Title :
Design and flight testing of an integrated solar powered UAV and WSN for remote gas sensing
Author :
Rojas, Alexander Jairo ; Gonzalez, Luis Felipe ; Motta, Nunzio ; Villa, Tommaso Francesco
Author_Institution :
Malaver Sch. of Chem., Phys. & Mech. Eng. (CPME), Queensland Univ. of Technol., Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Abstract :
This paper describes a generic and integrated solar powered remote Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) gas sensing system. The system uses a generic gas sensing system for CH4 and CO2 concentrations using metal oxide (MoX) and non-dispersive infrared sensors, and a new solar cell encapsulation method to power the UASs as well as a data management platform to store, analyse and share the information with operators and external users. The system was successfully field tested at ground and low altitudes, collecting, storing and transmitting data in real time to a central node for analysis and 3D mapping. The system can be used in a wide range of outdoor applications, especially in agriculture, bushfires, mining studies, opening the way to a ubiquitous low cost environmental monitoring. A video of the bench and flight test performed can be seen in the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwas7stYIxQ.
Keywords :
atmospheric composition; atmospheric techniques; autonomous aerial vehicles; carbon compounds; data analysis; environmental monitoring (geophysics); wireless sensor networks; CH4 concentration; CO2 concentration; UAS; Wireless Sensor Network gas sensing system; bench test video; central 3D mapping node; central analysis node; data collection; data management platform; data storage; data transmission; flight test video; generic gas sensing system; generic solar powered remote Unmanned Air Vehicle; information analysis; information sharing; information storage; integrated solar powered UAV design; integrated solar powered UAV flight testing; integrated solar powered WSN design; integrated solar powered WSN flight testing; integrated solar powered remote Unmanned Air Vehicle; metal oxide; nondispersive infrared sensor; remote gas sensing; solar cell encapsulation method; ubiquitous low cost environmental monitoring; wide outdoor application range; Aerospace electronics; Aircraft; Batteries; Gas detectors; Nanobioscience; Wireless sensor networks;
Conference_Titel :
Aerospace Conference, 2015 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Big Sky, MT
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4799-5379-0
DOI :
10.1109/AERO.2015.7119209