Unmanned flights over the North Sea
RWTH Aachen participates in the DHL unmanned flying vehicle project between the island of Juist and the mainland. A drone multicopter is used to deliver medicine to the island for tourists and residents. The device weighing 5 kilograms completed a series of initial tests.
The project is led by Professor Dieter Moormann and his team from the Institute for Flight System Dynamics at RWTH Aachen (Institute of Flight Systems Dynamics). Before the first flight in September, a huge number of authorities and the Ministry of Transport of Lower Saxony needed to be convinced of the safety and technical capability of flights. It was necessary to overcome the distance of 12 km with, often, fog and variable wind. “Those responsible for the project, the authorities and, most importantly, the land of Lower Saxony itself, accompanied and supported the project in spite of the initial skepticism,” says Professor Moormann.
The extensive experience of the university in the field of unmanned aerial systems certainly contributed to this. For example, a special flying system was developed to measure the intensity of radiation, in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant, around the station, also capable of providing information from the scene of the accident.
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The project of flights to the island raises a number of new issues: from the selection of take-off and landing sites to the air corridor for safety, the issues of the emergency system and radio communications for drone control.
At the same time, work is being done on technical details: flight regimes with the lowest energy consumption, the multicopter response to turbulence and the achievement of a goal, despite the possible bad weather conditions.
The drone software was changed on the basis of modeling analysis, a data transmission channel was established via radio communication over an uninhabited territory. Usually drones fly with visual control, which means that the pilot controls him at a distance of up to 400 meters. However, the project envisaged programming a drone for a twelve-kilometer unmanned independent flight with further landing. Since the kopter is not equipped with a camera, it constantly transmits flight information. It is obtained by ground control (in this case it is a special vehicle with equipment). The responsible pilot, who controls the drone, can intervene in an unpredictable situation and decide whether or not the driver should return to the emergency landing site.
Tests of the drone, conducted by DHL Paket, have shown that the drone drone for the transport of packages is reliable and convenient for emergency assistance. Such situations arise in case of impossibility of the ferry service due to ice or low tide, as well as in cases when rescue helicopters cannot fly due to darkness or fog.
News from the Wall Street Journal about these flights. In particular, it is specified that permission has been obtained to fly in a limited airspace, between the island and the main Germany.
DHL press release in English
Packcopter page . Also there are some details on the drone. German.
The project is led by Professor Dieter Moormann and his team from the Institute for Flight System Dynamics at RWTH Aachen (Institute of Flight Systems Dynamics). Before the first flight in September, a huge number of authorities and the Ministry of Transport of Lower Saxony needed to be convinced of the safety and technical capability of flights. It was necessary to overcome the distance of 12 km with, often, fog and variable wind. “Those responsible for the project, the authorities and, most importantly, the land of Lower Saxony itself, accompanied and supported the project in spite of the initial skepticism,” says Professor Moormann.
The extensive experience of the university in the field of unmanned aerial systems certainly contributed to this. For example, a special flying system was developed to measure the intensity of radiation, in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant, around the station, also capable of providing information from the scene of the accident.
')
The project of flights to the island raises a number of new issues: from the selection of take-off and landing sites to the air corridor for safety, the issues of the emergency system and radio communications for drone control.
At the same time, work is being done on technical details: flight regimes with the lowest energy consumption, the multicopter response to turbulence and the achievement of a goal, despite the possible bad weather conditions.
Constant contact with ground control
The drone software was changed on the basis of modeling analysis, a data transmission channel was established via radio communication over an uninhabited territory. Usually drones fly with visual control, which means that the pilot controls him at a distance of up to 400 meters. However, the project envisaged programming a drone for a twelve-kilometer unmanned independent flight with further landing. Since the kopter is not equipped with a camera, it constantly transmits flight information. It is obtained by ground control (in this case it is a special vehicle with equipment). The responsible pilot, who controls the drone, can intervene in an unpredictable situation and decide whether or not the driver should return to the emergency landing site.
Tests of the drone, conducted by DHL Paket, have shown that the drone drone for the transport of packages is reliable and convenient for emergency assistance. Such situations arise in case of impossibility of the ferry service due to ice or low tide, as well as in cases when rescue helicopters cannot fly due to darkness or fog.
Some more news on the topic:
News from the Wall Street Journal about these flights. In particular, it is specified that permission has been obtained to fly in a limited airspace, between the island and the main Germany.
DHL press release in English
Packcopter page . Also there are some details on the drone. German.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/238731/
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