Development, system integration and flight testing of a high-resolution imaging system for small UAS

The development and flight testing of a high-resolution imaging system for small unmanned aircraft systems is described. The system utilizes an off-the-shelf camera coupled to an onboard computer and a wireless network to provide very high quality imagery from a very low cost platform with a simple web-based tasking and data retrieval interface. The project incorporates three primary developments: (i) control over a tactical wireless ad-hoc network, (ii) an advanced path-following flight control algorithm that couples the flight and camera control, and (iii) a remote control capability for the sensor. The camera is a dual use sensor, providing full frame/rate video as well as 12MP digital still images, and a gimbal provides a limited pointing capability. The path-following flight control system allows an untrained operator to scribble a path on a digital map, which becomes the ground-track for the sensor. The aircraft autonomously determines the optimal flight trajectory to keep the sensor footprint on this track. A robust wireless mesh network integrates the aircraft with the tactical network, offering control of autopilot and sensor functions from any other node on the network. The complete system is evaluated in the joint Cooperative Field Experiments conducted quarterly by U.S. Special Operations Command and the Naval Postgraduate School, where operators put the system to use in realistic scenarios.