Development of Battery-Independent Illumination Drones Integrated into Tethered UAVs for Extended Operations

Abstract

This study presents the design of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specifically developed for extended illumination in surveillance, search and rescue (SAR) operations, security enforcement, border surveillance, and other applications requiring lighting, particularly in disaster areas. Traditional battery-powered UAVs have limited operational time; therefore, a tethered drone design was implemented in this study to overcome flight duration constraints. The direct current (DC) energy required for the tethered drone is supplied by a Gold Series switch-mode power supply (SMPS) mounted on the drone. The alternating current (AC) energy needed for the SMPS is transmitted through a cable. Additionally, the light-emitting diode (LED) projector, operating on AC 220 volts, is powered by the same cable that supplies the drone, eliminating the need for an additional DC converter. This design choice reduces weight and ensures an optimized configuration. The projector is mounted on servos with dual-axis capability, allowing both horizontal and vertical movement to precisely illuminate the target area. Although studies on tethered and illumination drones exist in the literature, this work combines two distinct drone systems to create a more efficient UAV design. In the design process, considerations were made for various environmental conditions, particularly wind. Consequently, the thrust-to-weight (T/W) ratio was determined to be 1.54. For cable cross section, a 1.5% voltage drop was accounted for, yielding a required cross section of 1.16mm². However, to ensure safety and reliability, a cable with a cross section of 1.5mm² was selected. This proposed model, distinct from other studies in the literature, offers a practical design for field applications, particularly for night SAR operations in disaster zones such as earthquake sites, due to its point-focus illumination capability and extended flight duration.

Keywords

• İllumination drone
• Tethered drone
• Surveillance search and rescue (SAR) drone
• Embedded system
• Electronic Control

Aydınlatma Dronlarının Pilden Bağımsız Kablolu Dronlara Entegre Edilerek çok Uzun Süreli Operasyonlar için Geliştirilmesi

Öz

Bu çalışmada özellikle aydınlatmanın ihtiyaç duyulduğu afet bölgelerinde arama kurtarma operasyonları, güvenliğin sağlanması gereken alanlar, sınır güvenliği gibi uygulamalarda uzun süreli aydınlatmalar için kullanılabilecek bir insanız hava aracı tasarımı yapılmıştır. Pil ile çalışan hava araçlarının operasyon süresi kısa olacağından çalışmada tethered drone tasarımı yapılarak uçuş süresi probleminin önüne geçilmiştir. Tethered Drone için gerekli olan direct current (DC) enerji drone üzerinde bulunan bir gold serisi SMPS ile sağlanmıştır. Switch mode power supply (SMPS) için gerekli olan alternative current (AC) enerji bir kablo ile taşınarak SMPS beslenmiştir. Ayrıca aydınlatma için kullanılacak olan light emiting diode (LED) projektörü AC 220 volt seçilerek drona enerji sağlayan kablodan beslenmiştir. Dolayısı ile bu işlem için ayrıca bir DC dönüştürücü kullanılmamıştır. Böylece ağırlık azaltılarak optimum bir tasarım geçekleştirilmiştir. Projektör iki eksen servolara bağlanmış ve yatay ve dikeyde dönerek istenen bölgenin aydınlatılması sağlanmıştır. Literatürde tethered ve aydınlatma dronları ile alakalı çalışmalar olsa da bu çalışma iki farklı drone yapısını birleştirerek çok daha efektif bir hava aracı tasarımı ortaya koymuştur. Özellikle deprem gibi afet bölgelerinde gece yapılacak arama kurtarma operasyonlarında hem noktasal odaklama özelliği ile hemde uzun süre havada kalma kapasitesi ile literatürde bulunan diğer yayınlardan farklı olarak sahada uygulanabilir bir tasarım modeli ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Aydınlatma dronu
• Kablolu dron
• Arama kurtarma dronu
• Gömülü sistemler
• Elektronik kontrol

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