Cell Phone in the Sky: Quadcopter for Aerial Photography
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom B/C/D
Start Date
21-5-2015
End Date
21-5-2015
Keywords
Quadcopter, Frame, Aerial Video, Thrust/Weight Ratio, Motor
Abstract
With the development of aircraft model technology, quadcopters equipped with cameras are more frequently used for aerial video. Cell phones, moreover, allow people to share photos online immediately, so many people prefer to take photos or videos by cell phones instead of expensive cameras. Thus, the purpose of this project is to design and build a light weight quadcopter frame and select the system components that allow the quadcopter to fly smoothly while carrying a cell phone for aerial video. The method for creating the quadcopter is separated into three steps: design, build, and test. The design part includes frame design on the SolidWorks and Thrust/Weight ratio calculation with a safety factor of 1.0 to 1.5. The build consists of a center plate made of carbon fiber plate. Aluminum sheet metal arms are formed into a U-shape and attached to the plate. A drill press, treadle shear, and manual turret punch are used during the building process. The remaining parts, such as cellphone carrier, battery, motors, speed controller, and control board were purchased after the analysis. The frame and electric parts were assembled with screws, nuts, and glue. During the testing section, two different propellers are tested to determine which size and type provide maximum thrust with the least battery consumption. Additional testing will evaluate stability of flight and payload capacity.
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Hengwei, "Cell Phone in the Sky: Quadcopter for Aerial Photography" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 25.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/constructedobjects/25
Poster Number
10
Department/Program
Engineering Technologies, Safety, & Construction
Additional Mentoring Department
Engineering Technologies, Safety, & Construction
Cell Phone in the Sky: Quadcopter for Aerial Photography
SURC Ballroom B/C/D
With the development of aircraft model technology, quadcopters equipped with cameras are more frequently used for aerial video. Cell phones, moreover, allow people to share photos online immediately, so many people prefer to take photos or videos by cell phones instead of expensive cameras. Thus, the purpose of this project is to design and build a light weight quadcopter frame and select the system components that allow the quadcopter to fly smoothly while carrying a cell phone for aerial video. The method for creating the quadcopter is separated into three steps: design, build, and test. The design part includes frame design on the SolidWorks and Thrust/Weight ratio calculation with a safety factor of 1.0 to 1.5. The build consists of a center plate made of carbon fiber plate. Aluminum sheet metal arms are formed into a U-shape and attached to the plate. A drill press, treadle shear, and manual turret punch are used during the building process. The remaining parts, such as cellphone carrier, battery, motors, speed controller, and control board were purchased after the analysis. The frame and electric parts were assembled with screws, nuts, and glue. During the testing section, two different propellers are tested to determine which size and type provide maximum thrust with the least battery consumption. Additional testing will evaluate stability of flight and payload capacity.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Roger Beardsley