This work explores an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with a customizable configuration. Its architecture follows the application scenario, thus granting it fits the required performances. Tricopter, quadcopter, hexacopter, and octocopter are all the possible configurations this UAV can be adapted to. The customization is achieved with eight individual components; several setups arise when they are assembled in different ways and numbers. The core houses the standard avionics; those to be repeated find place in plug-and play arms. A further chance of customizability is given by the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), the additive manufacturing technology used to produce the structural parts of the frame. Finally, the paper proposes the performance simulation of four different scenarios, implementing non-custom avionics and highlighting how they modify from one setup to another. Flight time, payload capabilities, maximum speed, efficiency, and thrust-to-weight ratio are the key parameters guiding to fit the UAV to the mission profile.

The Architecture of a Modular UAV with Additively Manufactured Frame: Preliminary Flight and Performance Evaluations / Torre, Roberto; Brischetto, Salvatore. - STAMPA. - (2021). (Intervento presentato al convegno ISUDEF 2021 - International Symposium on Unmanned Systems and the Defense Industry ’21 tenutosi a Howard University Washington D.C., USA nel 26-28 October, 2021).

The Architecture of a Modular UAV with Additively Manufactured Frame: Preliminary Flight and Performance Evaluations

Roberto Torre;Salvatore Brischetto
2021

Abstract

This work explores an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with a customizable configuration. Its architecture follows the application scenario, thus granting it fits the required performances. Tricopter, quadcopter, hexacopter, and octocopter are all the possible configurations this UAV can be adapted to. The customization is achieved with eight individual components; several setups arise when they are assembled in different ways and numbers. The core houses the standard avionics; those to be repeated find place in plug-and play arms. A further chance of customizability is given by the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), the additive manufacturing technology used to produce the structural parts of the frame. Finally, the paper proposes the performance simulation of four different scenarios, implementing non-custom avionics and highlighting how they modify from one setup to another. Flight time, payload capabilities, maximum speed, efficiency, and thrust-to-weight ratio are the key parameters guiding to fit the UAV to the mission profile.
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
full_paper_ISUDEF_Springer-template.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: 2. Post-print / Author's Accepted Manuscript
Licenza: Pubblico - Tutti i diritti riservati
Dimensione 165.21 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
165.21 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2936121