Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Peter Douglass, Senior Christopher Swinford, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Peter Douglass
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Mentor Name
Kevin A. Adkins
Abstract
Small multirotor unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have great potential to effectively investigate the urban boundary layer. Their ability to launch and recover vertically in tight urban spaces, along with their ability to be precisely controlled, including hover, makes them an especially attractive investigation tool for obstacle laden environments. These aircraft characteristics are also conducive to obtaining measurements with both high spatial and temporal resolution. With the motivation to obtain high-resolution measurements, a small multirotor UAS was meteorologically instrumented with both thermodynamic and kinematic sensors. This work details the development and subsequent verification of two orthogonally mounted acoustic resonance ultrasonic anemometers that provide a 3 dimensional solution suitable for measurement of the mean wind and its fluctuating component (i.e. turbulence). Comparison of the geo and time-stamped wind speed and direction measurement was made against a surface mounted anemometer during both indoor and field testing. The system will be deployed in upcoming urban field campaigns in the summer of 2020 and beyond.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Development and verification of a three-dimensional wind measurement sensor hosted on a meteorologically instrumented small multirotor UAS
Small multirotor unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have great potential to effectively investigate the urban boundary layer. Their ability to launch and recover vertically in tight urban spaces, along with their ability to be precisely controlled, including hover, makes them an especially attractive investigation tool for obstacle laden environments. These aircraft characteristics are also conducive to obtaining measurements with both high spatial and temporal resolution. With the motivation to obtain high-resolution measurements, a small multirotor UAS was meteorologically instrumented with both thermodynamic and kinematic sensors. This work details the development and subsequent verification of two orthogonally mounted acoustic resonance ultrasonic anemometers that provide a 3 dimensional solution suitable for measurement of the mean wind and its fluctuating component (i.e. turbulence). Comparison of the geo and time-stamped wind speed and direction measurement was made against a surface mounted anemometer during both indoor and field testing. The system will be deployed in upcoming urban field campaigns in the summer of 2020 and beyond.