July 16, 2001

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July 16, 2001
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Team Information
Designation Ongo-03
Members

• Summer Semester
• Chad Winterhof
• Eugene Koob

• Fall Semester
• Scott Dang
• Bernard Lwakabamba
• Stephen Smith
• Nathan Ellefson

Advisors Dr. J. Lamont, Prof. R. Patterson,
Dr. Rajagopalan, Dr. J. Basart
Client Space Systems Operational Lab
(SSOL) Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering
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Agenda

• Problem Statement General Background
• Project Assumptions and Limitations
• Design Objectives/Constraints
• End-product Description
• Risk and Risk Management
• Technical Approach
• Evaluation of Success
• Future Work
• Financial and Human Budgets
• Lessons Learned
• Summary

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General Background
IARC (International Aerial Robotics Competition)

• Annual competition started in 1990
• Sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle
  Systems International
• University teams build autonomous aerial vehicles
  that must complete predetermined tasks
• Tasks change every 4 to 5 years
• The team completing the most tasks in the least
  amount of time wins

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Problem Statement

• Build ISUs first entry in IARC competition
• Complete the requirements for the competition
• Modify an R/C helicopter for autonomous flight
• Establish a communication link between the
  helicopter and a ground-based PC station

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End-product Description

• Fully autonomous gas powered helicopter that uses
  GPS and other sensors to navigate
• The ability to transmit analog image signals to a
  ground station
• Ground station able to recognize symbols via
  image recognition software
• Able to enter the IARC

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Assumptions

• Funding will be available for the completion of
  the project
• Suitable hardware will be available to complete
  the project
• Our design will successfully control the flight
  of the helicopter used in the project
• The sensors chosen for the helicopter will work
  with the control system to control the helicopter
  and successfully identify ground markings

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Limitations

• The payload carrying capacity of the helicopter
• Flight time of the helicopter without refueling
• Accuracy of the GPS system
• Range of the imaging hardware
• Range and accuracy of the data transmission
  equipment
• Available funding
• Limited mounting surface
• Power consumption

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Potential Risks

• Serious design flaw that halts the development of
  the aircraft
• Helicopter crashes and needs repair
• Our funding runs out before the project is
  finished
• Time constraints, rule changes

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Current Semester Approach

• Focus on sensors
• Compass
• Sonar
• 2. Need for Helicopter Repair
• 3. Flight Training

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Technical Approach
Control Subsystem

• We are planning to use a PC/104 control board as
  the on-board computer to control the helicopter.
• This controller will be interfaced with the
  sensors and telemetry.
• It will take data from the sensors and process it
  so that it can make flight control decisions.
• The control subsystem will reside in the software
  of the onboard computer.

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Technical Approach
Control Subsystem
Autopilot
Servos
Helicopter Reaction
AFCS Inner Loop
AFCS Outer Loop
Figure 1. Simple block diagram showing control
system interaction with helicopter
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Technical Approach
Control Subsystem

Desired Position
Model Helicopter
Logic
Position
Sensors
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Technical Approach
Sensors Subsystem
Sensor System
SLAVE (PIC)

• Performs A/D conversions if necessary
• Performs segmentation of data
• Controls operation of servos

ONBOARD COMPUTER

• Polls the SLAVE(s) in a predefined order
• Packages sensor data and sends to the telemetry
  subsystem

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Technical Approach
Sensors Subsystem
Current Sensor Components

• Polaroid 6500 Ranging Module (2) ? Altitude
  Proximity
• Accelerometers (2) ?
  Acceleration
• Gyroscopes (2)
  ? Pitch, Yaw, Roll
• Digital Compass
  ? Direction

Future Sensor Components

• GPS
  ? Global Coordinate
• Imaging System ? Image
  Recognition

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Technical Approach
Information Transfer and Processing

• -Telemetry Unit-
• It will interface with the on-board computer.
• This subsystem will relay flight and mapping
  information to the PC based ground station for
  processing.
• -PC Based Ground Station-
• The ground station will receive and log sensor
  data from the telemetry system on the helicopter.
  
• It will also do image recognition on the image
  relayed from the helicopters on-board video
  camera.
• We have chosen a Dell 500 MHz PC for this job.

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Evaluation of Success

• Past accomplishments
• Built and tested helicopter
• Designed compass circuit
• Created sonar software
• Acquired ground station
• Acquired flight simulator

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Evaluation of Success

• Spring 01 Accomplishments
• Learned to program PICs
• Designed basic control algorithm
• Created new strategic plan
• Designed communications for onboard components
• Created interfaces between sensors and PICS

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Evaluation of Success

• Current semester accomplishments
• Established contact for Flight Trainer
• Helicopter evaluation
• Sonar
• Compass

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Future Work

• Future Milestones
• Test hardware limitations
• Finish development on control/communication
  software
• Learn to fly helicopter manually (ongoing)
• Start assembling hardware to mount onto the
  helicopter
• Re-build the helicopter

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Expected Financial Budget
Only extra helicopter parts and a new instruction
manual were purchased for 40.94. Projected
costs were 160 for parts and labor for
helicopter repair.   Table 1 indicates an
estimated budget for Micro-CART for the duration
of the project.  

Poster/website 50
PIC/process 900
Interfaces 100
GPS System 2000
Telemetry unit 1000
Camera/Image Recognition 2500
Entry Fee 1000
Parts and Instruction Manual 41
Miscellaneous 350
Total Expenditures 7941
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Human Budget
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Lessons Learned

• Team work
• Meet regularly
• Interpersonal communications
• Thoroughly document work done
• Know the project requirements
• Work always takes longer than planned
• RISC architecture can be confusing
• Advantages and disadvantages of Stamps
• Double check contacts
• Follow Directions!

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Summary
Goal Build autonomous vehicle for entry in IARC
competition by 2003 Proposed Solution Modify
a gas-powered remote controlled helicopter for
autonomous flight Current Status 1.
Helicopter needs to be re-built 2. Sensor
subsystem in the implementation phase 3.
Control system entering design phase
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Questions ?