Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

Maintenance of aircraft is a complex process and therefore, in order to optimize the process, integrated information systems are increasingly used. Rapid development and wide availability of mobile devices equipped with powerful processors and with a wide range of modern communication connections suggests their high usability for enterprise IT systems. In the Department of Avionics and Air Armament of the Military University of Technology (WAT) an ERP-class (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, intended to support aircraft maintenance [4] has been designed and developed. The main concept of the system is to store the aircraft related and maintenance information in a central repository, i.e. in databases hosted on a central database server. This solution ensures concurrent availability of the data to a large group of authorized users. The key components of the system include the database server and client applications, which ensure access to centralized information resources, according to assigned user rights. The project involves development of client applications using three technologies: web, desktop and mobile one. Developed client applications have successfully passed integration tests performed using sample maintenance data. Currently works on user authorization security and wireless data security are under way.

maintenance system, mobile application, aircraft

Safe indoor flights of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) requires an independent measurement systems, that will enable efficient navigation in the absence of GPS data. One of the many solutions currently being developed is the use of information about changes in the value of the local magnetic field. This paper presents ways of recording, visualizing and mapping local magnetic field changes that can be used as a support for indoor navigation systems. At the beginning we reviewed devices for acquisition of magnetic field strength and the type of data being recorded. In the next step we analyzed the possibilities of visualization of acquired data. Finally the methods used to generate magnetic field maps of enclosed areas have been presented. In each of the aspects covered in this paper, solutions developed by the authors will be described.

Magnetic field, Position estimation, UAV, Indoor Navigation, Avionics.

This paper presents in details design and development of a probe for measuring airflow data for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The research regards the definition of the requirements and dimensions of the device and limits the measurements to selected aerodynamic parameters only. In the design concept the five parameters gauged in the two independent sections of the probe were envisaged. In the first section temperature, stagnation and static pressure and in the second section flow angles - sideslip and angle of attack (AoA) were determined. The development has been divided into three stages. The first stage included a formulation of the guidelines for the construction of the mechanical elements. The specified requirements included the maximum size of the probe and the resultant restriction on the size of the sensors and their electronics hardware circuits. The next stage was focused on sensors selection and electronics hardware development. Additionally, an appropriate microcontroller system for sensors control and data acquisition was developed. The final stage included formulation of a software algorithm and its implementation. Eventually, the probe was installed on a mini UAV for inflight tests which verified the correctness of the design.

Probes, Electron tubes, Temperature measurement, Aerodynamics, Sensors, Blades, Unmanned aerial vehicles

This paper presents a conception of an indoor positioning system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The measurement of magnetic field is a main source of information required to estimate a position of the platform. It is a parameter which can be measured with affordable sensors and is easy to obtain. In order to use acquired data, a magnetic field map of the specified environment should be previously determined. Thus, a few ideas of using this information were elaborated. First of all, dedicated hardware had to be designed to implement the method. In this process, a multipurpose measurement system was developed. The measurement system consists of three axis digital magnetometers and battery powered microprocessor system with SD memory card and LCD display. The module was installed on the specially designed chassis that enable testing on 3 different heights. The verification tests were performed in designated room, where permanent magnets were used to modify local magnetic field that could work as beacons.

Magnetic field measurement, Magnetic fields, Magnetometers, Earth, Unmanned aerial vehicles, Sensors, Sea measurements