Commercial drone and package delivery exam
The delivery of drone packages and the use of drones in general have increased rapidly around the world. A technology once relegated to science fiction and fantasy is becoming a real asset and having enormous impact on many commercial applications in military and defense, consumer products, logistics and inventory management, industrial automation, construction, security, agriculture, healthcare, Imaging and measurement as well as shipping and fulfillment.
To give you an idea of the impact of drones, take a look at the most recent numbers released by the FAA on registered drones in the US only:
- 1.710.159 drones registered
- 495.909 commercial drones registered
- 1.210.751 recreational drones registered
- 195.346 remote pilots certified
Test and measurement and embedded sensors play an important role in this growing industry, which is expected to reach $6 billion in the next few years. Load cells play a large role in the design and development of this particular aircraft technology and ongoing in-flight monitoring. Drones are classified as unmanned aerial vehicles. Basically an airplane without a human pilot. The successful operation of a UAV depends on a system, including the vehicle, ground-based controls and communications components, all of which must meet rigorous performance testing standards and constant data feedback.
The knowledge and tools we use to test and measure the performance of aircraft and spacecraft can be transferred to drones on a smaller scale. Drone manufacturers must collect data points on thrust and speed during testing and collect real-time sensor data on drones in use. In fact, a wide variety of sensor types are used for drone applications including: force sensors, gyroscopes, barometers and accelerometers.
Most recreational drones have passed extensive testing during the design and construction phase to ensure safety for everyone on the ground. Early applications and adoption triggered immediate regulation and safety requirements. We are now seeing the fastest expansion of this technology into commercial use. The future of drone technology for broad business use has several of the world's largest companies engaged in the full-scale development and deployment of UAVs for package delivery, including Alphabet (Google), Amazon, UPS, CVS and Walmart.
Commercial applications require much more rigorous testing in all use cases, especially for transporting objects. Most developed countries have defined requirements and regulations for commercial use, such as the FAA in the USA. Not only is the safety of local people crucial, but also protecting the value of goods in transport.
To demonstrate how force measurement solutions are used with drone technology, Interface has created an animated application note demonstrating how a force solution is required for real-time monitoring of drones in the shipping and fulfillment market. When testing beyond flight, there is a certain level of complexity when you add the weight of a package to a drone.
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that data will be passed on to third parties.
Drone test use case
Customer challenge:
A customer turned to Interface to provide a fuel solution that could weigh a “payload” and use that data in real time to instruct the propeller motors to compensate for weight shifts or uneven weight distribution. The purpose of the power solution was to help the drone lift the payload and fly normally to reach its destination.
Interface force measurement solution:
To solve this challenge, Interface supplied four WMC miniature sealed stainless steel load cells that measured payload weight and captured weight shifts and distributions in flight. If there is a shift and uneven distribution, they send Load cells To compensate, a signal is sent to the required propeller motors.
How it works:
The four miniature load cells are independently connected to each of the four chassis legs. The load cells are then connected to the drone's processor, allowing the load cell to communicate the weight of the payload and store the information. As the drone flies and the weight shifts, the load cell can relay the information to the processor in real time, allowing the speed of each motor to increase to compensate for the shifting weight.