2007 AUVSI Undergraduate Student UAS Competition

Mississippi State University

March 23, 2007

Overview

• Introduction of team

X-ipiter• Budget and Schedule• What is a UAS?• AUVSI Competition Rules and

Regulations• Air Vehicle• System Components• Real World Applications• Conclusion and Questions

Participating Departments

Department of

Kinesiology

2006-2007 TeamAdvisors:

Dr. Randolph Follett ECE Assistant Professor

Calvin WalkerASE Research Associate

Team Leads:Team Lead –

Savannah Ponder, ASE – Jr.Air Vehicle Lead –

Nathan Ingle, Kinesiology – Jr.Systems Lead –

Brandon Lasseigne, ASE – Sr.

Air Vehicle:•Marty Brennan (SR,

ASE)•Sam Curtis (SR, ASE)•Jonathan Fikes (SR, ME)•Mike Hodges (SR, GR)•Richard Kirkpatrick (SO,

ASE)•Trent Ricks (SO, ASE)•Wade Spurlock (FR,

ASE)

Systems:•Chris Brown (Grad, EE)•Joshua Lasseigne (SR,

CPE)•Brittany Penland (SR,

ABE)•Chris Edwards (JR, EE)•Daniel Wilson (SO,

CPE)•William Cleveland (SO,

CPE/ASE)

Team Members

Budget

• Allocated Funds: $6,500– ASE - $2,000– ECE - $2,000– Miltec - $1,000– 5D Systems - $1,500

• Current Expenses: $2,232

• Approximate Travel Expenses: $5,000

Schedule

What is UAS?And what is the difference between UAV and UAS?

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload. Ballistic or semiballistic vehicles, cruise missiles, and artillery projectiles are not considered unmanned aerial vehicles.– DOD Joint Publication 1-02

• Unmanned Aerial System – A system comprised of one or more UAVs and the associated Ground Control Station for command, control, and communication and applicable payloads to perform various missions in either the civilian or military environment.

Mission Objective“The complete mission objectives are

for an unmanned, radio controllable aircraft to be launched and transition or continue to autonomous flight, navigate a specified course, use onboard payload sensors to locate and assess a series of man-made objects in a search area prior to returning to the launch point for landing.”

- AUVSI Student Competition Rules

Scored Factors

• Takeoff

• Waypoint Navigation

• Search Area

• Landing

• Total Mission Time

Scored Factors Takeoff

• Manual or autonomous– Objective: autonomous takeoff

• Paved asphalt surface

Scored Factors Waypoint Navigation

• Autonomous Flight (Required)• Search

– Must pass over each waypoint– Must avoid no-fly zones

• Airspeed– Requirement of two speed variations

• Waypoints – Announced prior to flight portion of the

competition

Scored Factors Waypoint Navigation

• In-route Search – Target positioned directly along the 500 feet MSL search zone– Targets may be positioned up to 250 feet from the search path,

while at 200 feet MSL

• Targets – Plywood targets

• 7 possible shape configurations• 6 possible sizes• 7 possible background colors• 7 possible alphanumeric colors• 3 possible alphanumeric heights• 3 possible alphanumeric thicknesses

– Threshold: identify two target parameters– Objective: identify five target parameters

Scored Factors Search Area

• Can choose the search pattern

• Flight altitude– Between 100 feet MSL and 750 feet MSL

• Dynamically re-task in flight– Utilize to locate a “pop-up” target

• Target Location Identification– Threshold: ddd.mm.ss.ssss within 250 ft– Objective: ddd.mm.ss.ssss within 50 ft

Scored Factors Landing

• Manual or autonomous landing– Objective: autonomous landing

• Control on landing– Scored

• Completion– “When the air vehicle motion ceases, engine

is shut down, and the mission data sheet and imagery have been provided to the judges.”

– AUVSI Competition Rules

Scored Factors Total Mission Time

• Allotted amount of time– 40 minutes– Objective: 20 minutes

• Actionable Intelligence– Real time observation and target data

recorded

Competition Scoring

• 50% Mission Performance

• 25% Journal Paper

• 25% Oral Briefing/Static Display

Air Vehicle

• Regulations from AUVSI

• Evolutionary approach

• Current Plane

• Construction Methods

• Performance

• Static Stability and Control

Regulations from AUVSI• Weight

– Less than 55 lbs

• Manual override capability• Flight termination • Airspeed

– 100 knots

• Sensors– No ground based sensors

• Capable of changes to airspeed and altitude• Environmental considerations

– Crosswinds: 8 knots with 11 knots gusts– Wind: 15 knots with 20 knots gusts at the mission altitude– Temperature: 110 degrees F at 1000 ft MSL

Evolutionary Approach• Telemaster• X-1• X-2• X-2.5

Evolutionary ApproachTelemaster

• Used in the 2004 AUVSI Undergraduate Student UAV Competition

• Configuration:– Tail dragger– High wing– Split horizontal stabilizer– Glow fuel engine– Flat bottom airfoil

• Problems:– Insufficient internal space– Insufficient payload capacity

Evolutionary ApproachX-1

• Used for 2005 AUVSI Undergraduate Student UAV Competition

• Configuration– Tricycle landing gear– Conventional propulsion

configuration– Main fuselage with central

wing placement– Gasoline powered engine– SD7062 airfoil

• Problems– Access to the payload area

very limited– Weight– Camera interference– Electromagnetic Interference

Evolutionary ApproachX-2

• Used in 2006 AUVSI Undergraduate Student UAV Competition

• Data from camera interference solved

• Configuration– Twin boom– Pusher– Tricycle landing gear– Main fuselage with central

wing configuration– High horizontal stabilizer

configuration– SD7062 airfoil

• Problems– High cruise airspeed– Weight

X-2.5

• Current configuration– Evolutionary design of X-2

• Improvement methods– Decreased the minimum

flight speed – Increased the fuselage

length to handle volumetric problems

– Modified layup schedule to reduce weight

– Brakes to reduce landing distance

– Camera control software– Connectors

X-2.5 continued

• Wings:– Airfoil: SD7062– Span: 128.00 in– Chord: 16.00 in– Area: 2048.00 in2

– Aspect ratio: 8.00– Wing loading: 3.80 psf

• Fuselage:– Length: 45.00 in

X-2.5 continuedEmpennage

– Horizontal• Airfoil: J5012• Span: 32.25 in• Chord: 9.00 in• Area: 290.25 in2

• Aspect Ratio: 3.59

– Vertical (twin)• Airfoil: J5012• Height: 7.0 in• Chord: 9.25 in• Area: 129.50 in2

• Aspect Ratio: 0.76

Evolutionary Solutions to Problems• Materials

– More robust– Increased payload capability

• Internal Space– Increased volume– Accessibility– Layout

• Camera Interference – Relocated the engine behind the camera– Suspend the camera in the interior of the fuselage– Engine vibration isolation mount

Evolutionary Solutions to Problems Continued

• Electromagnetic Interference– Shielded and grounded electronic components– Composite airframe

• Manufacturability– Molds

• Weight – Modified the layup schedule

• Airspeed– Decreased cruise airspeed

X-2.5 Construction

• Fuselage

• Wings

• Empennage

• Landing Gear

X-2.5 ConstructionFuselage

• Fuselage skin– Sandwich construction with

fiberglass/Divinycell foam

• Bulkheads:– Sandwich construction with

carbon/birch wood or honeycomb

X-2 Construction ContinuedWings

• Wing Skins– Sandwich construction with

graphite/Divinycell foam

• Ribs– Sandwich construction with

graphite/polyurethane foam

• Tubular carbon main spar and anti-torque spar

X-2 Construction ContinuedEmpennage

• Horizontal and Vertical stabilizers:– Sandwich construction with

graphite/balsa wood

• Ribs:– Sandwich construction with

graphite/balsa wood

• Booms:– Carbon composite tubes

X-2 Construction ContinuedLanding Gear

• Tricycle landing gear formation

• Wet lay up carbon composite construction

Performance• Airspeed

– Maximum: 100 knots– Minimum cruise speed: 38 knots

• Ceiling – 2,000 feet

• Endurance– 1 hour

• Takeoff distance – 200 feet

• Landing distance– 200 feet

Static Stability and Control

• Cm = -1.725 per radian- Static Margin: 21%

- Statically stable longitudinally

• Cn = 0.063 per radian

- Statically stable directionally

• Cl = -0.012 per radian

- Statically stable laterally

Systems Team

• Required by AUVSI

• Air vehicle electrical layout

• Ground control station layout

• Command/Telemetry

• Autopilot

• Camera control

• Surveillance

Required by AUVSI

• Takeoff and landing – May or may not be autonomous

• Continuous flight– Must be autonomous

• Manual Override• Waypoint navigation

– Autonomous– Show the search area

• Dynamically re-task– Change the search area

• Imagery – Show imagery in real-time or record the

required data for each target

Air Vehicle Electrical Layout

Video Transmitter

Wing Lights

12v Battery

PTZ Camera

Radio Modem

RC Receiver

Li Battery

Servos

12v Battery Li Battery

Dual Power Servo

Interface

RC Receiver

MicropilotRadio

Modem

Ground Control Station Layout

Laptop: Micropilot

Video Receiver

Laptop: Video

Radio Modem

RC Control

A/D Converter

Laptop: Xipiter Base Station

Software

Generator

Power Strip

Camera Control Device

Radio Modem

Command/Telemetry

Auto Pilot

Radio Modem

Video Camera

GPS

Servo: Elevator

Servo: Aileron R

Servo: Rudder L

Servo: brakes

Servo: Rudder R

Video Transmitter

RC receiver

DPSI Twin RC Receiver

Radio Modem

Servo: Flaps L

Servo: Flaps R

Servo: Nose Wheel

Servo: Throttle

Servo: Aileron L

Autopilot

• Micropilot 2028g– Weight: 28 grams– Dimensions:

• Length: 10 centimeters• Width: 4 centimeters• Height: 1.5 centimeters

– Programmable waypoints

– Complete autonomous operations: takeoff, flight, landing.

– Supports 24 servos

Autopilot

• Horizon Ground Control Software– Takeoff and landing– Dynamically re-tasking

• Testing with X-2

Camera Control • Programmed in C#

• Receives input from camera control device

• Communicates with camera– Sets pan/tilt/zoom– Receives pan/tilt/zoom information for

calculations

• Captures digital video from camera– Can take snapshots for analysis

Surveillance

• Camera– Sony D70

Pan/Tilt/Zoom

• Micropilot/Camera– Used to find the GPS

coordinates of each target

• X-ipiter Base Station Software (XBS)– Labview based

program

XBS

X-ipiter Unmanned Aerial System

Real World ApplicationWarfare Today

• Theater Wide Demand

• Real Time Intelligence

• Response To Troops in Contact

• Managed Chaos

Real world application section of this brief was prepared by SGT Mike Hodges, Aviation Operations Specialist, 2-20th

Special Forces Group (Airborne), member of Team X-ipiter.

Real World ApplicationCurrent UAV Gap

Practical Applications of X-2.5

• Law enforcement

• Border patrol

• Agriculture

• Surveying

• Search and rescue

Sponsors

Conclusion

Questions?

If it Kwax ,it must be a Xawk!