Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons^™

Kwad - Ksu All Weather Autonomous Drone, Nick Farinacci, Sebastian Gomez, Stewart Baker, Ed Sheridan

Symposium of Student Scholars

"KWAD" or "KSU all-Weather Autonomous Drone" project was sponsored by Ultool, LLC to the KSU Research and Service Foundation to create a lightweight drone capable of capturing HD video during all-weather operations. The conditions of all-weather operation include rainfall of one inch per hour and wind speeds of up to twenty miles per hour. In addition, a global minimum structural safety factor of two is required to ensure the system's integrity in extreme weather conditions. Potential mission profiles include autonomous aerial delivery, topological mapping in high moisture areas, security surveillance, search and rescue operations, emergency transportation of medical supplies, and …

Design And Implementation Of A Launching Method For Free To Oscillate Dynamic Stability Testing, Kristen M. Carey

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Magnetic Suspension and Balance Systems (MSBS) allow for static, forced oscillation and free to oscillate dynamic stability testing in a wind tunnel without the need for a physical support. The objectives of study are to assist in the application of the free to oscillate testing method in an MSBS to determine dynamic stability characteristics for various re-entry capsule designs.

This thesis discusses the development and testing of a launching method called the grabber for use in the MSBS Subsonic Wind Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center. Aerodynamic tests were run to support the use of this method and compare the …

An Online Adaptive Machine Learning Framework For Autonomous Fault Detection, Nolan Coulter

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The increasing complexity and autonomy of modern systems, particularly in the aerospace industry, demand robust and adaptive fault detection and health management solutions. The development of a data-driven fault detection system that can adapt to varying conditions and system changes is critical to the performance, safety, and reliability of these systems. This dissertation presents a novel fault detection approach based on the integration of the artificial immune system (AIS) paradigm and Online Support Vector Machines (OSVM). Together, these algorithms create the Artificial Immune System augemented Online Support Vector Machine (AISOSVM).

The AISOSVM framework combines the strengths of the AIS and …

Accuracy Assessment Of The Ebee Using Rtk And Ppk Corrections Methods As A Function Of Distance To A Gnss Base Station, Joseph Cerreta, David Thirtyacre, Peter Miller, Scott S. Burgess, William J. Austin

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The use of unmanned aircraft systems to collect data for photogrammetry models has grown significantly in recent years. The accuracy of a photogrammetric model can depend on image georeferencing. The distance from a reference base station can affect the accuracy of the results. Positioning corrections data relies on precise timing measurements of satellite signals. The signals travel through the Earth's atmosphere, which introduces errors due to ionospheric and tropospheric delays. The aim of this research was to examine the eBee X and its global GNSS accuracy by comparing the RTK and PPK methods at different base station distances in photogrammetry …

Scheduling, Complexity, And Solution Methods For Space Robot On-Orbit Servicing, Susan E. Sorenson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research proposes problems, models, and solutions for the scheduling of space robot on-orbit servicing. We present the Multi-Orbit Routing and Scheduling of Refuellable On-Orbit Servicing Space Robots problem which considers on-orbit servicing across multiple orbits with moving tasks and moving refuelling depots. We formulate a mixed integer linear program model to optimize the routing and scheduling of robot servicers to accomplish on-orbit servicing tasks. We develop and demonstrate flexible algorithms for the creation of the model parameters and associated data sets. Our first algorithm creates the network arcs using orbital mechanics. We have also created a novel way to …

A Brief Literature Review For Machine Learning In Autonomous Robotic Navigation, Jake Biddy, Jeremy Evert

Student Research

Machine learning is becoming very popular in many technological aspects worldwide, including robotic applications. One of the unique aspects of using machine learning in robotics is that it no longer requires the user to program every situation. The robotic application will be able to learn and adapt from its mistakes. In most situations, robotics using machine learning is designed to fulfill a task better than a human could, and with the machine learning aspect, it can function at the highest level of efficiency and quality. However, creating a machine learning program requires extensive coding and programming knowledge that can be …

Space Dynamics Laboratory Payload Challenge: Autonomous Water Sampling Uav, Thomas Wheeler, Zachary Williams, Joseph Stack

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following report has been completed over the course of the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters at The University of Akron by Joseph P. Stack (Aerospace Systems Engineering), Thomas J. Wheeler (Mechanical Engineering) and Zachary M. Williams (Mechanical Engineering). The purpose of this project was to create a payload system for the Akronauts Rocket Design Team to use at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) Spaceport America Cup. The Competition as a challenge that is sponsored by Space Dynamics Laboratory specifically regarding payload systems. The challenge in very open-ended and allows student to identify their own scientific experiment and …

Global Aviation System: Towards Sustainable Development, Marina P. Bonser Dr.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Aviation around the world has integrated into a global system. As the integration process continues, more aspects and levels of it need to be lead towards the sustainable development of the whole system via advancing strategic management, global communication proficiency, and technological expertise. It becomes essential to enrich global language (English) proficiency with cross-cultural communication competence not only for communication in the air but also for airport security, passenger and cargo services, aircraft and equipage engineering, building, and maintenance. Nowadays lower levels of management need more advanced strategic thinking and problem solving skills, and higher levels of management need global …

Unmanned Aerial Systems: Research, Development, Education & Training At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Michael P. Hickey

Publications

With technological breakthroughs in miniaturized aircraft-related components, including but not limited to communications, computer systems and sensors, state-of-the-art unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have become a reality. This fast-growing industry is anticipating and responding to a myriad of societal applications that will provide new and more cost-effective solutions that previous technologies could not, or will replace activities that involved humans in flight with associated risks.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has a long history of aviation-related research and education, and is heavily engaged in UAS activities. This document provides a summary of these activities, and is divided into two parts. The first part …

Cyber-Physical System Characterization And Co-Regulation Of A Quadrotor Uas, Seth E. Doebbeling

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

An Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) in which a host of real-time computational tasks contending for shared resources must be cooperatively managed to obtain mission objectives. Traditionally, control of the UAS is designed assuming a fixed, high sampling rate in order to maintain reliable performance and margins of stability. But emerging methods challenge this design by dynamically allocating resources to computational tasks, thereby affecting control and mission performance. To apply these emerging strategies, a characterization and understanding of the effects of timing on control and trajectory following performance is required. Going beyond traditional control evaluation techniques, …

Cockpit In The Systems Engineering Lenses, Aysen K. Taylor, Charles B. Keating, T. Steven Cotter

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The commercial transport aircraft of today vary greatly from early aircraft in regards to how they are controlled and the feedback provided from the machine to the human operator. Automation has improved operational precision and efficiency but at the cost of providing less feedback. Pilots are the last line of defense and current technology cannot provide the human ability to solve novel problems for which no computer logic can be written. The automated cockpits of today have may sub-components that interact in a manner often opaque and unpredictable when a sensor or sub-component fails or even in situations where no …

Autonomous Capabilities For Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Conducting Radiological Response: Findings From A High-Fidelity Discovery Experiment, Brittany Duncan, Robin Murphy

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

This article presents a preliminary work domain theory and identifies autonomous vehicle, navigational, and mission capabilities and challenges for small unmanned aerial systems (SUASs) responding to a radiological disaster. Radiological events are representative of applications that involve flying at low altitudes and close proximities to structures. To more formally understand the guidance and control demands, the environment in which the SUAS has to function, and the expected missions, tasks, and strategies to respond to an incident, a discovery experiment was performed in 2013. The experiment placed a radiological source emitting at 10 times background radiation in the simulated collapse of …

Indeterminate Masses, Elements And Models In Information Fusion, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this paper at the beginning, we make a short history of the logics, from the classical Boolean logic to the most general logic of today neutrosophic logic. We define the general logic space and give the definition of the neutrosophic logic. Then we introduce the indeterminate models in information fusion, which are due either to the existence of some indeterminate elements in the fusion space or to some indeterminate masses.

The best approach for dealing with such models is the neutrosophic logic, which is part of neutrosophy. Neutrosophic logic is connected with neutrosophic set and neutrosophic probability and statistics.

Designing For The Future: A Cognitive-Adaptive-Man-Machine-Interface, Claudia Keinrath, Michael C. Dorneich, Jiri Vasek

Michael C. Dorneich

The forecasts of the International Civil Aviation Organization envisage a growth in world air travel of 5% per annum until 2020. The air traffic in Europe is therefore expected to more than double by 2020. In order to deal with the growth, the European Air Traffic Management (ATM) system will undergo major changes. The envisaged next generation ATM will require new technologies to meet future collaborative decision making, self separation, precision 4D path following, and closer aircraft spacing. The CAMMI (Cognitive Adaptive Man Machine Interface) program addresses human factors priorities in various domains by developing concepts that balance operator workload, …

Fusion Of Imprecise Qualitative Information, Florentin Smarandache, Xinde Li, Xianzhong Dai, Jean Dezert

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this paper, we present a new 2-tuple linguistic representation model, i.e. Distribution Function Model (DFM), for combining imprecise qualitative information using fusion rules drawn from Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) framework. Such new approach allows to preserve the precision and efficiency of the combination of linguistic information in the case of either equidistant or unbalanced label model. Some basic operators on imprecise 2-tuple labels are presented together with their extensions for imprecise 2-tuple labels. We also give simple examples to show how precise and imprecise qualitative information can be combined for reasoning under uncertainty. It is concluded that DSmT can deal …

Analysis Of Online-Delaunay Navigation For Time Sensitive Targeting, David Chow

Theses and Dissertations

Given the drawbacks of leaving time-sensitive targeting (TST) strictly to humans, there is value to the investigation of alternative approaches to TST operations that employ autonomous systems. This paper accomplishes five things. First, it proposes a short-hop abbreviated routing paradigm (SHARP) - based on Delaunay triangulations (DT), ad-hoc communication, and autonomous control - for recognizing and engaging TSTs that, in theory, will improve upon persistence, the volume of influence, autonomy, range, and situational awareness. Second, it analyzes the minimum timeframe need by a strike (weapons enabled) aircraft to navigate to the location of a TST under SHARP. Third, it shows …

A Superior Tool For Airline Operations, Michael C. Dorneich, Stephen D. Whitlow, Christopher A. Miller, John A. Allen

Michael C. Dorneich

The Diversion Off-Gate Management Assistant (DOGMA) is a decision support tool that mitigates problems in making diversion decisions in the airline industry. DOGMA helps inexperienced dispatchers to provide superior and consistent diversion decisions that translate into minimizing the impact of time-critical diversion decisions and increasing the airline's ability to recover from severe schedule disruptions. The tool integrates multiple information sources to improve dispatchers' situation awareness of the current state of flight, aircraft, maintenance, crew, and passenger schedules.

Design And Development Of A Low-Cost High Range Resolution X-Band Radar, Paul C. Cantu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is one of the main tools for microwave remote sensing because of its multi-dimensional high resolution characteristics and the capability to operate in nearly all weather conditions, day and night. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) initiated the design and development of a low-cost airborne SAR in January 2001 to support our Airborne Remote Sensing Program. The objectives of this project are separated into various evolutionary stages. This thesis will focus on the initial phase of design and construction of an X-band high range resolution radar (HRR) using basic RF /microwave and digital components. The following stages …