Launching box for drones – The Pennant

This project is an answer to the Call: Automatic UAV launching box

After a thorough study of demands set on a housing for a drone, and aspects regarding how a drone should be launched, three concepts have been developed.

The Pennant

The first concept developed is named the pennant. The idea behind this concept is to have the launching box mounted as high as possible to be able to launch the drone in surroundings with lower obstacles. The launcher is mounted under the housing for the drone and is hidden in the post while inactive

The Greenhouse

The second concept is named the Greenhouse and is developed to hold all moveable parts within the housing. The launcher and the roof of the launching box is mounted on a telescopic arm. This concept is also meant to be more self-sufficient than the others since this concept has a large roof area for solar energy.

The Folding Knife

The folding knife is a concept designed to be as compact as possible. The launcher is designed to fold into the housing to be protected while not active. This concept is also very flexible in its positioning thanks to its compactness.

A concept evaluation was made which showed small differences between the concepts. Therefore a decision together with SSRS was made to develop the concept the pennant further.

Below is a picture of the final concept with a silhouette for size reference. The dimensions are chosen with the drones size and the length of the ramp in mind.

The final concept has high detail and many of the parts in the construction are chosen with collaboration with manufacturers.

For launching the launching box tilts up together with the ramp. The correct angle is freely chosen by the operator. An innovative launching system was developed which used compressed air from scuba tanks. Therefore there is no need for compressors and little need for maintenance.

When the drone has completed its mission the launching box will come down to a good working height. The drone is placed on its sled and pushed back into the housing.