Mersha, Abeje Yenehun (Saxion University of Applied Sciences), Reiling, Mark (Saxion University of Applied Sciences), Meijering, Rene (Saxion University of Applied Sciences)

Towards Long-Term Autonomy for UAS

Scheduled for presentation during the Poster Session "Poster Papers Session" (WePS), Wednesday, September 2, 2020, 13:00−18:00, Foyer, Mezzanine Level

2020 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), September 1-4, 2020 (Postponed from June 9-12, 2020), Athens, Greece

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on April 25, 2024

Abstract

In this work, we present a generic, modular and scalable ”Replenishing Store” for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The ”Replenishing Store” is aimed at enabling UAS have Long-term autonomy, such that they can be used flexibly for multiple missions 24/7. The Replenishing Store is essentially a docking station composed of a base station, a charging module, a mission-specific swapping module and modular interfaces with the UAS.The electromechanical and software interfaces between the UAS and the docking station have been developed to be generic, such that they can be used for commercial as well as custom-made UAS. Moreover, both the charging and the swapping modules have been developed to be robust by design against pose errors during landing. The applicability of the developed ”Replenishing Store” has been successfully demonstrated in a security-related application scenario.