Pteryx UAV

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Pteryx UAV, with the camera mounted sideways.
Pteryx UAV was a Polish Miniature UAV designed for civilian use. It was manufactured and sold by Trigger Composites. The machine was both a flying RC model and pre-programmed vehicle. It was awarded the Innowator Podkarpacia medal for innovative design in the category of micro-enterprises of the Podkarpacie region in 2010.

Origin #

The Pteryx UAV uses a custom derivation of the FLEXIPILOT software, designed by Aerial Robotics engineering group for photomapping purposes and civilian use.
The avionics and flying platform are capable of full operational capability without using an active transmitter or ground station.

Capabilities #

Digital Surface Model of a motorway interchange construction site.
Bezmiechowa airfield 3D Digital Surface Model
4.5km2 ortophotomap extracted from data collected during 1h flight

Delivering data for generating digital elevation model using external photogrammetric software and orthorectification procedure
Delivering data for precision agriculture obtaining surface maps using mosaicking software
Construction site and long-range linear mapping (up to around 40 km both ways with 2h flight time, reserve included)
Carrying custom research equipment

The camera mount contains either pre-installed compact digital camera, or can be exchanged for other equipment.
The camera can be mounted down-looking (nadir photography) or side-looking (oblique photography).
The whole head can be tilted in flight using the RC transmitter, while reducing stabilization travel to one of the sides.

Features #

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Features included are:

Flying multiple missions per day without reprogramming the autopilot (the waypoints being selected by mission selector and evaluated relative to takeoff)
Exchangeable mission package
Single button operation
Fully enclosed camera head
Ability to accommodate a weight range 200g-1000g
takeoff by a bungee-assisted catapult
Landing through use of a parachute

Precision #

(manufacturer’s data)
The aircraft provides positions of the photos taken; more than 8000 events can be recorded.
Ground-projected positions include the following errors:

GPS position error up to 5m.
Altitude drift (up to 5m per 1 hour of flight)
Camera head stabilization precision (transients up to 5°)
Fuselage pitch due to turbulence (up to 8° during hot weather, typically 2° in winter)
Camera mounting error (typically 1–4° if not calibrated)
Heading/yaw error (the aircraft performs crabbing in presence of wind)

Typical orthophoto map precision (mean reprojection errors):

10 cm horizontal
30 cm vertical
around 2.5m global shift to be removed with a few locally measured points

Data processing strategies #

Several data processing approaches are possible depending on application:

Direct photo examination
Non-georeferenced image stitching using free software
Using free 3D modelling services, as mentioned in examples section
Importing each photo as ground overlay in Google Earth (semi-automatic with supplied software)
Using pre-paid service based on cloud computing, yielding a result in hours (delivers Orto photomap and optionally DSM)
Local processing using specialized GIS software created specifically for large scale image mosaicking (delivers Orto photomap and optionally DSM)

Aircraft components #

Fuselage
3-section wings with mounting screws
Horizontal stabilizer section
Parachute

Other required equipment #

LiPo batteries
Laptop or netbook
Compact digital camera
RC controller compliant with local laws (see Radio-controlled aircraft Transmitting and Receiving Frequencies)

General characteristics #

Masses:

Maximum takeoff weight 5.0 kg

Dimensions:

Wingspan: 2.8 m
Length: 1.4 m
Height: 0.33 m
Propulsion: brushless DC electric motor and rechargeable lithium polymer battery
Endurance: 55min with 1 kg payload, 120min with 450g payload

V speeds:

VC: around 50 km/h
VS: 34–38 km/h depending on TOW
VA: 120 km/h
VNE: 160 km/h

Flight altitude:

Service Ceiling 3000m Pteryx Lite
Service Ceiling 1200m Pteryx Pro
Cruise altitude 100–520m AGL, 250m typical – dictated by photo resolution

Handling:

Assembly time: Around 5 minutes.
Materials: Custom fiberglass composite material covered with durable red gelcoat, carbon fiber and Kevlar reinforcements, wood and other plastics. Wooden or all-composite wings are offered.