Abstract
This thesis presents the design of an autopilot capable of flying small unmanned aerial vehicles with wingspans less then 21 inches. The autopilot is extremely small and lightweight allowing it to fit in aircraft of this size. The autopilot features an advanced, highly autonomous flight control system with auto-launch and auto-landing algorithms. These features allow the autopilot to be operated by a wide spectrum of skilled and unskilled users. Innovative control techniques implemented in software, coupled with light weight, robust, and inexpensive hardware components were used in the design of the autopilot.
Degree
MS
College and Department
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rights
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Christiansen, Reed Siefert, "Design Of An Autopilot For Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" (2004). Theses and Dissertations. 43.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/43
Date Submitted
2004-06-23
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd445
Keywords
UAV, Autopilot, MAGICC Lab, Randy Beard, Reed Christiansen, ZAGI, Flying Wing, Procerus, MAGICC Tech, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, AFRL, Tactical Mini UAV, Tactical UAV, Attitude Estimation
Language
English