Title:
System Integration and Operation of a Research Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
System Integration and Operation of a Research Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Author(s)
Johnson, Eric N.
Schrage, Daniel P.
Schrage, Daniel P.
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Abstract
The use of flight simulation tools to reduce the schedule, risk, and required
amount of flight-testing for complex aerospace systems is a well-recognized benefit of
these approaches. However, some special challenges arise when one attempts to obtain
these benefits for the development and operation of a research Uninhabited Aerial
Vehicle (UAV) system. Research UAV systems are characterized by the need for
continual checkout of experimental software and hardware. Also, flight-testing can be
further leveraged by complementing experimental results with flight-test validated
simulation results for the same vehicle system. In this paper, flight simulation
architectures for system design, integration, and operation of an experimental helicopter-based
UAV, are described. The chosen helicopter-based UAV platform (a Yamaha RMax)
is well instrumented: differential GPS, an inertial measurement unit, sonar
altimetry, and a 3-axis magnetometer. One or two general-purpose flight processors can
be utilized. Research flight test results obtained to date, including those completed in
conjunction with the DARPA Software Enabled Control program, are summarized.
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Date Issued
2004-01
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Text
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Post-print