Autopilot system for micro UAV

• Main Author: Bok, Thye Boon.
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Aircraft
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/45641
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are getting popular with a wide range of potential civil and military applications. Research interest in UAV has also stepped up locally, with DSO National Laboratories and Nanyang Technological University teaming up to take on a threeyear UAV project. However, majority of UAV prototype developed lacks reliability. Without an autopilot system, it could prove to be mission-critical to these projects whose control system is of secondary interest. A market research on off-shelf autopilot system has identified ArduPilot Mega to be ideal as a portable autopilot system due to its relatively cheap cost and capacity for development. Troubleshooting and assembling the electronics, the ArduPilot Mega is tested to be fairly reliable and robust. Further steps to operationalize the autopilot system onto several vehicular models are done to demonstrate its capabilities. Building an inheritably unstable telescopic quadcopter, the Ardupilot Mega was used as the stabilizing electronics and helped fly the rotary UAV to clinch an award in the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition. Serving as a telemetry system for a racing car prototype, it transmit accurate real-time data back to the ground crew and proved to be instrumental in analyzing driving strategy for the Shell Eco-marathon competition.