Project:

The goal of our project is to design a prototype of our UAV so that it may be built in the future.  We have decided to incorporate the AeroQuad Cyclone as our quadcopter platform as it is a mid-priced unit with the largest rotors and frame, allowing for a larger payload capacity to accommodate our camera system. To control the quadcopter, we have opted to use a 35MHz controller as it will provide a suitable range exceeding 1km. This frequency was chosen over the more common 2.4GHz as we plan to transmit our video over that frequency.  This setup will ensure that the controller and video do not interfere with each other.

A Sony 1/3 inch CCD camera will be mounted to our UAV along with a 2.4GHz analog transmitter. The combination of the miniscule 38*38mm camera and an even smaller transmitter will offer the ideal solution for our video transmission system. There are several models that offer between 420TVL and 600TVL of resolution, for the best image a 600TVL camera will be used. The expected range of this setup is around 1 km.

The video transmission will be received by two receivers: one to the UAV operator’s monitor and a second to a video capture card.  The live display will allow the operator to control the vehicle with little lag while the captured video will allow us to apply post analysis such as target tracking.  In the future we hope to expand the design by incorporating UAV automation through the use of ultrasonic range finders and autopilot software.

Documentation:

Interim Report (Includes Logbook): Quadcopter Interim Report

Final Report: Quadcopter Final Report

Final Logbook: Quadcopter Final Logbook