MiniBlue Data Drone Design Challenge
Team: Steven Cox, Logan Hill, Connor Roberts, Devin Nielsen
Sponsor: AggieAir and MAE
Project Description
- The Aggie Air research group currently has Great Blue, a large Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) drone used in research. Due to its size and complexity however, it is difficult to use and expensive to manufacture.
- Our project was to create a US sourced surveying drone platform, with relatively low design modification complexity, integrate VTOL system, and the capability of carrying a camera payload for a fraction of Great Blue's cost.
- The requirements our drone was required to meet were groundspeed, flight altitude, VTOL flight time, and forward flight time.
Great Blue
Design Description
- We designed the drone to use the VTOL system with a quad-rotor configuration. We chose parts with the goal to optimize forward flight time, VTOL flight time, payload weight capacity, minimum flight speed, overall total cost, and part availability in the US.
- All parts are US sourced. We implemented an 1800 mm skyhunter drone frame, 7200 mAh forward flight battery, 1550 mAh VTOL battery, and orange cube autopilot system to make the drone function and meet design constraints.
MiniBlue
Performance Review
| Design Requirements | Target Value | Actual Value | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Flight Time | 45 Minutes | 57 Minutes | The forward flight motor lasted 57 Minutes with 30% throttle, the standard flight throttle. |
| VTOL Flight Time | 90 Seconds | 90 Seconds | In a battery life hover test the drone hovered for 90 seconds, leaving 17% of the battery remaining. |
| Payload Weight | 360 grams | >360 grams | 360 grams is the weight of the surveying camera the drone carries. |
| Minimum Flight Speed | 11 m/s | 11 m/s | The drone flew the minimum speed required to obtain surveying data. This is obtained at less than 30% throttle. |
| Total Cost | $1,500 | $2,177 | The auto pilot system recommended by our sponsor cost $1300, despite out initial estimate of $750. |
| US Sourced Parts | 100% | 100% | All drone components are US sourced. |
Lessons Learned and Future Work
- Our product fit within the design constraints in every aspect but cost. This was out of our control however due to the autopilot system, and approved by our sponsor.
- We experimented with the tri-rotor; however, we experienced software issues that limited its ability to remain stable during VTOL.
- We learned the importance and difficulty of the drone's software. In the future we recommend further exploring the programming platform, QGroundControl, and learning how to implement a Tri-rotor and Tilt rotor
Tilt Rotor Concept
Tri-Rotor Concept