration, funding and exchange
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Urban Applications
• Security
• Military
• Communications
relay
• Pollution monitoring
• Police and
surveillance
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
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Traffic monitoring
Fire brigade
Search and rescue
Crowd control
Building inspection
Mapping
...
MoD Grand Challenge
• “Create a system with a high
degree of autonomy that can
detect, identify, monitor and
report a comprehensive range
of military threats in an urban
environment” [7]
• www.challenge.mod.uk
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
[7]
The Urban Environment
[1]
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
The Urban Environment
[1]
[2]
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
The Urban Environment
[1]
[2]
[3]
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
The Urban Environment
[1]
[2]
[3]
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
The Challenges
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Simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM)
Autonomous/semi-autonomous control
Collision avoidance
Gusting and turbulence
Reliable wireless communications
Stealth
Power and energy management
User interface/mission management
Portable
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Urban UAVs
• Fixed wing – OTH
reconnaissance (superior
range and endurance)
[6]
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Urban UAVs
• Fixed wing – OTH
reconnaissance (superior
range and endurance)
• Rotary wing – urban
operation (between and
inside buildings)
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Urban UAVs
• Fixed wing – OTH
reconnaissance (superior
range and endurance)
• Rotary wing – urban
operation (between and
inside buildings)
• Advanced rotary/flapping
wing (indoors)
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
[5]
Urban UAVs
• Fixed wing – OTH
reconnaissance (superior
range and endurance)
• Rotary wing – urban
operation (between and
inside buildings)
• Advanced rotary/flapping
wing (indoors)
• Lighter than air?
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
[4]
Quadrotor MAV
Design requirements:
• VTOL
• Stable and highly manoeuvrable
• All electric
• Indoor and outdoor operation
• Flight time > 10 min
• MTOW > 3.5kg (initial prototype > 400g)
• Portable and robust
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Why Quadrotor?
• Very efficient – all power to lift
• Better payload/size ratio – compact
• More stable
• More manoeuvrable
• More robust/fault tolerant
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
COTS Components
Sensors
• Inertial measurement unit
• GPS
• Firewire cameras
• Ultrasonic
• Laser
Power
• Brushless motors
• Tilting, counter-rotating props (+ configuration)
• Lithium polymer batteries
Structure
• Glass and carbon fibre chassis
Processing
• Microcontroller
• Dual FPGA-DSP processors (Firewire ports)
[8]
[9]
[10]
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Quadrotor Prototype I
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
IMU Development
• COTS gyros and accelerometers (Analog Devices)
• Gyros - 300 deg/s
• Accelerometers - 2g
• PCB design
• Analogue to digital conversion
by microcontroller
• Very low cost < £200
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Simulation and control
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Simulation and control
• Lyapunov stability analysis – hovering
operating point
• Input coupling/correlation analysis
• Hovering control
• Nonlinear control – simulation
• Tuned PID – simulation and real
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
User interface
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Quadrotor Prototype II
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Tiltrotor Mechanism
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Video
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
Future plans
Technical challenges
• Sensor fusion
• Navigation and collision avoidance
• SLAM
• Active/passive vibration suppression
User interface/mission management
Batteries and structure
Testing and applications
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs
References
[1] http://www.americasarmy.com/gallery/index.php?id=27 [Accessed 2 February 2007]
[2]http://www2.soros.org/photogalleries/mw_gallery.php?series=/resources/events/mw9/h
emmerle/ [Accessed 2 February 2007]
[3] http://www.actionla.org/Iraq/IraqReport/iraq_gallery_03/pages/IMGP0060.html
[Accessed 2 February 2007]
[4] http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/silver-mylar-blimp-envelope-p-941.html [Accessed 2
February 2007]
[5] http://bicoreeos.solarbotics.net/mav.html [Accessed 2 February 2007]
[6] http://www.nd.edu/~mav/photo.htm [Accessed 2 February 2007]
[7] http://www.challenge.mod.uk [Accessed 3 February 2007]
[8] http://www.traquair.com/ [Accessed 3 February 2007]
[9] http://www.unibrain.com/Products/VisionImg/Fire_i_BC.htm [Accessed 3 February
2007]
[10] http://www.xsens.com/ [Accessed 3 February 2007]
20 February 2007
IET Seminar on Micro UAVs