7. DESCRIPTION OF THE sUAS AND SYSTEMS
Last updated
Last updated
This Section provides a detailed description and operation of the Meadowhawk and its Systems. Some equipment or payload described may be optional and as such not installed in the Meadowhawk. Refer to the Supplements in Section 9 for details of other optional equipment or payload.
Stick Controls
Throttle
Left stick vertical movements
Yaw
Left stick horizontal movements
Pitch
Right stick vertical movements
Roll
Left stick horizontal movements
Moving the left stick vertically controls the throttle, and changes the altitude of the Meadowhawk.
Moving the left stick horizontally will osculate the meadowhawk on the vertical axis.
Moving the right stick vertically will move the nose of the Meadowhawk in the vertical axis, which makes the aircraft move forwards or backwards.
Moving the right stick horizontally will tilt the left or right side of the Meadowhawk on the vertical axis. The roll movement will not change the altitude, but will veer the aircraft to one side without turning.
The anti-collision light and orientation lights are omnidirectional strobe lights that meet FAA requirements. With a night visibility of over 3 nautical miles and a day visibility of up-to 1 nautical mile, the anti-collision light and orientation lights should remain on at all times when the aircraft is in the air. The anti-collision light helps with the Meadowhawks visibility to warn other aircrafts of its presence. The orientation lights help the pilot and visual observer maintain awareness of the vehicle's orientation.
The pilot radio controller is equipped with an ON/OFF switch for the anti-collision light and orientation lights. This is so the operator can turn off the lights when the Meadowhawk is grounded and turned on.
The cargo release hook allows the ability to carry a small load and release the load remotely and can be actuated at any time during flight or when landed.
The pilot radio controller is equipped with an open/close button for the cargo release hook. This is so the operator can load the hook when Meadowhawk is grounded and release the load when the aircraft is remote.
CAUTION
Do not actuate the cargo release above people or vehicles.
To load an item on the hook, open the hook using the Cargor Release Hook button located on the pilot radio controller, place the item in the hook loading area, then press the button to close the hook. Check to make sure the load is secure.
Propulsion
(2) clockwise (MR/CW) and (2) counterclockwise (MRP/CCW) propellers
Motors
Number of Motors
4
Motor Manufacturer
Union Robotics®
Motor Model Number
URBH -1001
Motor Type
Direct Drive 3-Phase PMAC Outrunner
Motor Power Rating | Speed
Max Watts 1562.81 | Max RPM 15033
Propellers
Number of Propellers
4
Propeller Manufacturer
Union Robotics®
Propeller Model Number
URAP-1011
Number of Blades
2
Propeller Type
(2) 15x5.4CW and (2) 15x5.4CCW
Electronic Speed Controller
Number of ESCs
1
ESC Manufacturer
Union Robotics®
ESC Model Number
URAE-1002
ESC Type
4-in-1
ESC Power Rating
50A
Battery Manufacturer
Union Robotics®
Battery Type
Sanyo NCR18650GA, 6S4P
Battery Capacity
14000 mAh
Battery min. Charge Rate
8.0A
Battery max. Charge Rate
14.0A
Number of Batteries Required for Flight
1
Number of Spare Batteries Available On-site
2
Autopilot
Type
Firmware
Manufacturer
URAP-1005
Interface
Union Robotics / Solex
Navigation
Type
GNSS GPS UBlock M9N
Manufacturer
Union Robotics®
Accuracy
0.5 m3 (depending on HDOP)
Radio Controller
Radio Controller Manufacture
Union Robotics®
Radio Controller Model
URHX-1004
Radio Controller Frequency
2.4 GHz
Video
Video Transmitter Manufacture
Union Robotics®
Video Transmitter Model
URHX-1004
Number of Video Transmitters
1
Video Transmitter Format
WIFI
Video Transmitter Frequency
2.4GHz
Telemetry
Telemetry Manufacture
Union Robotics®
Telemetry Model
URHX-1004
Telemetry Frequency
2.4 GHz
Telemetry Range
10 km
WARNING
Always operate the Meadowhawk in open areas (approximately 10000 square feet/930 square meters or more) that are free from people, vehicles, trees and other obstructions. Never fly near or above crowds, airports or buildings.
Never attempt to operate the Meadowhawk nearby tall buildings/obstructions that do not offer a clear view of the sky (a minimum clearance of 100°).
Be sure to place the Meadowhawk on a level and stable surface before powering ON the Ground Station and the aircraft.
NOTICE
Step back approximately 26 feet (8 meters) behind the Meadowhawk.
Hold down the left Throttle stick while pressing the Arm button on the ground station display screen on the left hand side, located in the Controls menu.
To take off, move the throttle vertically in the upward direction. Be sure to provide ample throttle to get the Meadowhawk off the ground.
Return-to-Launch Mode will command the Meadowhawk to fly back to the defined launch point. When the Meadowhawk first acquires a GPS position, it sets this as the launch point of the flight. Return-to-launch Mode enables the aircraft to follow a straight path when returning to the initial launch point.
During an LOS event, RTL followed by auto-land will be initiated automatically. The Meadowhawk will first check its current altitude against the configured RTL altitude. The Meadowhawk will climb to safe-height. Next, the Meadowhawk will fly back to the launch position set at the initial GPS position.
When switched into Smart RTL, like regular RTL, the vehicle will attempt to return home. The “Smart” part of this mode is that it will retrace a safe path home instead of returning directly home. This can be useful if there are obstacles between the vehicle and the home position.
Land Now will initiate the auto-land function, which will land the aircraft in the current place. The vertical speed at which the Meadowhawk will descend during an auto-land varies as the Meadowhawk approaches the ground. By default, the aircraft will descend at 1m/s until 10 ft above the ground and then it will slow its descent considerably until touchdown.
Max. take-Off Weight
10 lbs / 4.5 KG
The pilot controls of the aircraft remotely with a radio controller. The radio controller operates the aircraft and the payload attached to the aircraft.
Aircraft Pitch/Roll
Controls the pitch and roll of the aircraft
Aircraft Throttle/Yaw
Controls the throttle and yaw of the aircraft
Power
Powers on/off the radio controller
Camera Pitch
Will change the pitch of the camera payload
Camera Zoom
Operates the focal zoom for the payload camera
Photo/Video Mode
Changes the payload camera mode
Capture Photo/Video
Captures a photo or records video
Toggle Camera Zoom/Pitch
Switches the wheel function
Assignable
User assignable button (advanced feature)
LCD Display
Display for aircraft telemetry information
Antenna
Communication link between aircraft and radio
Anti-collision Light
Turns the anti-collision light on and off
Hook Release
Open and close the payload hook release
Return-to-Launch
Aircraft automatically returns and lands at take off
Ground support and surveillance can view video feed from the aircraft with a tablet, laptop, or smartphone.
Slide down the Notification Drawer and tap the Radio Status tab
Scroll down in Radio Settings and Enable the Video Sharing
Pull down the Notification Drawer and enable Hotspot
To configure press and hold hotspot logo, and you should see following screen
Then under Set up Wifi hotspot configure name and password for the hotspot
The video stream will be available at rtsp://192.168.43.1:8554/fpv_stream to connected devices
In this example VLC media player in used
Open VLC and go to File >> Open network
Type the url address provided on the radio controller stream menu and click "Open"
The video stream window will automatically open, if not, you can force it open by right clicking on the video stream link >> Play
