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 OVERVIEW |
DESIGN DETAILS |
PROJECT CONTACTS |
Boeing’s long-term objective is to build a remote controlled (RC) helicopter that can fly autonomously. The helicopter will then be used to develop sophisticated control systems. The first step to complete this project is to equip the helicopter with a navigation system which includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). When GPS measurements are coupled with measurements from the
IMU, it is possible to estimate the position of the aircraft to a very high degree of accuracy. The goal of
our project is to implement this navigation system on board an RC helicopter, and transmit the recorded data to
a ground station laptop computer for analysis. |
Our solution will satisfy Boeing’s immediate requirements and will be expandable in future development efforts. The
design utilizes parts that can be expanded upon in the future to add more functionality to the system. Our design
will work in the following manner:
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Block Diagram:
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At the heart of our system is a Triscend E520 40MHz microcontroller unit. This microcontroller is a combination of an Intel 8052 microprocessor and an FPGA. The FPGA has over 2000 programmable logic cells which can be used in place of circuit board components. These logic cells can be reprogrammed to change and/or add functionality. This ability will eliminate the need to redesign the circuit board, thus making future development easier. -- Triscend E5 Datasheet |
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The GPS unit will be a Superstar II commercial grade receiver from CMC Electronics. Commercial grade recievers are smaller and cheaper than military grade receivers. Though they are less accurate, improvements such as position averaging and the use of a reference base station can be used to increase accuracy. The GPS unit will provide the helicopter's latitude, longitude, and height above the ground, as well. -- CMC Electronics Superstar II GPS Specifications |
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A Crossbow IMU400CC-100 has been provided by our advisor. The IMU will provide the helicopter's pitch, yawl, and roll rates, as well as its 3-dimensional acceleration. -- Crossbow IMU400 Datasheet |
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We chose the Honeywell HRF-ROC09325XM Transceiver
as our telemetry link. We chose this transceiver because it came in an evaluation board
which would greatly ease its integration. We will simulate an RS-232 port in the FPGA to
connect the microprocessor to the transceiver. The microcontroller will input data from
the GPS unit and the IMU and forward it to the ground via the transceiver. -- Honeywell HRF-ROC09325XM Transceiver Datasheet |
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The electronics will be powered by one 9.6V rechargeable battery, independent of the helicopter power system. To power the electronics for a longer period of time between recharging, a second battery will be used just for the IMU. This change can be made without making any modifications to the power system. The base station computer is a standard IBM laptop with software that will read data from a transceiver tuned to the helicopter’s transceiver frequency. The data will then be decoded and displayed as position, velocity, and acceleration measurements in real-time, and will also be logged to a file for future analysis. |
Project ContactsDesign Team:Click here to email all members of the design team.Design Team Advisors:
Project Sponsors:
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