Autonomous Surveillance Drone

The surveillance drone was designed with features that will enable it to autonomously survey any pre-assigned object/area and navigate itself back to the landing pad when task is completed or battery needs to be recharged. Four P80III 120KV motors with MF3016 CF propellers and Flame 80A HV electronic speed controllers, all by T-motor, were used to provide a total thrust of up to 68kg at full throttle, with a payload of up to 30kg. Two LiPO batteries (12S, 44.4V, 44000mAh, 25C) were used to ensure a flight time of at least thirty minutes on full charge.

 

Dji Naza-M V2 was used as the flight controller due to its enhanced failsafe mode, multi-rotor one-power output fail protection, multiple flight control options, integrated GPS module and improved stabilization for the drone as well as the camera. A Matek Systems power distribution board is selected, with 9-18V DC input and a regulated 5V/12V output. OcuSync is used for communications as it supports three-channel 1080p video, has real-time auto switching between 2.4GHz and 5GHz and AES-256 data encryption.

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The drone uses a powerful surveillance camera attached to a 3-axis gimbal to complete its tasks. The gimbal has been designed to allow 360° movement for the camera. A custom landing gear is designed to retract during flight, allowing the camera to get a clear view. The landing gear has a slot indent the landing gear can rest on. The drone features many sensors that allows it to navigate autonomously and align itself to the charging deck on the landing pad. Solar panels are integrated onto the landing deck so renewable and clean energy can be used to recharge the drone.