diff --git a/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/assets/missionplanner.png b/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/assets/missionplanner.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..47d338e Binary files /dev/null and b/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/assets/missionplanner.png differ diff --git a/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/assets/mpsetup.png b/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/assets/mpsetup.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..12192db Binary files /dev/null and b/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/assets/mpsetup.png differ diff --git a/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/sitrep3.md b/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/sitrep3.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c07be5f --- /dev/null +++ b/members/luis-jesus/reports/sitrep3/sitrep3.md @@ -0,0 +1,153 @@ +SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT + +SITUATION REPORT 3 + +Implementing a Parachute Launching System using Pixhawk + +Luís Jesus + +October, 2022 + +Summary +======= + +With this report, I want to introduce a way to implement our Parachute +Recovery System that will guarantee that the rocket lands on the ground +successfully. This implementation was suggested by Professor Anuj Regmi +(SYSTEC). Even though there are not rocketry implementations of its +suggestion (besides BPS.space) in which we can rely on, it is relevant +to search how it could be done and some of its constraints. + +As concluded in the previous meeting, designing our own board computer +"from scratch\" is actually very risky and may lead to difficult +challenges that we may not be able to solve "in-time\", which means that +we must choose a more reliable path, at least for now. The suggestion +was to use a Pixhawk Autopilot Board - Pixhawk \[[full specifications' +sheet +here](https://docs.px4.io/main/en/flight_controller/pixhawk4.html)\] - +and ArduPilot as the controller/receiver of this board (it is tipically +the software used along with Pixhawk). + +If we move on to this solution, that means that a great part of the plan +made by the Electrical Engineering Department will have to be discarded, +as Pixhawk4 has in-built sensors and they won't have to face the +expected assembly and testing procedure that was initially designed. + +Introduction +============ + +Ardupilot is a open source autopilot system that supports many vehicle +types, such as multi-copters, traditional helicopters, fixed wing +aircraft, etc. However, there is not much information about its +implementation in rockets, and the only example we have is +[BPS.SPACE](https://bps.space/), from which we don't have many +information. + +Considering this, we know that this implementation would need some +adjustments to fit in the rocketry field. + +Mission Planner is part of ArduPilot and it has the interface that +allows us to follow the vehicle during its flight. However, if we look +to the picture bellow, we can also see that there is not compatibility +with a rocket-type vehicle. A amateur SpaceX inspired rocket ([see +here](https://hackaday.io/project/174329-spacex-inspired-edf-rocket)) +actually implemented Pixhawk running with ArduPilot V4.0.4 configured as +a single-copter, however, the mentioned project is very different. It's +not a real rocket; it \"flies\" like a drone, it does not reach high +altitude, it is remote controlled, etc. The analysis about the +requirements to make a Pixhawk based board fit a rocket model is in +charge of our team member João Gil, though. + +Considering this, there is not information about parachute deployment +using Pixhawk + Ardupilot on rocketry, but we can see a more \"typical\" +case (for example, how it is used in drones). + +![image](assets/missionplanner.png){width="\\textwidth"} + +Parachute Deployment System +=========================== + +As a baseline requirement to implement this, we have, of course, a +complete parachute mechanism like [SkyCat](https://www.skycat.pro/shop/) +or [CAD Drones](http://store.caddrones.com/products) but adapted, in +this case, to fit our own vehicle that is way larger than the vehicles +Ardupilot is meant for. This study is certainly under the analysis of +another department, as it is not related to software. + +The release of the parachute is actually a mechanical \"phenomenon\" and +that made the interpretation of the documentation a little bit hard. +Maybe we need the help of a member of the Electrical and Mechanical +Departments to help us understanding what is actually happening during +the deployment of the parachute. + +The parachute release mechanism can be triggered from either a Relay or +a PWM (Pulse-width modulation) signal. If a Relay pin is used, the +parachute release has to be activated on a high level and RELAY\_DEFAULT +has to be OFF or No Change, in order to avoid triggering the release +during initialization. For more information about this and other +parameters, see [Complete Parameter +List](https://ardupilot.org/plane/docs/parameters.html#relay-default) +(we need the help of other departments to better understand them). + +We may want the parachute to deploy automatically or manually, but in +our case, it's just going to be automatic because the Ground Station is +not sending any kind of signals/data/information to the rocket, it will +only work as a receiver. + +In the [official documentation of +ArduPilot](https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-parachute.html), it +is referred that the configuration is made via Mission Planner and we +have a bunch of parameters to deal with according to our needs and +specificities. There is some information about the PINs configuration, +however, I did not understand how our rocket is in terms of mechanical +components in order to make a detailed report about the implementation +of this functionality. Considering this noticeable trouble on +understanding other technical information in the documentation, we may +need to establish a very close relationship with other departments +because there are many subjects crossing our theoretical implementation. +This terms and configurations are important to discuss with other +departments: + +![image](assets/mpsetup.png){width="\\textwidth"} + +Apart from this, there is a project called +[ArduRocket](https://diydrones.com/forum/topics/ardurocket?xg_source=activity) +that seems to be a modified version of ArduPilot but it is quite old +(check [GitHub repository](https://github.com/stew-lilley/ArduRocket)). + +Veredict +======== + +There is basically no information about Pixhawk + Ardupilot usage in +rocketry, but only about their typical implementations in other +vehicles. This means that there is a need to study the best way to make +this type of implementation compatible. + +For this, it seems that the help and monitoring of other departments +(Electrical and/or Mechanical ?) is crucial to understand the viability +of the implementation. Invictus is being designed to reach an apogee of +3000 meters and it uses hybrid-propulsion; it seems quite complex when +compared to those simple vehicles supported by ArduPilot which means +that there is a big analysis of viability to be made by a competent +department before any kind of analysis of implementation. + +Apart from this, if the transposition of this technology to our rocket +is achievable and viable, there is the official documentation mentioned +in this report about the setup of the parachute deployment system, that +has to be analyzed carefully not only by our department, but +fundamentally with the help of the Mechanical Engineering Department and +Electrical Engineering Department. + +References +========== + +\[1\] [ArduPilot](https://ardupilot.org/); + +\[2\] [ArduRocket (DIY DRONES +Forum](https://diydrones.com/forum/topics/ardurocket?xg_source=activity); + +\[3\] [ArduRocket GitHub +repository](https://github.com/stew-lilley/ArduRocket); + +\[4\] +[Hackaday](https://hackaday.io/project/174329-spacex-inspired-edf-rocket).