UavApplications

Control RC model over IP protocol
Place an electric RC model on the roof: http://media.putfile.com/Chuck-Mosa-T-Rex-600-Electric-helicopter. Control the model over a MeshNetworking link or RadioModems link. The Radio controls has a buddy box output that is streamed over an Ethernet network. This allows rapid surveillance from a hight of 300m from any remote location. For nighttime surveillance attach ThermalImagingCameras to the RC model.

Combine UAV and CCTV in open streets
Lets presume there is only one street in an area with CctvCameras to do surveillance. Since the surrounding streets don't have CCTV the criminals knows that they would still be able to get away. Enable a petrol driven UAV three roads away. On any event the operator remotely launches the UAV and gets a visual lock on the get-away vehicle withing 20seconds. The UAV doesn't need to be fully autonomous. Such a RC plane can be piloted upto 10km using a 865mhz RadioModems that connects to an RC control buddy box via an interfacing circuit and converts the 36mhz PCM signal to 865Mhz. A circuit on the RC plane converts it back to a PWM signal that controls the servos. The real-time analogue video signal is sent via a http://rangevideo.com/ on 2.4ghz. We can hack and modify the design to transmit an analogue signal on 1ghz like http://www.jasco.co.za used to do for the mines without anybody knowing about it.

This in my view - openly advertised - will probably convince the armed robbers to go somewhere else, since they simply won't be able to get away from the UAV or remotely piloted RC plane. And the concept can be extended to banks, farms and shopping malls. I believe the combination of UAVs and CctvCameras will revolutionize security in South-Africa. What is holding the large scale deployment back is the unavailability of legal WiMax spectrum for real-time video transmission. FrontingCompany is the answer.

What I propose here is not a full UAV deployment but flying the model on the PICO line of assisted UAVs from http://www.u-nav.com up to a distance of 10km. The model would have a digital compass, GPS, altimeter and Pyro http://www.fmadirect.com model level stabilization as used by the http://www.nongnu.org/paparazzi UAV project.

If any residents pushes his panic button the UAV will be above his house in 20seconds. Police forces in the USA deploy electric powered UAVs with a camera above the scene of an incident.

RC chopper on 1ghz armed with painball gun
Fly a RC helicopter fitted with an illegal 1ghz video transmitter to the getaway vehicle of armed robbers and blast the robbers and their vehicle windows with a paintball gun. See PepperBall]. Install video analogue 1ghz passive hotspots the length of the [[TelephoneNetworkRollout. The ZoneMinder boxes converts the analogue signal to digital and streams it via the DsLam network to the control room from where the RC chopper is operated.

Protect a farm or large perimeter
Protect a farm, large perimeter or any perimeter for that matter on a continual basis using a http://media.putfile.com/Chuck-Mosa-T-Rex-600-Electric-helicopter fitted with a Pyro, GPS, digital compass, altimeter, RadioModems and ThermalImageingCameras. The operator controls the RC chopper on a continual basis through MeshNetworking from a central location. Electric powered chopper will only have a flight time of around 10mins, with gear only around 7min. Thus one would need two model RC choppers that has their battery packs changed either manually or automatically every 7mins. Petrol driven choppers can be used but their operational costs will be more and they make a lot of noise, hence the need for electric power which would be the only acceptable solution for continual surveillance in residential areas.


 * Place high powered 100m InfraRedLeds around a large perimeter with an event dispatch the petrol or electric chopper to the point of interest.


 * Place multiple petsafe indoor or outdoor PIR - ConfiguringAlarmSystem around a perimeter. Rapidly pilot the RC chopper to the point of interest.

The weight of the video transmitter(50g), thermalmcamera(100g), compass(40g), altimeter(40g), pyro(100g), tail gyros? Seems to be around 350grams, maybe less. Use http://mat.sourceforge.net/faq.html to control a robotic arm - CompHomeAutomation

Operator controlled model helicopter
Modern RF controlled helicopters have a gyro stabilisation system. Attach a helicopter training frame to prevent it tipping over during flight. Use a software defined GNU RadioModems to control the helicopter and get video back on any frequency range. An electronic compass and other sensors relays in realtime the direction, pitch,yaw and speed and altimeter data to an operator who then literally flies the chopper on its instruments. Map out a large area's peaks and valleys and store the GPS coordinates in a database. The GPS coordinates relayed from the model helicopter is then compared in realtime to determine the correct hight.

Thus no complicated UAV operation would be needed, only an experienced model helicopter pilot. With RC simulation software anybody can learn to control a model helicopter. A stable accurate GyroCompass makes remote piloting of any aerial vehicle a possibility. Previously a noisy chip based Gyro had to be used that needed complex KalmanFiltering to extract the X,Y,Z signals. All civilian and military aircraft uses a gyro to allow the pilot to fly the aircraft on its instruments alone. Visually displaying a RC aircraft Pitch,Yaw and Roll on a PC in realtime is trivial to do. And this enables a person to fly the aircraft on its instruments in the exact same manner that you would fly an aircraft on Microsoft Simulator.

Fit the RC helicopter with ThermalImagingCameras to scout for people hiding in dense bush.

Track cash in transit vehicles
http://www.aerosonde.com crossed the Atlantic ocean. Use an Aerosonde to track FNB cash in transit vehicles. It would be impossible to escape the UAV as it tracks the transit robbers get-away vehicle.

Combine Wimax with UAV
Install a Mpeg4Compression board in the UAV, which interfaces with the Wimax CPE. A small patch antenna inside the UAV is directed to the Wimax base station using some PID control loop, similar to what they use in aligning a UAV antenna with a satellite. This will allow a UAV to transmit digital signals over 40km to the base since it has LOS. The UAV gets the GPS signal form the cash-in-transit vehicle and keeps the camera trained on it in real-time. Thousands of UAVs could be deployed like this across South Africa protecting banks, shopping malls, farms and residential areas. If the Los Angeles police department can use UAVs then why can't the SAPS? Israel recently developed an in-air refueling UAV. Another solution is to use the 1.2ghz video frequency as explained under http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/RadioModems and install hundreds of bases stations across Gauteng with patch antenna's aimed into the sky to get a signal from the UAV analogue video transmitter flying at 250meters. One could probably use 2.4ghz http://rangevideo.com/ 1watt transmitters with a range of 10km, but this needs to be discussed with the Wi-fi community since omni analogue 2.4ghz signals trashes 2.4ghz digital signals. Converting 1.2 or 2.4ghz analogue to digital can be done but the digital circuit adds weight. Analogue video transmission is presently the preferred way to provide a real-time video signal but with limited range. Use a 1.2ghz or 2.4ghz patch antenna inside the UAV and keep it aligned with the base patch antenna via a PID control loop.

The analogue 1.2ghz signal are converted on the ground by a PC capture card to Mpeg4Compression and streamed via Wi-fi, Wimax and ADSL to the control center. See the June 2007 issue of http://www.circuitcellar.com/archives/titledirectory/201to220.html CircuitCellar video based motion sensor for a design on digitizing an analogue video signal.

UAV system
Install a ThermalImagingCameras in the nose of an RC helicopter. Connect it to http://rangevideo.com/aerial_video.html aerial vidoe system. See RadioModems. A 14dbi patch antenna maintains a video link with the helicopter as it flies over a farm looking for intruders. VideoGoggles are used by the operator to steer the helicopter and camera in realtime. There are 4 channels available. Use on 2.4ghz transmitter to manipulte the ThermalImagingCameras and the other transmitter to steer helicopter.

Controlling the camera
The camera is manipulated using Pan Tilt systems. See RoboTics

* http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=646972 http://www.robotshop.ca/home/products/robot-parts/mechanics/chassis-accessories/lynxmotion-pan-and-tilt-kit-aluminium.html

Aerial relay platform
One UAV circles a site at a hight of 300m. Lets call it the repeater-UAV. The second UAV patroling sends the video images via a 1.2ghz RadioModems to the repeater-UAV. The repeater-UAV in turn sends the images back via the 2.4ghz channel to the base. The scout-UAV is armed with a PepperBall or paintball gun. The scout-UAV could be electrically driven for maximum silence.

The farmer and his workers each wear a GpsAndGprs modem. On pressing a the panic button the repeater-UAV flies low level above the GPS position of the distress. The repeater-UAV sends back a realtime video feed to the central control room. The scout-UAV will be able to track bandits allowing the bloodhounds and security company time to arrive and track them on foot in the bush.

UAV communications
http://www.uavfocus.com/uav_components/index_html

Rotomotion
http://www.uavfocus.com/uav_systems/index_html OPensource UAV with Kalman-filters etc. Use GNU software as described under RadioModems to stream video images to base.

Yamaha UAV helicopter
Japan is one of the few countries where civilian use of UAVs flourish due to accomodative legislation. They make extensive use of model helicopters in applying insecticide to crops. For example a helicopter would be able to spray macadamia trees in Africa. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/industrial/sky/solution/index.html

Model helicopters
* http://coolthings.250free.com//other_rc.htm * http://www.sahelicopter.co.za