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ABSTRACT
This paper describes the design, development, and
operation of a research Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) system that has been developed at the Georgia
Institute of Technology, called the GTMax. This
description will include the processes put in place to
enable the system to be used for UAV-technology
research, including effective flight testing. Research
UAVs are characterized by the need for continual
checkout of experimental software and hardware. Also,
flight-testing can be further leveraged by
complementing research results with flight-test
validated simulation results for the same experimental
UAV platform. The chosen helicopter-based UAV
platform (a Yamaha R-Max) is well instrumented,
including: differential GPS, inertial measurement unit,
sonar altimeter, radar altimeter, and a 3-axis
magnetometer. One or two flight processors can be
utilized.
INTRODUCTION
This paper presents the development of an open
system Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) testbed at the
Georgia Institute of Technology and its use in the
DARPA Software Enabled Control (SEC) Program.
The School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia
Institute of Technology has been involved in Vertical
Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (UAV) technology development for more than
ten years. This experience has included initiation of the
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems,
International (AUVSI) International Aerial Robotics
Competition and winning it in 1993 with the first
demonstration of autonomous flight of an unmanned
helicopter, including takeoff and landing, at the
contest1. This was followed by the U.S. Army
Autonomous Scout Rotorcraft Testbed (ASRT) project
from 1994 to 1997.
_____________
* Lockheed Martin Assistant Professor of Avionics Integration,
Member AIAA.
E-mail: Eric.Johnson@aerospace.gatech.edu
Professor
Fellow AIAA.
E-mail: Daniel.Schrage@aerospace.gatech.edu
GTMax UAV
The GTMax utilizes the Yamaha R-Max industrial
helicopter airframe, which has the following
characteristics:
Electric Starter
3-Axis magnetometer
Sonar altimeter
Auxiliary
Module
Data Link
Module
Flight Computer
Module
IMU/Radar
Module
GPS Module
HMR-2300
Magnetometer
5V
ISIS-IMU
12V
DC/DC
Sonar Altimeter
DC/DC
Radar Altimeter
Power Distribution
Module
Aironet
MC4800
Ethernet
Hub
Yamaha Attitude
Control System
Freewave
DGR-115
Secondary Computer
5V DC/DC
12V
RS-232 Serial
Ethernet
DC Power
Figure 4: GTMax wiring diagram, including separation into modules, each with their own power regulation, aircooling, and EMI shielding
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Data Communication
Generic and highly capable data communication
software has been developed to support a large number
of potential flight and simulator test configurations.
First, these routines supports serial data reading and
writing as necessary for the Commercial Off The Shelf
(COTS) sensors and other custom components used.
These same routines can also be used to re-route
any data through Ethernet or as memory within a single
executable. These data routings can be modified in
real-time, by software switch. It should be noted that
2.
3.
4.
5.
single
Desktop Computer
Sensor
Emulation
State
Control
Vehicle Model
Sensor
Raw Data
Sensor
Data
Sensor
Drivers
Other
Systems
Navigation
Filter
State
Estimate
Trajectory
Planner
Actuator
Model
Actuator
Raw Data
Command Vector
Flight
Controller
Control
Actuator
Driver
Desktop Computer
Sensor
Emulation
State
Control
Vehicle Model
Sensor
Raw Data
Sensor
Drivers
Sensor
Data
Actuator
Simulation
Actuator
Raw Data
Navigation
Filter
State
Estimate
Flight
Controller
Control
Actuator
Driver
Command Vector
Trajectory
Planner
Flight Computer /
Laptop
RESULTS
A number of research flight tests have been
conducted on the GTMax, including the development of
the baseline guidance, navigation, and control
algorithms, SEC program tests, and the 2002 Aerial
Robotics Competition. These results are summarized
here. Video of many of these tests can be found on the
web at controls.ae.gatech.edu/uavrf.
700
600
500
300
200
100
0
-100
-200
-300
200
300
400
500
600
North and East (ft)
700
80
Ground Speed (ft/sec)
Estimated Position
Command Position
400
60
40
20
0
9160
9180
9200
Time (sec)
9220
GPS
Controls API Input Port
Sensors Serial
Interface
IMU
Magnetometer
50
sonar
Vehicle Serial
Interface
40
30
receiver commands
Vehicle Health
DataLink Interface
20
NavData_out
ControlData_out
1 Hz & 10 Hz
1 Hz & 10 Hz
50 Hz
10
100 Hz
ControlData_in
NavData_in
0
Navigation Module
Component
-10
NavControl_in
Controller
Component
50 Hz
NavControl_out
Actuator Serial
Interface
50 Hz
RMAX Actuator demultiplexer
-20
-30
-40
-50
1484
1486
1488
Time (sec)
1490
1492
I/O
Component
-50
-100
-150
1484
1486
1488
Time (sec)
1490
1492
30
Altitude (ft)
25
20
15
10
5
0
5058
5060
5062
Time (sec)
5064
5066
Altitude (ft)
0
1915
1920
1925
1930
Time (sec)
1935
1940
280
278
Estimated
Command
276
Altitude (ft)
274
272
270
268
266
264
262
3400
3420
3500
3520
3420
3500
3520
950
900
850
800
3400
CONCLUSIONS
The extensive use of a variety of simulation
configurations has been of considerable benefit for the
recent development and operation of the GTMax UAV,
and for its use in research and the International Aerial
Robotics Competition. The key features of a flexible
data communication system, models for all hardware
components, and a simulation software infrastructure
enable these configurations. The benefits have included
increased safety, effective participation of a large
number of researchers, the detection of errors before
flight testing, and the effective use of flight test data.
Kannan, S. and Johnson, E., Adaptive Trajectorybased Flight Control for Autonomous Helicopters,
Proceedings of the 21st Digital Avionics Systems
Conference, 2002.
13