MAV08, Agra, India Tomonari Furukawa1

Micro Aerial Vehicles for Search, Tracking and Reconnaissance

(MAVSTAR)

Computational Mechanics and RoboticsARC Centre of Excellence in Autonomous

SystemsThe University of New South Wales

Australia

MAV08, Agra, India

Content

Conceptual solutionOverall System ArchitectureMAV

Propulsion and lift systemGuidance, Navigation and ControlFlight termination system and Safety

UGVElectronicMechanical

BSMan/Machine InterfacePath Planning

Conclusion & Future Work

MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU2

MAV08, Agra, India

Conceptual Solution

• 4 Remote control MAVs• 4 Autonomous UGVs• BS

Strategy:• 1 MAV takes off from the IP• 2 MAVs are carried by UGV• 1 MAV stays in IP

MAV tasks:• Search and locate for obstacles, mines, guard and hostage• Search, locate and defuse mines and locate hostage

UGV tasks:• Relay MAVs’ signals• Search and locate obstacles, guard and hostage• Deactivate mines

MAV08, Agra, India

Overall System Architecture

Communication between MAV and BS:

1.Direct (LoS, >1km)

2.Relay (NLoS)

Video: 1.2, 1.5 and 5.8 GHz

Data: 2.4 GHz

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)

MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU

Developed GUI:

Sensor monitoring

Human-in-the-loop control

Kill Switch

MAV08, Agra, India

MAV Platform

Carbon blades•4 plies•45deg/0deg/0deg/45deg

Carbon frames•3 plies•0deg/90deg/0deg

•Fully custom-made•Low cost (US$500)

Camera

Battery Ultrasonic sensor

GPS

Video Transmitter

IMU

Flybar

MAV08, Agra, India

MAV: Propulsion and lift system

MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU6

• Coaxial helicopter

• 2 brushless motors for height and yaw control

• 2 servos for pitch and roll control

Advantages:

• Fit within 30cm sphere

• High lift force (455g) for all sensors

• 12-14 minutes flight time

• Stable in indoor and outdoor environments

(Wind speed up to 20km/h)

MAV08, Agra, India

Indoor and Outdoor Performance

Indoor flight

Indoor flight

Outdoor flight

Outdoor flight

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU8

Guidance, Navigation and Control

• Manual remote control• Base on real-time video image• Have all sensors for autonomous control later• Minimize the on-board computation

• Sensors• Control Sensor: 2 axis accelerometer, 1 axis gyro• Navigation: GPS, compass, ultrasonic• Mission and obstacle avoidance: CCD camera (Range: >1km)

MAV08, Agra, India

Sensing Capability

Camera view during flight

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU10

Flight termination system and Safety

Flight termination:• Dangerous to people

Kill switch in BS is activated Kill command is sent to MAV

• Lost communication Hover in first 2s After 2s, land using Ultrasonic Range Finder

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU11

UGV: Mechanical

• Custom-made frame

4WD

Off-road capability

Able to climb steps

• 14km/h

• 1 hour run time

• Directional Microphone

Hostage Detection

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU12

UGV: Mechanical

• Custom-made frame

4WD

Off-road capability

Able to climb steps

• 14km/h

• 1 hour run time

• Directional Microphone

Hostage Detection

• Launching Mechanism

Power Saving

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU13

UGV: Electronic

• Navigation Sensors:GPS, Compass, Accelerometers

• Collision Avoidance:CCD camera, Ultrasonic Range Finder

• Mission Sensors (for Mine and Hostage):CCD camera, Directional Microphone

• Autonomous Control for 4 UGVs

• 1 Crew member Monitor and override control if necessaryUpdate waypoints if necessary

• Repeater for MAVs’ video and data signals For MAVs in NLoS condition

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU14

BS: Man/Machine Interface

MonitorMonitor

ServerServer

ControllerController

Comm

ControllerController ControllerController ControllerController

Data server

MONITORMAV

MONITORMAV

Comm Comm

MONITORMAV

MONITORMAV

MONITORUGV

MONITORUGV

UGVUGVUGVUGV UGVUGV UGVUGV MAVMAV MAVMAV

Data flow

Distributed Server-Client Model for sharing information•Scalability for multiple/heterogeneous MAV/UGV coordination•Rich computational resources

(rapid prototyping/testing purpose)•Multiple operators

Data serverData server

Data server

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU15

BS: Path Planning

GV

NLOS

• Location of the guard (SAT MAV)

The system suggests the path to get close to the building with Search-And-Tracking MAV information.

• Non-Line of Sight (NLoS) from the guard

Non-Line of Sight estimator utilizes a priori knowledge to find “Safe Zone”.

• Path finder

Theoretically, it is guaranteed that the system provides a path from the entry point to the building if there is a path.

Search space: 500x500 grids0.53sec for the initial search by Pentium-M 1.1GHz processor

MAV08, Agra, India

Conclusion

MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU16

Conclusions:• 4 MAVs, 4 UGVs and BS• Rotary-wing MAV with coaxial setup fits within 30cm sphere• High lift force, Stable in indoor and outdoor, long flight time• Autonomous control for UGVs and Manual control for MAVs

MAV08, Agra, India

Future Work – Coordinated Information-theoretic Search and Tracking

Coordinated information-theoretic SAT

Coordinated information-theoretic SAT

Real-time information-theoretic SAT

Real-time information-theoretic SAT

MAV08, Agra, India

Future Work – Continuous Outdoor and Indoor Localization

MAV08, Agra, India MAVSTAR, UNSW, AU19

Acknowledgements

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Air Force Research Lab (AFRL)

DSTODefence Science and Technology Organisation