USLI Payload and Avionics

Our project involves a rocket launched from the center of a virtual grid that is 5000ft by 5000ft in length, divided into 400 250ft by 250ft grid squares. The goal of our project is to locate the final landing section of the rocket body after being launched to a minimum altitude of 4500ft without the use of Global Positioning System (GPS). To determine the launch vehicles location our payload uses an RF Time of Flight module and vision processing to generate a set of polar coordinates, which are then converted to a grid square and verified with Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data. The grid square is then transmitted over 2.4GHz to a base station. Additionally, our project includes an avionics unit responsible for tracking acceleration, GPS position, and altitude; the avionics is also responsible for the release of the parachute. This project offered the challenge of working in a multidisciplinary team and having to take into account the multivariable factors that came with every decision; our team handled these variables with gusto, balancing the demands of both Computer Scientists and Mechanical Engineers, and creating an effective product. A potential improvement to the system could be made with the transmission of signals from the payload; during take of and landing there were only a few moments where a connection was made, potentially due to issues with the transmitting antenna or the speed of the vehicle. Another issue exists with the vision processing, where one of colors was not detectable.

3 Lifts 

Artifacts

Name Description
Project Poster Poster that explains the various aspects of the project.   Download
Executive Summary Project overview, Design process, Timeline, Lessons learned   Download
Project Document Detailed document of every part of the USLI Payload and Avionics system   Link
Project Summary Video Summary video of the final project   Link