HELICOPTER CONTROL USING THE VICON MOTION CAPTURE SYSTEM GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NOAH ALLEN KUNAL AMARNANI 22 OCTOBER 2008

Project Overview  Aerospace department  Vicon motion capture system  Automated helicopter control  Current position read by motion capture system  Eliminate human error  Total implementation cost  ~$25,000

Technical Objectives  Read raw current location coordinates from motion capture system  Compare current location and predefined flight path  Calculate necessary flight maneuver  Output to helicopter remote control through parallel port

Flight Lab

Current Setup ViconIQ EthernetParallel

Proposed Setup ViconIQ EthernetParallel MATLAB GaTech Hub

Remote Control  Three basic controls  Thrust  Rudder  Trim

Throttle/Rudder Switch  Digital switches turned on or off due to position of stick

Stock Remote Setup  Controls wired to inputs on the board. Throttle Control Rudder Control Remote Control Circuit Board 5 4

Modified Setup  Disconnected controls from board  Wired parallel port to the board inputs  Wired controls to parallel port cable Throttle Control Rudder Control Remote Control Circuit Board Parallel Port Parallel Port Cable

Modified Remote Control

Proposed Setup ViconIQ EthernetParallel MATLAB GaTech Hub

Flight Control System EthernetParallel Flight Control System  MATLAB implementation  Retrieves raw Vicon data  Analyzes data and converts it to remote control input Function

Data Retrieval EthernetParallel  Utilizes Java command language  Queries ViconIQ over TCP/IP  Reads buffer stream as single byte strings into array Flight Control System Function

Data Decoding EthernetParallel  Data comes in as two byte array  Array is segmented and converted to either a double or ASCII characters  Data is recorded into a cell structure Flight Control System 3E583C 72656B72614D M A R K E R Data Analysis Function Function

Data Analysis EthernetParallel  Implements proportional control flow  Examines error between current location and next location  Scales output amplitude based on gain and error Flight Control System Function Data Analysis Function Gain ControlSystem Output Flight Path

Parallel Output EthernetParallel  MATLAB capable of accessing parallel port directly  8 bit output will control throttle and rudder speed  Administrative access is necessary Flight Control System Parallel Output Function Function Data Analysis Function

Parallel Port  D0-D7 are data lines (bi-directional)  C0-C3 are control lines (out)  S3-S7 are status lines(in)  Pins are ground

Switches and Pin Map Control TypeSwitch Number Parallel Port Pin Pin Name Throttle12D0 Throttle23D1 Throttle34D2 Throttle45D3 ThrottleGround9D7 Rudder16D4 Rudder28D6 Rudder37D5 RudderGround9D7

Parallel Port Output  MATLAB capable of accessing parallel port directly.  Writing out 8 bits.  8 bits will control which switch is turned on or off

Demonstration Plan  Output current location of helicopter using MATLAB GUI  Control helicopter using MATLAB program  Fly a predetermined data path with minimum error

Problems or Issues  Discovering which switches on the control board control what level of output.  Matching ViconIQ system real-time output protocol

Remaining Tasks  Current position value decoding (Oct. 24 th )  Current position MATLAB GUI (Oct. 24 th )  Parallel port voltage map (Oct. 26 th )  Proportional control system coding (Oct. 26 th )  Control of helicopter from computer. (Oct. 29 th )  Control system to maneuver helicopter (Nov. 12 th )

Budget  Total Equimpent Cost = $0.  Total Labor Cost = $10,000

Current Status  Complete Remote Control Modification  Tested Parallel port output from MATLAB  Written MATLAB code for marker decoding  Analyzing data packets from emulator so that value decoding can be solved