VTOL Design

What?

The maneuverability and stability of quad rotor mixed with the efficiency of fixed wing flight. The design is novel and was proven not feasible in the given time frame. I underestimated the difficulties of active stabilization and in the process learned about the importance of integrating passive stability into aircraft design. The motors were not able to generate enough torque to vector thrust with enough speed to dampen the oscillations for the quadcopter to fixed wing transition. Although I failed to achieve this goal in the time frame, I was able to maintain stable quadcopter flight and accurate wing actuation and positioning.

How?

Mechanical: All parts of the VTOL were designed in SolidWorks around the upper and lower carbon fiber plates of a disassembled race drone. The assembly consisted of: a front gear box for front wing servo actuation, a rear wing belt mechanism with a tensioner and integrated bearings to guide the belt around the tail bend, as well as the wings and motor mounts. I utilized the NACA airfoil database to select a airfoil and predict flight characteristic utilizing excel.

Electrical: The electrical design consisted of a teensy 4.0 microcontroller, a power distribution board to provide motor and servo power. All signals are managed by the Teensy with the inputs: IMU, Receiver, GPS and outputs: PWM for ESCs and servo control. The mechanical and electrical design worked seamlessly, allowing for good cable management and easy soldering.

Software: Dream flight pre-canned flight firmware was utilized, all that was required was the modification of the C++ to properly declare the I/O and build out and tune the PID controls for quadcopter, transition, and cruise flight.

Why?

Curiosity about different VTOL flight configurations away from the common widely used solutions was the main driver behind this project. I used the project as a tool to learn more about the flight dynamics and controls that underlie the controllers and UAVs that I have researched and worked with.