Thesis
Design of a magnetorhealogical brake for haptic interface for drone control
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2017
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100384
Abstract
MR-brakes are devices that use MR-fluid under magnetic flux to generate force. A novel haptic interface with MR-brakes to provide force feedback to the operator of the radio for indoor flight applications of drones was built. An off-the-shelf drone from 3D Robotics, called IRIS+, was chosen as the quadcopter to be used. Arduino MEGA microcontroller was chosen to run the control algorithm and communication between the drone and the PC, and a TeraRanger-One proximity sensor was chosen to provide position data to the control system. Small linear MR-brakes with high force-to-volume ratio were designed for haptic user interface by implementing Serpentine Flux Path method. Thumb force experiments were conducted and the average force applied by the thumb on a joystick was found to be 7.87 N. This result was taken as a key factor in designing linear MR-brakes to ensure that the MR-brake could generate enough force to oppose the motion of the joystick. MR-brake characterization tests were conducted to evaluate the response characteristics of small linear MR-brakes manufactured for the haptic feedback system. The brakes showed hysteretic behavior, but have fast response to step input and a relatively small time constant (80 ms). Flight experiments were conducted with the newly designed interface to assess how well the user could fly the drone but without any haptic feedback. The drone sped up uncontrollably causing the user to overcorrect the control inputs. It was not possible to stop the drone at 15 ft away from the obstacle (a wall) as desired for indoor flight without haptic feedback. Haptic flight experiments helped identify the performance of the haptic interface for drone control. During the experiment, the drone went through five states, namely, LAND, HOVER, FLY FWD, FLY BACK and STOP. The MR-brakes were locked and unlocked depending on the drone state, and the distance between the drone and the wall detected by the range sensor. With the implementation of sensors and haptic feedback, the drone was made "smarter", fly more stable and safer with the haptic interface limiting the speed of the drone and drastically increasing the controllability of the drone.
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Details
- Title
- Design of a magnetorhealogical brake for haptic interface for drone control
- Creators
- Ozgenur Kavas
- Contributors
- Hakan Gürocak (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525289901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis