Developing a Wind-Sensing Drone: Integration of Nano-Scale Flow Sensors Onboard a Quadrotor UAV

Abstract

Quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being used for an increasing range of applications from aerial photography to search and rescue missions. Many researchers have studied the dynamics of quadrotor motion and developed controllers to stabilize quadrotor flight. However, using onboard flow sensors to measure the wind impacting a quadrotor is a fairly open research area. Measurement of wind around a quadrotor can be used to update the dynamic model of the vehicle. This has the potential to enhance the performance of onboard control systems, which can lead to more stable quadrotor flight in windy conditions. This thesis integrates custom hardware -- nano-scale thermal anemometry probes (NSTAPs) -- and explores integrating custom software onboard an Intel Aero Ready to Fly drone. NSTAPs have been shown to significantly outperform traditional flow sensors (pitot tubes and larger anemometers) in turbulence experiments. However, mounting NSTAPs onboard a drone is a novel control strategy that has not yet been documented in the literature. Thus, using these new flow sensors has the potential to improve quadrotor control. In this thesis, four NSTAPs were mounted on a drone to provide the onboard computer with real time access to longitudinal and lateral free stream velocity in the local reference frame of the quadrotor.