Estudio, desarrollo e integración de equipos auxiliares para el control y/o monitoreo de plataformas robóticas": "diseño e implementación de un prototipo auxiliar que sirva de apoyo para la maniobra de aterrizaje de un vehículo aéreo no tripulado.

Abstract

This project describes the process for designing and implementing an auxiliary prototype to guide the landing maneuver for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It presents the theoretical framework that helps to review topics such as UAVs, autonomous landing, Pixhawk and MAVLink, which provide the guidelines to design the algorithm that guides the landing maneuver. Also, this work includes a brief description of the most commonly sensors used on guided landings with emphasis on those that are part of the auxiliary prototype. It has a NoIR v1 camera that allows the implementation of an Artificial Vision system that identifies, locates and follows a heliport represented by a QR code. In addition, the prototype integrates a LIDAR Lite v3 sensor that allows to analyze the real flight altitude and to ensure a controlled landing. The unit that processes the sensor information is a Raspberry Pi 4, which also communicates with the flight controller by MAVLink messages. The functionality tests of the prototype use a quadcopter, in which a loading platform is adapted to place on board the prototype. This quadcopter has a Pixhawk 2.1 flight controller. The test results show the advantages of using a distance sensor, especially with respect to better accuracy and reliability over the records processed by the flight controller. They also confirm the flexibility of the MAVLink protocol to complete successfully the preset maneuvers provided by the landing guidance algorithm.