David Smith: Design of a Stabilized Camera for UAV's
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Smith-StableCamera-R1.pdf | 4.01 MB |
| smith_report.pdf | 434.6 KB |
Design of a Stabilized Camera for UAV's:
During my summer in the SURF-IT program at UCSC I designed and built a stabilized camera. The stabilized camera is a mechatronic system which transmits steady video feed from an aircraft. This stabilized camera system was designed to be mounted under the fuselage of Dr. Gabriel Elkaim's UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle).
The project involved designing mechanical hardware using CAD software. In addition to learning the software, the project taught design through an iterative redesign process in which each redesign of the model brings the structure closer to a strong, functional machine. Constructing such designs taught the use of a laser cutter and provided experience in working with and learning about different materials.
The project also included designing a control system to command a gimbal using Simulink. In designing the control system I gained knowledge in the operation of aircraft and in pulse width modulation and its application for servo control.
Thirdly, the project also involved designing and building electrical hardware which entailed circuit design, board layout, board prototyping, and developed circuit building skills.
Overall, the project was challenging and enjoyable because of its use of many disciplines and skills. The completion of the project was especially satisfying because I was able to start from scratch and create all the components to produce a working system.