TY - GEN
T1 - A modular design approach to a reconfigurable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
AU - Maldonado, Victor
AU - Sarker, Prithviraj
AU - Chowdhury, Souma
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA. All rights reserved.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Reconfigurable systems are systems that can be transformed into different configurations, to provide different functionality or to adapt to different operating environment. In this paper, we describe the preliminary design process and construction of a first generation modular Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that is reconfigurable offline. The modules of this reconfigurable UAV platform can be assembled to form a quad-rotor UAV (QR-UAV) configuration or a fixed-wing UAV (FW-UAV) configuration, respectively providing VTOL/hovering capabilities and long-endurance/range capabilities. The goal of this design effort is to develop, fabricate, and flight-test a modular and reconfigurable UAV platform that can be used by different types of field personnel – from wildfire firefighters, to emergency responders and-post-disaster search and rescue teams. Hence, diverse functionality was deemed necessary along with strict maximum weight/volume specifications (backpack-carry-able modules) and the ability to be assembled/disassembled in a matter of minutes. The overall design and the first generation prototype is derived from an original conceptual design performed using modular product platform planning concepts. The UAV modules were defined in terms of 15 design variables, and the conceptual design optimization was performed using the mixed-discrete Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. The QR configuration in this UAV comprises four ducted rotors and a central pod housing all the required electronics, including the battery. In addition to all the modules in the QR configuration, the FW configuration includes a multi-section flying wing with vertical and horizontal stabilizers, where the ducted rotors are mounted on the bottom (1st generation concept) or the top (2nd generation concept) of the wing. In developing the detailed design, it was conceived that the majority of the UAV would be fabricated using additive manufacturing techniques. The preliminary design/fabrication/flight-testing processes has now provided us with new constraints that would be implemented in the overall design optimization of the next generation of this reconfigurable UAV platform.
AB - Reconfigurable systems are systems that can be transformed into different configurations, to provide different functionality or to adapt to different operating environment. In this paper, we describe the preliminary design process and construction of a first generation modular Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that is reconfigurable offline. The modules of this reconfigurable UAV platform can be assembled to form a quad-rotor UAV (QR-UAV) configuration or a fixed-wing UAV (FW-UAV) configuration, respectively providing VTOL/hovering capabilities and long-endurance/range capabilities. The goal of this design effort is to develop, fabricate, and flight-test a modular and reconfigurable UAV platform that can be used by different types of field personnel – from wildfire firefighters, to emergency responders and-post-disaster search and rescue teams. Hence, diverse functionality was deemed necessary along with strict maximum weight/volume specifications (backpack-carry-able modules) and the ability to be assembled/disassembled in a matter of minutes. The overall design and the first generation prototype is derived from an original conceptual design performed using modular product platform planning concepts. The UAV modules were defined in terms of 15 design variables, and the conceptual design optimization was performed using the mixed-discrete Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. The QR configuration in this UAV comprises four ducted rotors and a central pod housing all the required electronics, including the battery. In addition to all the modules in the QR configuration, the FW configuration includes a multi-section flying wing with vertical and horizontal stabilizers, where the ducted rotors are mounted on the bottom (1st generation concept) or the top (2nd generation concept) of the wing. In developing the detailed design, it was conceived that the majority of the UAV would be fabricated using additive manufacturing techniques. The preliminary design/fabrication/flight-testing processes has now provided us with new constraints that would be implemented in the overall design optimization of the next generation of this reconfigurable UAV platform.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088071759&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2514/6.2017-0224
DO - 10.2514/6.2017-0224
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85088071759
SN - 9781624104497
T3 - AIAA Information Systems-AIAA Infotech at Aerospace, 2017
BT - AIAA Information Systems-AIAA Infotech at Aerospace, 2017
PB - American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA
T2 - AIAA Information Systems-Infotech At Aerospace Conference, 2017
Y2 - 9 January 2017 through 13 January 2017
ER -