Design of a folding antenna-integrated micro UAV

Micro-UAV devices can be used for a variety of purposes. This project is concerned with the design of such a device that will be used for high altitude antenna calibration. Such a UAV requires that an omni-directional antenna be integrated into the frame of the device to reduce signal interference. The device is to fold into a flare cartridge and withstand high deployment forces out of an aircraft. Design requirements include a rectangular working volume of 1.89" X 2.44" X 7.04", a minimum additional payload of 70 g, hang time requirements, and antenna operating frequencies. A standard design process was used to develop a functional prototype. Several different concepts were developed, analyzed, and tested until a discone parachute device was chosen. An umbrella-like mechanism that utilized aerodynamic forces for deployment was developed for the ground plane. A functional demonstration prototype was built and tested to ensure the device's survivability and deployment functionality. The results of the test were successful and proved that the design is viable and can be further developed and optimized to improve performance.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Vu, My H

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David Wallace.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/85773

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/85773