Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

 

About aircraft

Unmanned aerial vehicle can be termed as a powerd vehicle which carry no human for it's operation, uses aerodynamic force for stability, can fly with weapons, carry lethal or non-lethal payload and can be expandable or recoverable.

Unmanned aerial vehicle is also know as uncrewed aerial vehicle and also a drone. Unmanned aerial vehicle is a type of unmanned vehicle which is operated without human pilot on board. Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is a system which is composed of Unmanned aerial vehicle, a ground based controller and a system of communications between the two. A various degrees of autonomy is helpful to operate flight of Unmanned aerial vehicle. Unmanned aerial vehicle can be operated with a remote control by a human operator, a on board computer mechanism or by a pilot robot. Unmanned aerial vehicle were used where it was harmful or dangerous to use crewed aircraft. They are originated and mostly used in military application but due their characteristics their use are increasing rapidly in commercial, scientific, recreational, agricultural, policing and surveillance, product deliveries, aerial photography, infrastructure inspections, smuggling and some other application.

Body of Unmanned aerial vehicle

Unmanned aerial vehicle are with absence of cockpit area and windows. Rotary wing UAVs are common form factor of Tailless quadcopters. Crewed platforms are common for tailed mono and bi-copters.

Power source for Unmanned aerial vehicle

lithium polymer battery are used in small Unmanned aerial vehicle where as large Unmanned aerial vehicle required hydrogen fuel cell. Size of the Unmanned aerial vehicle is not defining factor for required energy. Electric power source is also used in Unmanned aerial vehicle as it required less power for operation of flight and it's motor and also they are quieter. An example of electric Unmanned aerial vehicle is Botemite airplane which can climb vertically. For centralized power distribution Battery elimination circuitry (BEC) is used.

Computing

Advance computing technology is required for computing of Unmanned aerial vehicle. Computing gets evolving from analog control to microcontroller and then after system-on-a-chip (SOC) and single-board computers (SBC).

Sensors of Unmanned aerial vehicle

About movement of aircraft, position and movement sensors are responsible to provide information. External information like distance measurements is provided by Exteroceptive sensors. While internal and external states information is provided by exproprioceptive sensors. For separation assurance and collision avoidance, Non-cooperative sensors are used. 

Actuators of Unmanned aerial vehicle

To control RPM of motors and to control some digital electronic equipment, digital electronic speed controller is used which is linked to motors/engines and propellers, servomotors, weapons, payload actuators, LEDs and speakers of Unmanned aerial vehicle Actuators.