Stability system and camera control for aero video shooting with unmanned aircraft

Аuthors

Volokitin D. A.^1*, Knyazeva V. V.^2**, Rumyantsev D. S.^3***

1. Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), 4, Volokolamskoe shosse, Moscow, А-80, GSP-3, 125993, Russia
2. ,
3. V.A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of Russian Academy of Sciences, 65, Profsoyuznaya str., Moscow, 117997, Russia

*e-mail: dvol@mail.ru
**e-mail: knyazeva_valya@mail.ru
***e-mail: z2070@mail.ru

Abstract

The work is dedicated to the creation of the camera stabilization and control system, located on board of the unmanned airplane with take-off weight not exceeding 15 kg.

The task was to improve features of video shooting to the large range of angles at which the camera can be rotated with respect to the aircraft. Thus, it was important to provide a mode in which the camera is able to film even in the upper hemisphere of the aircraft at angles up to + 20˚ above the horizontal plane, while in most UAVs camera overlooks only the lower hemisphere.

The main objective was to maintain the video camera, installed on board the UAV, in a given direction when maneuvering in the air.

To solve this problem was performed as follows:

— the controller, position sensors and acceleration were set;

— the motherboard with the necessary inputs and outputs were set up;

— a mathematical model of the aircraft, algorithms and programs for controlling the position of video camera were developed;

— the regimes of observation «In the direction», «At the rate» and «Tracking point» were realized;

— possible to change the settings of Camera: aperture, shutter speed, focal length, etc.;

— given mass-dimensional characteristics were kept up;

— the camera functions control was provided to the operator in real-time.

The block of video camera was built into the fuselage of the aircraft. Whole device fits into a cylinder with a base diameter of 0.15 m and height 0.15 m.

One of the main tasks was solved — to make the camera independent of the inertia of the aircraft. Low-inertia precision solenoid motor rotates the camera head around each axis. The range of variation of the angles of the first axis: ± 180°, on the second axis: between +20° to −120°. Created system allows you to shoot along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and to view the upper hemisphere.

Stabilization of the camera head is performed by a PID controller.

The complex is able to solve problems of finding people, detection of fires in the forest and, of course, the problems of intelligence service.

Keywords:

unmanned aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV, aero video shooting, stability of flight, programmable controllers

References

1. Levkevich M. Aerofotos«omka stanet dostupnoi blagodarya bespilotnikam, available at: http://www.cnews.ru/reviews/?2014/07/14/579432 (accessed 02.09.2015)

2. Rivkin S.S. Stabilizatsiya izmeritel’nykh ustroistv na kachayushchemsya osnovanii (Stabilization of the measuring devices on the swinging base), Moscow, Nauka, 1978, 320 p.

3. Sushchenko O.A. Design of robust controller for UAV information-measuring devices stabilisation system, Electronics and Control Systems, 2013, no. 3(37), pp. 58-64.

4. Slyusar V. Elektronika: Nauka, Tekhnologiya, Biznes, 2010, no.3, pp. 80-86.

5. Il’in V.A., Poznyak E.G. Lineynaya algebra (Linear algebra), Moscow, Nauka, 1999, 296 p.

6. Karimov A.Kh. Elektronnyi zhurnal «Trudy MAI», 2011, no 47, available at: http://www.mai.ru/science/trudy/eng/published.php?ID=26552 (accessed 02.09.2015).

7. List of unmanned aerial vehicles, available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unmanned_aerial_vehicles.

8. Smirnov A. Svodnaya tablitsa kharakteristik BPLA samoletnogo tipa, available at: http://съемкасвоздуха.рф/17-blog-blog/75-obzor-samoletnykh-bpla.html.

9. Company web-site «ZALA AERO GROUP», available at: http://zala.aero.

Download