An Aerodynamic Load Measurement Technique for Autonomous Aerial Vehicles

Abstract:
In this study, an aerial load measurement technique is proposed specifically for autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs). The approach aims to measure aerial load force through specific point of transmission within the fin actuation. Instead of measuring directly from fin surfaces, measuring from a particular transmission point of the fin actuation mechanism provides ability to gather load data when the AAV’s fins are in motion. To collect accurate data, a fully strain gauge attached Wheatstone bridge hardware and a specialized signal conditioning circuit are located within AAV’s fin actuation mechanism. To justify the measurements, an external torque sensor equipped fin loading test bench is used.