The ERAU Hub and Configuration Experience

 Introduction

This week's project aimed to delve into the aircraft configuration section of the ERAU Virtual Hub to assess the functionalities of prevalent uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) platforms. The Hub simulation demonstrated remarkable user-friendliness, owing much to the detailed tutorial provided. It provides an extensive range of choices for assembling both the uncrewed aerial system (UAS) and the ground control system (GCS), even allowing for the creation of flight plans. This enables a seamless simulation of UAS integration and mission execution. The image below depicts the HUB simulation environment, with the right column offering assembly options for aircraft type and ground control station (GCS).


UAS Design

I experimented with two different systems featuring vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities. Specifically, I integrated and tested a helicopter equipped with a four-stroke gas-powered engine, along with various sensors and a fixed LIDAR camera. The reason for choosing this configuration was to facilitate bridge inspections. It's worth noting that the environment is not optimized for bridge inspections; rather, it is primarily designed for agricultural applications and ISR.

Helicopter configuration (line of sight (LOS)

Sensor compass, temperature sensor, GPS module, 1000-Watt power generator, laser altimeter, an RPM sensor, a battery pack (ERA Power 10,000), and a fuel tank with a 75 percent capacity.

Endurance 40 minutes

Octocopter configuration (line of sight (LOS)

X8 Black Electric motors (qty 8), Auto Controller, Lidar Camera, Laser Altimeter, humidity sensor, Compass Module, GPS module, Xtreme 5600 Mah battery pack, and a dipole antenna.

Endurance: 15 minutes

Note: The image below illustrates both systems in a side-by side comparison.

Performance

There is a notable difference between the two UASs. The helicopter boasts a longer endurance, capable of flying for up to 40 minutes, while the octocopter has a significantly shorter capacity of only 15 minutes. Additionally, the octocopter is outfitted with a single LIDAR camera, whereas the helicopter is equipped with two LIDAR systems, enabling it to capture imaging from dual angles. As for the control ground station (CGS), both systems utilize a portable CGS Chassis with a similar RF signal range of 1,400 meters, which proves sufficient for navigating around ground terrain obstacles such as structures and buildings.

Mission

The goal of integrating and testing the two UASs was to showcase their adaptability in different environments, with a particular focus on conducting bridge inspections. A flight plan was devised to simulate a scenario where the crash site of an aircraft represented a bridge structure.



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