DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/EEV1-7942
Defense Date
2010
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Engineering
First Advisor
Robert Klenke
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was to develop a low cost autonomous flight control system for small unmanned aerial vehicles with the aim to support collaborative systems. A low cost hardware solution was achieved by careful selection of sensors, integration of hardware subsystems, and the use of new microcontroller technologies. Flight control algorithms to guide a vehicle though waypoint based flight paths and loiter about a point were implemented using direction fields. A hardware in the loop simulator was developed to ensure proper operation of all hardware and software components prior to flight testing. The resulting flight control system achieved stable and accurate flight while reducing the total system cost to less than $250.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
August 2010