Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Agriculture Surveillance

Abstract

The design of a fixed-wing Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for agriculture pest monitoring is the subject of this thesis. It is primarily concerned with the sugarcane pest problem in the KZN region. After seeing the impact of sugarcane on this region and South Africa as a whole, this design was created. The wing, fuselage, empennage, and tilt-rotor mechanism of the UAV are all designed to meet the mission requirements. The aerodynamics, performance, and stability of the UAV are next examined. The highest sustained turning performance was determined using the SEP chart. The UAV has a cargo capacity of 2 kg, a range of 96.7 m, a stall speed of 13.7 m/s, and a flight time of 1.48 hours. Because the UAV is a fixed-wing VTOL system, it can reach more geographically demanding regions and maneuver in windy conditions. The design was followed by the development of an IR thermography camera with 12 Megapixels and a 45 HFOV for the detection of pests. Following that, the tilt rotor mechanism was meticulously designed.