Development of an UAV

• Main Author: Teo, Koon Peng
• Other Authors: Vun Chan Hua, Nicholas
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Hardware::Control structures and microprogramming; DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Control and instrumentation::Control engineering; DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Control and instrumentation::Robotics
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/66600
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The RC drones industrial has been the center of attention in the last few years. Their simple design and quick learning curve has led to more and more people looking to aerial photography and surveillances as a hobby. The purpose of this project is to look at the underlying technologies behind a drone and use the knowledge to develop a Raspberry Pi powered drone. It includes building the mainframe, developing the receiver and flight controller, creating a model and running simulations. The design of a drone may look simple, but understanding the technologies behind them requires research in a wide area of disciplines. The physics behind a drone is analyzed and a mathematical model is presented. A PID controller is used to interface with the model and simulations are done in Xcos to test the effectiveness of the controller. Several sensors often used in a drone are looked at and mathematical equations are presented to process them. The performance of each sensor is then analyzed and an appropriate filter is presented to improve the accuracy of the signals. Finally, a brief outline is given on the process of implementing the controller onto a Raspberry Pi. The result shown that it is possible to create a functional Raspberry Pi powered quadcopter without any extension boards. It opens a whole range of possible researches that can make use of the extra processing power available on the Raspberry Pi.