Concept of Spinsonde for Multi-Cycle Measurement of Vertical Wind Profile of Tropical Cyclones

Poh, Chung-Kiak; Poh, Chung-How

doi:10.4236/ojapps.2015.54015

Cited by 4 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…They typically contain a GPS receiver, along with other sensors to record atmospheric profiles [13]. Measurement of vertical wind profile using chutefree spinsonde technique has recently been proposed, and simulations indicate that the method is promising [14]. Eliminating the bulky chute will increase payload capacity and more importantly, enable the VWP measurement to be repeated multiple time per flight [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Poh¹,

Poh²

2016

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Application of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for tropical cyclone missions is an emerging area of research and recent advances include the concept of spinsonde for multi-cycle measurement of vertical wind profile within the storm. This work proposes the design of a typhoon UAV as part of a cost-effective approach for acquiring atmospheric data to improve prediction and refine models. Land-and carrier-based flight schemes are proposed in this study and computer simulations are carried out to investigate the flight performance. Results suggest that the UAV achieves a maximum cruising speed in excess of 350 km·h −1 with excellent spinsonde performance. Furthermore, the UAV is capable of performing high-alpha maneuvers as well as vertical landing, thus rendering it suitable for space-efficient operation whether on land or aircraft carrier.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2016

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“…This result also suggested that the uncertainty did not appear to be adversely affected by the variation in wind intensity, which was similar to the characteristic of the spinsonde. Reference [6] reported that the measurement uncertainty of the spinsonde remained within ±5 km·h . The rotosonde maneuver was terminated at altitude below 100 m above ground level (AGL) to avoid the trees and power to the main rotor was resumed.…”

Section: Characterization Of the Rotosonde Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following [6], the measured atmospheric wind speed would be equated with the ground speed of the helicopter, which in turn would be equivalent to the speed measurement acquired by the onboard GPS receiver unit if it were in real field testing. The rotosonde maneuver was initiated while the helicopter was in cruising flight.…”

Section: Characterization Of the Rotosonde Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the bulky storage space for the dropsondes is eliminated which translates to optimum use of payload capacity e.g. to carry additional onboard fuel or batteries to enhance flight endurance [6]. Spinsonde-capable unmanned airplane with a wing loading of 227 g·dm −2 has a simulated descent rate of 9.8 ms −1 and a V H of 355 km·h −1 (without drop tanks) [7].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…From 40,000 ft (12,192 m) down to sea-level, the descent rate of the dropsonde varied from about 28 to 11.5 ms −1 [2]. Spinsonde technique based on the stall-spin maneuver of fixed-wing aerobatic aircraft has recently been proposed and demonstrated to have the ability to measure vertical wind speed profile similar to a dropsonde [6] [7] [8]. The hallmark of the chute-free spinsonde approach is that it enables acquisition of multi-cycle measurement using only a single airplane and hence being cost-effective [6].…”

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Rotosonde: Acquiring Vertical Wind Profile of a Tropical Cyclone with Small Unmanned Helicopters

Poh¹,

Poh²

2017

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Spinsonde is a chute-free vertical retardation technique specifically developed for fixed-wing unmanned aircraft to acquire accurate measurement of vertical wind speed profile for meteorological applications. Key advantages of spinsonde over the expendable chute-operated dropsondes are the ability to acquire multi-cycle measurement, efficient use of payload capacity and cost-effectiveness. This work proposes the concept of "rotosonde", which is the spinsonde equivalent for unmanned helicopters. Computer simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the rotosonde and results indicate that the measured speed generally correlates with the wind speed to within ±3 km·h −1 even for intensities in excess of 180 km·h −1. The profound implication of this work is that unmanned helicopters can now be considered for important field of studies such as cyclogenesis given their reliability to operate in gusty wind conditions in remote oceans, particularly during docking and launching from carriers.

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PTVC-M for Ultra-Agile VTOL and 300+ km·h<sup>-1</sup> Cruising

Poh¹,

Poh²

2016

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There remains a need to develop improved VTOL techniques that are cost-effective and with minimum compromise on cruising flight performance for fixed-wing aircraft. This work proposes an elegant VTOL control method known as PTVC-M (pitch-axis thrust vector control with moment arms) for tailsitters. The hallmark of the approach is the complete elimination of control surfaces such as elevators and rudder. Computer simulations with a 1580 mm wing span airplane reveal that the proposed technique results in authoritative control and unique maneuverability such as inverted vertical hover and stall-spin with positive climb rate. Zero-surface requirement of the PTVC-M virtually eliminates performance tradeoffs between VTOL and high-speed flight. In this proof-of-concept study, the VTOL-capable aircraft achieves a VH of 360 km·h −1 at near sea-level. The proposed technique will benefit a broad range of applications including high-performance spinsonde that can directly measure 10-m surface wind, tropical cyclone research, and possibly serving as the cornerstone for the next-generation sport aerobatics.

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Concept of Spinsonde for Multi-Cycle Measurement of Vertical Wind Profile of Tropical Cyclones

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Journey to the Typhoon

Journey to the Typhoon

Rotosonde: Acquiring Vertical Wind Profile of a Tropical Cyclone with Small Unmanned Helicopters

PTVC-M for Ultra-Agile VTOL and 300+ km·h<sup>-1</sup> Cruising

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Concept of Spinsonde for Multi-Cycle Measurement of Vertical Wind Profile of Tropical Cyclones

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Journey to the Typhoon

Journey to the Typhoon

Rotosonde: Acquiring Vertical Wind Profile of a Tropical Cyclone with Small Unmanned Helicopters

PTVC-M for Ultra-Agile VTOL and 300+ km&#183;h&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; Cruising

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

PTVC-M for Ultra-Agile VTOL and 300+ km·h<sup>-1</sup> Cruising