| Abstract [eng] |
A master’s final degree project that is dedicated to the design of a mechatronic station for autonomous cargo handling of military unmanned aerial vehicles. The work is done due to the need of rapid adaption to the use of UAV drones in frontline logistics and other missions. This need became very apparent in the ongoing Ukraine war, where most supply related missions are now based on unmanned vehicle technology to remove alive personnel from the highest risk tasks. The absence of complementary autonomous cargo infrastructure that is deployable in field is the aim that is to be resolved within the project. The work starts with a review of the military logistics followed by various station analysis available in commercial and scientific sectors. Commercial solutions are too heavy for military use, depend on external power and lack portability. While scientific stations are heavily dominated by battery swapping mechanism devices and not cargo handling. After the review, multiple technical requirements are drawn for the station. They include package weight of 5 kg, capacity of 5 cargo, worktime of 48 hours, portability, robustness, maximum weight of 25 kg. With requirements established, a conceptual design for mechanical and electrical parts is developed. The station is designed as a cylindrical drum with top and bottom parts and internals within. The mechanism is driven by stepper motors with planetary gearboxes. Cargo detection is done with infrared phototransistor and diode. Two communication methods are established as optimal – LoRa communication and 4G. To finish, a functional prototypical control system is developed to control and test an actual 3D printed device. After initial testing, the concept is proven to be legitimate and that it can meet the majority of requirements at conceptual and prototypical design level. |
