Design of virtual flight system for evaluation of solar powered UAV

Abstract

The virtual flight system for evaluation of solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is designed and summarized. This system will provide the flight data for evaluating the possibility of continuous flight of a solar UAV. This system consists of the control and monitoring part, the power management part and the fuselage and the propulsion part. The mechanism part is designed for simulating the motion of the aircraft. This is equipped with the three stepper motors and motor drivers and controlled by the Labview CRio. The power measurement circuit is designed in order to monitor the flow of the energy. By using the Zigbee module, the measured data can be monitored by the wireless communication. The power management part is comprised of the maximum power point tracking (MPPT), the solar modules and the charging controller. The fuselage and propulsion part consisted of the aircraft wing, fuselage and propulsion motor. The airfoil and wing are designed considering the aerodynamic characteristics. The required power for the flight is calculated and the data of flight path and attitude is generated to simulate the motion of the aircraft. The experiment of virtual flight is carried out under the real weather conditions and the monitoring of acquisition and consumption of solar energy is performed.