Introduction

The University of Hawaii Drone Technology Maritime (UHDT-M) team of the academic year 2018-2019 is collaborating with the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at the University of Hawaii in an effort to utilize semi-autonomous Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to deliver a 5 lb payload to a small fishing vessel with a footprint of 8 m by 3 m.

Mission Statement

The mission of the VIP UHDT Maritime team is to produce an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) capable of transporting a payload to a maritime platform.

Current Status

Last Updated: Dec. 10, 2018

The team has completed the critical design review (CDR) and has completed detailed analysis of the new water drop delivery method. There are still a few tasks and analysis which must be completed. Materials and parts are in the process of being ordered as all the analysis needed to know which components are needed were completed. The team plans to finish the unfinished analysis and tasks during winter break in order to move on to the manufacturing and testing phase.

University of Hawaii Drone Technology Maritime (UHDT-M)

Project Manager: Kaita Tsuchiya

Chief Engineer: David Harris

Financial Officer: Dagan DeWeese

Mission Operations: Lauryn Pang

Delivery Subsystem Lead: Sean Osurman

Aircraft Subsystem Lead: Michael Shibata

Electronics Subsystem Lead: Matthan Mejia

Delivery Subsystem: Aesha Higashi, Peyton Young

Aircraft Subsystem: Christian Rieta, Jason Chan

Electronics Subsystem: Edmond Chong, Brandon Hewitt, Cole Jamila

Project Objectives

Mission requirements have been derived from the mission statement in order to be able to successfully complete the teams mission. Three subsystems have been created each with their respective functional requirements in order to complete the mission requirements. A subsystem focusing on the delivery method, another focusing on the aircraft components, and one focusing on the electrical/communication components.

MR-1 was derived to ensure that proper thought would be put into the design of the air frame for the payload size and weight.  The payload is heavier than what UHDT has worked with, as the payload which has been incorporated to the UAV has been a small 8 oz water bottle in previous years. The volume and  weight will drastically change the considerations to the center of gravity as well as the placement of certain components.

MR-2 ensures that the efficiency of the aircraft design is thought out properly as the distance needed to travel is 8 km.  This is an important consideration when thinking about design trade offs as an aircraft such as a multi rotor, which has excellent maneuverability and hovering capabilities, cannot become a clear winner as it has a heavy power consumption.

MR-3 ensures that there is adequate thought in the delivery system as the payload delivery is the main objective of this project.  This was believed to be a factor that should be considered when choosing a delivery method as even if the delivery was successful, if the payload was damaged there would be no point.  This calls for thought into the impact forces which the payload may be subjected to and requires a design which would mitigate that.

MC is a constraint by which ensures that the operations will adhere to the laws and regulations set by the government.

The functional requirements were derived for each subsystem based off of the mission requirements in order to ensure that each subsystem would meet requirements to fulfill the mission requirements. Some of the functional requirements are given to UHDT from ARL such as the 2.3 kg payload, 8 km offshore, and able to operate in 6 m/s winds.  Based off of those requirements given by ARL and from research of the difficulties of the mission, UHDT have come up with self-imposed requirements in order to ensure all aspects of the mission are thought out.

Last Updated: Dec. 10, 2018

Project Schedule

Last Updated: Dec. 10, 2018

Proposed Budget

The financial budget for the maritime team is broken down into the subsystems aircraft, electronics, and delivery.  Within each subsystem, the general items required are listed with their corresponding price shown in the table.  The aircraft subsystem is broken down into costs for airframe, extra propellers, and prototyping materials. The aircraft is the bulk expense for this subsystem, and the extra propellers and prototyping materials are for testing and flight accidents.  The electronics subsystem is broken down into flight system, FPV system, OBC system, and ground station. The electronics for the flight system are the largest expense and the ground station cost comes from the need for a new laptop to process data. For the delivery subsystem the major items are the infrared sensors and dropping gear which includes the rope, release mechanism, and attachment system to the aircraft. As seen in the graph, the electronics subsystem takes up the largest expense costing 75.8% of the budget, with the aircraft subsystem taking 15.7%, and delivery being the least expensive at 8.6%.  The total cost of this project with applying a 10% buffer totals to $5,269.

Funding Source

Funding for this project will come from ARL purchasing needed equipment and supplies. However, if there are possible expenses that may not be covered for emergency buffer expenses or unanticipated dilemmas in correlation to the aircraft, electronics, or delivery subsystems needs, other types of funding resources will come from the University of Hawaii Mechanical Engineering Department. The maximum amount provided by the UH ME department is $1,000. This resource will serve as an emergency fund to avoid possible complications and to further emphasize risk management. This is also a special case if the 10% margin does not provide enough buffer funds or if there is a possible limitation to the amount of purchased equipment and supplies provided from ARL. Although this may not be the main concern, this funding resource is taken into consideration.    

Contact Information:

Project Manager:  Kaita Tsuchiya

Email: kaitat@hawaii.edu