• Title/Summary/Keyword: Unmanned aircraft vehicles(UAVs)

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Ground Test and Evaluation of a Flight Control Systemfor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

  • Suk, Jin-Young
    • International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.57-63
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    • 2004
  • UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) has become one of the most popularmilitary/commercial aerial robots in the new millennium. In spite of all theadvantages that UAVs inherently have, it is not an easv job to develop a UAVbecause it requires very systematic and complete approaches in full developmentenvelop. The ground test and evaluation phase has the utmost importance in thesense that a well-developed system can be best verified on the ground. In addition,many of the aircraft crashes in the flight tests were resulted from the incompletedevelopment procedure. In this research, a verification procedure of the wholeairbome integrated system was conducted including the flight management system.An airbome flight control computer(FCC) senses the extemal environment from thepehpheral devices and sends the control signal to the actuating system using theassigned control logic and flight test strategy. A ground test station controls themission during the test while the downlink data are transferred from the flightmanagement computer using the serial communication interface. The pilot controlbox also applies additional manual actuating commands. The whole system wastested/verified on the wind-tunnel system, which gave a good pitch controlperformance with a preUspecified flight test procedure. The ground test systemguarantees the performance of fundamental functions of airbome electronic systemfor the future flight tests.

A Study on the Improvement of Air Vehicle Test Equipment(AVTE) stop by UAV Engine noise (UAV 엔진 소음에 의한 비행체점검장비(AVTE) 정지 현상 개선방안 연구)

  • Kang, Ju Hwan;Lim, Da Hoon
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.90-96
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    • 2020
  • In this era, intelligence is considered a major factor in the defense sector. As a result, securing technology for weapons systems for monitoring and reconnaissance of companies has become inevitable. As a result, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have been developed and are actively operating around the world if the flight operation of manned aircraft is restricted, such as in environments that are too dangerous, messy or boring for the military to perform directly. The system of unmanned aerial vehicles, which has been researched and developed in Korea, includes Air Vehicle Test Equipment(AVTE). AVTE is equipment that is connected to an UAV to check its status and allows the operator to check its flightability by issuing an operational command to the UAV and verifying that it follows the command values. This study conducts fault finding on the phenomenon where the AVTE has stopped operating due to engine noise during these operations and analyzes the cause in terms of software, hardware and external environment. Present improvement measures according to the cause are analyzed and the results of verifying that the proposed measures can prevent failure are addressed.

A Comparison of Control Methods for Small UAV Considering Ice Accumulation and Uncertainty (결빙 현상과 불확실성을 고려한 소형 무인항공기 제어기법 비교 연구)

  • Hyodeuk An;Jungho Moon
    • Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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    • v.17 no.5
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    • pp.34-41
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    • 2023
  • This paper applies the icing effect and wing rock uncertainty to small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have recently attracted attention. Attitude control simulations were performed using various control methods. First, the selected platform, the Skywalker X8 UAV with blended wing-body (BWB) configuration, was linearized for both its baseline form, and a form with applied icing effects. Subsequently, using MATLAB SimulinkⓇ, simulations were conducted for roll and pitch attitude control of the baseline configuration and the configuration with icing effects, employing disturbance observer-based PID control, model reference adaptive control, and model predictive control. Furthermore, the study introduced wing rock uncertainty simultaneously with icing effects on the configured model-a combination not previously explored in existing research-and conducted simulations. The performance of each control Method was compared and analyzed.

Structural Analysis of Fasteners in the Aircraft Structure of the High-Altitude Long-Endurance UAV (고고도 장기체공 무인기용 기체구조 체결부 구조 해석)

  • Kim, Hyun-gi;Kim, Sung Joon;Kim, Sung Chan;Kim, Tae-Uk
    • Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.35-41
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    • 2018
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have been used for various purposes in multiple fields, such as observation, communication relaying, and information acquisition. Nowadays, UAVs must have high performance in order to acquire more precise information in larger amounts than is now possible while performing for long periods. At present, domestically, a high-altitude long-endurance UAV (HALE UAV) for long-term flight in the stratosphere has been developed in order to replace some functions of the satellite. In this study, as a part of structural soundness evaluation of the aircraft structure developed for the HALE UAV, the structural soundness of the fasteners of the fuselage and tail is evaluated by calculating the margin of safety(M.S). The result confirms the validity of the design of the fasteners in the aircraft structure of the UAV.

A Study on Manufacturing Methods of Cocuring Composite Wings of Solar-Powered UAV (복합재 태양광 무인기 날개 일체성형 제작기법 연구)

  • Yang, Yongman;Kwon, Jeongsik;Kim, Jinsung;Lee, Sooyong
    • Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.43-50
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    • 2016
  • In order to suggest the optimal manufacturing technology of composite wings of solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, this study compared forming technologies to reduce wing weight for long-endurance flight and to improve the manufacturing process for cost-saving and mass production. It compared the manufacturing time and weight of various composite wing molding technologies, including cocuring, secondary bonding, and manufacturing by balsa. As a result, wing weight was reduced through cocuring methods such as band type composite fiber/tape lamination technology, which enabled prolonged flight duration. In addition, the reduced manufacturing time led to a lower cost, which is a good example of weight lightening for not only small solar-powered UAVs, but also composite aircraft.

Revolutionizing Nepal's Transportation: The Potential of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in Overcoming Geographical Challenges

  • Leeladhar Joshi;Kwang-Byeng Lee
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.37-47
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    • 2024
  • This paper examines the unique transportation challenges posed by Nepal's diverse and rugged terrain, which significantly hampers socio-economic development due to its negative impact on infrastructure, trade, and accessibility. Despite ongoing efforts to enhance road and traditional air transport systems, Nepal's geographic and environmental conditions continue to obstruct efficient connectivity, particularly in rural and remote areas. This study proposes Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) as a transformative solution, leveraging recent technological advancements in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of Nepal's current transportation infrastructure and the feasibility of AAM implementation, the paper highlights the potential benefits of AAM, including improved accessibility, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, it addresses the anticipated challenges and regulatory considerations necessary for integrating AAM into Nepal's transportation network. Through a multidisciplinary approach, this research aims to contribute to the discourse on overcoming transportation barriers in mountainous regions, offering policy recommendations and identifying areas for future study to facilitate the adoption of AAM in Nepal and similar contexts worldwide.

Simulation Approach for the Tracing the Marine Pollution Using Multi-Remote Sensing Data (다중 원격탐사 자료를 활용한 해양 오염 추적 모의 실험 방안에 대한 연구)

  • Kim, Keunyong;Kim, Euihyun;Choi, Jun Myoung;Shin, Jisun;Kim, Wonkook;Lee, Kwang-Jae;Son, Young Baek;Ryu, Joo-Hyung
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.36 no.2_2
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    • pp.249-261
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    • 2020
  • Coastal monitoring using multiple platforms/sensors is a very important tools for accurately understanding the changes in offshore marine environment and disaster with high temporal and spatial resolutions. However, integrated observation studies using multiple platforms and sensors are insufficient, and none of them have been evaluated for efficiency and limitation of convergence. In this study, we aimed to suggest an integrated observation method with multi-remote sensing platform and sensors, and to diagnose the utility and limitation. Integrated in situ surveys were conducted using Rhodamine WT fluorescent dye to simulate various marine disasters. In September 2019, the distribution and movement of RWT dye patches were detected using satellite (Kompsat-2/3/3A, Landsat-8 OLI, Sentinel-3 OLCI and GOCI), unmanned aircraft (Mavic 2 pro and Inspire 2), and manned aircraft platforms after injecting fluorescent dye into the waters of the South Sea-Yeosu Sea. The initial patch size of the RWT dye was 2,600 ㎡ and spread to 62,000 ㎡ about 138 minutes later. The RWT patches gradually moved southwestward from the point where they were first released,similar to the pattern of tidal current flowing southwest as the tides gradually decreased. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) image showed highest resolution in terms of spatial and time resolution, but the coverage area was the narrowest. In the case of satellite images, the coverage area was wide, but there were some limitations compared to other platforms in terms of operability due to the long cycle of revisiting. For Sentinel-3 OLCI and GOCI, the spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were the highest, but small fluorescent dye detection was limited in terms of spatial resolution. In the case of hyperspectral sensor mounted on manned aircraft, the spectral resolution was the highest, but this was also somewhat limited in terms of operability. From this simulation approach, multi-platform integrated observation was able to confirm that time,space and spectral resolution could be significantly improved. In the future, if this study results are linked to coastal numerical models, it will be possible to predict the transport and diffusion of contaminants, and it is expected that it can contribute to improving model accuracy by using them as input and verification data of the numerical models.

From Airborne Via Drones to Space-Borne Polarimetric- Interferometric SAR Environmental Stress- Change Monitoring ? Comparative Assessment of Applications

  • Boerner, Wolfgang-Martin;Sato, Motoyuki;Yamaguchi, Yoshio;Yamada, Hiroyoshi;Moon, Woo-Il;Ferro-Famil, Laurent;Pottier, Eric;Reigber, Andreas;Cloude, Shane R.;Moreira, Alberto;Lukowski, Tom;Touzi, Ridha
    • Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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    • 2003.11a
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    • pp.1433-1435
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    • 2003
  • Very decisive progress was made in advancing fundamental POL-IN-SAR theory and algorithm development during the past decade. This was accomplished with the aid of airborne & shuttle platforms supporting single -to-multi-band multi-modal POL-SAR and also some POL-IN-SAR sensor systems, which will be compared and assessed with the aim of establishing the hitherto not completed but required missions such as tomographic and holographic imaging. Because the operation of airborne test-beds is extremely expensive, aircraft platforms are not suited for routine monitoring missions which is better accomplished with the use drones or UAVs. Such unmanned aerial vehicles were developed for defense applications, however lacking the sophistic ation of implementing advanced forefront POL-IN-SAR technology. This shortcoming will be thoroughly scrutinized resulting in the finding that we do now need to develop most rapidly POL-IN-SAR drone-platform technology especially for environmental stress-change monitoring with a great variance of applications beginning with flood, bush/forest-fire to tectonic-stress (earth-quake to volcanic eruptions) for real-short-time hazard mitigation. However, for routine global monitoring purposes of the terrestrial covers neither airborne sensor implementation - aircraft and/or drones - are sufficient; and there -fore multi-modal and multi-band space-borne POL-IN-SAR space-shuttle and satellite sensor technology needs to be further advanced at a much more rapid phase. The existing ENVISAT with the forthcoming ALOSPALSAR, RADARSAT-2, and the TERRASAT will be compared, demonstrating that at this phase of development the fully polarimetric and polarimetric-interferometric modes of operation must be viewed and treated as preliminary algorithm verification support modes and at this phase of development are still not to be viewed as routine modes.

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Improvement of Ortho Image Quality by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV에 의한 정사영상의 품질 개선 방안)

  • Um, Dae-Yong;Park, Joon-Kyu
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.19 no.11
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    • pp.568-573
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    • 2018
  • UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is widely used in space information construction, agriculture, fisheries, weather observation, communication, and entertainment fields because they are cheaper and easier to operate than manned aircraft. In particular, UAV have attracted much attention due to the speed and cost of data acquisition in the field of spatial information construction. However, ortho image images produced using UAVs are distorted in buildings and forests. It is necessary to solve these problems in order to utilize the geospatial information field. In this study, fixed wing, rotary wing, vertical take off and landing type UAV were used to detect distortions of ortho image of UAV under various conditions, and various object areas such as construction site, urban area, and forest area were captured and analysed. Through the research, it was found that the redundancy of the unmanned aerial vehicle image is the biggest factor of the distortion phenomenon, and the higher the flight altitude, the less the distortion phenomenon. We also proposed a method to reduce distortion of orthoimage by lowering the resolution of original image using DTM (Digital Terrain Model) to improve distortion. Future high-quality unmanned aerial vehicles without distortions will contribute greatly to the application of UAV in the field of precision surveying.

A Feasibility Study for a Stratospheric Long-endurance Hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicle using a Regenerative Fuel Cell System

  • Cho, Seong-Hyun;Cha, Moon-Yong;Kim, Minjin;Sohn, Young-Jun;Yang, Tae-Hyun;Lee, Won-Yong
    • Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.41-51
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    • 2016
  • In the stratosphere, the air is stable and a photovoltaic (PV) system can produce more solar energy compared to in the atmosphere. If unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fly in the stratosphere, the flight stability and efficiency of the mission are improved. On the other hand, the weakened lift force of the UAV due to the rarefied atmosphere can require more power for lift according to the weight and/or wing area of the UAV. To solve this problem, it is necessary to minimize the weight of the aircraft and improve the performance of the power system. A regenerative fuel cell (RFC) consisting of a fuel cell (FC) and water electrolysis (WE) combined PV power system has been investigated as a good alterative because of its higher specific energy. The WE system produces hydrogen and oxygen, providing extra energy beyond the energy generated by the PV system in the daytime, and then saves the gases in tanks. The FC system supplies the required power to the UAV at night, so the additional fuel supply to the UAV is not needed anymore. The specific energy of RFC systems is higher than that of Li-ion battery systems, so they have less weight than batteries that supply the same energy to the UAV. In this paper, for a stratospheric long-endurance hybrid UAV based on an RFC system, three major design factors (UAV weight, wing area and performance of WE) affecting the ability of long-term flight were determined and a simulation-based feasibility study was performed. The effects of the three design factors were analyzed as the flight time increased, and acceptable values of the factors for long endurance were found. As a result, the long-endurance of the target UAV was possible when the values were under 350 kg, above 150 m2 and under 80 kWh/kg H2.