Design And Construction Of A Surveillance Drone (Quadcopter)

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people for the purpose of influencing, managing, directing, or protecting them. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment (such as CCTV cameras), or interception of electronically transmitted information (such as Internet traffic or phone calls); and it can include simple, relatively no- or low-technology methods such as human intelligence agents and interception and aerial surveillance where drones are applied to relay information and gathering the required data.
This work focuses on a quadcopter type of drone which is uses four rotors for lift, steering, and stabilization. Unlike other aerial vehicles, the quadcopter can achieve vertical flight in a more stable condition. The quadcopter is not affected by the torque issues that a helicopter experiences due to the main rotor. Furthermore, due to the quadcopter‟s cyclic design, it is easier to construct and maintain. In the project design of a quadcopter is constructed to ensure it can achieve a total flight of 10 minutes in Air with the possibility of future progress to improve in time and robustness.

1.2 Problem Statement

Visibility is often impaired for those inside the vehicles, making it difficult to see all possible threats ahead, behind, and to the side. Lack of visibility creates a significant danger from insurgents. Travel routes can span hundreds of miles where explosive detectors, bomb-sniffing dogs, or law enforcement is costly, but still does not guarantee complete safety. Improved visibility for individuals in the vehicles can help mitigate these external risks. The prototype can be applied as a bridge that can help record the happening of an area in space giving the real scenario with minimum human guidance

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the study

The main aim of this work is to design and construct a working model of a drone that will achieve total autonomous flight that can be used for surveillance

Specific objectives

1. To gain some knowledge that will be applied in implementing this project
2. To design and construct a drone that can successfully take off, the drone should fly unaided and smoothly.
3. Carry out tests on the designed drone for maximum flight time, maximum height it can fly and the total range of laterally distance it can fly.
4. To implement the drone and that will completely carry out instructions and commands given.

1.4 Assumptions and Delimitations

It is assumed that the drone will with stand the effects of wind as its general aerodynamic design is made to cater for any adverse effects. The propellers used by the Drone are designed at an angle that will give 80% efficiency in cases where the wind speed is normal.

1.5 Significance and Motivation of Study

This project created a platform to learn about the unmanned aerial vehicles such as the quadcopter. This expands the scope of the Electrical Engineering to include the control and the understanding of the mathematical components. The quadcopter has many applications that an interested to develop security systems, mapping and reconnaissance especially in a disaster and dangerous area. It also opens up the possibilities to broaden the understanding and application of control systems, stabilization, artificial Intelligence and computer Image processing as it applies to the quadcopter.