TSAMTO, May 5. MIET scientists have improved the system of automated control of parachute platforms for cargo delivery to hard-to-reach areas.
According to RIA Novosti with reference to the developers, the control system based on the new navigation algorithm will be able to find application in research and rescue operations, as well as in emergency response. The development will be a profitable alternative to foreign analogues, the press service of the university said.
The controlled parachute-cargo system is a device that helps deliver cargo to areas with difficult terrain, where landing accuracy of about 50-100 m is required. Such a device should have automatic control both with the use of navigation satellite systems and with the help of a remote control.
According to RIA Novosti, in the summer of 2021, scientists of the National Research University "MIET" conducted flight design tests of a "smart parachute" of their own design. The main result of the tests was the successful testing of the new navigation algorithm.
In addition, a number of problems were identified in the operation of auxiliary systems. The defects were eliminated at the end of the tests. According to the developers, the improvement of the design and modernization of the application for configuring the system from a personal computer have significantly reduced the time to prepare the system for landing.
"The main feature of our device is the use of the domestic GKV–6 module, which allows you to find a navigation solution based on data received from satellite navigation systems and inertial sensors. This module is a promising alternative to foreign navigation units, which are widely used in the field of control of unmanned technical systems," Pavel Yerkin, Master of the Institute of Nano– and Microsystem Technology of the National Research University MIET, an employee of the Laboratory of Micro Devices company, told RIA Novosti.
He said that for the convenience of configuring such system parameters as the coordinates of the target, the length of the parachute slings, the parameters of the drive regulators, an application was developed that allows you to adjust these parameters before the actual landing. The improved model is equipped with a new manual control unit that can operate without signal loss at a distance of up to 10 km.
"The basis of the received technical solution was a navigation algorithm based on the extended Kalman filter. It allows you to use accelerometers, angular velocity sensors, barometers and satellite navigation systems to find a solution that includes coordinates and orientation in space in real time. Thus, the launch of the algorithm can occur directly during the flight, after which the system switches to the target guidance mode," explained Alexander Galkin, a graduate student at the Institute of Nano– and Microsystem Technology of the National Research University MIET, an employee of the Laboratory of Micro Devices company.
The developers plan to conduct repeated flight design tests of the upgraded system. One of the main tasks will be to work out the algorithm taking into account the influence of the wind, for example, setting up the operating mode of the system when landing against a headwind, RIA Novosti notes.
